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NBA News - Sports News | November 9, 2008
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Blazers head out on first lengthy road trip
By Brian Hendrickson, Columbian Staff Writer
November 9, 2008
PORTLAND — As Brandon Roy looked back on the Portland Trail Blazers’ early season Saturday night, one word kept describing their accomplishments.
Confidence.
It was confidence that Roy said helped Portland hold off a San Antonio rally to snap a 12-game losing streak to the Spurs.
And it was confidence that helped Roy score five points in 1.9 seconds to beat Houston on a buzzer beater.
And confidence again helped Portland shake off a rough start Saturday night and rally past Minnesota.
But those were also the things that were missing in Portland’s three road losses.
There were blown leads at Utah and Phoenix that ended in frustrating defeats. That followed a season-opening loss to Los Angeles, during which the Lakers controlled the game from the opening tip.
The differences in the performances are not difficult to pick out.
As Portland prepared for its first lengthy road trip of the season — a five-game stretch that starts tonight in Orlando — Roy said the Blazers have to find a way to bring the confidence they found at home with them.
“That same way we had that confidence here in the fourth quarter, we’ve got to have that same confidence on the road,” Roy said. “I don’t think we fully believe that we can win some of those games, and I think that’s something I think we’ve got to change.”
Road woes are far from unusual in the NBA — even for elite teams.
Northwest Division champion Utah, which won 54 games last season, had to do it on the strength of an impeccable 37-4 home record. The Jazz were 17-24 outside Energy Solutions Arena.
Only nine teams posted winning road records last year — a list stacked with some of the NBA’s most veteran-laden teams, including finalists Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix, San Antonio and Detroit.
Blazers players said that experience is what separates them from successful road teams.
Despite having a core that has remained relatively intact — seven rotation players have at least two years of experience — the Blazers are still the second-youngest team in the NBA, and it has shown through on the road.
In its three losses, Portland shot five percentage points lower than at home (41.2 percent), averaged 10 fewer points (89.3 ppg) and pulled down an average of 7.6 fewer rebounds (35.7 rpg).
“We’re still trying to figure out how to do it this year,” center Joel Przybilla said of winning on the road. “At home, we’re a little more confident. We’ve got the crowd behind us. On the road, it’s a totally different atmosphere. You’re going into hostile territory, and a lot of times you don’t get the refs on your side and things like that. And you’ve got to learn how to play through stuff like that.”
Their learning curve will continue to be tested: Twelve of the next 16 games are on the road, including seven against teams that qualified for last year’s playoffs.
So while the Blazers feel their 3-3 record is an early success given the historic difficulty of the schedule — no other team has started a season with five opponents who won 54 or more games the year before — that feeling could be quickly extinguished if Portland can’t find a way to win on the road.
And the key to that success, Roy said, is finding a way to build confidence.
“I think at home, we show everybody, ‘Hey, we’re gonna win this game,’ ” Roy said. “But on the road, we’ve got to have that same pride and same confidence that make those guys believe we’re gonna win.”
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Carter's 2008-'09 NBA Season Preview: Houston Rockets
By Carter
November 2, 2008
In the deep end of the pool that is the Western Conference, the Rockets have spent the last few seasons doing little more than treading water. Not anymore. Houston made a huge splash in the offseason by trading for Ron Artest.
Before that move, the Rockets were good but could hardly be considered legitimate contenders for the Western Conference crown. The flip side was that they were not anywhere near bad enough to fall completely out of the picture and get a jolt of young talent from the Lottery.
With the addition of Artest, which cost them next to nothing, the Rockets are right there with the Lakers, New Orleans, Utah, and San Antonio as title contenders.
Frontcourt
The simplified scouting report on Yao Ming entering the 2002 NBA Draft was pretty simple to digest—“the Chinese Bill Walton.”
That thumbnail sketch referred to Yao’s incredible all-around skill set, which included shooting, rebounding, and passing—and included in the latter talent was a seldom-used break-triggering outlet pass that was, well, Waltonesque.
But people are starting to wonder if Yao isn’t mirroring Big Red in another important aspect—foot injuries. Fear not. While Yao has been injury-prone the last three seasons, it’s more due to bad luck than Walton’s congenital defects. Yao suffered a stress fracture of the tarsal navicular bone in his left foot that forced him to miss the final 27 games of the season. It’s the fourth serious injury Yao has suffered, all of them involving his lower extremities.
Yao recovered from his latest injury in time to participate in the Beijing Olympics, but there have to be concerns about the foot supporting a 7'6", 310-pound player throughout the rigors of an 82-game season.
When he’s on, Yao is as close to an unstoppable force as there is in the NBA. He can score in a variety of ways—the baseline turnaround, an improving jump hook, a face-up jumper at the foul line and, of course, the power dunk. And he’s deadly at the line, too, so there’s always a benefit to getting the ball down low to the biggest big man in the league.
In the past, the problem was finding suitable frontcourt complements for Yao. Consider that solved. The addition of Artest, who is already familiar with coach Rick Adelman’s offense, solves many problems for the Rockets. Artest, who gives the Rockets a consistent third offensive option behind Yao and Tracy McGrady, has three-point range on his shot. But Artest is just as comfortable bouncing bodies around in the paint and is a finisher on the break.
Artest joins Luis Scola, who was a revelation last season as a rookie, on a much-improved frontline. Scola, acquired from the Spurs, showed tremendous offensive potential, with a delicate touch and an intuitive sense when moving without the ball, one of the reasons he was a surprisingly good offensive rebounder. His defense didn’t exactly stir up visions of Maurice Lucas, but Scola at least worked at that end.
Scola’s backups, Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry, bring divergent styles to the position. Hayes is a lunch-pail-carrying workhorse, getting every ounce from what little pure talent he possesses. Landry, last year’s surprise rookie, is a lithe, bouncy athlete whose explosiveness around the basket made him a threat on the offensive boards and a decent defender.
But something has to give here, since the Rockets’ draft-night wheeling and dealing landed them Memphis muscleman Joey Dorsey, a physical beast whose defense and hustle make up for his rim-bending offense.
With Artest on board, Shane Battier suddenly becomes a situational defender, able to rotate anywhere he’s needed. Battier is a wonderful talent, willing to do all the little things that help a team win. But he has been little more than a catch-and-shoot safety valve in the offense, which is no longer a liability.
Backcourt
Rumor has it that when the Rockets pass around their NCAA Tournament pool brackets, Tracy McGrady only fills out the first round. Why? Because everybody knows that McGrady never gets past the first round. Cheap shot? Perhaps. But McGrady, one of the league’s brilliant natural talents, has yet to prove that he can lead a team to greatness.
There is the nagging feeling that while McGrady wants all the perks that come with superstardom—the fat contracts, the shoe deal, and face time on national TV—he balks at assuming the responsibilities that come with the territory.
McGrady wants to take shots, but not THE shot. He talks incessantly about his ability to make plays, but he can’t (or won’t) make THE play. Mix in his lack of durability (only 66 games, keeping intact his streak of never playing as many as 80 games in any season) and his unwillingness to attack the basket (295 three-pointers vs. only 358 free throws) and you start to ask questions.
It seemed as if the Rockets spent a good deal of last preseason looking for a point guard to replace Rafer Alston, but when the dust settled, Alston was their man. After an understandable adjustment period, Alston performed surprisingly well in Adelman’s system, hitting open three-pointers and getting the team into the offense.
Bobby Jackson was dealt to Sacramento in the Artest deal, so Aaron Brooks should get plenty of minutes at point guard. Brooks had people scratching their heads when he was drafted last season, but wound up turning heads with his play. The Rockets signed Brent Barry to a free-agent deal, giving them veteran savvy and a three-point threat in the backcourt. If nothing else, Barry’s three-point shooting should prevent defenses from collapsing on Yao.
Final Analysis
With Yao and McGrady, the Rockets were a threat, but few considered them a legitimate championship contender. Even in the glow from their ridiculous 22-game win streak, which came after Adelman’s ideas on offense finally sunk in, the Rockets were doomed to yet another first-round exit.
But with Artest now in the mix, the Rockets are no longer treading water. They’ve been suddenly elevated from first-round fodder to contention in the West, which means they’re ready to make some waves.
Carter's Prediction
First in Southwest Division
Third in Western Conference
Defeats Phoenix Suns in six games in Western Conference
Quarterfinals...
Loses to Utah Jazz in seven games in Western Conference Semifinals
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NBA | Russell Westbrook leads OKC Thunder to first victory
It didn't take long for Russell Westbrook to show the defensive prowess that convinced the Oklahoma City Thunder to make him its first-round...
The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — It didn't take long for Russell Westbrook to show the defensive prowess that convinced the Oklahoma City Thunder to make him its first-round draft pick.
Westbrook sparked a comeback with back-to-back steals on the defensive end and then scored the go-ahead basket for the last of his 14 points as the Thunder (1-2) beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 88-85 Sunday night for its first victory.
Westbrook, who earlier sparked a 13-0 run that pulled the Thunder out of a third-quarter deficit, hit the decisive basket with a driving layup that made it 86-85 with 2:19 left. Oklahoma City stopped Minnesota on its next six possessions to hang on for the win.
"We're going to have to be scrappy to win games," said Westbrook, the No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft.
Westbrook's defense helped his team hold Minnesota to just two points in the final five minutes. Al Jefferson's putback of Randy Foye's missed three-pointer gave the Timberwolves an 85-84 lead with 2:43 left.
Westbrook answered with his layup at the other end, and Ryan Gomes, Jefferson and Foye all missed chances to give the Timberwolves the lead before Nick Collison's left-handed hook shot with 16.4 seconds left made it a three-point game.
Minnesota had one last chance, but Gomes missed a tying three-pointer from the left side to close the game. Officials huddled by a courtside monitor to see if there was a foul before the final buzzer. The officials ruled in the Thunder's favor.
Notes
• Stephon Marbury was inactive again Sunday, and Knicks president Donnie Walsh plans to speak with coach Mike D'Antoni and his point guard this week in hopes of clearing up an uncomfortable roster situation.
Marbury is one of New York's star players, yet D'Antoni doesn't want to play him sporadically, preferring to give limited backcourt minutes to players who are part of the Knicks' future. Marbury is in the final year of a $21 million contract, and the Knicks are not expected to re-sign him because of his salary and history of clashing with coaches.
• Milwaukee guard Michael Redd sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of the Bucks' game against the Knicks and did not return. "It hurts right now. It hurts," Redd said after the game. "Little swollen, but I didn't hear anything crack or anything. It's a high ankle sprain right now."
• Miami Heat's Shawn Marion will have to be fitted with a protective mask after breaking his nose in Saturday night's loss in Charlotte. He is not expected to miss any time.
• The Golden State Warriors signed forward Rob Kurz, transferring guard Monta Ellis to the suspended list to make room. Ellis was suspended without pay until early December after injuring his leg in a motorized scooter accident during the summer.
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NBA Extra | Around the court
By MIKE WALLACE
November 2, 2008
ONE-ON=ONE WITH NEW ORLEANS HORNETS FORWARD AND TWO-TIME NBA CHAMPION JAMES POSEY
Q: After advancing deep into the playoffs last season and picking you up as a free agent in the offseason, how much pressure is there on the Hornets to win it all?
A: For the guys coming back, there's still a bad taste with how the season ended. They're excited and working to get past that. It's a process. For me coming in, trying to learn the system and share the knowledge I have, we're trying to get it going. We're capable of making things happen.
Q: You came in after winning titles two of the past three seasons with the Celtics and the Heat. How much vocal have you been with the Hornets about title aspirations?
A: Lead by example. That's always been my approach. I say things here and there a little bit. Communication has been great with my teammates. Guys listen a little bit to another player sometimes. When you're always hearing it from a coach, you're like, 'Man, shhh.' So I can be a little mediator right there -- and get us all on the same page?
Q: Are you the new Robert Horry -- a key role player hopping from contender to contender to collect rings?
A: That's crazy. I've heard that before. But he's got a lot more rings. I've been blessed to be put in those situations I've tried to take advantage by accepting my role and doing what I do to help the team. That's my approach.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
NEW YORK KNICKS -- Apparently, the Knicks are just fine with not getting their money's worth from three of their most expensive players.
Point guard Stephen Marbury and centers Eddy Curry and Jerome James are set to earn a combined $37.8 million this season. But they combined for zero points and zero rebounds in zero minutes in the season opener. None appear to be part of new coach Mike D'Antoni's rebuilding plans, and any of the three -- or all -- could be traded.
''It's what's best for the Knicks and our future,'' D'Antoni told the New York Daily News of taking his playing rotation in a different direction. ``I have to do that.''
DALLAS MAVERICKS -- That love-hate relationship between Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and NBA commissioner David Stern is apparently on the upswing again.
Dallas was announced as the host site for the 2010 NBA All-Star game, which will be played in the $1 billion mega-plex being built by the Dallas Cowboys. There's even talk the game could be played in front of 80,000 fans with the facility's retractable roof open. Cuban told the Dallas Morning News he planned to throw ``the biggest event this country has ever seen.''
Said Stern: ``If Mark wants to push it to 100,000, God bless him.''
HOUSTON ROCKETS -- If first impressions count for anything, new Rocket Ron Artest might prove to be a worthwhile investment for Houston.
Rockets guard Tracy McGrady might be Artest's biggest fan after watching Artest finish with 29 points and seven rebounds in a 112-102 win over the rival Mavericks.
''I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that,'' McGrady told ESPN.com about Artest, who averaged 22.5 points and five rebounds in his first two games with Houston. ``I was enjoying watching somebody else go out there and carry the team.''
ELEVATING
DANNY GRANGER, IND -- Granger, a 6-8 forward, is now the Pacers' go-to player. He followed a productive preseason with breakout season opener. Granger had 33 points on 10 of 16 shooting, with five boards, three blocks and two steals in a loss to Detroit.
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