Workouts Continue
posted: 9/12/2007 at 12:59 PM
Other than the fact that Greg Oden wasn't on the court Wednesday morning, you wouldn't have known anything was different with the Trail Blazer players who are in early, preparing for training camp. The five-on-five games were intense, as always, and if you expected the guys to be down in the dumps or nervous about Oden's surgery Thursday, it certainly doesn't appear they are. It once again looked like 10 friends out playing highly-competitive hoops. There were spectacular plays on both ends, high-flying dunks, sharp passing, and accurate shooting.
Oden was around with his teammates, and spent time working on his upper body in the weight room. Inwardly, you know he's got to be a little nervous about Thursday, but if he is, he's doing a good job of hiding it. He got in his workout, and then posed for pictures with a professional team from South Korea that was in watching the pick-up games.
As you know by now, on Thursday team doctor Don Roberts will go to work on Oden's right knee, and shortly after, we'll know the results. Whether or not it's the best-case scenario, or the worst, life will go on. Watching the games on the court on Wednesday was a great reminder of that, and even proved theraputic to me personally. Of course we've been chewing the nails a bit in anticipation of what's to come, it would be foolish to try and imply otherwise. But, if the news isn't what we're hoping for come Thursday evening, this team is in very capable hands.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye went head to head in the games on Wednesday, and Travis Outlaw was particularly impressive. He had several jaw-dropping sequences, that had the Korean players high fiving each other on the sidelines. The most memorable play had Outlaw going high for a block at the defense end, and then elevated in traffic to slam home a lob pass from Jarrett Jack on the other then.
Speaking of Jack, he continues to shoot the ball extremely well, and his matchup with Steve Blake has been one of the more entertaining head-to-head battles on a daily basis. Blake has basically been living at the practice facility since signing with the team, and says he's in the best shape of his life. If the goal of signing Blake was to create fierce competition for the starting point-guard job, and it was, I'd say mission accomplished to this point. That's a toss up.
One other guy who is very healthy, and has looked very good, is Raef LaFrentz. To have three big guys, LaMarcus, Channing, and Raef, who have such great perimeter-shooting skills, will be a huge luxury to this team. They can all step back and stick the ball from 10 to 15 feet, and we all know about LaFrentz's three-point skills. You might be suprised to hear this, but Aldridge has even been firing threes from the wing in these games, and has been very accurate. We've always compared his shooting form to Rasheed Wallace's, and he looks very much like Sheed from behind the arc.
James Jones has taken the last two days off from workouts, with good reason. He and his wife, Destiny, welcomed their second child into the world on Tuesday morning in Tualatin. James Jr. was born, and mom and baby are doing well. Jones joins LaFrentz, and assistant coach Monty Williams, as new fathers this summer. The kiddie room, across from the locker room, at the Rose Garden should be packed this season, with these babies added to the mix that includes Brandon Roy Jr., Nicholas Blake, and Anthony Przybilla. Also, Darius Miles' wife, Brandi, is due with their first child, a boy, in November. Oddly enough, all of the babies I just mentioned, are boys. I'm keeping my 10-month-old daughter, Gabby, far away from there. Is there childcare on the 300 level?
Speaking of Darius, he continues to workout at a frantic pace, and was going through drills with trainer Jay Jensen on the other court during the games Wednesday. He hasn't been cleared to play, but is running now with the team during conditioning drills. Miles, who topped out at 259 pounds following his micro-fracture knee surgery, is now down to a slim 225. He has high hopes for a return, but still has a long road ahead of him. There are varying degrees of micro-fracture surgery, and Darius' was on the very serious end. Say what you want, you cannot fault his effort in attempting to get back into shape. I've seen it every day.
Thursday is a huge day, for all of us, obviously. On our radio show, Trail Blazers Courtside, Thursday night at 6pm (KXL-AM 750), we'll be joined by general manager Kevin Pritchard right off the top of the show. He'll have the results of Greg's surgery, and will share them with us live. Who knows, we may even get Oden on the show, if he's out of recovery. We're also hoping to get Nate McMillan on the show as well. If you're outside the listening area, you can click on the Courtside link at the top right of this page to listen live.
I end with a sad note. Former Trail Blazer Jim Paxson, who of course lives in Portland, has suffered a very difficult loss. His wife, Candice, has passed following a long battle with cancer. Jim has been serving as a scout for the Chicago Bulls, and brother John, who's the GM of the Bulls. Pax attended many Blazer games last season in Portland, and even joined us on the TV pre-game show several times. As you know, he's always been a class act, and a very proud member of the Blazer alumni. Please put Jim and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he battles through this trying time.
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Hey Mike,
You're doing nice work. Let's see some more video!
Thank you Mike.....as always ell appreaciated updates & information.
Great blog, can't wait to hear the news on Greg this Thursday. I hate the sad news at the end though. It makes you sit and think about why bad things happen to good people. I'm so sorry to hear about him losing his wife. Warm regards to Jim and his family.
I read your blog almost dayly, never been let down, left hungry for more but never let down! Keep up the great work!!
Mike,
Is there anyway to give Jim our condolences about his loss? I was a big fan of Jim, when I was a kid. Anytime a person in the "Blazer Family" (even if they haven't been a Blazer for almost 20 years) dies, it's a sad time.
Very sad news about Paxson's wife. He's always been a class act! Thanks for keeping us in the loop on the practices. I'm really enjoying hearing about the battles between the bigs and especially Blake vs Jack. Listen to you tomorrow!
thanks for the update MB,
I will defenitely be tuned in to courtside tomorrow for all the Oden updates. Did Travis put on some muscle??? I thought he looked a little bulkier in the practice video.
Condolences and prayers to the whole Paxson family.
Really puts Greg's knee in perspective, though we're all hoping and praying for a happy outcome to this drama.
I know, one way or another, it will come.
Jim all our love is with you and your family.
Love Blazernation
Thanks Mike. Money.
Please give Jim Paxton our condolences and let him know that he and his family are in our prayers. I was so worried about Odens' knee and still am concerned about him but hearing about Jims' great loss really does put all things into perspective.
Please send Jim our thoughts and love.
Great news about Miles. He's showing a lot of character and commitment. I hope he's successful!
Look forward to the show tonite.
Condolences to the Paxson family.
I'm rooting for Darius to make a strong comeback. It seems everyone is sour on Miles and would love to see him gone. Hopefully he can get back to play like he did right before the injury.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-oden091307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Yahoo's two league sources say Oden is out for the year. Truth to this?
Hey!! Where's Bowie?? Once again the Blazers shine in their decision making. The only good news is that we'll be in the 2008 lottery. Bowie, Oden, ??? Maybe the third time will be a charm..
I'm sure i'm in the minority, but I feel like Oden's knee has the potential to be a blessing in disguise. rather than depending on him too quickly, we'll let him acclimate under the disguise of rehabilitation. Plus, with Joel healthy again, maybe we can get back to that pick and roll at the top of the key that had been running so smoothly a couple of years ago. The vanilla Gorilla still deserves this time, and Oden's knee might just give it to him.
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