Blake Back in Charge
posted: 10/14/2008 at 9:44 PM
Things looked to be just about back to normal on Tuesday, following what has been an unusual exhibition season so far in Blazernation. Steve Blake returned from an injured hamstring, Channing Frye, well ahead of schedule in his rehab from ankle surgery, was back on the court, and Rudy Fernandez showed no sign of any lingering soreness in the ankle he sprained a week ago against Golden State.
Blake, who went down in a heap during training camp, didn't suffer a pulled hamstring, according to doctors, and was able to return rather quickly, considering the time it normally takes to recover from an injury like this. Well before training camp he had already been given the starting nod at the point from coach Nate McMillan, and nothing has changed.
The only sign at all, that he's been out, is that he went the wrong way on one offensive set (which almost never happens to Blake, a guy who can run the offense in his sleep). McMillan said "well, that's what happens when you take almost two weeks off," and then laughed, along with most of the rest of the team. Blake went full speed without a problem, as the team went over set after set after set in this particular practice.
After practice Blake simply said it was great to be back, and that he hated the time he had to spend just watching. "Everything felt good, and I was in good enough shape that I don't think I really lost much because of the injury. My hamstring was a little tight on occasion, but that's just because I haven't pushed it much lately."
With Blake back running with the black unit (the starters), Sergio Rodriguez was working with the white unit. He's still ahead of rookie Jerryd Bayless on the depth chart at the point, and his play so far has certainly warranted that. Mostly, it was nice having the starting point guard back, and McMillan echoed that after practice. Not only is Nate so much more comfortable with Steve as the quarterback of the first unit, his teammates on that black squad appeared to be clicking just a little bit better.
The one thing we thought could happen, did happen in practice on Tuesday- 19-year-old Nicolas Batum was running with the starting five during the many drills that took place. Batum's development has almost been astounding the past few months, and following his 16-point performance against Utah on Sunday, was rewarded with getting a look with the black unit.
After practice, McMillan said not to read too much into the fact that Batum was apparently the starting small foward, at least in this practice. "He's very young, and I haven't made any decision yet. I just think he's deserved a chance to show us what he can do with the starters. I'll still run Travis with that first group, and will probably try Rudy there as well." But, clearly, the expectations placed on Batum have been adjusted in the past two weeks. That's a good thing.
Considering Batum doesn't have a great grasp of the English language, he's seemed to take to McMillan's system like a fish to water. In practices, like today's, nothing ever has to be explained to him twice. That just doesn't happen with 19-year olds who don't speak the language. He's looking more and more like he's going to be an impact player sooner than later. What a steal.
Frye has made a remarkable recovery from ankle surgery, and initially wasn't expected to be back to full speed until sometime in mid-November. But, on Tuesday he was back at it, in his first full-contact practice since the surgery. He's another guy who was in very, very good shape before he went down, and therefore didn't need a lot of catch-up time.
Frye's outside shot, already very good, is now better than I've ever seen it. I don't think it's a stretch to say he's the best mid-range shooter on this team. He was also deadly from three-point range in the pre-camp pick-up games before his surgery. And, keep in mind, being he'll be playing with Joel Przybilla with that second unit, he won't have to be inside as much as he was last season, when he had to play bigger than is comfortable for him. Another reason this team is fortunate to have a back-up center like Joel.
By the way, I watched Rudy shoot for about 15 minutes after practice, when he was shooting nothing but three pointers. I once saw him make 16 in a row, and in the time I watched, I only counted four misses. The corner is his best spot, that's for sure.
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Im getting a blake jersey this year. I like blake as are starting guard. lowest turn over/assist in the nba. big year for him this year. rip city
Great recap MB. It's nice to see that Blake is back and running the offense. It seemed like at times the team had some trouble getting into the sets. Man I am excited to see this team in the regular season. Looking forward to another fun year with you and the Wild One.
When Rudy when down with the injury during the pre-season game, I was proud to be a Blazer fan with the crowd chanted "Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!" The guy is a special player, and I hope he understand by now that we value him being on the team.
coach Nate is going to have his work cut out for him this year. blake is the starter and serg is the backup but bayless is the best defender and biggest offensive threat out of the three. its going to be a tough job. I cant wait to see how he does it. Good luck Nate!
Thanks for the update on all things Blazer. Any info on Rudy, Channing and Blakey is always appreciated. We are so lucky to have such a talented and super charged squad.
Your observations are greatly appreciated as are the efforts of all the Blazers! Go Blazers!
bold statement millertime, he was #7 in Assist-TO last year which is still really good, but not quite #1.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statistics?stat=nbaassists&sort=astto&avg=pg&seasontype=2
Mike:
It is great to hear that our injured players are getting to return. I thought we did great without them. Now that Blake will be running the show things should be even greater.
I have a question. You mentioned once and I have been wondering can Frye play the sf? most of the bloggers feels he isn't fast enough to defend the 3. We use our 3 mostly to keep the defense honest with a 3 pt threat, and to play tough defense. Do you feel Frye can defend the three and dribble or handle the rock?
I think Batman deserved a chance to play with the black unit. Nate has stated many times that players had to earn their minutes, and Batman definitely did that. I want to see Travis excel and learn the 3, but I feel he is not handling the pressure yet.
Great blog.
hg
Thanks Mr. Barrett. I'm glad Frye and Blake are back. Batum's development is certainly unexpected and exciting.
Welcome back guys! It's good to have Blake back for the starting unit. Hopefully if Outlaw stays a starter at this point, we can see more of Rudy and Sergio together. That's my favorite combo going in to the season. As for Rudy's favorite corner...shhhhhh, it's a secret!
Batum is making me forget all about Koponen. Im glad that Blake and Frye are back, I hope we don't See anymore injuries! BTW,
where is Koponen at anyway? Did he sign somewhere?
Chris, I see where you're coming from but respectfully disagree. The biggest offensive threat may not be the same thing as the player with the highest scoring potential. In Blake's case, he can shoot when needed (especially now), but he proved last season that he can distribute the ball in a way that allows the scorers to score - plus he protects the ball. This year he's going to have more options than ever, he's in great shape, and his shot has improved. That, my basketball ally, is an offensive threat and a team player. I think Blake will become a slightly more mechanical Steve Nash this season.
Just wanted to say thank you MB for all the updates. As a long time Blazer Fan your making the wait until the season starts bearable. So excited to watch are team through the long season how they will grow and how they will deal with all the ups and downs of a 82 game season. Enjoy them this year and have patience everyone were in for some special times in are lifes when it comes to are Blazers.
I called it! Batum at the starting SF position makes a whole lot of sense. The key with Batum is that he plays defense like a veteran. He never rushes and always seems to be at the right place at the right time. IMO, he's out starting SF until Webster returns.
Mike, you mentioned how surprising it is to see Batum understand the coaches so easily...after hearing him be interviewed last week I was under the impression that the language barrier was more like a speed hump, he almost sounded like he grew up speaking English. What's the real deal?
Batum has learned English very fast. Smart kid for sure. I still think if Nate has the brass, he'll put Batum in the starting unit. I also called it and am still calling for it.
Vlad,
I believe PK signed with a team in Italy to a multi-year deal. The contract supposedly has a reasonable buyout clause so we can bring him over before the end of his contract. That was good news and just shows you that KP knew what he was doing when he opted to let him season overseas for a while. I'm not too happy about it but with Sergio's development lately it's not as big of a deal. It almost seems a sin to break up the Surge-Rudy tandem in our White Unit. Eventually, I see Kopponen as the replacement for Blake in the starting lineup, some 4-5 years down the road.
As for Batum, I had my eye on that kid ever since preseason of last year and all I have to say to KP and staff is:
THANK YOU.
I went to the Utah game the other night. Pritchard has done an excellent job getting a group of selfless units. This is a great time for Portland, but it still might take a few years people there are no instant results. No more Jailblazers! It's a relief not see Jarret Jack out there throwing the ball away and pouting all night. Zach Randolph was a thug with marginal talent. Oden: He has a long way to go, he is not in NBA shape, I had a close seat in and he is huffing. Big O will need to learn how to pass out of a double team better if we want teams to suffer. He has great rotation and a nice touch at the freethrow line for a bigman. His foot work needs some help with pinning a defender for lobs etc. and getting good position. Can't let Big O get the ball to high off the key. He will get better.
Fans need to understand these preseason games are a test from Nate to see who will contribute. Who takes care of the ball, who executes, who responds and who has the right attitude. He wants to know who he can bring off the bench. Preseason games mean nothing as far as wins and losses. I'm impressed with the Duke recruit, he plays well, great footwork, undercontrol, competes well, definitely a keeper. Bayless plays some good defense, a little out of control though right now. Sergio does well if under control.
Great time to be an NBA fan in Portland. I'm happy for the program.
My first blog...I flew in to pdx to get a glimpse of the team...from Kamloops,B.C....Batum's defence and hustle create a full box score...not to mention intangibles like deflections...I like the idea of being able to throw D intensity at Kobi with a combo that includes Batman and Travlaw.
Thanks Beav!
Lol by now I know better than to question KP. I think we will see PK with the Blazers in a year or two.
-Beat LA
When Blake turns into Steve Nash i will gladly eat my words.
The Blazers are guilty of having an embarrassment of riches. We're two deep in every position and our bench could vie for starting time on most teams. To have 4 rookies (Oden, Rudy, Batum and Bayless) probably playing significant roles is truly amazing. But what's even more amazing is that the MVP of this team (Kevin Pritchard) doesn't even lace them up. KP has assembled a talented and charismatic roster that mirrors his own character and talent. I want to be the first to nominate KP for GM/Executive of the year!
Side note* Does anyone remember KP's reaction to the final home game of the 2005 season? That one moment in time solidified him as one of the greats in this league.
Heck, KP for President!
about Koponen, he will play with Bologne this year (in Italy) where he will Earl Boykins's back up.
Mike how could you not tell us about the Blazer scrimmage at Cleveland High School? Let's see some video. I was just at Cleveland the other day too for my job. Wish some kid would have mentioned it.
Great Blog Mike, thanks for the update. Any hoot, Blake reminds me of a quarterback who does a great job of mananging the game, but I wish he would create more. Driving to the basket and dishing it out or dropping it off to Oden for one of his monster jams. It seems he doesnot drive to the basket enough, Dont get me wrong I"m happy he is back. Batum at sf love the idea but Kobe would chew him up.
Fantastic post Mike! I enjoy your details regarding the individual players.
Did anyone see/hear about Von Wafer lighting it up in a recent pre-season game for the Rockets? I think he stroked 7 for 9 from 3-pt range in that game. He's instant offense, nice that he may get an opportunity to showcase that in Houston. But I enjoy our team though. It lookes like we're getting healthy ahead of schedule. We should be full-stacked minus Webster for the season opener. Not bad.
Mike, please update us on the Comcast deal with the satellite providers. I don't want to miss the majority of the games again this season. Thanks.
I am stoked for Rudy and Sergio to play together. Their court speed is to notch. They will push it hard coming off the bench.
Don't want to sound like a party pooper here but we gotta remember that only five guys at a time can play and there are only 240 minutes of playing time per game. The best teams of late have been built around two or three stars and a few really good role players. Steve Blake is the consummate role player which is one reason Nate values him so much.
Once when I was listening to a Laker game (this goes way back) Chick Hearn was answering mail and one guy had asked Chick what he thought of a team composed of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt, Bob Pettit, and some other superstar. Chick's answer was, "great team but you'd need five basketballs."
So not only does Nate need to find minutes for all these great players KP has assembled, he has to make sure the minutes go to the guys who willingly stick to their roles within the offense.
Gotta admit though, it's a nice problem to have...
Two young rookies starting? Interesting but it can work. Not sure it will be pretty at the start but if these guys gel this could be a sick unit. Our second unit will be the best in the NBA. Rudy, Outlaw, Sergio, Frye, Pryz. Have I forgotten Bayless... no. What about
Webster? We are drowning in talent.
I'm interested how Bayless will be used. He's fearless and that's what we need against teams like the lakers, jazz, and celtics. We need guys who are willing to mix it up, stand up to the big dogs and not back down.
I see so many combinations. The sooner our guys can figure out their roles and play those roles consistently the sooner we will start steam rolling over teams. We got the pieces, we just gotta learn how to use em.
Go Blazers!
Go Blazers!
I think don is right we don't need 15 supstars. Blake is a great role player. hard worker, great defence(better than bayless)and low turnovers.We would rather have broy/L-train or someone built to score put up lots of shots. blake fits for what we need. let sergio push the ball all day but blake is by the book. we need that most. 20 says we make it 2 the second round. eat your heart out charlse
P.s> whos going to win more rings
blake or nash think about that one
Blake is not a starter for a championship team. Roy, Oden, Aldridge, Rudy and Bayless. All except Oden have the killer instinct.
I respectfully disagree with maximus. Blake is a winner and has been at every level. He led the University of Maryland to the 2002 NCAA championship, and is exactly what the Blazers currently need (a steady veteran hand at the point).
While I agree that Bayless and Rudy are going to be impact players at some point, don't count out Martell Webster either. It was disappointing to see him go out with an injury, but I really expect him to have a breakout year when he returns.
Go Blazers!
As much as i like bayless he has to earn his spot on the team like everybody else. He is a scoring shooting guard that is what he is. he plays alright defence and passes the ball well. but he is still a rookie. HE does not have nba defence yet. blake does hands down. The only thing bayless has on steve is his offence. Which we have plunty of. between Roy oden aldridge rudy & trave i think we have offence taken car of. bayless has a few years befor he becomes full form. It will take more then an mvp of summer league to start on this team. Blake is not a starter for a championship team.................... NOT YET
RIP CITY
Hey MB
Did you guys have courtside last Thursday? I missed it. Did you guys do the predictions for the season?
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