Darius Miles was placed on the Memphis Grizzlies active roster today after sitting through a 10-game suspension. Well, the good news is that the Grizzlies beat the Mavericks, the bad news is this is the first of 10 games that Miles must play for his contract to come back on the Blazers’ book. He played two minutes and had no other statistics. Yup, no assists, fouls, turnovers, steals, blocks, rebounds or even shots. It was only two minutes. It does look like Darius will play the 10 games, I have a feeling that Memphis will put him in for 30 seconds to finish the half or game just to ensure he gets to that ten game mark. Honestly, who can blame them. They have the opportunity to punish another NBA team, so they might as well make the most of it. It’s bad news for Rip City, but now that it looks like Miles is back for real, I wish him the best.
Archive for the 'General NBA' Category
One Down, Nine To Go
Cheeks Fired
Just a quick note to let you know that former Blazer coach Maurice Cheeks has been fired after the disappointing start to the Philadelphia 76ers season. Not much else to write about that. He’s a great guy but I was never too impressed with him as a coach. Regardless, I wish for the best for a man with a stint in Portland.
Miles is About to Land
Here it is, the news that you didn’t want to hear following a three game losing streak. Darius Miles is about to sign with the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s apparently all but done says Yahoo! Sports:
In a move that could damage the salary-cap flexibility of the Portland Trail Blazers, Darius Miles is close to signing a minimum-salary contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, two NBA sources said Friday.
Miles recently worked out for the Los Angeles Clippers, who drafted him third overall in 2000, but team officials said they would prefer to wait until January to decide whether to sign him. The Grizzlies had room for another player after trading guard Javaris Crittenton to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and appear to have settled on Miles after looking at D-League options. One source said only a last-minute veto by Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley could keep the team from signing Miles.
Wild Wild West
The Los Angeles Lakers will win the Western Conference. I am fairly secure with that assumption, but look at the rest of the West and it’s up for grabs. The Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers are all tied for second in the West with a 11 - 6 record. Then comes Utah at 11 - 7, New Orleans at 9 - 6 and the San Antonio Spurs at 9 - 7. Who is on the outside? The Dallas Mavericks at 8 - 8.
The shockers would be that Denver is a real playoff team, New Orleans is not fighting LA for the conference and the Spurs and Dallas (traditional powerhouses) are 8th and 9th, respectively.
There is nothing the Blazers can do expect win their games and hope it works out. A 600 record (50 wins) should be good enough to make the playoffs. In fact I don’t think any 50 win team has ever missed the playoffs. You know some teams (Utah, San Antonio) will really turn on the after burner after the All Star break, so teams like Portland, New Orleans and Denver need to do their best now to give themselves a buffer. Of any of the 11 - 6 teams, Portland has to be in the best position, having played only 7 home games and about to head out on a 5 game East coast trip. After that trip (so long as Portland goes at least 2 - 3), the Blazers start to play a consistent level of home games through the remainder of December.
Also of note, ESPN’s Playoff Odds give the Blazers a 99.7% chance of making the playoffs and a 11% chance of winning the NBA World Championship.
All Tied Up
The NBA season started on month ago, and the Northwest Division is no clearer now then it was on opening night. In fact, it is much less clear now that Denver is a serious playoff contender. The Blazers, Nuggets and Jazz all share the lead in the Northwest Division with a 10 - 6 record. The Jazz have had the “easiest” schedule so far and have been the most disappointing. They have played the most home games of these three teams (8, while Portland has had 6 and Denver 7) and faced the least Western Conference teams (9, while Portland has faced 12 and Denver 11). Portland has the highest point differential at +4.4, but Denver leads in scoring, at 100.0 points per game.
For all intensive purposes, Utah has disappointed, Denver has pleasantly surprised and Portland has weathered the storm that was the first month of NBA basketball with possibly the most unfriendly schedule ever.
There are a few pretty interesting games on slate for Friday (besides the Blazers v Hornets).
1) Denver at Boston
This game might not have been too interesting two weeks ago, but now that Billups is in Denver, this game is very interesting. How will the now playoff contending Denver compete against the NBA elite? Denver will be playing their second game in a back-to-back after dropping to Cleveland on Thursday. They are now 3 - 1 with Billups. For Portland, it is essentially as important to win as it is to have other teams in the playoff hunt lose. If Denver loses and Portland wins on Friday then the Blazers pick up a whole game in just one night. The season is early, but don’t underestimate the importance of losses to for Denver in the eyes of a Blazers fan. Go Celtics.
2) Orlando at Dallas
The theme in this posting remains that teams looking for that 7th and 8th seed in the East are playing quality teams and have the real chance to lose on Friday. Dallas has tripped out of the gate this season and holds a 2 - 6 record. Orlando is a very good team (although they have had their own struggles so far), so this matchup should be one to watch. If Dallas moves to 2 -7, they would be 5 games under 500 and that is good news for any Blazers fan.
3) Houston at San Antonio
A battle within the Texas borders that provides a chance to beat San Antonio into an even bigger hole. The Spurs are 2 - 6 and (as per a previous posting) are looking to survive a tough period with no Manu or Tony. I, for one, am ready to say this MIGHT be the season that the Spurs dig a whole too big to climb out of in the late winter / early spring months. The Spurs’ spoils are to the cheers of Blazer fans.
If two of three (Denver, Dallas and San Antonio) lose on Friday I would say that is a push if the Blazers also lose. Say Portland wins and two of those teams drop a game… Well, that’d be a great way to start the weekend!
Go Blazers, Road Wins are the Key
I first off want to say that I apologize for my two week or so absence from the scene. I have been crazy busy with school and the job market. But don’t worry, I am back!
The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the biggest stories of this young NBA season. The main reason is because of how terrible the Spurs have been. They are now 1 - 4 with the their only win being a double overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The bright spot for the Spurs has been the always terrific play of Tony Parker. Well boys and girls, tonight Tony Parker sprained his ankle and is said to be out two weeks. Now, I understand that two weeks is not that long in an 82 game season. But when you consider the Spurs play 7 games (5 of which are against Western Conference teams) that could be a brutal two week period. Don’t forget that 6th man star Manu Ginobili is also out. Can Tim Duncan steady the waters for the next two weeks? If you are a Spurs fan, you better hope he can. If the Spurs drop say 5 of the next 7 games (which seams very possible) they would be 3 - 9. Being 6 games under 500 would be a tough hole to dig out of in an already tough Western Conference. The Blazers (or Nuggets) could benefit the most from the Spurs struggles. I am not ready to rule out the Spurs from making the playoffs, but it is an interesting view that the aging Spurs are digging a big hole to start the season. I eye the Spurs as a team that has moved from a playoff lock to a bubble team to make the playoffs. If the Spurs have moved to the bubble, they are there with the Blazers and Nuggets.
Boston wants McDyess?
This bit of news comes from the Boston Herald via Real GM:
Most observers expect McDyess to return to Detroit after the league’s mandatory 30-day waiting period. But McDyess, reportedly upset by the trade, can expect to hear from the Celtics if a buyout does indeed go through. Though Leon Powe and Glen Davis have performed admirably behind Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics eventually will need a player with more length to fill the role that P.J. Brown held on last season’s championship run. McDyess, a starting member of Detroit’s front line, would be the perfect replacement for the since-retired Brown.
As the resident Detroit fan, this would be a huge loss for the Pistons. When I heard of the trade initially, I was upset. I wanted change in Detroit Rock City, but Billups and McDyess was both random and a bit too much to handle at once. Piston players were upset with the trade, and so is McDyess, which is unsurprising since he signed with Detroit just last year and has clearly stated he wanted to end his career as a Piston. Then I heard rumors of the buyout and the potential return of McDyess back to Detroit and I was a little bit more consoled.
Then this rumor comes around and this move to me just gives the Boston Celtics another reason as to why they would repeat for another title this year. McDyess may be old, but he does his job and does his job well. Like the article states, Powe and Davis are playing well, but Boston is wanting to replace that veteran play and experience off the bench that McDyess brings with him with PJ Brown now retired.
I really do hope that Detroit manages to wrestle him back with another contract. Boston has a lot of star players to pay so I’m not quite sure how much salary room they have to sign McDyess, whose contract is currently worth about $14 million. I’m also not sure how much Detroit is willing to pay to get him back. But with the dominance that Boston demonstrated last season, McDyess’ desire to win another ring may be enough for the Celtics to lure him to bean town with a pay cut.
