Cause for Concern

A bit of a disappointing start for the Blazers, in particular – a huge division loss to the Nuggets at home.  Both losses were winnable games, and both games were mostly lost on the defensive end of the floor.  The Blazers were roasted by wing players in both losses (Carmelo Anthony’s 41 points, Trevor Ariza’s 33).  The Denver game stung particularly badly, as the Blazers were basically beaten by a parade of Carmelo Anthony free throws.  Even still, Greg Oden had a chance to win the game with a pair of free throws, but he missed both.  Not what the doctor ordered…

Sunday’s win over the Thunder was ugly, but it might be the sign of much better things to come.  After watching Anthony and Ariza tear Portland’s defenders to shreds, I was quaking at the thought of Kevin Durant wielding the basketball on his own court.  Durant seemed to be shooting every shot strong, almost like he had a laser sight on the back of the rim (3-21 FG).  A lot of that was simply uncharacteristically bad shooting by Durant, but we can also attribute that to some tough defense by Martell Webster.

That brings us to the bright spot in a cloudy start to this season – Martell Webster.  Webster has been everywhere, making a concerted effort on the defensive end of the floor.  I have no concerns about his foot after watching elevate on several occasions – sometimes to deliver poster-quality dunks, other times to block or contest shots.  Webster’s inspired play has more or else made up for the departure of Nicolas Batum.  In fact, I would argue that Webster has contributed more than Batum did at the position last year.  He’s better at knocking down open threes than Batum was, and he’s been just as active on the defensive end as Nic’ was.

We covered the bright spot, now it’s time to face up to the areas that are cause for concern.  There are several.  First and foremost is the poor fit that Andre Miller has proven so far with Brandon Roy.  Roy is not accustomed to playing with a point guard like Miller who doesn’t camp behind the three point line.  Against Denver, Roy kicked the ball to Miller several times when he was in the position to hit wide open threes, and he simply isn’t capable of making the shot consistently (he looks horribly awkward attempting a shot over 18 feet).  You can now see why McMillan wanted to start Miller with the second unit, which includes Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez.  These guys are capable of running, and Miller excels at leading the fast break.  They also cover his deficiencies in stretching the defense.  With this group, Miller is able to drive and kick the ball.  The fit with Roy is awkward, as he wants to do the same thing.

The other false start has come in the area of foul trouble for the big men, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla.  Both players are magnets for fouls, especially Oden.  You can really sense the frustration building in Portland, where it seems to the fans like the officials are singling out their big men.  To some degree, this is true, but Greg Oden has dug a hole for himself with his propensity to foul in the past, meaning he gets extra surveillance by the officials on every possession.  When not plagued by fouls, Oden has looked much better this year.  He’s lighter on his feet and has added some moves to his offensive repertoire.  He’s still a work in progress, but his rebounding and defensive stats would be obscene if he could average 30 minutes a game.

Portland’s rough start has come as an unwelcome surprise after all of the excitement that has built throughout the offseason.  However, it’s becoming quite apparent that equaling their win total of 54 last year is going to be a tall order in a loaded Western conference with several teams that have improved.  Denver, for one, is far ahead of Portland at this juncture.  The season is young, and Portland still has as much talent as any team in the league, but team chemistry is proving to be a quandary thus far.

Tags: Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Steve Blake