by Diane Tutell on December 30, 2009
in Blog
Written by Dennis Damaun,
That’s the first thing I thought of when I heard McGrady was on the market for potential teams. Is it safe enough for him to go to New Orleans? The Hornet are current 4 games out of the 8th seed in the Western Conference and a trade for McGrady could be what triggers a nice spurt that could get them in the playoffs. But if McGrady still feels the same way he did in 07 when asked about the 08 All-Star game being held in New Orleans, it won’t work. “Is it safe yet, That was the first thing I thought about (regarding the game being held in New Orleans next season),” said McGrady. “I thought about how much safety and security there’s going to be for the players. I don’t think it’s the right city now. Safety has to come first. If I don’t feel like it’s going to be safe, if I am on that team, I will think about not going.”
If McGrady feels safe enough now in the Big Easy, I would send Devin Brown, Peja Stojakovic and James Posey to Houston in a New York minute for him. With the extra roster spots, the Hornets would have by sending those 3 players to the Rockets, they could give Albuquerque Thunderbirds’ Carlos Powell a chance to shine. Powell is a 6′7″ 225 lb SF and just went for 40 points in a win over the D-Fenders and is currently averaging 22 points a game. Powell’s teammate Shane Edwards, who has a similar build could fill in the 3rd roster spot. The Hornets need to make a change and this could be what the team and city needs to ride the high of their football counterparts. And that depends on how far they go in the playoffs. But if the Saints win the Superbowl, this could carry the city’s good fortune into the summer and give the people of New Orleans something to cheer for.
Written by DemoRoy
When a couple first meets, it is rarely love at first sight. There is normally a courting process; which may include talking on the phone or going out for a movie. This process is mainly for the individuals to get to know each other to see if they want to go forward with the relationship. Obviously to get to this point, there is some sort of attraction. The attraction the Portland Trailblazers had in Andre Miller was his savvy on court play, knowledge of the game and his ability to make other players better. It was no secret that the Blazers went after other marquee players such as Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Paul Milsap. Hedo decided to go to Toronto. Kidd, Nash and Milsap decided to stay with their respective teams.
So that left he Blazers with the choice of staying with the same team or going after Andre Miller. Miller is the complete opposite of Blake, last year’s starting point guard. He also draws similar comparisons to team star Brandon Roy. Miller doesn’t shoot the three point shot very well yet he is a gifted passer, good in the post and a relentless penetrating point guard. He and Roy like the ball in their hands.
After a date in Las Vegas, the Blazer’s signed Miller to a three year 21 million dollar deal. There was a lot of optimism about this move. Not just by fans, but as practice started, Brandon Roy told the Oregonian that he felt he was more comfortable playing with last year’s starter Steve Blake. This carried over into the preseason and even the regular season as Steve Blake was naed the starting point guard for the 2009-2010 season.
The Blazers struggled to a 2-3 start. Roy was averaging 25 points a game but there was no flow to the offense. Either Roy or LaMarcus was doing a bulk of the scoring. Blazers head coach Nate McMillan decided to start Miller for the next game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Blazers won convincingly 96-84. Miller had ten points, four assists and two steals. More importantly Miller ran the show. He called all the plays resulting with ten players scoring that night. For players scored in double digits and another with nine points. The offense ran like a well oiled machine. The Blazers are currently on a six game winning streak ending in a lead of 12 points or more.
The move to start Miller obviously caused Brandon Roy to adjust his game yet it could prolong his career. He doesn’t have to work as hard for his shots by taking a beating every night. Roy will add another weapon to his arsenal by playing off the ball. It also helps to keep the Blazers from being so predictable. Teams were just doubling Roy to get the ball out of his hands. He would pass on almost every possession while fighting the shot clock.
It’s clear that no relationship goes without bumps in the road. Miller and the Blazers have had a few bumps already but they realize now that they both need each other. Miller throughout his career has been searching for a team to display his skills to the world. He is by many experts considered an underrated point guard. This is mainly because he has played on good teams but never an elite team. Portland was not an elite team before Miller got here. Last year’s first found exit in the playoffs exposed two major weaknesses for the Blazers. Their point guard position and their lack of toughness. Miller brings both. He also has proven to make players around him better. Greg Oden has been a major improvement this year as Miller starts out most games getting him started.
The future is not set for Miller or he Blazers but the signs over the past week have shown this new relationship has taken a turn for the better. The Blazers are playing with great confidence. This could possibly be the best move of the off season and possible match made in heaven. With the improvement of the current roster, Oden’s off season work out, return of Martell Webster and the addition of Miller, the Blazers could be a major force in the western conference this year. I’m sure Miller is aware that Portland went after Kidd and Nash before considering him. This is his chance to prove that he at least deserved an invite at the same time they did.
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