Long trainng camp stuff(mostly PTL but some hawks)

[beav]

Saturday, July 17, 2004

Powering down

The Salt Lake area is being hit hard with a lightning storm. It was hot and humid when I entered the RMR today, but early in the 4th quarter of the Utah-Indiana game, the lights went out in the arena. I mean it was pitch black. I went outside to find rain, thunder and lightning. The game resumed after about 30 minutes, but the downtown area is a mess as about 50% of the traffic lights are out.

In any case, I sat with an advance scout for an Eastern Conference team for most of today's session. I picked his brain on several topics. Here are the more interesting portions of our conversation:

1) The team he works for passed on both Jameer Nelson Sebastian Telfair based on their size, or lack thereof. This despite said team needing a point guard. But he did say he was tremendously impressed with Telfair's character.

2) How did Ha look in pre-draft workouts? "He's big" is all I could get him to say about Ha. He had limited exposure to Ha's game, but he obviously wasn't impressed.

3) Regarding Shareef Abdur-Rahim, he told me you have to wonder about a guy with so much talent who's never played for a winning team. Read the latest on a possible Abdur-Rahim trade here.

4) He likes Zach Randolph's game, but one of the first things out of his mouth was "black hole". He loves his moves around the basket but said he needs to work on recognizing double teams, then finding and hitting the open man. Not exactly breaking news, I know.

5) I mentioned the reported four-year, $20 million offer from the Blazers to Darius Miles. "Is he worth more?" I asked. He chuckled and said "$39 million dollars for Brian Cardinal." He then mentioned the Derek Fisher and Adonal Foyle contracts. With free-agent contracts so out of control at this point in the summer, it's a safe bet Miles would command more if he was unrestricted.

6) Daruis Rice: played for Miami's summer league team earlier in the month. I gave him my scouting report on Rice (nice spot-up shooter who can't create his own shot, average rebounder at best). He agreed with me wholeheartedly, but said shooting is at such a premium that he might find a spot on an NBA roster.

Looking over Friday's stats, there wasn't one player who hit more than one three-point shot all day long. Lots of athletes in this league, but the skilled shooters who can play are harder than ever to find.

Here are some random player notes I jotted down while watching the Sonics-Hawks game:

SEATTLE

Robert Swift: more like 6-9 or 6-10 that his listed 7-0. He runs the floor well and can finish with power. He's a very strong young man but he seemed to have problems catching passes. He also had three shots blocked. He has nice touch and has the power to play down low. Just needs time and experience.

Nick Collison: Looked very good after coming off shoulder surgery that forced him to miss all of last season. Nice touch around the rim with either hand (he made three left-handed layins/hook shots tonight). Great toughness at the basket. Has NBA 3-pt range.

Damien Wilkins: Spitting image of his father, Gerald Wilkins. Dominique was there tonight to watch him. Very strong body, good moves with his back to the basket, extremely athletic.

Leon Smith: Remember him? High school player who came out in 1999 but personal problems forced him out of the league. Big, athletic body, very strong rebounder, needs to learn more post moves and keep his head in the game. Appeared lost on defense.

ATLANTA

Josh Smith: This year's No. 17 pick, Smith can put the ball on the floor with either hand, is very versatile, quick leaper, good instincts, anticipation and awareness. Blocked six shots tonight, but shot poorly from the floor. Has 3-pt range.

Cory Violette: A poor-man's Nick Collison. Range up to 18 feet, very tough down low. Strong but undersized at 6-8. Good feel for the basket.

Josh Childress: Very skinny. Good range on his jumper. Didn't play well tonight, but the scout I was with really likes him.

I also watched the Indiana-Utah game, but it was such a horrible game to watch due to fouls and poor shooting that I won't bother with player notes. Not very many good players on the Pacers' squad, and no one on Utah impressed. Kirk Snyder hit a few shots in the 4th, but was 1-for-12 from the floor through three quarters.

Portland plays the first game of the day tomorrow when it battles the Spurs at 11am PT. I'll have updates, photos and audio during and after tomorrow's game.

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Q&A

Have a question about players at the Rocky Mountain Revue? Send them here.

Q: I've heard that in the mini-camp, Sebastian was trying too hard and trying to be too flashy. After game 1, has he adjusted any or is he still trying to make the blind pass when the simple bounce pass would have worked better?

Larry

A: I can only base this on one game, but Telfair seemed to stuff the flashy stuff in his back pocket last night vs. Utah. The coaching staff seems very concerned about the team running the offense in a very strutured way, and obviously the PG stirs that drink.

Telfair played under control and didn't try anything flashy, but his game just has a natural flair to it. He's got a great spinning move to get to the rim and he's lightning quick with the ball.

In his post-game comments, he mentioned he just wants to do what the team asks of him. I thought last night was a great first step in that direction.

Q: How does Sinanovic look?

Ben

A: Portland's second round pick last year (and a player many thought would go top-5 this year if Portland hadn't taken him in 2003) is developing, but he's still a major project in my opinion.

He's just turned 21 on July 1st, and he had 2 1/2 years of basketball taken away from him due to a military commitment. So he's a little behind in terms of experience.

But he's very well coordinated, he can run the floor decently for a 7-4 player, and his arms are very long.

He didn't take any jumpers vs Utah, but the report on him says he's got good touch on the perimeter.

It seemed to me last night he doesn't realize how much he can change a game. He didn't try to finish strong at the rim, but was content to finger roll or finesse the ball in when he was right at the rim. And he needs to keep those long arms in the air when he's protecting Portland's basket. That alone would change a few shots.

He seems to have potential, but he needs more experience. And a finding a little mean streak wouldn't hurt, either.

Q: Hey Eric, I'm hoping to hear more about the progress of Travis Outlaw. All I know is that he's an athletic three. How is he defensively? Has he developed any moves offensively? And how is his jumper? (Does he have a jumper?) Thanks.

Dan

A: Outlaw got the crowd going early by nailing a 20-ft jumper (and getting about three feet off the ground in the process). But he pretty much disappeared for a big chunk of the game, despite playing 22 minutes.

He looks bulked up from last season, but his intensity level seemed to sag. Maybe his body language isn't telling the whole story. He did grab a key rebound late in the game and streaked down the court for the dunk of the night a moment later, but what was sandwiched in between the opening moment and the closing moment wasn't particularly memorable. I'll keep a closer eye on his defense tomorrow when Portland plays San Antonio.

Q: I want to hear how the young players are doing. Can you compare Telfair/Dickau?

Ben

A: Dickau got the start, and he played well enough to finish the game as well, despite coach Loyer telling Telfair he'd mop up.

Dickau struggled with his shot last night, but did deliver some nice passes to finish with 5 assists. He matched up with Lopez and Williams pretty far out on the perimeter and did a decent job of trying to disrupt the offense early. I was impressed with his hustle and what appeared to be a good defensive effort. But if he's not hitting shots, his on-court value suffers.

Telfair more than held his own. He was under control most of the night and was more of a vocal leader than Dickau. Sebastian also brings an energy to the court that not many players possess. It's an intangible that Nash and others obviously spotted early.

I don't want to read too much into one game, but I'd say the two played to a draw last night. I think Telfair's learning curve is high, and physically he has an advantage. This is a key summer for Dickau, who's already been in the league for two years after completing his college education. If they players are a draw, why not give the backup PG job to the youngster?

Q: I am down in Corvallis wondering who you think were the top three performers on each team at the Utah / PDX game tonight and how they would help their respective teams or not in October?

Jerry

A: Top three performers for Portland were Qyntel Woods, James Thomas and Darius Rice.

Woods finished the game with a flurry, and was Portland's go-to guy down the stretch. He responded beautifully by scoring nine of the Blazers' final 14 points.

Thomas was the only Blazer who seemed willing to mix it up inside with Utah's Curtis Borchardt and Kris Humpries. He was a tireless worker last night and hit the floor hustling for rebounds and loose balls more than once. He provided Portland's only muscle in the paint.

Rice is very quiet on the floor, but his stroke is very nice when he's spotted up. I have a feeling Richie Frahm might take some minutes from him this summer when Frahm's finger heals. But Rice is long, runs the floor well and can stick the '3'.

On Utah's side, Humphries was a BEAST. Big body, rugged rebounder, nice shooting touch. He was the best player on the floor last night, in my opinion.

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Friday, July 16, 2004

Utah vs. Portland

Final score - Portland 87, Utah 84

PHOTOS

LISTEN

RMR head coach John Loyer: On Sebastian Telfair's performance, Qyntel Woods, Nedzad Sinanovic and more

Sebastian Telfair: "Being a point guard is like being a mother. You've got to make sure everyone's happy and everyone gets fed."

FINAL STATS

Box score (.pdf)

Travis Outlaw - 22 mins, 3-8 FG, 0-0 (3-pt FG), 0-0 FT, 6 rebs, 0 assts, 0 stls, 2 TOs, 0 blks, 6 pts

James Thomas - 23 mins, 3-8 FG, 0-0 (3-pt FG), 6-7 FT, 7 rebs, 0 assts, 0 stls, 0 TOs, 0 blks, 12 pts.

Jared Reiner - 27 mins, 1-7 FG, 0-0 (3-pt FG), 0-0 FT, 5 rebs, 0 assts, 2 stls, 1 blk, 2 pts.

Dan Dickau - 23 mins, 2-7 FG, 0-2 (3-pt FG), 2-2 FT, 2 rebs, 5 assts, 0 stls, 2 TOs, 0 blks, 6 pts.

Qyntel Woods - 22 mins, 8-13 FG, 1-1 (3-pt FG), 6-7 FT, 4 rebs, 3 assts, 1 stl, 0 TOs, 0 blks, 23 pts.

Jamel Thomas - 14 mins, 2-4 FG, 1-1 (3-pt FG), 2-2 FT, 0 rebs, 1 asst, 0 stls, 0 TOs, 0 blks, 7 pts.

Darius Rice - 19 mins, 5-9 FG, 2-5 (3-pt FG), 1-2 FT, 2 rebs, 0 assts, 1 stl, 0 TOs, 0 blks, 13 pts.

Viktor Khryapa - 15 mins, 2-3 FG, 1-2 (3-pt FG), 0-0 FT, 3 rebs, 0 assts, 0 stls, 2 TOs, 0 blks, 5 pts,

Sebastian Telfair - 17 mins, 4-6 FG, 0-0 (3-pt FG), 1-4 FT, 0 rebs, 4 assts, 2 stls, 4 TOs, 0 blks, 9 pts.

Nedzad Sinanovic - 11 mins, 1-1 FG, 0-0 (3-pt FG), 2-2 FT, 3 rebs, 0 assts, 0 stls, 2 TOs, 0 blks, 4 pts

Tony Younger - 7 mins, 0-1 FG, 0-1 (3-pt FG), 0 rebs, 1 asst, 0 stls, 0 TOs, 0 blks, 0 pts.

Blazers team stats: 31-66 FG (.470), 5-12 (3-pt FG), 20-26 FT (.769), 32 rebs, 14 assts, 6 stls, 12 TOs, 1 block, 36 fouls.

Jazz team stats: 29-54 FG (.537), 3-7 (3-pt FG), 23-39 FT (.590), 30 rebs, 21 assts, 4 stls, 16 TOs, 6 blks, 29 fouls.

The Blazers outscored the Jazz 28-15 in the final frame. Qyntel Woods was huge, hitting a key three late in the game to tie the score. Woods also scored several tough buckets on drives to the hoop and finished with a game-high 23 points.

James Thomas is the only Portland player who appears to enjoy mixing it up in the lane. And he pulled down two key rebounds in the final minute to keep Portland's chances alive. He finished with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Sebastian Telfair had several key assists in the quarter and made a tough driving layin before getting called for a delay of game (Portland's second, resulting in a technical foul).

Head coach John Loyer pulled Telfair aside after the blunder with about 4:30 remaining. Dan Dickau played the rest of the way, and played well, finishing with five assists and two turnovers.

Telfair said Loyer told him he'd go back in the game with 2:00 to play, but Dickau was playing too well to be taken out.

3rd Quarter - Utah 69, Portland 59

James Thomas is a beast on the glass, but he has a hard time finishing at the rim. Maybe Cheeks comparison with Danny Fortson in today's Oregonian isn't so far off.

Darius Rice hit one three and Viktor Khryapa had some nice moments on defense until he stepped on someone else's foot and appeared to sprain his ankle. He left with about 6:30 left in the quarter and did not return. He was wincing in pain for several minutes on the sideline. I'll get a status report on him tomorrow.

End of 2nd Quarter - Utah 45, Portland 36

Portland

Leading scorers: Woods 12, Rice 5, Khryapa 5, Outlaw 4

Leading rebounders: Outlaw 4, Thomas 2, several with 1

Leading assists: Dickau 2, Woods 2, Telfair 2,

Team stats: 43.8 FG%, 2-6 (3-pt FG), 6-7 FT, 11 rebounds 1 steal, 1 block, 6 turnovers

Utah

Leading scorers: Humphries 14, Snyder 10, Borchardt 8

Leading rebounders: Humphries 7, Borchardt 3

Leading assists: Lopez 5, Williams 3

Team stats: 59.3 FG%, 3-12 (3-pt FG), 12-19 FT, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 6 turnovers

Dickau replaced Telfair after Sebastian got about 12 consecutive minutes of PT. Mostly, he just ran Portland's offense in the half-court set. Not much shooting from him, but he did have a few nice assists.

Dickau came in for a quick and-one, making the score Utah 36, Portland 27 with 4:19 remaining in the half.

Khryapa had he ball on the low blocks and hit Sinanovic with a beautiful no-look shovel pass. Sinanovic was fouled on the play.

Khryapa is lean with long arms and a definite bounce in his step. He seems to have energy to burn, but he hasn't had a chance to do much yet.

1st Quarter - Utah 26, Portland 20

Travis Outlaw got the Blazers on the board first after draining a 20-ft jumper. His jumping ability and athleticism is insane. He gets SO far off the floor with his jumper.

Just when I was going to say Outlaw looks winded (6:00 in the first), he hits another jumper. But he is sucking wind, definitely.

With 3:09 remaining, Portland is losing 18-12, and Sebastian Telfair is getting his first taste of the action, as is Khryapa and Darius Rice, who just hit a '3'.

Telfair spun down the lane and banked in his first two points as a Blazer with about 2:45 remaining. His move to the hoop elicited some 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the Utah crowd.

He hasn't taken any outside jumpers yet, and he hasn't put much defensive pressure on either Mo Williams or Raul Lopez. There are lots of questions about those two elements of his game, so I'll keep watching.

Nedzad Sinanovic is HUGE. Very long arms, and a nice touch around the rim. It's like he doesn't realize how much of an advantage he has, because he seems reluctant to dunk and he doesn't keep his hands up on defense. He has the length to really change shots on the defensive end.

Pre-game notes

Richie Frahm has an injured right pinky finger and will not suit up tonight vs. Utah.

Seung-Jin Ha is also wearing street clothes and will not play this evening.

And I was just informed by the Blazers that Viktor Khryapa has signed and will be available for tonight's game.

And GM John Nash is in the house, as expected.

Portland's starters:

PG - Dan Dickau

SG - Qyntel Woods (a new-look Woods, with a fresh haircut)

SF - Travis Outlaw

PF - James Thomas

C - Jered Reiner

Coach: John Loyer

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Let's get this party started

Dallas and Indiana are in the 4th quarter of their first game this summer.

Through three quarters, Marquis Daniels leads all scorers with 13 points.

Pavel Podkolzin has only logged seven minutes and has more fouls (1) than points for the Mavs. He looks strong as an ox, but he hasn't shown much mobility and he lumbers up and down the court. I'll be interested in seeing him for extended minutes.

Other interesting names in this game: Former Iowa star Luke Recker is looking to revive his hoops career and is playing with the Pacers.

Rookie big man David Harrison is playing well for Indy, posting 8 pts and 7 rebs so far. He also took a nasty fall on the baseline after trying to save a ball from going out of bounds. Good hustle, big fella.

Former Blazer Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje is also playing for Indiana.

Larry Bird and Jerry Sloan are sitting opposite from me under the basket, looking very relaxed in their summer attire.

And the Salt Lake CC gym is PACKED with basketball fans. I'm guessing tonight's game will be sold out. The gym probably holds between 4,000 and 5,000 people.

This game has 2:45 remaining, with the Blazers and the Jazz to follow. Updates will begin shortly.

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The Blog has touched down

Me and my trusty laptop have arrived in Salt Lake City. I jumped into my rental car and tuned into the local sports radio station. Take a wild guess as to the topic they were discussing on the air.

Give up?

Answer: Jazz basketball.

This poll question was asked to 12 callers: Are three first-round draft picks too much to give up for Kenyon Martin? Utah was hot after Martin until they picked up Boozer, and 10 of the 12 respondents answered that Martin is NOT worth all those picks.

I tend to disagree, but let's not forget Utah built its franchise in the mid-80s on two first-round picks that panned out better than anyone could have been expected: John Stockton and Karl Malone. So maybe the fans in Utah value their draft picks a little more than most.

Portland's game with Utah tips off at 7pm PT tonight. I'll have in-game updates, player analysis and more later this evening, both during and after Portland's game.

I've also received a lot of good questions from you. I'll answer as many as I can in the Blog after each game, and I'll be popping into the forum after games to answer questions as well.

If you want to ask me a question about the Rocky Mountain Revue, you can send it here.

[KB21]

Well, I'm going to pay very little attention to the scouting reports that websites like nbadraft.net and draftcity.com put up on their website from now on out.

Two instances are Josh Smith and Pavel Podkolzin. You read the write ups on these guys, and they are completely different to what the real NBA scouts are saying about them live. Josh Smith was supposedly a player who had below average ball handling ability and limited range. Well, here you have a real scout saying that he can handle the ball with both hands, is very versatile, quick leaper, good instincts, anticipation, and awareness. They are basically saying that he has the talent and the intangibles, whereas the draft websites thought he was an athlete who needed basketball skills.

Pavel Podkolzin was said to be a giant who could run the floor well. Well, here you have a write up on him talking about how he doesn't move well and lumbers up and down the floor.

[BOShforRoy]

It could also be that Josh smith improved his ball handling after reading what his weaknesses are but i agree that sometimes scouting reports are wrong.

[JTFan31]

If we have and NBA scout saying all this and is all true. Then let me take this moment to say Thank you very much to draftcity.com and NBAdraft.net for writing alot of not good things of Josh Smith. Although is highly unlikely that NBA scouts to these 2 sites opinions, because alot of teams saw Josh Smith working out before the draft.

[OGRat]

Let me also thank Jay Bilas. Not only did he poison Smooth's draft chances, he provided motivation he might not otherwise have had.

[Packfill]

I doubt nbadraft.net, draft city or Jay Bilas had any impact on when Josh Smith got drafted. They may have impacted what arm-chair GM's like us think of Smith's game, but that is it.