Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog

And Nic Batum aims to do something about it

Nicolas Batum knows he had a lousy season for the Portland Trail Blazers, who on Wednesday were eliminated in the first round of the 2015 NBA playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies. Here’s the Oregonian reporting:

“All I know is everybody has one bad year,” Batum said. “You have to learn from it. Why? And how can I get better?”

Batum said the first change will be how he manages his time in the offseason. He said his late decision to join the French National team last summer ended up over-extending him.

“Last year, I didn’t manage my offseason well,” Batum said. “I didn’t plan to go with the national team last summer, and when I did, I had already made plans to make appearances and camps. I didn’t rest.”

This summer, he said he will play for the French National Team, but he will rest before he reports in August.

Tim Frazier wins 2014-15 D-League MVP and Rookie of Year awards

Maine Red Claws guard Tim Frazier, currently a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, has been selected as both the 2014-2015 NBA Development League’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, as voted on by the league’s 18 head coaches.

Frazier (6-1, 170, Penn State) played in 41 games for the Red Claws, 40 as a starter, averaging 16.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists, good for second-best in the NBA D-League. Frazier led the NBA D-League with four triple-doubles while also recording 14 double-doubles for Maine. He scored a career-high 34 against the Delaware 87ers on Jan. 3, and led the team in scoring nine times and assists 37 times.

“There’s no question about it, Tim had an MVP-caliber season in Maine this year,” said Malcolm Turner, NBA D-League President. “It takes a special young man to be as consistently dominant as he was this season, and to do it as a rookie is even more impressive. It’s fitting that our coaches recognized his hard work and his talent by selecting him as both the MVP and the Rookie of the Year. We look forward to watching his game continue to mature as his NBA career unfolds.”

During his rookie campaign in Maine, Frazier was named NBA D-League Performer of the Week three times and was selected as a 2015 NBA D-League All-Star. He earned three GATORADE Call-Ups during the season, two to the Philadelphia 76ers and most recently to the Trail Blazers on March 30. In his first-ever NBA game on Feb. 9, Frazier dished out 11 assists in 35 minutes at Boston for Philadelphia. He recorded his first NBA double-double on April 15 when he recorded 13 points and 10 assists for Portland at Dallas. Frazier owns NBA career averages of 5.2 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 11 games with the Sixers and Blazers.

“This season, Tim quickly established himself as one of the league’s elite guards with NBA potential,” said Red Claws Head Coach Scott Morrison. “It was an honor and a privilege to take the court with Tim this season and I hope to be watching his progression in the NBA for years to come.”

Frazier becomes the second player to earn MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, joining Devin Brown who achieved the feat in 2003.

Trail Blazers clinch spot in 2015 NBA Playoffs

The 48-25 Portland Trail Blazers have officially clinched a spot in the 2015 NBA playoffs, joining the Warriors, Grizzlies, Rockets and Clippers in the West so far, leaving three West spots still up for grabs. Here’s the Oregonian reporting:

The Blazers dominated the the Suns after halftime and emphatically punched their postseason ticket with a 109-86 win in front of a sellout crowd of 19,441 Monday night at the Moda Center.

“It wasn’t like it was earth shattering,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said, downplaying the the playoff berth. “Honestly, our goal was beyond just to make the playoffs.”

Portland led by six at the half before putting the game away to open the third quarter. The Blazers hit 12 of their first 15 shots, including 4 of 5 three-pointers, en route to scoring 35 points in the first 9:05 of third quarter.

When the buzzer sounded at the end of the third, the Blazers had the game in hand with a 92-65 lead and the starters got to watch the final twelve minutes from the end of the bench.

Blazers sign Tim Frazier for remainder of season

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season, President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Frazier, 24, signed two 10-day contracts with the Philadelphia 76ers last month, averaging 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.00 steal in six games (three starts).

Frazier (6-1, 170) joins the Trail Blazers from the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League, where he posted averages of 16.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.66 steals in 41 games (40 starts) this season.

The D-League leader with four triple-doubles, Frazier is a three-time D-League Performer of the Week. Frazier played for Penn State from 2009-14, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors his junior year.

He will wear No. 10 for the Trail Blazers.

CJ McCollum back in Blazers rotation

Here’s the Oregonian reporting on the aftermath of the Wesley Matthews injury in Portland:

It’s not the circumstances he likely pictured, but Trail Blazers second year guard CJ McCollum is back in the role he envisioned for himself heading into the season.

He’s a top option off the bench for a Portland team making a playoff push.

Of course, now he’s backing up Arron Afflalo and not Wesley Matthews, but McCollum’s role, the minutes and opportunity are back to where they were in the beginning of the season.

“Take advantage of whatever minutes you get and continue to gain trust,” McCollum said of his mindset at Blazers on Monday. “That’s the biggest thing. The past is over with.”

Blazers play small-ball down stretch vs Clippers

Here’s the Oregonian with some insight on the Trail Blazers:

Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts turned to a small-ball lineup down the stretch and in overtime of the Portland’s comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge shifted to center, Nicolas Batum played de facto power forward along with Arron Afflalo, Wesley Matthews and Damian Lillard in the backcourt. It was the second time in the last three games Stotts has turned to that group to close out a game, after employing the same unit in a win over Oklahoma City last week.

“You’ve got four very good three point shooters, you’ve got a couple guys who can penetrate, you’ve got a couple perimeter guys who can post up and obviously (Aldridge) is a matchup problem in a lot of different ways,” Stotts explained.

“Offensively it can be very effective and you kind of have to pick your poison if you’re the opponent. The key to that is being able to defend.”