Portland Trail Blazers Blog – Page 54 – NBA Blog

Nic Batum named Euroleague Week 4 MVP

SLUC Nancy forward Nicolas Batum was at his best against on Thursday with a brilliant all-around performance to lead the French champs to a 90-85 win over previously unbeaten Caja Laboral. The victory made Nancy 2-0 at home this season and just like in their previous win in front of French fans, Batum was the star of the show and subsequently earned Week 4 bwin MVP honors. Batum amassed an impressive stat line of 21 points with just 3 missed shots in addition to 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a block en route to a performance index rating of 35. Beyond the numbers, Batum was also crucial to the Nancy effort in that he played all 40 minutes – his average 39:26 minutes per game is most in the league – and was clutch down the stretch with and 7 points in the game’s last 5 minutes. Batum also becomes the first player to win the weekly MVP award twice this season. He did face stiff competition this week for the highest index rating from FC Barcelona Regal swingman Chuck Eidson who tallied a 34 index in a 92-75 win over Montepaschi Siena.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

LaMarcus Aldridge holds Rip City Classic exhibition basketball game in Portland

Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge put on a sold-out charity basketball game Sunday night with the NBA’s tense labor situation as a backdrop.

A fan held a sign that said “Thanks LaMarcus” during the game that included Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Josh Howard of the Washington Wizards, Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford and several other players…

Aldridge’s main goal on Sunday night was to have fun and raise money for charity.

His “Home” team beat the “Guest” team, 164-157. Aldridge had 42 points and 13 rebounds while Durant led the guests with 47 points.

One of the highlights of the game came when Nate Robinson, also of the Thunder, did “the Dougie” with a kid who was a performer during a break.

Absent was Blazers guard Brandon Roy, who Aldridge said had to attend to a family matter.

— Reported by Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press

The house DJ towered above it all on Sunday from a balcony at the Chiles Center, lights down, sipping a cold beverage in a giant plastic cup through a straw, while bopping his head to the thumping music. Maybe a hundred feet below on the court, Kevin Durant, was dancing and warming up. Mostly dancing, while he bounced the ball. And it was right then that former Trail Blazers Darnell Valentine, elected coach of the “AWAY” team, walked in the place.

“It’s like they took a basketball court and dropped it into the middle of a night club,” Valentine said.

There was a dance team in slick black outfits. And a spotlight that scanned the building. Also, running commentary from a couple of guys seated courtside who cracked jokes and yelled things such as “Whaaaaat?!?!?” at random moments. I expected a woman with a bare mid-drift and a sequin skirt would appear at some point with a tray of Jell-O shots, or yo-yo’s and cigarettes. But alas, this thing ultimately turned into a basketball game.

— Reported by John Canzano of the Oregonian

Video highlights of the game’s top plays

Former NBA player Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje retires

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje is retiring immediately because of a heart condition.

Boumtje-Boumtje’s latest club Bayern Munich says the 33-year-old player decided to retire after a medical exam uncovered “new irregularities” that could have later consequences. The club gave no details Wednesday.

Boumtje-Boumtje says his “health and family are of the greatest importance.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

LaMarcus Aldridge hosting hoop exhibition game Sunday

On Sunday, Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge will host the Rip City Basketball Classic, an event in which teammates and other NBA players — including Thunder star Kevin Durant — will play in a charity game at the University Portland’s Chiles Center.

Other participants include Blazers players Brandon Roy, Wesley Matthews, Raymond Felton and Jeff Pendergraph, along with the former Blazer Steve Blake, Pacers guard T.J. Ford, Hawks guard Jamal Crawford and Wizards forward Josh Howard.

Tickets for the event go on sale at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Chiles Center box office, and on the web at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are priced at $50 for lower level sideline seats, $40 for upper level sideline seats, $25 for upper level end zone bleacher seats, and $100 for courtside seats. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. while tip off is slated for 7:30.

— Reported by Matt Calkins of the Columbian

Nicolas Batum wins Euroleague Week 2 MVP

With one spectacular play after another, supertalent Nicolas Batum made the first home game of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague season one to remember for the home fans in Nancy as the hosts pulled away to their first victory, 87-73 over Bizkaia Bilbao Basket on Thursday. Batum not only played nearly the entire game and flirted with a triple-double, but took over with 11 points in a 15-0 run in the final three minutes. The final boxscore showed the mercurial small forward to have a Euroleague career high 26 points – including making 11 of 12 free throws – plus 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 11 fouls drawn.

That impressive performance left Batum with a performance index rating of 36, which was the most of any player in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague this week and earned Batum the bwin MVP honor for Week 2 of the regular season.

Though Batum’s was the best, it was not the only impressive showing of the week. Olympiacos Piraeus forward Georgios Printezis and KK Zagreb big man Sean May tied for the second-best index ratings of week 2 with 31. Printezis had his best scoring night in two-and-a-half seasons with 21 points on perfect shooting and also recorded 7 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in an 81-74 victory over Fenerbahce Ulker.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Guard Patty Mills named NBL Australia player of the week

It didn’t take long for Portland Trail Blazers point guard Patty Mills to make his presence felt in Australia’s National Basketball League.

Mills, left idle by the NBA lockout, was named the NBL’s player of the week Tuesday after scoring 28 points to lead the Melbourne Tigers to an 82-76 comeback win over the Sydney Kings on the league’s opening weekend.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bill Walton thinks season may start on time

After Bill Walton made a speaking appearance Thursday in Costa Mesa, I asked him if he had any thoughts on the continuing NBA lockout that threatens the start of the 2011-12 regular season.

He said he didn’t want to comment on it then, hinting anything he said would soon become outdated.

“They’re close,” he said, grinning widely, as if he knew something he couldn’t share about the negotiations between owners and NBA Players Association.

Does that mean he is confident there will be a full season?

“Oh, yeah,” Walton said, grinning again. “They’re close.”

— Reported by Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register

NBA lockout hitting some cities hard

The loss of one game, let alone 10 or maybe all 82, will have a devastating impact on workers with jobs dependent on pro basketball’s six-month-plus season. A few teams have already trimmed their staffs and more layoffs could be forthcoming if the discussions drag on. Then there are those who don’t work directly for an NBA team but who still depend on the excitement the league brings to town.

Ushers, security personnel, parking lot attendants, concession workers, restaurant employees and others all stand to have their hours cut or join the country’s 14 million unemployed.

“Yeah, financially, I’m worried,” said waitress Jeannette Lauersdorf, a single mother of two, who on a quiet Wednesday afternoon is serving six guests at three tables inside Harry Buffalo. On a night the Cavs are playing, the place has a 30-minute wait for a table. “We’ve got bills to pay.”

Nerves, already frayed in a depressed economy, are unraveling.

As it was during the NFL’s labor dispute, certain cities around the league will bear more of a burden than others until the NBA gets bouncing again. Markets like Orlando, Memphis, Salt Lake City and Portland, with no other income being generated by a major professional sports franchise, could be facing a long winter.

At this point, there’s no telling how long the lockout will last, but NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver projected losses if the season’s opening two weeks are canceled in “the millions of dollars.”

— Reported by Tom Withers of the Associated Press

Portland Trail Blazers to start general manager search over

After more than four months of research and interviews, the Trail Blazers’ ongoing search for a new general manager has come to this: The team is starting over.

A league source said the Blazers have decided against hiring any of the candidates they have interviewed to date and that Blazers president Larry Miller spent Thursday calling them to relay the news they were no longer being considered for the job.

The Blazers have compiled a new list of candidates, with a strong emphasis on people with extensive general manager experience, and will, essentially, restart the search.

“I don’t want to get into specific details, but what I will say is that we are expanding our search,” Miller said. “We’re going to expand our candidate pool.”

— Reported by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian

Trail Blazers expected to name Larry Greer assistant coach

Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan plans to promote advance scout Larry Greer to assistant coach to replace the departed Bill Bayno, a team source has told The Oregonian.

The Blazers are finalizing Greer’s contract, but it is 99 percent complete and the source expects the deal to become official within the next few days.

Greer has been an NBA scout for six seasons, including the last four with the Blazers. He worked two seasons with the Houston Rockets, under coach Jeff Van Gundy, prior to joining the Blazers.

Before arriving in the NBA, Greer was a college college coach for roughly 15 years, including a nine-year stint as an assistant at Boston University.

— Reported by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian