Portland Trail Blazers Blog – Page 85 – NBA Blog

Shaq vs Oden Saturday night

Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, now old and slowing down, still has game and once he retires will be known as one of the best ever at his position.

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden missed the entire 2007-08 season but is playing this season and is considered a rookie. At a listed 285-pounds, Oden is much bigger than he was the day he was drafted first by the Portland Trail Blazers, and is still adjusting as he learns to play in the NBA while getting himself into proper shape.

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET the Blazers visit the Suns, and the two big-men will face each other for the first time.

In no way is this a true measure of how good Oden is, or how good he may someday become. Shaq, now 36 years old, is not himself anymore and putting up a modest 15.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Oden, putting up 9.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on 51.2% shooting, may take another full year to get over his knee injuries and resulting surgeries, plus he still has to get in shape and develop a more sound offensive game.

Also, Shaq plays limited minutes. And Oden comes off the bench behind Joel Przybilla. So Shaq and Oden may only be on the court at the same time for brief stretches.

Still, it’s worth watching if you get it on local TV or have league pass.

Nov 19: Blazers 116, Bulls 74

The AP reports: When Greg Oden entered to a standing ovation, the Blazers had a 23-7 lead. Oden didn’t wait long to contribute, dunking 21 seconds after coming off the bench. Playing 17 minutes, the 2007 first overall draft pick had 11 points, 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Oden played in Portland’s season debut in Los Angeles, then missed the next six games because of a foot injury… Brandon Roy scored 20 points to help Portland improve to 6-2 in its last eight and 7-5 overall. Chicago has lost four of its last six to fall to 5-7… Oden overshadowed the performance of Joel Przybilla, who scored a season-high 14 points and had nine rebounds and three blocks.

Nov 18: Warriors 111, Blazers 106

The AP reports: Greg Oden and Anthony Morrow have almost nothing in common, yet Portland’s earthshaking center and Golden State’s smooth shooting guard both took graceful steps forward in their young careers during the same ragtag game. Stephen Jackson scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Warriors overcame Oden’s 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 111-106 victory over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night… Morrow followed up his 37-point performance three days earlier with 25 points for Golden State, including three free throws with 5.6 seconds to play, after sitting out most of the final seven minutes… Oden went 8-for-12 and played 30 minutes through foul trouble. Brandon Roy had 22 points and nine assists, and Rudy Fernandez added 13 points and seven rebounds before committing a personal foul and a technical foul leading to Morrow’s clinching free throws.

Nov 15: Blazers 88, Wolves 83

The AP reports: Watch out NBA, Greg Oden is starting to clear the cobwebs from two injuries, giving Brandon Roy a monster presence down low for the young Portland Trail Blazers. Playing the first back-to-back of his career, the former No. 1 draft pick followed his first double-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes. Roy then closed things out in the Blazers’ 88-83 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night… Roy, who was originally chosen by the Timberwolves but traded for Randy Foye on draft night, scored 24 points for the Blazers, including a driving layup and a fast-break dunk in the closing minute that gave them the lead for good… Al Jefferson had 26 points and six rebounds for the Timberwolves (1-7), who have lost seven in a row since an opening night victory over Sacramento.

Nov 14: Hornets 87, Blazers 82

The AP reports: David West scored 18 points and James Posey hit two 3-pointers—New Orleans’ only baskets in the last 8:30—to help the Hornets outlast the Blazers 87-82… Portland’s only field goals in the last 6:59 came on Brandon Roy’s two 3-pointers in the final minute. Roy had a chance to tie it in the last 10 seconds, but his wild turnaround 3-pointer came nowhere close. New Orleans guard Devin Brown sealed the win two free throws with 7.3 seconds left… Chris Paul added 17 points, nine assists and four steals to help the Hornets improve to 5-4. Portland lost for the first time in five games… Injury-plagued Portland center Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, had career bests with 11 points and 11 rebounds in his second game back from a sprained foot he sustained in the season opener after missing all of his rookie season following microfracture knee surgery… LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points for the Trail Blazers.

Nov 12: Blazers 104, Heat 96

The AP reports: Rudy Fernandez scored 25 points, including a clutch spinning jumper as the shot clock expired with 44.9 seconds left, and the Blazers celebrated Oden’s comeback from a sprained right foot with a 104-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Brandon Roy scored 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 for the Trail Blazers. Oden, the 2007 No. 1 overall pick who missed all of last season and hadn’t played since getting hurt in this season’s opener, finished with three points and two rebounds in 16 minutes… Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook each scored 11 points for Miami, while Chris Quinn scored 10 and Udonis Haslem finished with 11 rebounds. Miami had 19 turnovers that Portland turned into 26 points.

Greg Oden set to return

The Miami Herald (Michael Wallace) reports: The Miami Heat spent Wednesday’s shootaround preparing for Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden to make his return from a foot injury that has kept him out since the season opener. Oden doesn’t plan to disappoint Miami (4-3) when the Blazers (4-3) arrive for Wednesday night’s game at AmericanAirlines Arena. ”I’m ready. I’m excited,” Oden said after Portland’s shootaround Wednesday. “I’ll hopefully play the full game. It was my decision and it depends on how I feel. And I feel good.” Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, hasn’t played since he sustained a right mid-foot sprain after playing just 13 minutes in the Blazers’ Oct. 28 loss to the Lakers. He was initially expected to miss as much as a month. It has been another disappointing start to the season for Oden, who missed all of last season after knee surgery.

Words from Mom help Travis Outlaw

The Oregonian (Jason Quick) reports: Today, Travis Outlaw feels like he is on top of the world after his 20 points and five rebounds were the catalysts in the Blazers’ first road win of the season — 106-99 over Orlando. What changed? Turns out, a phone conversation with Mom got Outlaw on track. Last Thursday, Outlaw was driving to the Rose Garden for the Blazers’ game against Houston when he remembered that his mother, Markeeta Outlaw, had wanted him to call. Back home in Starkville, Miss., Markeeta hadn’t liked what she had seen from her middle child during the Blazers’ opening stretch of the season. So when Travis called, she told him so. “She said, ‘You don’t seem like yourself out there. You don’t seem like you are having fun,'” Outlaw recalled… “She asked why I wasn’t doing more out there?” Outlaw said. “She told me, ‘Don’t just sit there in the corner — cut to the basket, go get rebounds. You need to have fun.'”

Nov 10: Blazers 106, Magic 99

The AP reports: Brandon Roy scored 27 points to lead the Blazers. Dwight Howard, battling a chest cold, had 29 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu added 35 points for the Magic, who finished their homestand 4-1. Point guard Steve Blake and reserve Travis Outlaw had 20 apiece as Portland’s bench outscored Orlando’s 40-12… Trailing 73-72 entering the final period, Portland scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter, fueled by two 3-pointers by Rudy Fernandez. He finished with 16 points… The Magic shot only 29.2 percent from behind the arc, which Van Gundy attributed to poor ball movement… Travis Outlaw, who played 41 minutes, more than any Blazers’ starter, made 3-of-5 3-pointers.

InsideHoops.com Notes: Keith Bogans, who had 12 points, was the only Magic bench player to score.

Nov 8: Blazers 97, Wolves 93

The AP reports: LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Brandon Roy added 24 points and nine assists and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-93 on Saturday night to improve to 3-0 at home. Al Jefferson finished with 27 points after starting off 3-for-10 from the field for Minnesota in its fifth straight loss. Mike Miller had 14 points and six assists… Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez each had 11 points for Portland. Randy Foye had 11 for Minnesota, and Craig Smith added 10.