The AP reports: Michael Finley’s shot at the buzzer for San Antonio rimmed out and the Blazers edged the Spurs 100-99 Friday night… Brandon Roy had 26 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who were without 7-foot center Greg Oden, who sprained his right foot in the season opener against the Lakers. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker had 24 points and 11 assists… Channing Frye hit a jumper to give the Blazers their biggest lead at 82-72, then followed with a dunk. But Ime Udoka and Mason each answered with a 3-pointer, and Duncan made a layup to narrow it to 84-80 for the Spurs.
Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog
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Blazers sign Martell Webster to contract extension
The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard/forward Martell Webster to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Martell has worked extremely hard to become the talented player that he is,” said Pritchard. “He’s only 22, so we expect to see even more from him as he gains experience and continues to improve. Martell exhibits all the things we expect from a Trail Blazers player, both on and off the court.”
Webster averaged career highs of 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 28.4 minutes in 75 games (70 starts) last season. He was 123-for-317 (38.8%) from 3-point range in 2007-08, pacing the team in 3-pointers made.
“I’m so excited and honored,” said Webster. “Knowing that I’m going to be a part of the Trail Blazers family for many years to come is very important and special to me.”
Portland selected Webster in the first round (sixth pick overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft out of Seattle Prep. The fourth-year player holds career averages of 8.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists.
Webster ranks No. 7 on the Trail Blazers’ all-time list of 3-pointers made with 279.
Greg Oden out 2-4 weeks
The Oregonian (Joe Freeman) reports: A debut of despair was supplanted by an evening of relief for the Trail Blazers and rookie center Greg Oden on Wednesday. A magnetic resonance imaging performed on the 7-foot player revealed some relatively good news: Oden has a mid-lateral right foot sprain and only will miss two to four weeks. Oden, who suffered the injury Tuesday night during the Blazers’ season-opening loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, is expected to miss between six and 14 games.
Oct 28: Lakers 96, Blazers 76
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists Tuesday night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 96-76 season-opening victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and spoiling rookie Greg Oden’s debut, which was cut short by another injury. Bryant orchestrated a well-balanced offense for the Lakers, who also played tenacious defense. Pau Gasol had all of his 15 points in the first half as Los Angeles moved in front to stay. Trevor Ariz added 11 points and Andrew Bynum, back after sitting out the last part of last season with a knee injury, had eight points and three rebounds… Travis Outlaw led Portland with 18 points and Rudy Fernandez had 16.
NBA opening night rosters
The NBA’s opening day rosters are official, and now posted on InsideHoops.com.
This evening was the deadline for NBA teams to trim their rosters down to 15 players or less.
The 2008-09 regular season starts Tuesday, October 28. InsideHoops is your online basketball home. We’re pumping out more content this season than ever.
Enjoy the season!
Rudy Fernandez can play
The Columbian (Brian Hendrickson) reports: This fall was supposed to be a transition period for Rudy Fernandez. But the Portland Trail Blazers rookie at times has looked like he has been playing NBA ball all along. The seven-year veteran of the Spanish ACB League filled up his stat line throughout the preseason, throwing down electrifying lob dunks, assisting on a pass through an opponent’s legs, and scoring in a variety of ways. He has also demonstrated an exceptional understanding of the game, a dynamic range of skills and an ability to inject instant energy into the offense. But when he explains the quick adjustment to his new teammates and league, Fernandez makes the move sound fundamental. “Basketball is basketball, Europe or in USA,” he explained. The Blazers never expected the transition to be that easy, but Fernandez has certainly made it look that way. He led the Blazers in steals (2.6 a game) during the preseason, and ranked third in assists (4.0 average) and fourth in scoring (12.0 average). And if Fernandez continues to play with that level of comfort, then his quick, smooth transition could pay big dividends.
Blazers exercise four contract options
The Portland Trail Blazers exercised fourth-year options on the contracts of forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge, guard Sergio Rodriguez and guard Brandon Roy, while exercising their third-year option on center Greg Oden.
The moves, announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard, keep all four players under contract through the 2009-10 season.
The Trail Blazers acquired Aldridge, Rodriguez and Roy in 2006 draft day trades.
Portland selected Oden with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Oct 23: Jazz 100, Blazers 89
The AP reports: Kyle Korver hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points to help the Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 100-89 on Thursday night in the exhibition finale for both teams. Ronnie Brewer led Utah (4-3) with 22 points, and Carlos Boozer added 16. Channing Frye led Portland (4-3) with 17 points, and Rudy Fernandez had 16… Steve Blake added 14 points for Portland, rookie Jerryd Bayless and Travis Outlaw each scored 13 points and Shavlik Randolph had 10.
Blazers waive Luke Jackson and Steven Hill
The Portland Trail Blazers waived forward Luke Jackson and rookie center Steven Hill, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today. Portland’s roster stands at 15 players entering Opening Night at the L.A. Lakers on Tuesday.
“We want to thank Luke and Steven for their contributions during training camp and preseason and wish them all the best for the future,” said Pritchard. “They’ve conducted themselves as real pros on and off the court and we believe both of them have a bright future in basketball.”
A former All-American at the University of Oregon, Jackson (6-7, 215) played in three preseason games, averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes. The four-year NBA veteran was 5-for-15 (33.3%) from the field and 1-for-4 (25.0%) from 3-point range.
Hill (7-0, 245) saw action in three preseason games, recording averages of 1.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.67 blocks and 9.0 minutes. The rookie from Arkansas was a member of the team’s 2008 NBA Summer League squad and signed on August 27, along with Jackson and Jamaal Tatum.
Oct 22: Blazers 87, Clippers 75
The AP reports: Brandon Roy scored 17 points, rookie Greg Oden had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 87-75 on Wednesday night… Al Thornton had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers. Steve Novak scored nine points, going 3-for-4 from 3-point range. All 29 of his field goal attempts during the preseason have been from behind the arc, and he has made 14 of them… Travis Outlaw and Jerryd Bayless led the way in the fourth. Outlaw scored all of his nine points in the final 9:13 after missing his first six shots, and Bayless contributed eight of his 12 points down the stretch. Los Angeles got no closer than 12 in the final quarter after Rudy Fernandez hit a 3-pointer to give Portland its biggest lead, 77-60, with 7:58 to play.