The AP reports: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, Brandon Roy added 21 and the Portland Trail Blazers never trailed in a 112-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game Monday night. The Kings could not contain Aldridge, who made nine of 16 shots and had six rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Blazers. Portland led by four points after three quarters and stretched the lead to as many as 11 in the fourth. Rookie guard Rudy Fernandez made four 3-pointers and had 16 points for the Blazers, while Greg Oden added 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Portland made 12 of 25 3-pointers. Kevin Martin scored 34 points and John Salmons added 27 for the Kings, who lost their fifth straight.
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Trail Blazers waive Jamaal Tatum
The Portland Trail Blazers waived rookie guard Jamaal Tatum, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today.
“Jamaal came in and did a great job for us, and we look forward to watching his career progress,” said Pritchard. “We really enjoyed our time with Jamaal and wish him all the best.”
Tatum played in three preseason games, averaging 0.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 5.7 minutes. The 23-year-old played four seasons at Southern Illinois, averaging 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.21 steals in 131 games.
With Friday’s move, the Trail Blazers roster stands at 17 players.
Blazer Nicolas Batum looking good
The Trail Blazers loaded up on talent for the upcoming season, through the draft as well as with good health from Greg Oden. But here’s the Oregonian (Joe Freeman) reporting:
The biggest surprise of the practice was that Nicolas Batum worked extensively with the starting unit. The 19-year-old rookie forward from France has been a standout during exhibition play, and coach Nate McMillan — who is searching for a replacement for the injured Martell Webster — said he wanted to experiment with Batum in the first unit. McMillan also plans to look at Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez as potential starters.
Portland is one of everyone’s must-watch teams this season. They aren’t necesarily going to be a great team, but after the potential they showed last year and all the talent they have on board, I’ll be going out of my way to watch their development, and you should, too.
Oct 12: Jazz 93, Blazers 80
The AP reports: Andrei Kirilenko had 15 points and five assists, and the Utah Jazz beat the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 93-80 in a preseason game Sunday. With the exception of center Greg Oden, the Blazers’ expected starters for the season rested or were out because of injuries. Carlos Boozer played in his first exhibition game for the Jazz, who led by as many as 19 points. He missed the first two preseason contests due to a sore left hamstring. Boozer had 12 points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes… Oden has been on a plan that has him playing about 20 minutes a game during the preseason. On Sunday, the 7-foot center had six points and six rebounds in 20 minutes… Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 16.
Oct 10: Blazers 102, Hawks 80
The AP reports: Shavlik Randolph was 9-for-9 from the field and scored 19 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 102-80 preseason victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Portland rookie Greg Oden, the first pick in the 2007 draft who didn’t play last season after having knee surgery, finished with 11 points and .. Rookie Jerryd Bayless, a first-round pick out of Arizona, scored seven of his 15 points in the final quarter to give the Trail Blazers five players in double figures. LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy each added 14 points. The Hawks (2-1) had four players in double figures with Acie Law and Josh Smith each scoring 12 points, while Joe Johnson had 11 and Flip Murray 10.
Martell Webster out 8-10 weeks
The Portland Trail Blazers announced that guard Martell Webster underwent surgery today to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. He is expected to be sidelined for 8-10 weeks.
Dr. Jay Crary performed the surgery at Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center in Vancouver, Wash. As part of the procedure, Webster had a screw inserted into his fifth metatarsal bone.
The injury occurred during Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Sacramento Kings.
InsideHoops.com editor says: The Blazers are pretty crowded at the swingman spots, so this opens a door for some other guys to get minutes they weren’t going to get while Webster heals up. Watch Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum and see who rises the most (chances are it’ll be Travis and Rudy). And on a hugely important side note, when Martell Webster lies down, he’s about as tall as TV’s Webster when he stands up.
Oct 8: Warriors 110, Blazers 95
The AP reports: Kelenna Azubuike scored 18 points, all in the second half, and Brandan Wright added 16 points and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-95 Wednesday night. Portland center Greg Oden, the first pick of the 2007 draft, scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge also scored 14 points for the Blazers while Jerryd Bayless had 13. Azubuike, who didn’t play during the first half, hit 7 of 10 shots during the second half as the Warriors (1-1) rallied from a four-point halftime deficit.
Oct 7: Blazers 110, Kings 81
The AP reports: Greg Oden debuted to a standing ovation, as did the rest of the young Portland Trail Blazers, in a 110-81 exhibition victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Oden finished with 13 points in just under 20 minutes… Brandon Roy, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in August, played a little more than 23 minutes and had 14 points and seven assists for the Blazers. Martell Webster led Portland with 15 points. Donte Greene, acquired from Houston in the Artest deal, had 18 points and Francisco Garcia added 12 for the Kings, who led by as many as 11 points in the first half before the Blazers seized control.
LaFrentz out 6-8 months after surgery
The Portland Trail Blazers announced that center/forward Raef LaFrentz underwent arthroscopic surgery today to repair a tear in the labrum of his right shoulder.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif.
LaFrentz, who sustained the injury during Portland’s game at Seattle on February 22, 2008, is expected to be out 6-8 months.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Raef has played a combined total of 66 games in the two previous seasons. It may be time to hang up the sneakers.
Trail Blazers sign Shavlik Randolph
The Portland Trail Blazers signed forward Shavlik Randolph, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
InsideHoops.com editor says: I assume this is just a training camp, nonguaranteed signing. Though, unlike tons of training camp signees, Randolph actually belongs in the league. Here’s more:
A member of the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons, Randolph averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 79 games, including seven starts. He averaged careers highs of 4.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.77 blocks in 13 games in 2006-07.
Randolph, 24, played three seasons at Duke University, averaging 6.3 points, a 506 field-goal percentage, 4.3 rebounds and 1.40 blocks during his college career. The 1.40 blocks per game are seventh all-time in Duke history. The Raleigh, N.C., native shot .591 from the field in a sophomore season that saw the Blue Devils reach the Final Four in 2004.
The signing of Randolph sets the Trail Blazers’ 2008 training camp roster at 18 players. He will wear jersey number 42.