NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers writer Rick Stella gives us his weekly Rick’s Picks, naming the All-Star performances showcased in Rip City. The Blazers struggled this past week, but a few solid performances continue to give this team hopes for the postseason. LaMarcus Aldridge, JJ Hickson and Nicolas Batum earn All-Star recognition, while Damian Lillard takes home honors for Dunk of the Week.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Portland’s loss to the Washington Wizards. After going through a streak of games that saw them jump into playoff contention and be recognized as one of the more dangerous rosters in the league, the Blazers have all but disappeared as they have lost six straight games, the latest being a buzzer-beating loss to the unimpressive and downtrodden Washington Wizards (9-30).
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers writer Rick Stella gives us his weekly Rick’s Picks, naming the All-Star performances showcased in Rip City.After posting an impressive 2-1 record during the first week of the NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers came back down to earth a bit in their second week. LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum earn All-Star recognition in week two, while Damian Lillard had the Dunk of the Week.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Jon Irwin breaks down the Clippers vs. Blazers matchup. The Headline: Led by former Blazer Jamal Crawford, L.A. tops Portland 103-90 in this back-and-forth contest. Nicholas Batum finally reemerged, and Portland put up a pretty good fight at times. Most disappointing was continued problem guarding the perimeter.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Bryant Knox is back today to weigh in on the two options the Blazers have with LaMarcus Aldridge. Of course the best case scenario would be building around him and winning the NBA title, but this is reality, not fairytale land. They either trade him and recoup what they can, or they can wait it out and hope for the best. Either way it will be a challenge for the fans.
NWSB Editor and Writer Chris Anderson talks about the recent news that the ex-Blazer Jamal Crawford will be playing for the Los Angeles Clippers next season. Opting out of his second year with the Blazers, Crawford became a free-agent and per a report by the LA Times will sign with the Clippers once the NBA moratorium on free agent signings is lifted. Despite being from around the area, Crawford would like another change of scenery.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trailblazers blogger Blair Thomas talks about RIP City’s GM Neil Olshey’s possible interest in bringing in Chauncey Billups to Portland for Jamal Crawford. What could be a struggle for Olshey is trying to convince Billups to take a secondary role for a team that failed to make the playoffs in 2012.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trailblazers writer Blair Thomas has an opinion on the 2012 Rip City hiring of new GM and former Los Angeles Clippers GM Neil Olshey who yesterday was named to the same role on Monday, just three weeks after his team was eliminated in the second round of the NBA playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs and a regular season record of 40-26. Here are a few reasons to love it and hate it in Rip City.
NWSB insider and Trail Blazers blogger Blair Thomas brings us his 2011-2012 Portland Blazers report card. He looks at positives like being on the Clippers heels at the top of the West and the re-emergence Jamal Crawford. He looks at concerns like the team’s inconsistency and Raymond Felton’s poor performance as of late. He also hands out his mid-season awards.
Portland Trailblazers fan and NWSB Managing Editor “Q” weighs in with his Love’Em & Hate’Em column for the L.A. Clippers vs. Trail Blazers game on Thursday night. It was expected that the Trail Blazers might have a tough time on the glass here without LaMarcus Aldridge in the lineup. Nate McMillan has been harping about this all year.
