After dismissing three patsies following the NBA trade deadline, the new-look Portland Trail Blazers face their first legitimate test Friday night when they host the Milwaukee Bucks at the Moda Center.
The matchup is a “tasty” one, according to The Ringer, as it pits the finally-healthy Blazers — and new acquisition Norman Powell — against two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Eastern Conference’s third-best team.
While some have knocked the Blazers for failing to address their biggest weakness (defense) at the trade deadline, The Ringer argues that more offense is the Blazers’ best defense and Powell’s addition could raise their ceiling. And while Portland surely will has a few kinks to iron out as it works to integrate Powell and a healthy Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum into an overhauled starting lineup, early indications are encouraging.
As The Ringer notes, the Blazers are “scoring a blistering 120.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions” with Powell on the court, offering “optimism” about the trade and their postseason chances.
“What they have accomplished,” The Ringer writes, “both underscores the rationale behind importing Powell and offers optimism about how much more dangerous his arrival could make the Blazers, currently sitting sixth in the West, come the postseason.”
The Ringer delves deep into the X’s and O’s of how coach Terry Stotts has flexed the Blazers’ new offensive versatility with Powell aboard, but it’s also worth noting that the return of Nurkic should significantly boost their hideous defense. Powell’s arrival also provides a hidden benefit for Portland in that he can help the Blazers navigate those cover-your-eyes-and-hope-for-the-best minutes when Damian Lillard rests.
“The Blazers have outscored opponents by 34 points in Powell’s 96 minutes,” The Ringer writes. “The new starting lineup — Nurkic and (Robert) Covington up front, flanked by Lillard, McCollum, and Powell — is plus-16 in 28 minutes, scoring like gangbusters and giving up less than a point per possession. Another benefit? After previously getting outscored when McCollum ran the show while Lillard rested — as they have for the last four seasons — the Blazers have thus far won the CJ-and-Norm-but-no-Dame minutes.”
At the very least, Friday night’s matchup against Milwaukee should be a fun one.
Here’s a look at what’s happening around the NBA:
• ESPN looks at former Blazers forward Nicolas Batum and his marriage with the LA Clippers who, it turns out, needed each other:
“While Batum doesn’t rack up big numbers in LA, he logs the third-most minutes, behind Leonard and George. He started in his first 37 games, but when Lue recently inserted Marcus Morris Sr. into the starting lineup to jump-start Morris’ game, Batum accepted a backup role.
“‘I thought that was probably the best signing of the entire offseason in the NBA,’ said Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
“He is averaging 8.4 points while shooting a career-high 42.3% from behind the arc. And he’s complementing Leonard and George by burying 54% of 3-point attempts off passes from the duo, according to Second Spectrum tracking.”
• Has a familiar, technical-happy face emerged as a dark-horse candidate for the University of North Carolina coaching job? The odds aren’t high for Rasheed Wallace, but they exist, according to The News & Observer:
“Two more interesting names reside at the bottom of the list Former national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough (+2,500,000) and former Tar Heel, and current Jordan High School coach, Rasheed Wallace (+3,000,000) are two longshots to take over for Williams.”
• Kevin Durant apologized for his offensive DM exchange with actor Michael Rapaport, according to Yahoo Sports.
• The latest likes and dislikes from ESPN’s Zach Lowe include a little Blazers love regarding the new ways Stotts is finding to spring Lillard thanks to the addition of Powell.
• Speaking of Lillard … he comes in third on one MVP list from The Athletic behind Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Antetokounmpo:
“Even with all the setbacks — losing C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins chief among them — Lillard is putting together one of his most special seasons yet because his Blazers simply won’t back down. We’ve known for years now that his defiant and dynamic spirit is contagious, and this season has been no different. His leadership doesn’t show up on those stat lines above.
“Now here comes the fun part for Lillard & Co.: McCollum returned recently from the fractured foot suffered on Jan. 14 and instantly got back to his old hoops tricks, and Nurkic is now three games into his return from the right wrist fracture that sidelined him on Jan. 14. Portland, in other words, is in prime position to make a surge while aiding Lillard’s MVP campaign in the process.”
• As for Jokic … he’s been the MVP all along, according to SI.com:
“For many NBA fans, the race for MVP has gotten considerably less interesting in recent weeks. First was Joel Embiid, a season-long frontrunner, who went down with a bone bruise three weeks ago. Then LeBron James, whose play had him firmly in the conversation for the honor, went down with a high-ankle sprain a few weeks ago that figures to keep him out of action through at least mid-April.
“But honestly, all those injuries did was clarify what should have been obvious: Nikola Jokić has been the MVP all season.”
• Toe injuries are a thing today in Los Angeles and ESPN has the details. First, Clippers forward Paul George says he’s “trying to figure out” how to manage his right toe ailment. Also, the Los Angeles Lakers are optimistic that Andre Drummond, their big buyout market addition, won’t miss more than a game or two after suffering a right big toe injury in his debut Wednesday night.
• At last, Victor Oladipo finally gets his chance to play with the Miami Heat, writes the Associated Press (via NBA.com).
• The Lakers and Nets have NBA executives pressing for buyout changes, according to ESPN:
“The NBA is hearing the renewed calls from small-market executives to overhaul the buyout free-agency system, an insistence that the odds are unfairly weighted against them and that the salary-cap system has been contorted to satisfy the glamour markets’ supply of star talent for championship runs.
“With Andre Drummond going to the Los Angeles Lakers and Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge to the Brooklyn Nets, there are front-office executives determined to push the commissioner’s office to reexamine the process of post-trade-deadline buyouts. If the clear-eyed reality is that these players are simply faded All-Stars released from the back end of expensive contracts, the visual of them flocking to superteam rosters in two marquee markets does cast a chilling impact on the league’s collective psyche.”
— Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
