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News From Around The World: November 7

11/07/12

Written by: DHawes22 / avg. rating: 5.0

November 7

Trail Blazers TV: Batum Rejects Mayo

Trail Blazers TV: Just Casey

Trail Blazers TV: Sportlandia

Trail Blazers: Wesley Matthews To Partner With Fred Meyer For Third Annual Coat Drive
"Portland has amazing fans in every way,” said Matthews. “They provide the same support for our community efforts as our performance on the floor. I am just grateful to be in a position to give back to the youth and the community I live and work in."

Trail Blazers: On The Clock With Nolan Smith
"Nolan give his answers to such questions as "When DJ NDotSMitty will be available for bookings?", "His favorite place to eat in Portland?", "What snack food can you not live without?", and more in this edition of On The Clock."

Trail Blazers via SLAM: SLAM: Stats Can't Measure Lillard's Brilliance
"I use the word dominance because that’s how it’s appeared thus far. Lillard’s calm, cool and collected demeanor has seamlessly translated on to the court, as he is playing under control and at his own, commanding pace. Almost always, the biggest adjustment for rookie point guards is learning how to slow down, be patient and take what the defense gives (big reasons why John Wall and Brandon Jennings have had their share of struggles, and why Rajon Rondo always seems like he’s in control). Apparently, Lillard has already mastered this skill."

Trail Blazers: Lillard No. 1 On NBA.com Rookie Ladder
"Lillard was rolling through three games (averaging 21.3 points and 9.0 boards, putting him in some rare company) before coming down to earth a bit in Monday's loss in Dallas. Lillard struggled from the floor, going 2-for-13 (1-for-8 on 3s). Still, Lillard is so calm and cool running the Blazers' offense and he's quickly gaining fans throughout the league and made Portland a League Pass favorite for me and so many others. Lillard leads rookies in scoring (19.3) and assists (8.0), easily giving him the top spot."

Trail Blazers: What Do We Know So Far?
"Early this season, Hickson is right there with Lillard as far as someone who has exceeded expectations. It's still so amazing to me that last season Sacramento basically decided it had no use for him and tossed him aside. He came here with the tag of a guy who was a great athlete and a solid scorer, but that's about it. This season, he's been asked to play out of position, and bang it out in the paint. He's the fifth option offensively, among the starters, and it hasn't seemed to bother him at all."

Oregon Live: Double teams are nothing new for Blazers point guard Damian Lillard
“I gotta be able to read it faster,” Lillard said. “In that game, I drug it out like I was supposed to, bring two people with me, but I made the decision on who I was going to get the ball to too slow. It’s important for me, when teams trap me like that, to get the ball out quick so somebody else can make a play while I have two people out near half court.”

Oregon Live: NBA High-5: Hasheem Thabeet, other '11-12 Blazers, making impact on new teams
"Hasheem Thabeet, who played 15 games for the Blazers after coming to Portland in a deadline trade that sent Marcus Camby to Houston, has become a valued part of Oklahoma City's rotation. Thabeet is averaging 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 14 minutes for the defending Western Conference champions."

Blazersedge via New York Times: Kubatko: Blazers' Selection Of Damian Lillard Looks Like "Home Run"
"Lillard's strengths thus far mirror the strengths he exhibited at Weber State, namely the ability to maintain a high rate of scoring efficiency while being a focal point on offense, all while keeping his teammates involved in the action. ... Last season at Weber State, Lillard's true shooting percentage of 63.5 percent was the fourth best in the nation among high-usage guards (guards who qualified for the scoring title and had a usage percentage of at least 25 percent). Lillard's scoring efficiency in college has thus far followed him to the professional ranks: his true shooting percentage of 53.2 percent is good for eighth in the N.B.A. among high-usage guards."

Ball Don't Lie: Dirk Nowitzki sings ‘Born in the USA,’ unencumbered by knowledge of lyrics (VIDEO)
"Obviously, Dirk Nowitzki + Bruce Springsteen + karaoke was destined to be a winning formula from the idea's conception, but the fact that Dirk very clearly doesn't even have a passing familiarity with the lyrics of "Born in the USA" makes this a championship-level performance. My best guess at transcribing Dirk's attempt:"

Blazersedge: Danny Granger (left knee injury) to miss 3 months in big blow for Pacers
"While Granger is firmly entrenched in the minds of most NBA fans as a very good player who isn't quite a star, we tend to emphasize the latter notion while giving short shrift to the former. While his minutes and play have slid a bit since his All-Star peak, Granger's still been the unquestioned focal point of the Indiana offense for the past half-decade, averaging 21.6 points per game and a shade under 17 field-goal attempts per game over the last five seasons. He's still the go-to option on better than a quarter of Indiana's possessions, he still gets to the line more often than any other Pacer (save reserve forward Tyler Hansbrough), and he's still their no-questions-asked late-fourth-quarter scorer, finishing sixth in the NBA in points scored per 48 minutes of "clutch" game time, according to 82games.com."

Ball Don't Lie: Tyler Zeller out indefinitely with concussion, broken cheekbone after DeAndre Jordan elbow
"Zeller is the second rookie big man to suffer a concussion in the season's opening week. No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis caught an inadvertent elbow from fellow lottery pick Austin Rivers during the New Orleans Hornets' Friday night victory over the Utah Jazz, missed the team's Saturday win over the Chicago Bulls and will again sit out Wednesday night's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers."

Ball Don't Lie: The Knicks tack up and then take down sexist posters advertising the team’s telecasts
"I'm going to act like a writer from a laddie magazine, but hang with me here — the only sorts of men that refer to women by numbers like this are either the small percentage that can't help but stumble Ed Hardy hat over Drakkar Noir bottle into a string of effortless one-night stands, or the massive percentage who have no chance of establishing any sort of relationship with a living, breathing female regardless of the relationship's length."

The Basketball Jones: Forget Chicks, Watch The Knicks
"Now I know what you’re thinking, “Why would we ditch out on some beautiful babies who are ready to party?” And I hear you, bro. But here’s the thing, dog. Let’s say we do this game and get our Jason Kidd on, get our Kurt Thomas on, get our Marcus Cambalamb on, just get some solid bro time in and let the night come to us. Then what? Then we’re money. So money. Jeremy Lin money."

SLAM via XXL: Arron Afflalo Responds to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Black Boy Fly’ Shout-Out
“I think it’s a form of respect. I think it’s more credit to him than me because I can only imagine the feeling that I had—that hunger to be successful and you have it in front of your face. I remember my high school days, it was a good time for me. I was almost like the golden child in the city of Compton, or at least at Centennial at that time, considering where I was as a basketball player, and all the positivity I had around me, in terms of school and people appreciating me and showing me love for what I did on the court and in the community at that time in my life. So for him to kind of be in the background and who he is today, it showed you the perseverance that he had for so many years."

SLAM: The Post Up: POTUS
"While Orlando battled throughout and looked as if they might earn their third straight victory, they finally fell apart late and the Bulls took full advantage. In the fourth, Chicago scored the first six points to take a four-point lead over their opponent. Over the final 12 minutes, Chicago shot 57 percent from the floor while the Magic only connected on 9 of their 24 shots to shoot 37.5 percent. Down 84-79, Orlando had a chance to cut the lead to two on a JJ Redick three. He missed but Big Baby Davis recovered the rebound and kicked it back out to Redick who clanked another open three. As Orlando struggled to score, the Bulls eventually pushed the lead to 10 with 2 and a half minutes to go thanks to big shots from Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler who were being used primarily for defense."

ESPN: Spurs-Clippers, 76ers-Hornets
"Fiction. The Miami Heat, until dethroned, are still the league's best team. That doesn't mean the Spurs won't win the most regular-season games or post the best point differential; I just can't bring myself to bet against LeBron James and his South Beach crew. The best out West sounds more reasonable."

Sports Illustrated: The impact of Danny Granger’s injury
"This injury, given Granger’s overall offensive game and solid defensive impact, has the potential to recast Indiana’s season. The Pacers, who finished with the NBA’s fifth-best record last season, entered 2012-13 with hopes winning their first Central Division title since 2004, aided by the long-term absence of Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. That wasn’t an overly optimistic goal. Ownership ponied up to bring back key pieces (center Roy Hibbert and point guard George Hill), and management sought out nice additions to the rotation, including point guard D.J. Augustin, swingman Gerald Green and big man Ian Mahinmi. In an Eastern Conference that appeared to be a two-horse race between the Heat and Celtics, the Pacers had every opportunity to slide into the No. 3 slot. This injury lowers their ceiling."

Trail Blazers: Weekend Plan: Specially Designed For Families And The Busy Nine-To-Fiver
"Built for the family-oriented fan with a busy work-week, the 12-game Weekend Pack maximizes the thrill-factor while keeping the competitions to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A smattering of Western Conference rivals and Eastern Conference visitors during one-offs and key home stands, you can get your hands on this schedule-friendly pack for as low as $11/game and $52/game in the lower bowl."

Trail Blazers: The Rivals Plan: Two LAs, Oklahoma City And The Return Of Roy
"The smallest of the four big ticket plans, the eight game Rivals Pack packs a big punch. You’ll be in the building and eating a corndog while others are wondering how to get their hands on a way to see the return of Brandon Roy and the sure to sell out L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder."

Trail Blazers: Why The Value Plan Makes 'Cents' For You
"The Value Pack starts at just $5 a game. That’s 12 games for as low as $60! Talk about some serious bang for your buck. But that’s not even the best part about this ticket plan. Four of the 12 games take place in the month of January. And there is absolutely no better place to be during an Oregon winter’s night than inside the raucous Rose Garden. Not to mention this pack gets you into the arena to see some of the league’s biggest names and brightest young stars such as Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, and Rudy Gay."

Trail Blazers: Big Games Plan: 12 Of The Biggest Games
"This game has it all. Season opener, at home, against the loathe-inducing Lakers, in Steve Nash's first game in purple and gold and it's on Halloween night! Any game against the Lakers at the Rose Garden is going to be a lively one, but the confluence of circumstances in this particular game sets the stage for one of the all-time season openers in Trail Blazers history."