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djsunyc
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The Blazers appear to start All-Star break a game early
After a loss to the Hornets, Nate McMillan questions the effort, while players say it's time to make a trade
Thursday, February 16, 2006
JASON QUICK
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Trail Blazers team in disarray straggled out of the Ford Center on Wednesday, disgusted and confused at how a season has gone so astray.
In a fitting humiliation to end a horrendous five-game trip, the Blazers were blown out 102-86 to the upstart New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in a game that sent the Blazers into the All-Star break with their tails between their legs.
"We went on All-Star break early," Darius Miles said.
It was eerily similar to the Blazers other four losses on this trip both in the manner --which featured no effort, no sharing, no resilience -- and the blowout result. The Blazers lost three games on the trip by 32 or more points, and in Wednesday's game they trailed by as many as 27.
"A (bad) game," Zach Randolph said. "That's four out of five that we got beat by 30."
When told Wednesday's game was actually decided by 16, Randolph huffed.
"Felt like 30," he said.
The loss brought to a head the simmering emotions that have festered since the team opened the trip with a 32-point loss at Indiana. Miles questioned the team's effort. Randolph said the team gives up too easily. And both Miles and Ruben Patterson said the team should make a deal before next Thursday's trading deadline.
Meanwhile, an exasperated coach Nate McMillan was at a loss, perplexed at how players who are paid millions to play a game can show up and loaf.
"There are times when a coach has to motivate his team, but for every night to talk about competing? These are professionals, that's supposed to come with it. We get paid well for what we do and there is no way . . . you are going to have bad nights . . . but it should never be because of effort. I mean, we are begging guys to compete and play. You are in the NBA, you should expect effort."
The funny thing is, those same players collectively echoed McMillan. Miles, who had 10 points on four of 14 shooting in his second game back from knee surgery, said the team needs to use the four-day break to examine its values.
"Everybody needs to get their minds right, figure out whether they are going to play at all this season or just vacation for the rest of the year," Miles said. "What we did tonight, that was like early vacation, and we had an extra day to rest. We should have just got on the plane and not even played the game. You can't blame the coaches, it's not their fault. It wasn't the coaches who told us to go out there and do that, I mean, we get paid to give effort."
The Blazers head into the break with an 18-33 record, the worst in the Western Conference. And with the trading deadline approaching, with more and more teams already pulling off deals, Blazers players are starting to wonder whether they are next to be jettisoned.
Do the Blazers need to make a trade?
"They are going to have to," Patterson said. "There are a lot of guys who are unhappy here. It's just time to make some moves."
Miles was asked the same question. Do the Blazers need to make a move?
"Do I think so? Yep. Yep. You can see what's going on. We are not a team," Miles said. "I don't see no problem adding another piece."
McMillan, who said he will spend his break watching his son play in the Washington state basketball tournament, said the team has to look at making a move.
"We should always look at it," McMillan said. "What is the plan, what do we want to do, where are we? You have to look at that. We are still with all of our small forwards and we haven't made a change. The thing we have to do is get in there and talk about what is the direction for next year, what is the plan for this summer. If there is something out there that makes sense we should certainly be out there looking for it."
In the meantime, the Blazers are left lamenting what has gone so terribly wrong. They won seven of 12 games recently, but now they head their different ways into the break with the haunting image of a Hornets team that is in the thick of the playoff race but was supposed to be as inferior as the Blazers .
The Hornets (29-23) would be the sixth seed in the West if the playoffs started today. And they are doing it with a sensational point guard, Chris Paul, with whom the Blazers passed on in the 2005 draft, and with an emerging shooting guard, Kirk Snyder, with whom the Blazers passed on in 2004.
"Chris Paul, everyone though he would be a pretty good guard, but he is probably having a Rookie of the Year type season," McMillan said. "And they brought in some other guys to compliment their players, guys like Desmond Mason, Kirk Snyder, he's a guy who struggled in Utah and all of the sudden he is having a solid year. So they have made some moves to get people in place, and now this team is competing, playing hard and winning some games."
And the Blazers? They are as much of a mess as any team in the NBA outside of New York.
Randolph, who had 12 points and seven rebounds on four of 11 shooting Wednesday, has struggled lately dealing with double teams as the Blazers guards haven't made enough outside shots to keep teams from sagging in on him. And Miles is just coming back from injury, while the Blazers last two heralded draft picks, Martell Webster and Sebastian Telfair (two points, two assists Wednesday) struggle to adjust in the jump from high school to the NBA.
They are all issues that will simmer until the Blazers reconvene Monday in Los Angeles for an evening practice at UCLA.
"My message was for them to get away, stay safe, and make sure that we are back in L.A. in time for practice," McMillan said. "It's time for us to take a break."
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2/17/2006 4:37 PM