Al-Farouq Aminu

Casey Holdahl

ESPN's Zach Lowe, one of the best journalists covering the NBA, if not the best, posted a story today laying out almost the entirety of the Trail Blazers' offseason moves. Lowe seems somewhat optimistic about the deals Portland made this summer (though he notes they also have the potential to be "disastrous"), while stating the cold fact that a franchise which has shown no ability to draw big name free agents doesn't have a whole lot of options when trying to build a winner. It's easily the best retelling of the plan Neil Olshey executed this summer that you're going to find, so I recommend reading it from start to finish.

But let's pull look at some of the more interesting tidbits, of which there are many. First, the true target...

They chose the latter. Lowe points out that in order to keep any real cap space for next season, the Blazers would have had to part ways with many of the players from last year's team and delayed CJ McCollum's extension. And even then, it wouldn't be enough space to sign a max player, assuming one could be lured to Portland anyway, which has never been the case.

On the much-discussed topic of who plays what position, Lowe reports that Al-Farouq Aminu will start at power forward, a move that both Olshey and Terry Stotts have signaled this offseason, though he takes it one step further...

It's one thing to use Aminu at power forward for spurts, something the Trail Blazers did often last year, particularly late in the season, but another for him to play there "almost exclusively." According SportVU player tracking, as provided by Nylon Calculus, Aminu played 56 percent of his minutes at small forward last season while playing power forward 44 percent of the time. Granted, these numbers are imperfect, and positions in the NBA have never been more fluid, but going from roughly splitting time between small and power forward to playing almost entirely at the four is a fairly drastic change.

Then there's the topic of Dwight Howard, who the Trail Blazers were rumored to be pursuing during the July moratorium. According to Lowe, those rumors might have been a bit overblown...

This is just a guess, but this might be what Olshey was referring to when he mentioned "unfounded" speculation and that "a lot of names on lists that were never viable that we never had any interest in" during the press conference to introduce Festus Ezeli. Of course, there's no lack of speculation during free agency, so it could very well be in reference to someone else.

There's a whole lot more in there, particularly if you're interested in how Stotts might utilize Evan Turner, which is very much worth your time.

lowe-blazers-wanted-whiteside-aminu-will-start-at-power-forward

Lowe: Blazers Wanted Whiteside, Aminu Will Start At Power Forward

Though Lillard was able to play through the injury after missing seven games in late December, the pain caused by the plantar fasciitis in his left foot never really went away. He received treatment on his foot throughout the season, though the most effective approach to the injury, which causes extreme pain on the bottom of the foot and heel, is rest, which is obviously hard to get when you're the leader and best player on a team trying to make the postseason. By forgoing the month-long lead up to the Olympics and the Games themselves, Lillard should have the recuperation time he'll need to go into Portland's 2016 training camp completely healthy.

Charnania is also reporting that Lillard was hoping for more time to make the decision before being pressed by Team USA for a commitment one way or another. This could very well be true, though if being completely healthy and rested for the start of the 2016-17 NBA season is Lillard's motivation for declining a Team USA invite, it's hard to figure how another week or two would change his decision.

Lillard initially declined being a part of the pool that Team USA draws their roster from, though he ultimately relented despite not feeling particularly optimistic about his chances of being named to the Olympic team after being passed over for the FIBA World Cup team in 2014. But between players opting to rest in preparation for the upcoming season and the myriad of concerns regarding the 2016 Games, the number of candidates has dwindled to the point where Lillard would have been a lock to make the Olympic team had he chosen to participate.

But Lillard opting for rest over Rio doesn't mean you won't have a Trail Blazer to root for during the Olympics, as Al-Farouq Aminu and the rest of Team Nigeria (a team that also includes former Trail Blazer Ike Diogu and former Oregon Duck Chamberlain Oguchi) have qualified for the 2016 Games after winning AfroBasket 2015 in Tunisia. And CJ McCollum has also been invited to play on the USA Select Team, whose purpose is to help the USA National Team prepare for international events, though players from the Select team have been promoted to the National team, with the most recent example being Mason Plumlee making the 2014 World Cup team.

damian-lillard-to-forego-2016-olympics

Damian Lillard To Forego 2016 Olympics

OAKLAND -- For the first three quarters, it looked as though the Portland Trail Blazers might actually beat the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena, something that only two teams have managed to do in the last seven months.

But unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, NBA games last four quarters. And Tuesday night in Oakland, the Warriors outscored the Trail Blazers 34-12 in the final 12 minutes to come away with a 110-99 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 in Game Two of the Western Conference semifinals.

"We played three really good quarters, and we showed that we can compete with them, and it got away from us in the fourth quarter, obviously," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "It was disappointing to lose a game that you're competitive and you're in a position to be in the fourth quarter. But we've got to close it out... It was an opportunity to get a win on the road, and we've got to learn from it and be ready to go get one in Game Three."

"I think nights like tonight, they suck," said Damian Lillard. "It hurts to go back in the locker room after you play so well for so long and you come back in there with the L. But it is a part of growth. The entire season has been growth for us. But nights like tonight, we have to close that out. We have to get that done. It was just a missed opportunity."

The first half of Tuesday night's game went about as well as the Trail Blazers could possible expect, with Portland taking a 17-point lead in the second quarter thanks to shooting 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Though the Warriors would cut into the Trail Blazers lead thanks to an 18-3 run, Portland, as was the case for most of the night, always seemed to counter at just the right time to quiet the Oracle Arena crowd. That counter in at the end of the second quarter came courtesy of back-to-back threes from Al-Farouq Aminu and Damian Lillard to push the lead back to eight by the intermission.

Portland, thanks mostly to Lillard going 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from three in the third, extended their lead to 11 going into the fourth quarter before Golden State got white hot to finish out the game. The Warriors took their first lead of the night early in the fourth quarter and would go on to win by 11 after finishing out the game by shooting 11-of-18 in the final 12 minutes of regulation. The Trail Blazers also play right into the Warriors' hands by turning the ball over five times while going 5-of-19 from the field.

"I think the last run, they were desperate," said Lillard. "It got to the point where it was win or lose. There wasn't another quarter after that. It wasn't just stay with it. It was, 'We've got to do it now.' And they played desperate, and we just didn't respond to it well enough to finish the game."

The Trail Blazers were led by Lillard, who scored 17 in the third quarter before finishing with 25 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 shooting from three, six assists and four rebounds in 40 minutes. CJ McCollum went 9-of-19 for 22 points, two rebounds and two assists in 41 minutes.

Aminu got off to a fast start, scoring 10 points in the first quarter before finishing with 14 to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Maurice Harkless would add 11 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes with Gerald Henderson coming off the bench to add 12.

As was the case in Game One, Klay Thompson would lead the Warriors with 27 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field and 5-of-14 shooting from three. Draymond Green, who was the driving force along with Festus Ezeli in Golden State's pivotal fourth quarter, was just shy of another triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes while also blocking four shots.

"I think there came a point where me and Klay were trying to do too much," said Green. "When we settled down and trusted everybody else, that's when everything started to click for us. So as far as the way I've been playing with the exception of that one game, it's playoff basketball. This is what we live for. You play the whole season to get to this point."

Shaun Livingston and Harrison Barnes scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, with Andre Igoudala putting up 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting off the bench.

Next up, the series takes a three-day break before shifting to Portland for Game Three on Saturday at the Moda Center.

"We've been in bad positions time and time again, and we've never shied away," said Lillard. "We've never not answered the call. I don't see why this time it would be any different. In our last series against the Clippers, we were down 0-2. We went home, and the next two games they were pretty much full strength. They had their guys and we got it done those two games. Obviously, Golden State is a different monster, but we know the same thing can happen, and that's what we're going in there thinking and believing, and we're back on our home floor. We've got to go out there and play a game like tonight and go finish it."

Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 pm on ABC and 620 AM.

disastrous-fourth-quarter-ruins-portlands-chance-of-snatching-home-court-from-golden-state

Disastrous Fourth Quarter Ruins Portland's Chance Of Snatching Home Court From Golden State

PORTLAND -- Though Al-Farouq Aminu had struggled mightily from behind the three-point line in the first three games of Portland's first round playoff series versus the Clippers, his coaches and teammates were adamant that they wanted the starting forward to keep shooting. Sooner or later, the percentages would come back around and the shots were start falling.

Luckily for Aminu and the Trail Blazers, it was sooner.

The 6-9 forward in his sixth season out of Wake Forest and his first in Portland went 6-of-10 from three and 11-of-20 from the field to finish with a playoff career-high 30 points as the Trail Blazers defeated the Clippers 98-94 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,607 at the Moda Center Monday night. The series is now tied at 2-2 with Game Five scheduled for Wednesday at Staples Center.

"It was just a matter of time," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts of Aminu's performance Monday night. "Obviously he struggled shooting the ball the first three games, but that didn't take away from what he was giving us defensively. It was good to see him break out. Everybody has been encouraging him and he's put in the time and, like I said, it was just a matter of time before he had a game like that."

Aminu, who had score just 28 points in the first three games combined, hit his first two shots, both three-pointers, and would go on to score Portland's first eight points. He would go on to score 10 points in the first quarter, which was especially timely with the rest of the team combining to go 3-of-15 from the field in the first 12 minutes.

"Some of the greatest shooters have gone through slumps," said Aminu. "Like Ray Allen, I remember he went through a slump when he was in the Finals. I remember just watching what he was saying and he said he got up the same shots that he always got up. He did exactly what he always (did). Sometimes that just happens. I know if it can happen to Ray Allen of course it could happen to me."

And on Monday, it was happening to all of the Clippers not named Chris Paul in the first quarter. Over 10 minutes had elapsed in the first quarter before a non-Paul Clipper scored from the field, though Paul would put up 12 points in 11 minutes to keep L.A. within four going into the second quarter.

The next three quarters, while not as offensively challenged, would continue along the same general path, with both teams turning the ball over and neither having much luck stringing together consecutive quality possessions. It wasn't until the Trail Blazers were able to go on an 18-6 run to start the fourth that they able to put enough separation between themselves and the Clippers to get their deep bench a few minutes before finishing off the 14-point, wire-to-wire victory.

"I think we came out and it was obvious that we weren’t going to go away," said Damian Lillard. "What we did last game, we didn’t want it to seem like, 'Oh they can do it for one game, fight for one game.' We came out and did the things that we did last game at an even higher level. Multiple guys stepped up. We had just a great group effort. I think everybody was locked in to what we needed to do as a team and we turned it up tonight from last game."

After Lillard and CJ McCollum carried the load in Portland's Game Three victory, it was their lesser-regarded teammates who made the difference Monday night. Allen Crabbe, who had struggled as much as Aminu in the first three games, went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from three to finish with 12 points in 27 minutes.

"It felt good," said Crabbe. "I just need to see the first one go in, felt like myself tonight. They denied me the ball, they don't help off of me when we're in pick and rolls, so I just had to find other ways to get the ball. Handoffs, get into my one-dribble pullup -- I like those. Just finding ways to score."

Maurice Harkless built on a strong Game Three performance, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Mason Plumlee, who, along with Lillard and McCollum, was integral in the Game Three victory, might have trumped that performance in Game Four, finishing with a double-double of 14 rebounds and 10 assists to go with three blocks and two points in 29 minutes.

"Almost all of the players were here in September and in pickup games, (Plumlee) was doing the same thing," said Stotts of his starting center. "He was getting rebounds, taking it full court, you could really tell he could handle the ball, he had great sense as a passer and we felt even going back then, that we were going to try to put him in positions that he could make those plays."

The Clippers lost far more than Game Four Monday night, as starting point guard Chris Paul left the game in the third quarter with a broken bone in his right hand. He did not return, and one would expect he'll miss the rest of the series with the injury.

"My job as a coach is to figure out a way of getting us up and ready for Game Five," said Doc Rivers. "There’s nobody, probably in the league, that’s going to replace Chris Paul so there’s nobody clearly on our team that’s going to do it. As a group everybody pitches in."

Clippers starting power forward Blake Griffin also sat out the fourth quarter with what the team called a sore left quad. Rivers speculated that there was a "50/50" chance the All-Star forward would be available to play in Game Five Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm on KGW, NBA TV and 620 AM.

aminu-and-injuries-surface-as-portland-ties-series-with-game-four-win

Aminu And Injuries Surface As Portland Ties Series With Game Four Win

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Things started off well enough for the Trail Blazers Monday night versus the Thunder in Oklahoma City, what with CJ McCollum netted a three-pointer on Portland's first shot of the game and Al-Farouq Aminu adding two three-pointers of his own to give the road team an early six-point lead.

But not much would go right for the Trail Blazers from there on out, as the Thunder would hold Portland scoreless for long stretches of the first half while getting MVP-caliber performances from their All-Star to coast to a 128-94 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy Arena Monday night.

"Offensively we struggled and they had momentum going at the offensive end," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "When we’re taking it out of the net and they’re not, that gives them a lot of momentum. I think both ends of the court just kind of fed each other."

The Trail Blazers are now 35-33 overall and 14-21 on the road this season, where they have lost their last five-straight. The loss also drops Portland's lead for sixth place in the Western Conference to just a half game after the seventh place team, the Dallas Mavericks, defeated the Hornets earlier in the evening.

"I think we’re playing good teams," said Stotts of Portland's recent road skid. "Golden State obviously is a pretty good team, Toronto is a pretty good team, Boston’s a pretty good team, Detroit, they’re a playoff team. Our last eight losses have all been to playoff teams, last five losses have been to playoff teams on the road."

Portland held a 20-14 lead after Aminu's second triple of the game gave the starting small forward 10 points with 5:31 to play in the first quarter. But it would be all Oklahoma City from there, with the Thunder holding the Trail Blazers scoreless for the next four minutes to go on an 18-0 run from the 4:28 mark of the first quarter to the 11:28 mark of the second.

"They started taking control in the late first (quarter), we were stuck on 22 (points) for a long time," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "I thought they got their offense going with a little bit of offensive rebounding, we had trouble scoring, that led to some momentum plays for them. Then it was just downhill after that."

The Trail Blazers were still within shouting distance after Allen Crabbe's three to end the scoring drought cut the Thunder lead to 34-24, but Oklahoma City would rattle off another run, this one of the 15-4 variety, to all but put the game away before the end of the first half.

The Thunder, a team that has made a habit giving up fourth-quarter leads for losses this season, showed no let up after the intermission, extending their lead to 32 in the third quarter and 40 in the fourth. Both teams sat their starters and regular rotation players for most of the fourth quarter as the Thunder coasted to the 34-point victory.

"We started off the game well, they weathered that storm," said Damian Lillard. "They made a lot of tough shots. We knew that makes, misses, free throws, they like to get out and push it quick. The urgency wasn't there. We just didn't have it tonight. In a game where we really needed to have it, we didn't have it."

The Trail Blazers were led by Lillard, who went 7-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from three for 21 points to go with four assists and two rebounds in 32 minutes. McCollum went 5-of-17 from the field for 15 points, three rebounds an an assist. Aminu scored just one point after the first quarter to finish with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes.

Maurice Harkless and Brian Roberts each added seven points off the bench.

The Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook, who almost had a triple-double in the first half but finished off the job in the second to end the night with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and 16 assists in 28 minutes.

"He plays like a video game," said McCollum of Westbrook. "He's getting rebounds, he's getting assists, he's moving in transition at a rapid pace, he'll break plays at any time and get a bucket. It's a tough assignment but collectively we have to do a better job guarding him with all five. When he drives we've got to pinch down. He puts us in a tough position because he's always looking to drive, always looking to create something, always looking to be aggressive."

Kevin Durant went 6-of-15 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line to finish with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 26 minutes.

Enes Kanter, who the Blazers signed as a restricted free agent during the 2015 offseason before the Thunder matched the offer, finished with 26 points, seven rebounds off the bench. Randy Foye and Anthony Morrow both added 11 points, as seven Thunder players finished in double figures.

Next up, the Trail Blazers have two day off before facing the Spurs in San Antonio on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled 5:30 pm.

trail-blazers-didnt-have-it-in-road-trip-opening-loss-to-thunder

Trail Blazers 'Didn't Have It' In Road Trip Opening Loss To Thunder

AUBURN HILLS -- The Portland Trail Blazers started a six-game Eastern Conference road swing as well as they possibly could, defeating the Bulls, Pacers and Knicks to ensure no worse than a .500 record on the trip.

But for as well as the trip started, it ended just as poorly.

The Trail Blazers wrapped up the 10-day trip, their longest of the season, with a 123-103 wire-to-wire loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace at Auburn Hills Sunday night to head back to Portland 3-3. Portland is now 33-31 overall and 14-19 on the road this season.

"We knew it was going to be a tough trip," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "It was good to get the three wins and certainly after winning the first three you hope to get another win or two on the road, but we’re going to be tested from here on out.  It’s not going to be easy and this is an example that every win is going to be hard to come by."

It's tough to get a win in the last game of a long road trip unless you start off well, which wasn't the case for Portland Sunday in Auburn Hills. While Al-Farouq Aminu was able to find his range early on, hitting his first three three-pointers, but his teammates managed to combine for just seven points total in the first quarter, resulting in Portland heading into the second quarter down 30-16.

There would be signs of life in the next 12 minutes, with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard combining to score 24 of Portland's 35 second-quarter points. The Trail Blazers would cut the Pistons lead to four after a Lillard pull-up three in transition with under three minutes to play in the first half before Detroit pushed back to take a seven-point lead into the intermission.

But Portland would start the second half off almost as poorly as the first, with Detroit reestablishing a double-digit lead early in the third quarter. The Pistons would never allow Portland to closer than 10 for the rest of the night and would go on to double that lead before the final whistle.

"They run a lot of pick and roll and they've got shooters out there on the perimeter," said Lillard of the Pistons. "That pick and roll demands so much attention because Drummond at the rim catching the lob or offensive rebounds or you've got Reggie Jackson coming off and he's good in the midrange floater, he's good in that area... They played a good game once again. I thought the first game (versus Detroit), that's a game that we just let go. We didn't play a full game, we let them take over the game in the fourth. Tonight, they controlled the game pretty much. We had a hard time."

Heading home after three straight losses isn't how they would have preferred to return to Portland, going .500 on a road trip can still be considered a success.

"We're ,500, it's not the end of the world," said McCollum. "It would have been nice to go 4-2, 5-1 or even 6-0 but realistically speaking, a lot of teams don't go 6-0 on these type of trips in nine days, ten days. So we've just got to try to compete, try to win the games that we should win and refocus, try to get one when we get back home."

The Trail Blazers were led by Lillard, who went 8-of-22 from the field to finish with 26 points, five assists, five rebounds and seven turnovers. McCollum scored 15 points in the second quarter alone to finish with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, five assists, two rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes.

Aminu was Portland's most consistent performer in Sunday's loss, connecting on a career-high tying four three-pointers to finish with 16 points and three rebounds in 32 minutes. Meyers Leonard added 10 points off the bench to go with four rebounds in 32 minutes.

The Pistons, a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Knicks by double figures Saturday night, were led by 30 points and nine assists from Reggie Jackson. Andre Drummond put up a double-double of 14 points, 18 rebounds while Marcus Morris added 19 points in 34 minutes. Detroit had shot better than 52 percent from both the field and from three on the way to having six players finish in double figures.

Next up, the Trail Blazers return home to host the Washington Wizards at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

trail-blazers-falter-in-detroit-to-finish-road-trip

Trail Blazers Falter In Detroit To Finish Road Trip

admin

Replacing four out of five starters from last season, very few in the national media predicted any success on the court for the 2015-16 Trail Blazers. But a 4-4 record after eight games and the league's second-highest backcourt in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has many pundits re-thinking their preseason prediction for Terry Stotts' team. 

In his early season roundup of the NBA's biggest surprises and disappointments thus far, Yahoo Sports' Ball Don't Lie blogger Kelly Dwyer lists Portland as one of the league's shock performers so far in 2015-16. Citing the Lillard-McCollum backcourt, Al-Farouq Aminu's work on the glass and Stotts' system as reasons for the team's overachievement over the first few weeks: 

Read more of Dwyer's takes on Ball Don't Lie. The Trail Blazers return to action Wednesday night versus the San Antonio Spurs at Moda Center. 

yahoo-sports-trail-blazers-among-nbas-biggest-surprises

Yahoo Sports: Trail Blazers Among NBA's Biggest Surprises

On the first day of the Trail Blazers' new era last summer, the franchise announced a five-year contract extension for All-Star point guard Damian Lillard shortly before unveiling free agent signings Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis, both of whom inked long-term deals in Portland last July. 

While Lillard and fellow cornerstone CJ McCollum's scoring outbursts grabbed the headlines in Wednesday's 112-94 season-opening win over the New Orleans Pelicans, it was Aminu and Davis doing the dirty work on the defensive end of the court to stymie a Pelicans squad that many pundits project to return to the playoffs in 2015-16. Though not heralded for their scoring, Aminu chipped in nine points and eight rebounds to go with Davis' 12 points and 11 rebounds on the offensive end in the Portland victory. 

In his sixth season as a pro, Davis is more than comfortable with his role as a rim-protector that can bring energy to both ends the court. 

"Just going hard, doing whatever to help the team win — whatever it might be," Davis described his game after the win. "Some nights, I might score 20. Some nights, I might not score but I might have 15 rebounds. Every night I’m just going to play hard and bring energy."

Davis' attitude, not unlike that of Aminu, is what head coach Terry Stotts expects of his players night-in and night-out. Both players' do-whatever-it-takes willingness is part of what made them prime targets for replacing the four starters that departed Portland's roster in the offseason.

"What I expect is (players) to play hard and play together, from everybody," Stotts said. "I thought Ed was terrific. He battled (Anthony) Davis defensively, was active in the paint, challenged shots. With Mason (Plumlee) getting in foul trouble, we needed him and he came through in a big way."

Of Aminu, Stotts was just as complimentary: "He was solid defensively, big rebounds. He plays kind of an understated game that’s very effective for us."

As for the aforementioned superstar Lillard, the impact players like Aminu and Davis can have on a game does not overlooked. Though not always demanding attention in the box score, the point guard knows the importance of guys doing "the little things" can have on a team's success.

"You look at the things that they do on the floor, and you have to be watching the game to see the impact that they can have because of the sacrifice, the little things that they’re willing to do," Lillard praised his teammated. "Some of it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but what they bring to the table for our team is huge.

"It means a lot that they’re all low-maintenance guys and all that matters to them is ‘How can we help the team?’.”

low-maintenance-aminu-davis-prove-their-worth-in-season-opening-win

'Low-Maintenance' Aminu, Davis Prove Their Worth in Season-Opening Win

Presented By

Moda Health

<a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/weather" target="_blank">Important Weather Update for Tonight's Game vs. the Phoenix Suns</a>

Al‑Farouq Aminu