first post-Korver game results

They are in and they ain't pretty. I actually forced myself to watch the
last quarter of the Blazers game.

I don't care if they have won X number of games in a row, the Blazers just
aren't that good to start a quarter 18-0 against anybody. I think it was
35-9 for the whole quarter, or something equally ridiculous. Now we can't
pretend that having Korver would have meant a win, or even a big difference.
However, it does not bode well for the new lineup that the team could take a
game they had in hand and just lay down and die like that.

So how did Korver's minutes get divided up? Lou Williams got 30 minutes; I
would estimate about 29 of them he played horribly out of control. Lou shot
3-14, and sadly that does not indicate how bad he played. Playing a lot of
time at the point, or at least bringing the ball up, he had all of one
lonely assist. Thaddeus Young got 19 minutes, and reversing his good play
of late, against the Blazers he look disinterested the whole game. He was
not a factor at all. Oddly enough, the man who made best use of his
increased minutes was our old pal Rodney Carney (who I had just given up
on). In 31 minutes, Rodney shot 5-11, took down 6 rebounds (!!!) and even
passed for one assist. He was actually excellent in the first quarter,
using his speed and general athletic ability to good purpose for the first
time in . . . . I don't know, a real long time. Like the rest of the team,
he was not as productive in the second half. Still, maybe there is hope yet
for Rodney. Hope springs eternal, or at least until the next draft.

I'm looking forward to getting Willie Green back. (Jeez, that was hard to
write.) With Green back healthy and presumably Giricek suited up and in
use, competition will be that much stiffer for the Korver minutes. May the
best man win.

Silver Lining Dept. Jason Smith had 6 boards and shot 3-4 in only 18
minutes, had one block for good meaure. Lately, the young lad has been
consistent, which for him is probably more important now than overall stats.
Now it's a purely subjective impression, but he has also looked more
comfortable out on the floor lately, as if he thinks he belongs in the NBA.

----- Kurt Straub