These are difficult times for the Portland Trail Blazers. Believed to have the most depth in the NBA at the beginning of the season, the team now has only nine healthy players and far too few options offensively. How do they get out of their slump and make something of a injury-riddled season?

First, a simple lineup change could pay immense dividends. Point guard Steve Blake has started all 25 games he has played this season. Head coach Nate McMillan loves him. So does star guard Brandon Roy. But he doesn’t boast starter-worthy statistics, nor does he make an impact that goes beyond the statistical realm.

Forward Nicolas Batum started for a majority of last season, his rookie year. He didn’t score all that much, and sometimes his stat-lines were relatively minimalistic. But though he may end up with five points on 2-8 shooting on any given night, his impact went beyond statistics, as he would regularly make his presence felt on defense.

Blake doesn’t have a consistent skill. He has struggled with his shot this season, shooting at just a 36 percent clip from the field. Even his three-point shooting, his strong suit, is down percentage-wise: from 42 percent last year to 34 percent so far this year. Usually dependable in running the offense and limiting turnovers, he is averaging nearly three turnovers per game over his last five contests, and has converted on only 69 percent of his free-throws.

So why has he remained in the starting lineup? While he’s on the floor, the Blazers outscore opponents by seven points. When he’s on the bench, they barely outscore the opposition. So, the team appears better off when he’s playing, but in analyzing his play and effect over the course of a game, Portland appears to take a few steps back.

The +/- statistic is a bit misleading. Sure they have outscored the opposition with Blake in the lineup, but there are many variables that need to be factored in. Who is on the floor with him? Have the Blazers surround him with scorers? What kind of lineup is the opposition toting? He clearly isn’t scoring , nor averaging a significant amount of assists, so to outscore opponents, Roy, Aldridge, or Webster must be carrying the load offensively.

He has a great character, and is a good guy to have on the team. He will hit the occasional three-pointer, but for the Blazers to consistently score offensively and take the pressure off the Big Two (which used to be the Big Twelve until everyone went down with injuries), Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, they need someone playing a substantial amount of minutes who will be aggressive with the ability to score in a variety of ways.

The solution? Replace Blake with guard Jerryd Bayless. Blake is averaging 30 minutes per game. In 750 minutes played this season, he has taken 101 three-pointers compared to 23 free-throws. Bayless has played 181 minutes this season–10.6 average in 18 games–and has managed to reach the free-throw line 50 times. He has taken only seven three-pointers, a testament to his aggressiveness, his determination to live around the rim.

He’s had his ups and downs, as all 21 year olds do in the NBA, but has been a sparkplug immediately upon entering. He drives to the rim every chance he gets, using his strength to draw fouls and make layups. Because Aldridge and Roy are predominately outside shooters, Portland needs someone with Bayless’s tenacity in the starting lineup. The team has had multiple scoring droughts of late with Bayless rotting on the pine. A scoring drought would be an afterthought if he played regular minutes.

In an article by the Oregonian’s Jason Quick, Bayless was quoted as saying, “I know every time I play I’ve helped this team. Every single time. It’s tough. Especially since, and I hate saying this, seeing these other guys (Blake and Andre Miller) doing what they are doing. I know I can help this team. I know I can.” Quick prematurely inserted Blake and Miller as the “other guys”, when, as clarified by Bayless, the guard “was talking about other young guards helping their teams out around the league!! I have way too much respect for them to ever do something like that.” But though he was referring to the likes of similarly young guards Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Jonny Flynn, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Tyreke Evans and Darren Collison that are receiving significant playing time by their respective teams, he may as well have been talking about Quick’s wrongly inserted duo. He wants playing time. With the lack of healthy bodies, it is hard to fathom that he hasn’t yet played the minutes he deserves.

Along with inserting the constant spark in the starting five, the Blazers could help their standing by making a trade. Who would they trade? Blake, of course. Point guard Patty Mills is set to return by Christmas. Portland is also going to welcome another newcomer, power forward Jeff Pendergraph, to the rotation as Santa slides down the chimney. Batum is ahead of schedule, and by my estimate, may return in mid-January. Travis Outlaw is out until spring, if not the remainder of the season. Mills, Pendergraph, and Batum will help the cause, but the Blazers won’t know what to expect out of them: Mills and Pendergraph will be seeing their first NBA action, and Batum will be testing a repaired shoulder. Therefore, Portland will need a short-term scoring option, preferably a center. Current center Joel Przybilla isn’t a scorer, and Juwan Howard and Aldridge are listed as power forwards for a reason. They need offense in the paint, someone they can go to who would draw a double team and help the offense’s spacing.

Blake, picks, and cash could get them that type of player. With Mills entering the fold, they won’t need four point guards, and the Blazers, for future considerations, will want to see what Mills can do, thereby making Blake expendable. Miller is a veteran, can score in a variety of ways, and can run the offense very effectively. He’s even taken to shooting three-pointers, making Blake that much more tradeable.

Portland needs to shake things up. Bayless’s insertion into the lineup would build his confidence, giving him time to prove his worth and a significant role. He would be instant offense, offense that they are consistently lacking, and, given his quickness, a considerable upgrade defensively over Blake against his sprightly counterparts. Trading Blake would give them a big man in the middle, and increase the minutes of their younger players, giving the team a chance to evaluate their youth.

What the Blazers are doing now isn’t working. Only a shakeup will give them a chance to salvage the season and make a playoff push.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 1:45 am and is filed under Breaking News, Most Recommended, NBA, News Headlines, Portland Trail Blazers, Right Column, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.