LMA isn't nearly as good as either of those guys. He's a fringe All Star type guy who isn't going to lead a team to much. When the Blazers thought he'd be the 3rd option after Roy and Oden he seemed like a heck of a 3rd option, as the #1 guy though?
Im not saying they're looking to trade him, but to compare him to those other guys is odd to me.
You don't want to take back Brandon Roys contract on a hope that the Suns staff might be able to rehab him. He's got two big years left after this one and a player option he'll surely take.
Oden on the other hand I'd be VERY interested in if Portland has indeed given up on him. I want Gortat starting but Oden could be an interesting option off the bench.
This out of Portland. Many are starting to blame the sorry state of the Blazers training program for the rash of injuries they are facing. interesting
Colin Hoobler - owner of CH Physical Therapy and contributor to KGW Channel 8 and the Oregonian was on 95.5 The Game with the "it's not all coincidence" contrary opinion to what you always here from the Blazers. An interesting interview.
******************************************************************************************
The most compelling thing is so many of these are non-contact injuries. The rate and the severity is something I would call highly questionable.
The Portland fans deserve accountability here and I don't think there is a problem with questioning what is going on. If you back up and look at the treatments, the Dr's seem more interested in the treatment than the cause. They were trying to decrease the strengthening portion of Brandon Roy's treatment and trying some very controversial procedures on Brandon.
They are not preparing the atheletes properly. Injuries to the body are the result of an inability to adapt. You have to train to the level of forces you will encounter or you will get hurt. I'm fed up with the "snake bit/bad luck" mantra. Marcus Camby was bad luck but in the majority of these injuries, the frequency and severity is out of line with the non-contact way in which they are happening.
If you look at the training methods under things like 'Blazer workouts', you can see they violate some of the simple basic principles of training. They don't seem to being pushed at all to be able to absorb the forces on the court.
There are some basic things even around diet that don't seem to be happening. The Blazers are famous for coddling their players when it comes to training. You are not seeing a product that has been training properly. People may question my motives that I'm trying to build my own business. It's about holding practitioners accountable and doing what is best for the individual.
It starts with the attitude from the top down. It's a general attitude among elite teams from how they play, style of play, intensity etc that you don't see here. Of course that is anecdotal but the contention that all these injuries are bad luck is just irresponsible.
Jeff Pendergraph is a perfect example. ACL rupture back in the fall. There is data and protocol that you can be back to 'high leve' elite sport activity in several months. Brandon has been told that 'this is the body he has been dealt with and there is nothing he can do about it'. That is absolutely not true. The platelet rich plasma was very controversial and does nothing to address the cause. I just don't see that they are being pushed hard enough to prepare for the game.
The simple math is, there are very high level forces that are going into the body. You have to train at the same level or you are going to get injured and that is basic sports medicine. It is obvious that lack of training is going on but no one wants to talk about it. Why aren't the Blazers talking about this? The majority of the training staff has been with them since the 90's. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results.
They need to alter what they are doing and embrace proper preparedness for the actual game on the court. Blazer fans deserve a premium product for which they are paying a premium price.
Make a run this year.
