Hornets Hype

I did a lil Q&A, a lil pregame fun, with Sophia from the Portland Trailblazers blog Bust a Bucket. You should go check out my answers over there, although they would have been a bit different had I known Devin Brown was going to be traded today. You should also go solely to witness that most brilliant and rare of creatures that is not one but two female NBA bloggers previewing a game. The concept is mind-blowing, I know.

A Gratuitous Picture of Brandon Roy, who someone-- I am not saying it's me, but you know, someone-- might have a small crush on

TT6: What’s the deal with Brandon Roy’s on-again off-again hamstring injury? Is it correct that he’s not playing tonight?

Sophia: Roy remains ineligible to play tonight. He was reported to undergo PRP Therapy last week and he’s still recovering from that. The team has been fairly mum about the actual injury and the severity, however he was diagnosed with a hamstring strain. He missed a game, then returned to play, then went back with trainer Jay Jensen to get a second opinion during the team’s most recent road trip. Needless to say, this particular injury and the management of the situation has caused many fans consternation. What IS the deal with Brandon’s hamstring? No one quite knows.

Sophia: There really are a number of reasons. Before Roy was sidelined with the injury he was playing phenomenally in December and January. He had a bumpy start to the season in some respects but really turned up the intensity and took on more scoring and assisting responsibilities when first Greg, then Pryzbilla went down. He showed why he deserves to be an All Star. Martell Webster has been shooting lights out for the last month or so. His confidence is soaring. He’s been active defensively (sometimes he gets lost on that end) and has been rebounding more. He’s really stepped up with the extra minutes he took on. The depleted bench includes Dante Cunningham, Jeff Pendergraph and [sometimes] Patty Mills. Dante is my absolute favorite role player. He has played extremely well and is becoming an excellent defender.  He has shown the ability to play well against opposing 3’s and 4’s. Defensively he’s absolute money , he’s rebounding monster and he can shoot. By far the best surprise of the season. Jerryd Bayless got a couple starts and has seen increased playing time. He has had some monster games and is a real spark-plug. He has had some crappy games, but overall he has really stepped up his play as well. The work he put into his shot this past summer shows and he has logged more assists and rebounds than many thought he was capable of.  I cant forget Juwon Howard either. He has been absolutely key to dealing with the “no center” situation. He’s played many minutes and is rebounding, defending and adding a little toughness and attitude that Joel would have provided last season. I wont go all out and say Howard is the reason the team has kept afloat, but he’s a big part of it.  So ok, tons of people have stepped up. Any Blazer fan can argue that any one guy has done something that is the key to keep the Blazers winning, but truly its been a total team effort. Every night they have played like they have nothing to lose with this “us against the world” attitude. I love it.

Sophia: OOOOOH ! I really want to write “Dante Cunningham” for this but that isn’t honest. I would have to say Brandon Roy. He’s our All Star and is AWESOME! He is Mr. 4th Quarter, Mr. Fearless Leader , Mr. Play-When-Injured. He’s been this team’s everything (cue love music)  and without him this season or long term, I shudder to think what the Blazers become.

Posted in Rivals |

Mood Right Now:

Excited