Sekou Smith: Most Intriguing Team

[Boise Blazer]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/01/22/blogtable-most-intriguing-team/

Sekou Smith, NBA.com: I’m partial to the Portland Trail Blazers, considering that they weren’t on anyone’s radar outside of the Pacific Northwest in training camp. I find myself making sure to get a power nap sometime during my day so I can make sure to stay up late enough here at Headquarters. Seriously, I don’t like watching them after the fact because there is too much high-quality basketball being played to miss it live. LaMarcus Aldridge is playing at a legitimate MVP level and Damian Lillard isn’t far behind most nights. That supporting cast strikes a really nice balance and Terry Stotts, in my opinion, has to be the frontrunner for Coach of the Year (along with Indiana’s Frank Vogel). The surprise factor, though, is what sets the Trail Blazers apart for me on the intrigue meter. It’s like NBA reality TV … the good kind (the non-New York kind). Who doesn’t love a good Cinderella story? You want to see how far this team can go.

Lang Whitaker, NBA.com All Ball blog: I’ve kept my critical eye trained on Portland all season, because the Blazers have put together such a surprising start to the season. (Actually, at this point I suppose it’s more than just a start to the season. First two-thirds? What do we call this?) Yet lately there have been two teams I’ve been glued to on League Pass: Atlanta and Oklahoma City. Even without Al Horford, the Hawks have managed home wins against teams like Houston, Miami and Indiana, and they’ve been competitive in almost every game. They share the ball, capitalize on open space, rotate on defense, and basically stay in games with hustle and tough play. The Thunder, of course, were supposed to be a contender, but with Westbrook out lately, Kevin Durant is playing some of the best and most complete basketball I’ve ever seen him play, which is saying something, when you consider what he’s already accomplished. By the way? He’s still just 25 years old. Talk about must-see TV.

 

[Strenuus]

Good Article!

 

[Blazer Fanatic]

My, how things have changed. Good for Smith. He knows who LaMarcus is now.

Do I have an excuse for not knowing who Sekou Smith is?

Hold that thought.

Does Sekou Smith have an excuse for not knowing who LaMarcus Aldridge is?

As it turns out, Smith is a contributor on NBA.com's Hang Time Blog. In his "News of the Morning", Smith summarizes 3 top stories: the Blazers win over the Pacers, the Twolves playing the Spurs in Mexico City, and Boston's coach Bradley.

He posts a paragraph saying Paul George and Damian Lillard put on a show, then rips 250 words from a 950 word wright-up by Joe Freeman on Oregonian Live that didn't mention LaMarcus Aldridge. So yeah, not a single mention of the best player on the Blazers in Smith's post. One of two things occurred to me: either leading a team to victory and in rebounds and points (and tied for the lead in assists, with zero turnover and zero personal fouls, 1 of the team's 3 steals, and 1 of the team's 4 blocks) over the team with the best record in the NBA isn't noteworthy, or this jackass doesn't know who LaMarcus Aldridge is. Seventy-seven percent of Sport's Nation gets it (as to who the best Blazer is). What's this guy's excuse?

This isn't about taking anything away from Lillard, but I don't get this constant disrespect towards, arguably, the best PF in the game right now, and absolutely the best and most consistent Blazer on the team. Normally, I'd link the article, and even post a quote or two that adds to my take, but this guy doesn't deserve the clicks. Ask me tomorrow who this guy is and my answer will be "I don't know."