Ike Diogu arrived in Portland this summer with little to no fanfare. That will change once he snags a few rebounds for the Blazers though.
While rookie point guard Jerryd Bayless owned the marquee in the deal between the Indiana Pacers and Portland, Diogu was more of a toss-in, or at least it appeared so. But now with Channing Frye on the shelf big Ike has all the tools to carve a niche for himself.
Here’s why I like Ike: Portland needed a bruiser, someone to scrap. Ike can be that guy. And he can also be another offensive option down low playing with his back to the basket.
I pressed that issue today over at HOOPSWORLD after talking with Diogu at last Friday’s Fan Fest at the Rose Garden. I hadn’t planned on going that route though. I was more interested in how he’s coped after being traded twice over since entering the league back in 2005 with Golden State.
He went there. He brought up the “B” word.
After talking to Ike it was clear he’s out to show his name and game shouldn’t be synonymous with the word “bust”. Then again, much of that depends on what he does now in Portland.
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Portland takes on the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night at the Rose Garden in their first preseason game of the year.
Meaningless? Hardly.
The West may be stacked again this year, but teams like Dallas, Denver, Golden State and even Sacramento don’t pack the same heat as last season in my opinion. That’s why each game – preseason and into the regular season – is a chance for Portland to show they are legit.
I expect Rudy Fernandez to have a solid game. Put me down for 15 points and 6 assists. Rudy will get a good chunk of Brandon Roy’s playing time – at least in this first game – and I’m not sure if Rudy is really the nervous and jittery kind of guy.
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How about them Red Sox?
They had a chance to sweep the Orange County Anaheim Angels of America California last night at Fenway Park but came out sluggish and got ran in their own backyard in 12 innings. They get a second chance tonight to advance with the series at 2-1.
But that’s only one reason I mention the Bo-Sox.
The other has to do with the Northwest Examiner running my feature (page 8 and 9 in PDF) on the hole-in-the-wall Red Sox bar in Northwest Portland – the Old New Lompoc. It’s the only one of its kind. They broadcast every Sox game during the season, and if you’re reading this post within the confines of the Portland metro area – and are pulling for Boston this fall – make sure to hit up the Lompoc.
It’s where Beantown meets Bridgetown.
pic via: yahoosports
[…] Okay, so I was a game early. Three days ago before the Blazers hosted the Sacramento Kings in Portland, I ventured to guess Rudy Fernandez would go for 15 points and 7 assists in his debut and play the m…. […]