| 03 November 2009
If there is one stat I’d like to see Portland improve on this season, it would be technical fouls. Let me explain.
Last night sitting in-studio with Michael Holton and Jay Allen on “Blazers Courtside”, we spoke with Mike Rice at the top of the second hour to get his thoughts on Portland’s recent .500 road trip with Houston and Oklahoma City.
Switching gears a bit, I was curious what Rice thought of the two technical fouls the Blazers were assessed over the weekend – Travis Outlaw’s on Shane Battier with the Rockets and Nate McMillan arguing with the officials at the end of the second quarter against the Thunder.
For me, both were much needed. In fact, I’d like see more of that kind of passion and emotion from the entire roster this season. Way more.
Some of the officiating was sketchy in both games, so I’m not sure how McMillan didn’t keep from getting “T’d” up prior to that technical foul. Travis’ technical against Battier was more than just two guys trying to establish positioning in the post. There was some heavy jersey pulling up in there from Battier. Outlaw was clearly frustrated as he stood over the Rockets forward who was on the ground, Outlaw flashing a scoul.
It was perfect.
It was about time.
The idea last night – at least according to Rice – was that Brandon Roy is trying to extract more of this personality from guys like Outlaw and even Greg Oden. Obviously that’s not an easy task for such two laid back cats. But at some point Roy – in his acclaimed role as leader of the Blazers – needs to take the initiative and step to the forefront emotionally and not be afraid to get “T’d” up in order to send a message to his team, coaches, officials, the league and even the Blazer faithful.
Why wait for Travis to light that fire? Why wait for Oden to incite such emotion? Why does it take Nate McMillan getting “T’d” up to fire up the troops?
The NBA mandates that a player who gets 16 technical fouls receives a one game suspension. Roy doesn’t need to go there. But perhaps utilizing 5 or 10 of those technical fouls this year in order to project more passion really isn’t such a bad thing, particularly the way this league treats its “stars”.
There is a fine line between racking up technical fouls in the light of a Rasheed Wallace (1st in the league last year with 19 total technical fouls), Stephen Jackson (2nd with 18) and Carmelo Anthony (3rd with 15) and knowing which platform to create an emotional spark for your team at a given and needed time within the game.
Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul all tied for 11 (good for 9th).
LeBron James, Chauncey Billups and Chris Bosh were hit up 10 times (ranking them 14th).
The closest Blazers to those numbers? You guessed it – Joel Przybilla joined James, Billups and Bosh with 10 technical fouls.
LaMarcus Aldridge, Steve Blake, Greg Oden all ranked 116th with 2 technical fouls.
So did Brandon Roy.
Those numbers have to come up.
photo: daylife
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