Portland welcomed back Brandon Roy, and were sailing smoothly against their rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. Then he was pulled due to a minutes limit at the most inopportune time, and Portland subsequently fell flat and missed the change to put away the Lakers, leading to a gut-wrenching loss in overtime.

Andre Miller, Joel Przybilla contribute in what could be finale with Blazers

Trade rumors swirl, and Miller and Przybilla’s names have been bantered about in discussions. With the trade deadline looming this could be their last game with the team. If it is, they made a considerable impact.

Miller struggled from the field, shooting just 3-10, but gave Portland a short-lived overtime lead with a baseline jumper and dished eight assists while also grabbing five rebounds.

Przybilla was very active, especially defensively. He helped Portland clean the glass early, snatching seven rebounds in all while blocking a shot and affecting many others. He had one field goal, a dunk in the first quarter, and made two of four free-throws. Without his presence Portland would have had a difficult time holding Los Angeles’s big and talented frontline in check.

Beyond The Beat stopped by PGE Park on Sunday to check out the progress of the stadium renovation.  Since the above picture was taken, the construction crew has already completed the "PORTLAND" lettering in the bleachers.

The Portland Timbers official website has additional information to keep you up to date on the work:

Live Webcam
Virtual Tour
Renovation Details

We've also put together a schedule for the upcoming season.  Make sure to attend the Portland vs. Seattle match on July 10th for the opportunity to give the Sounders a warm welcome to "Soccer City USA."

It’s looking more and more likely that Andre Miller will be traded away either today or early tomorrow, but lost in all the shuffle of the trade deadline frenzy is another intriguing story: the return of Brandon Roy.

Roy has been out for the last 30 games and has missed a total of 33 games all year.  During those 33 games, the Blazers have gone a surprising 22-11, which has sparked some debate over whether or not the team is better overall when Roy is sitting on the bench. And while Roy, Nate McMillan, Rich Cho and Paul Allen guage the three-time All-Star's comeback from double-knee surgery, some wonder if it's better not to disrupt Portland's team chemistry right now, or even "risk" Roy's health at this point of his career.

Beyond The Beat contributing writers Eric King, Travis Margoni, and Nick Poust debate what effect Roy's return to the floor will have on Portland and their playoff push:

Update: Oregon was clicking, shooting well over 50 percent, getting balanced scoring, and leading by 16. That was in the first half, and that advantage evaporated as the California Golden Bears dominated the final 20 minutes to get a much-needed victory, their seventh straight over the Ducks.

"After halftime, our energy level dropped way off,'' Ducks senior Joevan Catron said, as reported by The Oregonian. "It killed us.''

Guard Jorge Gutierrez led the charge, seemingly in the middle of everything positive for the Golden Bears. He was aggressive defensively, collecting pivotal steals that led to transition baskets to help California chip away at the deficit. Oregon went cold, but it was California's effort on both ends that turned the tables at Matthew Knight Arena.

Gutierrez scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, relentlessly driving to the basket while also proving to be a deadly threat from the outside. He wasn't the only Golden Bear the Ducks had difficulty stopping, as fellow guards Allen Crabbe and Brandon Smith combined to drain eight of California's 10 threes in scoring 37 points. Usually solid, Oregon's defense was uncharacteristically poor. California was able to space the floor with ease, running a fast-paced, unselfish offense.

They had 19 assists on 28 field goals, an excellent ratio by college basketball's standards.

The Ducks had a tough time contesting three-pointers and other jumpers largely due to the Golden Bears inside threats. The abilities of Richard Solomon, Harper Kamp, and Markhuri Sanders-Frison often forced Oregon's guards to turn their heads and converge, leaving a pasing lane out to the perimeter and enough space for Crabbe, Smith, and Gutierrez to set up shop. As a result, California scored 81 points on 55 percent shooting. They outscored the Ducks by 21 in the second half, making 15 of their 24 field goal attempts.

Failing to stop California is nothing new for Oregon, as the Golden Bears scored 85 points in their previous meeting. With scoring coming from all positions for California once more, the Ducks suffered a deflating defeat. 

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The Oregon Ducks, coming off a blowout win over the Oregon State Beavers, take a 14-12 record into their contest against the California Golden Bears. They lost their previous matchup, 85-77, but have certainly grown as a team since then, having won four of their past six games.

California is in the middle of the Pac-10, a half-game behind the Ducks with a 7-8 record in conference play. Since beating Oregon they have lost four of six games, struggling due to an inconsistent defense. In those four losses they have allowed a whopping 92 points per game, 14 points above their season average. This is why they are falling on a regular basis despite shooting 45 percent as a team.

They primarily play zone-defense, and this strategy is “a well-conceived plan,” head coach Mike Montgomery told The Daily Californian, but the plan hasn’t led to positive results.

Andre Miller may be leaving. Devin Harris may be coming. But one thing is for certain - rookie point guard Armon Johnson is on his way back to Portland.

Johnson, who has flourished with the Idaho Stampede of the Developmental League, was re-called by the Portland Trail Blazers and should be available to play on his 22nd birthday, Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Prior to being assigned to the Stampede on January 27th, the 6’3” guard out of the University of Nevada played sparingly, having lost his backup spot to Patty Mills. He logged just five minutes with the Blazers in January, so to get Johnson some meaningful playing time the team wisely sent him to Idaho. And Johnson made the most of his time down in the D-League.

“It's fun to get some minutes,” Johnson said in the midst of his D-League stint, as reported by The Oregonian. “It's fun to be playing in games, competitive games. There are good teams down here in the D-League.”