Thoughts on Portland 95, Indiana 85

Portland played another road game in a partially filled arena tonight in Indiana and won by 10 though they were up by 20 in the third quarter. Granny Danger (Danny Granger) did well for Indy, but that was about it. Portland had six dudes in double figures and tonight marked the return of Greg Oden from the injured list. He played well in limited minutes. He was active and a force in the middle. He didn't block a lot of shots, but he altered quite a few and that helps even more. I'd rather a shot gets altered and Portland gets the rebound than the shot go out of bounds.

Unfortunately, both Aldridge and Batum got hurt in the second half and Portland has a big game against the Cavs tomorrow night. Many were pegging it as a loss even with Portland at full-strength, but it could be a blowout if Portland is down two starters.

Blazers highlights: Oden had 7 boards and a blocked shot in 12 minutes. Przybilla had 10 points and 11 boards and played solid defense. Rudy Fernandez was more active and score 13 points, but needed 13 shots to get them.

Blazers lowlights: No burn for Sergio. It looks like Bayless all the way and he has looked lost at best. The Blazers only shot 43% from the field.

The best part of Oden being back is that it forces Frye further down the bench. He has been getting minutes at the 5 and he's too skinny to matchup well. He seems like a nice guy, but he's not a good fit for Portland's half-court system. He and Sergio would do better on other teams so hopefully Portland can trade Sergio this summer and not resign Frye.