TUALATIN, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers are going through a “period of adjustment,” as they continue to try and make up for the loss of starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews.
But Matthews was there Monday, in a walking boot on one foot and an Air Jordan on the other, even taking some shots on the court with teammates.
Where was the focus on Monday?
“Primarily defensively,” head coach Terry Stotts said. “We had had two very good defensive games against two very good offensive teams. Minnesota made a lot of midrange shots which is something we have to live with. We made a lot of defensive mistakes that were uncharacteristic. I think we’ve got to realize that that’s still our foundation.”
The Timberwolves, a bottom-five offensive team, scored 121 points in regulation.
“We had a letdown against Minnesota,” Sttos said. “I think we all realized it.”
Without Matthews, it would be easy to say that they miss him.
“It’s easy to point to that,” Stotts said. “At this stage of the season, we can’t afford to have that.”
Stotts also believes that Matthews will have an impact on the coming season in the locker room and on the sideline.
“Wes is still going to have an impact on this team,” Stotts said. “After the surgery, he’s back whenever he comes back. He’s going to have an impact.”
Nothing is set in terms of Portland’s rotation. After inserting Afflalo in the starting lineup, all bets are off in terms of who will fill in the wings off the bench.
All three of CJ McCollum, Dorell Wright and Alonzo Gee got a taste of minutes off the bench.
“The good news that, of the 13 players that we have, all of them have come in and contributed to wins at some point during the season,” Stotts said. “Nothing is set in stone. I think we owe it to ourselves. It could be on a game to game basis.”
Lopez recalls Simpsons creator
Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons, passed away Monday after a long bout with cancer.
Robin Lopez’s passion for The Simpsons is well-documented. He talked Monday about Simon’s passing and his influence on the show.
“I know he had a big part in the tone of those early Simpsons’ episodes, the first few seasons,” Lopez said. “I think, for me, that’s the pinnacle of television, if not just story in general. It does such a fantastic job. The show is such an institution is because it did a fantastic job of satire, being somewhat subversive and genuine. I think he was a big part of that.”
Lopez, like millions of viewers worldwide, appreciated his form of comedy.
“He had such a unique world view,” Lopez said of Simon. “He started to feel like his time was coming, he battled for so long. I just think he did a good job, obviously at making people laugh. But you know he was also a fantastic humanitarian. He gave so much to this world.”
