Marcus Camby has injured not one, but both ankles in his brief time with the Portland Trail Blazers.  He injured his right ankle on February 23rd against the New Jersey Nets, only his third game with the Blazers after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers.  He missed just one game after that injury, but he injured his left ankle in practice only a couple of weeks later.  Camby again missed one game and returned last night in a 88-81 win over the Sacramento Kings.  Despite Camby being hobbled by his bad ankles, he has still been a force down low on defense.  In the seven full games he has played with the Trail Blazers, he has averaged 3.0 blocks per contest.  In his return against the Kings last night he had 5 blocks.  He has also averaged 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals.  He hasn’t been much help on offense though.  In those seven games he is averaging 31.4 minutes and only 3.9 points, including one scoreless effort against the Indiana Pacers.  Camby is obviously very injury prone, but the Blazers have themselves a great shot-blocker even when he is not healthy.

The Trailblazers have suffered a lot of injuries this season but somehow they are hanging in there right in the playoff hunt. A huge reason for that has been the play of point guard Andre Miller. Miller has played in 55 games (39 starts) for the Trailblazers this season and he is averaging 30.3 minutes, 13.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Miller is a pure point guard as he would rather pass than score but with Brandon Roy out the Blazers have asked him to be more selfish with the ball and he has responded well to it.

With their star player Brandon Roy out since January 22nd, the Portland Trail Blazers have needed a few players to step up their play.  One in particular is point guard Steve Blake, who has not really been playing as well as the Blazers have needed him to.  Last night in their 108-101 win against the red hot Phoenix Suns, Blake got the start and showed that he can be an impact player for the Blazers.  Blake finished with 20 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.  He played 38 minutes and went 7-12 from the field.  The Blazers need some more efforts like this out of Blake, as he has been playing nowhere near this level leading up to this game.  In his previous 5 games, Blake scored a combined 16 points and had two scoreless outings.  Granted he wasn’t getting 38 minutes a night in those games, but he had not been shooting the ball well and his effort on defense looked nothing like it did in the Suns game where he tormented Steve Nash into 6-16 shooting and 5 turnovers.  Now I don’t expect Blake to drop 20 every night, but if the Blazers can get him to play with that effort and efficiency on more of a consistent basis, it could really make a difference for them.

With all of the injuries the Trailblazers have suffered lately it was a breath of fresh air for them to get back. The 21-year old small forward has played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Blazers this season and he is averaging 23.2 minutes, 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Batum is shooting 63.6% from the floor this season for the Blazers. Look for the Trailblazers to give Batum more minutes after he gets his legs back under him.

The talented 21-year-old Jerryd Bayless has been a very strong asset off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers this season in his second year as a pro.  Bayless has improved in nearly every statistical category from his rookie season to this season, and is getting more minutes because of it.  Bayless still is not shooting for a very good percentage this year at 41% from the field and 30% from three-point land, but it is a big improvement from his rookie year of 36% shooting and 26% from three.  Last year he averaged only 4.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and only 12.4 minutes.  This year he is averaging 8.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 18.2 minutes.  He has been playing even better this month, scoring in double-figures in 6 of 10 games, and has been getting even more minutes because of it.  Bayless looks to have a very bright future ahead of him and Trail Blazer fans should be excited for what is to come from Bayless.