Jonny

Flynn

Flynn got run out of Minnesota and was a third-stringer in Houston, but there is talent here. Prior to his hip injury, Flynn started 81 games for the Wolves and averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 3-pointers. Coach Nate McMillan clearly isn’t on the same page with underperforming Raymond Felton, so Flynn will be someone to watch.

All trades completed last Thursday are now official. Thabeet’s exact role is unclear, but we do know that he doesn’t have much competition at the center spot. Joel Przybilla and Kurt Thomas have been manning the position since Marcus Camby was dealt.

Jonny Flynn came off the bench for 11 points and seven dimes in 25 minutes, and if Felton is shut down, the duo will split minutes the rest of the way for the hard-luck Blazers.

Felton had already been held out of the last two games so the Blazers could get a look at younger players. Now he’s leaving the team to attend an uncle’s funeral. At this point, it would be a surprise to see Felton again this season. Nolan Smith has averaged 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals over the last two games.

“It’s tough, it’s tough,” Chase Budinger said. “He’s definitely our leader and our go-to player on the team. Missing him for the next month or so is going to hurt us very much.” Courtney Lee added, “I knew that Kyle was going to be out for awhile, but I didn’t know he was going to be out this long so it’s definitely a blow to the team and what we were trying to accomplish this year with how important he was.” Goran Dragic, who is a must-own player in all formats with this news, said “We know Kyle is going to be out for awhile. We have to work hard and try to win as many games as possible.” It’s unclear how much of this timeline includes getting his sea legs back, but Lowry can only be considered as an upside stash for the fantasy playoffs.

Flynn was pressed into service by Kyle Lowry’s mysterious ailment, but he’s not a fantasy asset even with Lowry out for weeks. Prior to Saturday’s game (in which his +/- rating was -19 in 14 minutes), he had racked up 20 consecutive DNP-CDs.

Both ex-Rockets are available, but they’ve only had a shootaround with their new teammates. The Blazers have a full practice scheduled for Wednesday.

The big news here was that Jamal Crawford was an unreported DNP-CD, so maybe the Blazers are finally ready to shut him down, too. Raymond Felton (Achilles) bullied his way into action tonight, and he simply needs to be considered a wild card going forward. For Smith’s part, seeing him produce like this takes a bit of the risk away when deciding if he’s worth a play on Thursday against the Jazz. Jonny Flynn (18 minutes) scored nine points with three assists and a triple in the loss.

Felton told media that it was his decision about whether or not to play, which has the ability to be inflammatory within the organization if the Blazers have asked him nicely to allow the young guys to play. The announcement that he was starting was very hectic earlier today, with a few reversals, so it’s hard not to believe that something odd is afoot. Just consider him questionable for Thursday’s game against the Jazz until we hear more.

Even if Felton had the so-called say and had any intention of playing, it would be very hard to trust a report given his standoffish relationship with the Portland media. It would be a small miracle if he’s in the Blazers’ future plans, and thus his chances of playing this season aren’t good at all.