November 26, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward Jared Jeffries (1) sits on the bench with ice on his nose after getting injured in the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Jarred Jeffries has officially been released from the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6’11” power forward played in just 38 games this season, most recently on March 10th against the New Orleans Hornets. Jeffries was initially acquired from the New York Knicks as part of the deal that banished Raymond Felton from the Blazers last summer.

For those unfamiliar with waiver rules, when a player is waived any time between the end of the regular season and August 15th, they can be claimed by any team within the next 10 days. If this happens, the team that selected them takes up their remaining contract. So, if Jared is claimed by a team in need, the Blazer’s have just freed up $1.5 million in salary to build with in the off-season.

A return to New York seems possible for Jeffries, as the Knicks prepare for the playoffs with a severely hampered frontcourt. Amar’e Stoudemire (knee) will not play as he recovers from surgery, Kenyon Martin (ankle) is questionable to be ready in time, Marcus Camby (foot) is questionable to play at all, and Tyson Chandler (neck) appears ready although lonely. If nothing else, Jeffries could be a body to put in when the stars are wheezing.

Of course, there are other options for Jeffries, and I’m sure they will become more and more apparent in the coming days. While with the Blazers, he averaged 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game on 30% shooting. Those numbers are horrific, but partially due to Terry Stotts’ rotation and the paltry 9.2 minutes per game he received. Overall, this split will be good for the Blazers organization and for Jared. It marks the start of a new beginning for both parties.

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Depth has been a buzzword for the Blazers since the first day of the 2012-13 season. With eight new players, a new coach, a new GM, and a new President, this season was billed as one dedicated to rebuilding Portland for the seasons to come. That didn’t mean, though, that the Blazers would be allowed to not play their scheduled games. As we’ve watched through 62 games, a roster of four, sometimes five, contributing players tends to not be enough to get more wins than losses, especially on the road.

But depth, or lack of depth, was on display in a kind of different way Sunday night in New Orleans. In this case, Portland didn’t fail to finish a close game that would have been a very nice win because their starters were worn out from playing too many minutes or because the Blazer bench wasn’t able to contribute in limited minutes (the major depth-related issues this team has faced this season).

Sunday night, Portland’s lack of depth had more to do with not having the right personnel on the floor at the right time, or more specifically, not being able to put the right guys on the floor at the right time because they aren’t on the team.

What am I talking about specifically? On the Hornets’ final possession, down a bucket, NOLA’s point guard Grevis Vasquez took a hard drive left going one-on-one with Nicolas Batum. As Vasquez bulled his way into the paint, Jared Jeffries stepped up from the baseline to help, leaving his man, Ryan Anderson, uncovered. Vasquez, kind of a shooter, not really a scorer, and a very very good passer, slipped a pass to Anderson who put NOLA ahead with an easy lay-up, an easy lay-up made that much more of a dagger because a late recovering Jeffries was called for a blocking foul. Anderson converted the three-point play with just over a second left, basically sealing the game.

A lot of things happened in Sunday’s final minute or so. Some were very good (Terry Stotts calling a play for Damian Lillard to hit a three with Portland down two and no shot clock left to work with), and some not so good (a penultimate possession for the Hornets that included a forced look from Vasquez and an offensive rebound from Anthony Davis that eventually ended in a three from Anderson and was much worse than what happen four or five seconds later). But how the final play worked itself out had as much to do with the players Portland has to put on the floor as it did with anything else.

I’m not trying to pin an entire loss on Jared Jeffries (a little used vet who has basically been all upside in his role with the Blazers). It’s just that having to play Jeffries on the final play of the evening was probably the difference maker. Jeffries is a smart and tough defender, however, his lack of meaningful minutes in the last month or so led to him making the wrong decision at a crucial moment.

With the ball in the hands of Grevis Vasquez and the clock running out, Portland was in pretty good shape. Nicolas Batum has the speed to stay in front of Vasquez and the length to defend Vasquez at the rim. When Jeffries stepped up to help, Vasquez was given his best bail out option, a pass off. That Jeffries stepped up to help at the rim wasn’t in and of itself the wrong thing to do. Time and situation dictated that likely Vasquez was going to try and get the finish and the win all by himself. But personnel (Vasquez) dictated that playing the pass was likely more important than playing the shot.

Add to that equation that Vasquez would neither be able to shoot over Nicolas Batum nor get around Nic for an easy score at the rim, prudence would say the help-side defender should just stand his ground and live with the consequences. In the instant that the play lasted, Jeffries made an instinctual decision, it just happened to be wrong. A player with more time on the court and who was more familiar with time, score, situation, and personnel situations might have made a different choice.

Sunday, that’s how Portland’s lack of depth bit them this time.

A basketball game is not won or lost in one possession or on one play, though. Sunday the Blazers were unable to do finish enough defensive possessions with rebounds, couldn’t get easy baskets in the middle of the third quarter when they really needed them, and basically failed to repeat the things they did well against San Antonio.

There are going to be a lot of games from 2012-13 that will be real head scratchers when we take a step back and look at the season once it’s all said and done. A lot of those games are going to be losses (at home against the Kings and the Cavs; roadies at Detroit and Washington), but there are going to be a few that are wins. Beating the Spurs by 30 in San Antonio is going to be one of them.

How does this squad beat one of the best teams in the league by the largest margin of the season (and I would like to go on record and say the Spurs didn’t lose just because Tony Parker was out), and then turn around and lose to the team with the worst record in the West? It happens in part because the Blazers didn’t shoot the lights out in NOLA like they did in San Antonio.

It also happened because the style of play favored by the Spurs is much more conducive to big games from Portland (up and down, lots of shooting, no defense) than the style of play used by the Hornets (grind it out, low scoring, defense). The Blazers haven’t yet reached the level where they can impart their will on an opponent. Until they reach that point, they’ll continue to lose to teams that play the style of game that was on display Sunday.

The good thing is, though, Portland has already done some of the hard work, they’re beating the good teams. Winning games against bad teams is much easier than winning against good teams, or so the Blazers’ 2012-13 record against the Spurs (2-1) as compared to their record against the Hornets (1-2) would suggest.

The Blazers are back in Portland for a three-game home-stand starting Tuesday against the Grizzlies. The Blazers then finish March with six of their last eight games on the road. Luckily, after Portland’s last extended road trip, the Blazers will have only four road games remaining.

Just one thing:

• Meyers Leonard did not play Sunday. Neither did Victor Claver. However, the prognoses are not dire. I expect both guys will be back in action at some point next week.

Box Score

Standings

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Terry Stotts has had some ups and downs in his first 41 games as Portland’s head coach. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Monday night’s heartbreaking 98-95 loss to the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the NBA record-wise, marked the exact mid-way point in the 2012-13 season. Forty-one games down, 41 to go. What better way to celebrate making it halfway to the end than to take a deeper look at what we’ve already seen?

In this first of a two-part mid-season review, I will be breaking down every member of Portland’s roster (active and inactive), giving each Blazer a grade. Each capsule will include a few important stats to help gauge level of play, a paragraph or two of my personal feelings about each player and his performance, and a letter grade.

I’ll list each player in reverse order based on minutes played, meaning I’ll start with the guys that barely play and finish with the guys who play all the time.

Grading is standard school-style, and breaks down as follows:

A: Excelling Above Average

B: Above Average

C: Average

D: Below Average

F: Failure

I: Incomplete

Quick note, I wanted to ask some of the principals about how they felt the first half of the season went so I could include their opinions along with my own. Just so you know, answering kind of frivolous questions is not something pro basketball players want to do after losing for the sixth straight time and then being forced to talk about it for TV cameras and reporters. Which is to say, I spared myself the indignity, and didn’t ask.

Here goes:

Elliot Williams

Stats: Inactive

Elliot Williams is the forgotten man of this season. Williams, drafted 22nd overall by the Blazers in the 2010 NBA Draft, has played a total of 24 games over the course of three seasons. Elliot missed his first year with a knee injury, most of last season with a shoulder injury, and all of 2012-13 with an injury to his Achilles tendon. I’m big on Elliot’s game, what of it we’ve seen, and his athleticism and scoring attitude could have been huge for Portland this season considering the total lack of scoring punch off the bench. If you think too, that since the Blazers’ bench is basically non-existent, how a healthy Elliot might be playing around 15 to 20 minutes a night, developing into a very talented basketball player right before our eyes, you’ll probably agree that Elliot Williams has gotten a pretty raw deal.

The one real positive take away about Elliot Williams in 2012-13 is despite the injury and the non pick-up of his contract extension, Williams has seemed to stay engaged. He’s around the team, both at home and on the road, something an injured Greg Oden hardly ever did, and he’s in the locker room talking it up with his teammates seemingly every night. I still believe Elliot has potential to break through in the NBA. He needs time, though, to make up for all the minutes he hasn’t played. The good news is that not picking up Elliot’s existing extension, the Blazers might be able to retain Williams for cheaper than he is currently signed for. I’ll be surprised if that happens, but there’s always a chance.

Grade: I (Incomplete could be the title of the Elliot Williams Story if it were published today)

Nolan Smith

Stats: 8.2 minutes per game, 2.4 points per game, 1.1 assists per game, 20 games played, 4.4 turnovers per 36 minutes

We know the story on Nolan Smith, we’ve known it for awhile. Nolan’s a great kid, he’s got a great story, the best coach in the world has his back, he’ll certainly have a long and fruitful career. Unfortunately, that long and fruitful career won’t be with the Blazers and probably shouldn’t be in professional basketball. It’s hard to watch Nolan this season and not wonder what the Blazers were thinking by selecting him, while also wondering what Nolan himself must be thinking watching a kid from Weber State fill the role of point guard of the future that he was selected to maybe try to fill.

Smith fell out of the rotation early in the season, after recovering from a concussion in Summer League, but was given a second chance to prove himself in January. That second change got away from him early in Portland’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. As I said at the time, it’s hard to stick a whole loss on a guy who played less than three minutes in the actual game in question, but Nolan’s +/- for that game speaks for itself. Before you call me a Nolan hater, let me say that I watched him in Summer League too, before the concussion of course, and though that maybe he had turned a corner. If Nolan could prove he’s an NBA player, I would gladly keep him around.

Regardless, we’ll always have December 10th of last year. That night in Portland Nolan scored 11 points (a season high), helping his team knock off the Toronto Raptors.

Grade: F

Nolan Smith struggled in the first half of 2012-13. Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Victor Claver

Stats: 12.2 minutes per game, 32% shooting from the field, 2.4 points per game, 6 starts, 5.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, 38% True Shooting Percentage

Portland’s Spanish rookie swingman is the first of the Blazers’ new acquisitions that we as fans should take our time deciding about. Victor Claver has been decent at best, but the question shouldn’t be has he been good this season, it should be can he be good ever. And if you think he can be good, then the follow-up question is how long should it take for him to get good. I personally think Vic has a ton of potential. He seems to be a heady basketball player, he shows some sings of being an intuitive defender, his shot needs work but isn’t that far away from being serviceable.

What worries me some about Claver is his tendency to miss open shots (especially at the rim), and the fact that he has yet to score more than eight points in a game. To be effective, Claver has to figure out what he does best, and do that every time he’s out on the court. If that’s passing, that’s OK. If that’s rebounding, I want to see him relentlessly attack the boards ever night. Right now, I feel like Victor is trying to do everything all at once, and because of that he’s struggled to be effective.

The good news is that Victor is probably very aware that he needs to improve, so it’s unlikely that we’ll spend much of the off-season listening to trade demands from his agent.

Grade: C- (his potential and effort allow him to pass, but just barely)

Joel Freeland

Stats: 9.4 minutes per game, 2.3 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, 1 start, 8.3 total rebounds per 36 minutes, 41% True Shooting Percentage

Joel Freeland is Portland’s other new foreign player who might deserve a little time before we as fans decide his fate. Coming into the season, I felt like Freeland could be the surprise member of this roster. Joel is older than Victor Claver, a little better established, and basically the face of his country’s basketball program (apart from NBA players Loul Deng and Ben Gordon who count as British for the purpose of the Olympics only). Freeland hasn’t quite lived up to my hype. He’s shown potential here and there, but he did go seven straight games to start the season without making a field goal.

Maybe the pace of the game is too fast for him, maybe he’s letting frustration from not being the principal offensive weapon get in the way of him playing effective minutes. Whatever the case may be, Joel Freeland is not where I thought he might be in regards to being an actual NBA contributor. I do think Joel will get there though. He’s shown range on his jump shot, he can battle under the hoop, and I can bet he’s determined as hell to make it work in the U.S. I still think Freeland might benefit from getting in a scrap or too, he always strikes me as that kind of guy. That being said, if one guy on this roster is going to be upset with how his first 41 games have gone, it’s probably going to be Joel Freeland.

Grade: D (as a motivational tool)

Jared Jeffries

Stats: 9.1 minutes per game, 29% field goal percentage, 1.1 points per game, 6 total rebounds per 36 minutes, 6.3 fouls per 36 minutes

Double J, as I choose to call him, is the definition of a tough call. To the naked eye, Jared Jeffries basically doesn’t do anything. He has two games where he’s scored four points (his season-high), has two five-rebound games, and arguably his best night came in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, meaning he rarely is the difference between winning and losing a game. But, as we know, basketball at the NBA level is about more than just what can be seen. Jared Jeffries is the only actual veteran on the team, he’s a locker room guy, and his defensive presence is a good counter-point to the scatterbrained J.J. Hickson. Do those things make him valuable? That’s what’s hard to say.

I appreciate Jeffries, and what he brings, I just cringe when he goes to the line in a close game, or hoists up an uncontested 15-footer. Jared has taken the unique, back-seat leadership role, and he’s filled the space vacated by Juwan Howard for a few seasons ago. He’s not the biggest surprise of the first half of the season, but I would say that what Portland has gotten from Jeffries is pretty much gravy. If he can add some consistent offense in the second half of the season, who could possible make himself an impact player.

Grade: C+ (passing due to effort, not above average because stats and actual play have to account for something)

Will Barton

Stats: 10.3 minutes per game, 34 appearances, 36% shooting from the field, 2.8 points per game, 9.7 points per 36 minutes, 4.7 total rebounds per 36 minutes

In my note in the opening of this piece, I mentioned that I decided not to ask anybody about their feelings about the first half of 2012-13. Monday night just wasn’t the time. This is not a happy team right now. However, since getting halfway through a season is more monumental for rookies, I did feel like I wasn’t in the wrong asking Will Barton how he felt his first 41 games went. To paraphrase, he is confident, he wants to continue to help his team win, and he has lofty goals for himself. Those are all good things.

Right now, there is no player on Portland’s roster more raw than Will Barton. There is also no other rookie (aside from Damian Lillard of course but he doesn’t really count as a rookie the way Barton does) on the Blazers’ roster with a higher ceiling than Will. He has three double-digit scoring nights to his name. He’s showed great skill at getting to the hoop. And he is totally unfazed by the NBA game. To fulfill his potential as a rookie, Barton has to find a way to stay on the court. Much like Claver, it will behoove Barton in the second 41 games to figure out what he’s best at, and just do that while he’s in the game.

My suggestion is figure out how to settle down a bit and get to the rim without getting called for charging. Will’s a dynamic finisher. If he starts attacking the rim more often, he’ll get more buckets, and he’ll also start getting to the line. Barton is currently shooting less than one free throw a night (1.7 per 36 minutes). That number needs to go up.

Grade: B- (A little high, I know, but I see a lot of good things in the future from Will, and I’m giving him the grade I hope he earns in the second half of the season, a classic grading technique)

Sasha Pavlovic

Stats: 12.8 minutes per game, 2.2 points per game, 1 start, 43% Effective Field Goal Percentage, 4 total rebounds per 36 minutes, 29% shooting from three

Oh Sasha Pavlovic, what are you doing on this team, and why are you sometimes the most important player on Portland’s bench? This one is basically un-explainable. Sasha Pavlovic’s upside doesn’t exist. He seems to kill every Blazer run whenever he’s in a game. He always turns it over at the worst times. He’s stealing minutes from young Blazers who need the time to improve.

But there he is, hitting a big three when nobody else can score. And there he is again making a big defensive stop or a big rebound right when Portland needs a defensive stop or a big rebound. From what I’ve learned about Terry Stotts in the short time he’s been the Blazers’ head coach, he hands out praise honestly. By that token, there seems to be absolutely no reason that Pavlovic should be name-checked over and over in post game pressers by Portland’s head coach unless he deserves some level of credit.

Sasha has been in and out of the rotation all season. Hopefully as 2012-13 rolls along and the Playoffs become further and further away and development becomes more and more important, Pavlovic will fall out of the rotation completely. That way we won’t have to try and explain why he actually isn’t good and shouldn’t be on the court at all ever. And don’t worry, Portland’s not paying him this season, so you can bet they won’t be paying him next season.

Grade: D (I’d fail him, but I don’t want to be accused of making my grade decisions with a total disregard to some actual physical evidence)

Upcoming (hopefully before game 42 and all of this is irrelevant)

Player Grades (The Rotation)

Best and Worst Games, Biggest Surprises and Disappointments

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

Sasha Pavlovic has not provided much for the Blazers in 2012-13. Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports