FanHouse Brandon Roy

Apparently, when you're a pretty good team but lose to the Warriors, it's time to make some changes. Even if you don't necessarily want to.

And that's what happened with coach Nate McMillan and the Blazers over the weekend. After losing to Golden State 108-94 on Friday night at Oracle Arena, lo and behold there was a different starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Timberwolves: Andre Miller out; Martell Webster in.

Gone is the three-guard starting lineup featuring Steve Blake, Miller and Brandon Roy, and McMillan explained the change pretty matter-of-factly to The Oregonian before his team blew out Minnesota on Saturday: "I want to give the team back to Brandon. It's his team."

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

Nobody celebrates a loss quite like the Chicago Bulls. In all fairness, at first glance it looked like Brad Miller had hit the game-winner as time expired. Unfortunately, the red light never lies.

Joakim Noah had the best line of the game with 12 points and 21 rebounds. He now has reached double-digits in all but one game this season. He also added two blocks, giving him 11 total over the last four games. Teammate Derrick Rose chipped in with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five assists, a steal, two blocks and no turnovers. If he's not 100-percent healthy, he sure looks like it.

For the Nuggets it was Carmelo Anthony who once again led the team in scoring with 20 points. Kenyon Martin played despite a minor leg injury and doubled up with 15 points and 10 rebounds. What about Earl? Well, J.R. 'Earl' Smith returned from hit seven-game suspension to come off the bench for 29 minutes, scoring five points on 1-of-9 shooting. He just needs to shake off the rust.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

There are close to 4.5 million Native Americans living in about 565 federally recognized communities across the Untied States. Many of these communities have been neglected, and unemployment in some areas is as high as 80 percent. The shortage of funds results in little to no organized youth sports activities. Diabetes and obesity are fast-growing problems.

Check out the video after the jump.

Talks have ended and no contract extension is expected on Utah guard Ronnie Brewer by Monday's deadline, his agent told FanHouse on Friday.

"Kevin (O'Connor, Utah's general manager) and I have talked, but we have a different point of view (on contract figures),'' said agent Henry Thomas.

Barring the unexpected, Thomas said no more talks are expected to take place by Monday's deadline of players from the 2006 first round able to sign extensions that will kick in for the 2010-11 season. Thomas said the final talks with O'Connor were Friday.

Saturday is Halloween, but don't expect many NBA owners and general managers in this shaky economy to dress up as Bill Gates and throw money around.

Oct. 31 is the annual deadline for one-time first-round picks entering their fourth seasons to be eligible to sign extensions that would kick in for their fifth seasons. For stars, it's a chance to land their first really big contract.

But much is silent as the deadline approaches, meaning the overwhelming number of eligible players from the 2006 first round will become restricted free agents next summer. Three players from that draft -- Andrea Bargnani of Toronto and LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy of Portland -- have inked extensions, but not a lot more activity is expected.

The operative phrase here is "with plenty of time to spare."

The Blazers and LaMarcus Aldridge had been working on an extension, the second of the big two the Blazers needed to lock up to ensure stability in their young, contending core (the other being Brandon Roy). The two had until October 31st to get a deal done in order to avoid Aldridge becoming a restricted agent next summer.

There had been rumors that Aldridge was unhappy about how long it was taking, given the Blazers' hyper-eager approach to Roy's five-year, $80 million deal. With Oct. 31 just 10 days away, the clock was ticking. Both sides were confident a deal would get done, but you couldn't blame Blazers fans for getting nervous.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

More than seven feet tall. A mountain of a man. A true big man for the modern age. Able to score, rebound, and defend in the post. Loved by teammates. Feared by opponents. The crucial down-low component that could help the Blazers contend for a championship.

I'm talking, of course, about Joel Przybilla.

Why, who were you thinking of?

Przybilla is the polar opposite of his younger replacement (as in, the guy he's being replaced by). No hype. Not flashy. Not heralded or swooned over. But when we start throwing out the phrases "effective" and "workman," Przybilla is as prime a candidate as any. The Vanilla Gorilla has not only done the work, put in the time, and become a very solid NBA center, but he's got the numbers to back it up.

Kevin Durant is not playing around anymore. Last season he joined the ranks of the elite fantasy ballers. Now he's hoping to make that final leap toward the top tier, which is the resting place of LeBron James and Chris Paul.

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There has been some trepidation this summer as Portland media -- namely Jason Quick of The Oregonian -- has reported trouble between the Blazers and star Brandon Roy with regards to his contract extension. Roy, as a three-year veteran, is eligible to have his rookie contract extended for up to five years, taking effect next July. He is expected to be the only maximum salary player from the draft class of 2006, but the issue with Portland has been contract length: Roy wanted a player option for the fifth season of the deal, and the Blazers weren't with it.

Well, that's all over. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the team has reached an agreement with Roy for a five-year extension worth about $80 million, following on Quick's Tuesday report the sides were close to an agreement.