A Little Perspective

I think all things considered we are right where we should be. IT definately takes some humility to realize that we aren’t that 55+ win team we all want to be, or thought we would be. That doesn’t mean we can’t win that many games, it’s just unrealistic to expect it.

Right now we shouldn’t be able to beat San Antonio, then Phoenix on back to back nights, and if we were able to do so early in the season I would eat a raw egg.

I love this team, I’m positive if I lived elsewhere I would still admire it greatly and wanna see them succeed. But Dave, can you at least say we are “ALMOST” there?

everyone is bagging on our players and we’re not even to the ASG.

“Travis has no D”

“Blake cannot stay in front of anyone”

“Nate should of played Rudy the entire way”

“We should trade Blake and TO for Hinrich”

“Oden is SAM BOWIE!!”

All of these people are panicking and are ready to burn the team to the ground because we have lost 2 really tough road games.

I wish we would all step back and take a breath and ENJOY the season for what it is:

A learning process that will have ups and downs and exhilerating and heartbreaking moments.

Sit back and enjoy this season and get ready for champagne corks NEXT year and not this year.

roy and aldridge for k*be…..well?

they’d have to throw in a draft pick…but… :)

In my opinion Blazers will miss the play-offs if Oden is not healthy and we keep on getting little injuries to different players. It will mess with our chemistry to always miss key guys. Maybe next year we can make the play-offs. Im waiting to see what KP has in mind with the cap we have. In general im happy with the team. I think that Roy has to step up this year as a leader. And that means that he has to add new weapons to his arsenal. What i want to see more Roy do is run the break, cuz we have players that can finish. I want to see Blazers get out off that young mentality and start to get a little nasty.

Unfortunately, you’ll probably have to write that a couple more times this year. Has Anybody noticed the 3 teams we’ve played so far? Mostly without 2 starters and 2 games on the road? We need to see the big picture! I also want it now. But we will still have big wins this year (like the one over S.A.) and I feel like this year, we actually should have some gimmies that may not have been the case even last year.

 If we can fight through this early part of the season with a couple big wins I’ll be satisfied seeing that we’re without 2 starters. Last year we were 5 and 12 with no road wins and finished .500! Patience is a virtue, let’s enjoy the ride and the subtle improvements/growth and do our job of protecting the Garden like I witnessed Friday. That place was shakin!

Now it’s only 1:00 o’clock!

Our bench players are stronger than most in the league, outscoring Phoenix’s 35 to 14 last night (everybody but Diaw was a no-show). But as soon as most starters were in on both sides our unit didn’t look too good. Great teams find a way to play their game and beat the opposition almost every night. We can be happy if the opposition lets us play like we want.

If a team manages to take away option A (Brandon) by crowding him and takes away option B (LaMarcus) a bit by pushing him out to the perimeter, we don’t win the game with Steve, Travis and Joel taking shots. Something in that first unit lineup needs to change to get more high-percentage attempts. Brandon can’t beat defenses all by himself when everybody defers to him until the shot clock expires and he ends up hoisting heavily contested jumpshots as the option of last resort. And I’m not sure just putting Oden back in solves all the problems. It helps in offensive rebounding under the basket which was atrocious last night (esp. Rudy takes good care of long bouncing rebounds). And maybe makes us a little tougher to beat on defense. But it would also slow things further down to the point of even less flow. How to bring back that flow needs to be addressed in designing that unit both in terms of personnel as well as strategy/sets.

We are still the 2nd youngest team in the NBA. Let this team grow and enjoy the ride. We don’t love our blazers game by game – we love them on the whole package.

We got to this place of happiness from what they did on the court and in the community. Don’t make them all leave because we are selfish bandwagoners who want a championship today – not grow. Best we can expect is 5-10 game improvement every year without doing trades. If we only build from the draft, thats it folks. You have to have 5-10 years of experience at all the key players. We are close but not their yet.

I believe in the development of the key players and we will add leadership if not mid season, this off season.

after 3 games its not time to tear it up. After 40 games you are what you are. Wait til the all star break then make judgement. And if we were all GM’s etc – you wouldn’t be on a blog. Be a fan and just root for them

Obvious thins so far.
1) TO has not improved. more minutes do not = more production. Looks lost when he’s not the go to guy on the court.
2) LA is still learning. When he learns to be more physical down low – Watchout. Tonight he got beatup by a top league talented VET.
3) Pryz gets screwed again. Another 2 phantom calls tonight. Shaq trips on his big feet and the ref can’t see that happening without calling a foul.
4) Brandon struggles against physical 2 guards. The likes of Bell and Artest take him out of rhythm but somehow improves this year and still got 20 although it didn’t feel like it. When he learns to get 30 in this kind of game. Then we will have arrived.
5) Lastly, We are by far a young home winning team. When we start to take games like this and make them a game that comes down to the last possession, Thats when we are going to become good. We were too far out of reach at the end of the elite teams. Can’t wait to see these come down to the end in the future. LIke San Antonio did to us on friday. If you can take it down to a final possesion – we will win more then lose.

We will find out in 2 months, not yet. We will get better. How can’t we with 6 back to backs in the first 2 months. – That schedule is RAW and if we win 9-10 games in the first 20 – Jump on the bus and enjoy the ride.

We could easily be 0-3 and lost each game handily and it wouldn’t be a big deal. We just played a great Lakers team, the friggin’ SPURS (and WON!), and played decent-but-not-great against a Suns team that always kicks our butt.

I understand the worry about Oden— it’s another injury, albiet a minor one, but any injury to Oden is magnified in importance.

But otherwise… man. What did people expect. Stuart Scott mentioned this was the first time in NBA history a team has met 54+ win teams for the first 5 or so games; in other words, the toughest start to a season EVER. You take away Raef (which you should), we are THE youngest team in the league (unless those age-stats do remove Raef from the equation). Playing veteran, good teams, we can struggle— though we got the talent to still win, like we did against the Spurs.

We’re going to be great at home against anybody. We’re gonna win more on the road. Oden will help a lot, and make a world of difference for LMA and Roy. Rudy has been awesome, especially for a rookie. Despite all that, we have an INCREDIBLY tough schedule to start the year.

It isn’t necessarily fair, but it is what it is. Our record will even out as the schedule gets easier, the players gel, and Oden gets in shape. IN THE MEANTINE— we gotta realize who we are playing, who is out, and ride out the storm.

I still got 51 wins penciled in, even if we lost these first 3 games. Our talent will steal some wins to start, but we can’t get too out of whack if it don’t.

Mortimer

Baby point guard is getting older and you are going to need to have these phrases correct. It’s, ’Don’t make me turn this car around.’ Which is sometimes followed by, ‘I mean it, I’ll end this {insert vacation, day trip, etc.} right now.

I’m just looking out for your future, Dave. :)

I wonder how much better Roy and Aldridge are gonna get. They are in their third season. Neither player came straight from high school. Aldridge might develop a touch physically. Roy has hit his peak physically. They’ve both had a seasons getting major minutes. They aren’t young players hiding behind veteran talent (idk, like J.R. Smith).

I think Aldridge has a little more room to grow than Roy. Whatever Roy averages in points this year will be within 2 points of his best year, most likely. It’ll probably be within 1 of his best in assists and rebounds. Aldridge might have another 3 points ppg or so left in his game (say 24 ppg?), might learn to be a better passer, and more clever defender, but it’s unlikely he’s gonna start rebounding any better than he is now.

I think the team will improve a lot from what it is today, but not because Roy or Aldridge are going to be brighter stars. The possible reasons for major improvement that I see:

1) Oden

2) An added a piece at PG or SF. Before the season, I was sure the added piece was going to be a SF. Now, I’m not sure.

3) The rookies are going to improve a lot. Oden, Bayless, Fernandez, and Batum is a ridiculously talented rookie class. The Kings would be happy to start over and build around those four players, no? Even if Bayless isn’t a perfect fit for this team, he’s talented enough to be traded for someone that is.

4) Synergy: team offense and team defense. I think the Blazers have enough talent to beat the Suns on the road this year, but they needed a better game plan than what they showed last night. I don’t blame Nate for that, though. A better game plan means figuring out how to really take advantage of the Suns defensive weaknesses and how to shut down their strengths. The Blazers still need to learn the the basics of team offense and team defense. They are not ready for advance strategefication.

I don’t think that is the issue. I think we need to take a look at our coaching. We were horrorible against the zone in the first half and I didn’t see any adjustments.

We were great in the open, fast break but we slowed it down. We were down 12 with 4 minutes…how are we suppose to come back milking the shot clock?

I still believe this team to win 48 games but the last three game was an eye opener for how our in-game coaching adjustments wasn’t there.

and bag the 7th or 8th seed.

If this was a sprint they’d be in trouble. But it’s a marathon so i look for them to do well on the back stretch.

3 games against 3 elite teams. Please save the over analyzing for later.

I think we are starting to get an idea of who is going to be a part of the rotation for the future. It is safe to say that Rudy is going to be an impact player in the NBA. It didn’t take long to learn that. We need a bit more time on Batum, but I am pretty close to saying he is at least the future stopper off the bench. Joel has proved his value and isn’t going anywhere. And I think Frye has shown he is going to make room for himself in the rotation. He looks more comfortable on the floor than last year and when he gets his conditioning back from his surgery his shot will start falling more consistently.

So I think instead of wins and losses, let’s try to look at this early part of the season as a time to see what guys can do and who belongs and who might not. I am seeing eight that i think are in the lead:
Oden, Roy, LMA, Rudy, Joel, Batum, Webster (due to signing), Frye.

Outlaw, Blake, Sergio, and Bayless can still make a case for their inclusion in the rotation but we look the best when a combo of those eight guys are on the floor. (I should say six since two of those guys are out.)

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2008/11/2/651954/the-trail-blazers-have-too

nice thought but really?

If we’re not to freak out now, then after? of course some (I) will panic and want to throw a wrench into the machine thinking it’ll fix it. That’s what some (I) do. It doesn’t mean that We’re (I’m a) crap fan or a person, it just means that that is what sports do to us (me).

Creates the little extra (meaningless) part of my life that I can panic and rave about given that direction of the wind.

The whole while having a passion about it to the point of obsession. (is there a diffrence?)

Some,(I) will alway’s call out the irritating parts to this game becuase that is why alot of people (I) like this game, love the team, and obsess about forward progress…..alot of the times we (I) are wrong…but that’s what makes some of you…right.

and that’s why we (I) love this place!!!! (and game)

is that legit?

I clearly agree with this and I think the answer then becomes that ROY will be our point guard because he’s steady and aware. Then Rudy can be the focal point and ROY won’t have to take over at the end, You’ll have Roy, Fernandez, Batum, Aldridge and Oden on the floor – that good for both ends of the floor and a W. Where Outlaw is stricly offense, Webster most definitely fits in this picture, but honestly – the scrappieness of Batum and Fernandez are what we NEED – the add an experienced byless in 2-3 years- That could be a dangerous team.

Let’s assume a reasonably healthy Oden gives us 13 points and 10 rebounds this year plus space eating in the lane.

13 and 10 looks like shangri la

Answer: Playing as a TEAM and not as individuals.

The Europeans have done it against some of our Olympic Teams.
This year we amassed our best group of players and pressured them to play as a team.

When the Blazers play GOOD TEAM ball out there…. They are superior!

I still believe we can win fifty. We are young, inexperienced, and injured right now and we still brought game against two of the best in the west. By the middle of the season both our starting five and backups will be playing much tighter together. Anyone who believes we should win against the best now because we have more talent in our top ten players then the other team is thinking like trader Bob. We need the experience, chemistry, and training that we will only get with time.

Brandon Roy:
He looks more quicker this year. His jump shot has improved, and he whines more to the refs this year. The other he plays good with all teammates except Sergio and Rudy. I think that when Rudy playes with Roy he is limited to a jump-shooter. And Sergio likes to create so that takes away the ball from Roy.

LMA:
He looks stronger this year and goes inside the paint with determination this year. I think that he can be that player that gets pissed when Blazers get pushed around. I like that he does not disappear when Oden is in the game. And Oden really makes LMA look good.

Steve Blake:
He is a good 3 point shooter, and can get the ball inside to our bigs. His defense is not that good. I think that he lost some muscle mass and thats why he falls down when someone crosses him over.

Sergio:
I really like him this year. He and Rudy really click together. He is more under control this year and can hit the 3 too. His shot really has improved. I think he will be with us long term.

Rudy:
He looks ready to play with the big boys. He plays good with everybody especial with Webster, LMA, and Sergio. He does not do that much when he is in the game with B-Roy. I really like how he plays smart and I hope he does not loose that art of game thats been lost in USA basketball, thats moving with out the ball, and creating something out of nothing.

Greg Oden:
I think that he is really out of shape. He looks good when only dunking the ball. Even Shaq runs the floor faster than him. i think he got his foot sprain cuz his body is not used to moving in different directions at the same time. So his muscles that were not used for a long time just give up and he gets the injury.

Outlaw:
he looks that same to me. He is kind of out of shape. I like that he learned how to get to the line more. And i think that his 3 point shot has Improved. I really would like him to improve his defense. And I kind-of dont like him in the starting unit.

Batum:
This guy has confidence in him self. I like how he cover space on defense. And like that he can find open gyus when he is in trouble. If he can improve his 3 point shot he can start for the team. I dont know whats going to happen when Martell comes back.

Thrilla:
he is a rebounding machine but has problem rebounding against big guys like Shaq. Man If he could score inside he would be awesome. He is kind of slow when he gets the ball. But he is a good center and I dont want to trade him.

Frye:
he is the same as last year. He is a cool guy and would feel sorry for him if Blazers traded him.

Bayless:
I think that he is kind of lost when he gets on the floor cuz when he thinks that he has to do something other than what he did before to get playing time. I like his defense and he will get better. I dont think that he will mess with the teams chemistry. He is one of the kind player on this team. I like him allot cuz he reminds me a little of myself. he likes everything to be perfect and shows his displeasure with something less than that.

It is early. I’m not panicking. Playoff spots aren’t on the line now. It sucks we are off to a bad start. We do have tough opponents on the schedule. Utah next, and they are a good divisional rival. Plus it is early. I’m not bailing and asking if we are there yet. Early on, tough schedule or not, we have to take everyone seriously. Things may not be clicking well now, but we’ll get it going.

I think the bigger problem is that fans are basing their opinions of the team almost solely on the wins/losses and individual stats, especially of key players. While wins/losses CAN be a good tool for judging performance of a team, you CERTAINLY need a larger sample size than just 3 games. Likewise, individual stats CAN help tell the relative contribution of each player, all players (even hall-of-famers) have ups and downs, and stats alone cannot tell the WHOLE picture. There is a reason why players like James Posey, Robert Horry, and Derek Fisher have won championships on multiple teams – despite the fact that their personal stats may be dwarfed by tons of guys who’ve never been to the finals. Reality NBA is NOT fantasy NBA, and players bring value that may be correlated, but is NOT directly tied to their ppg, rebounds, steals, etc.

For me, I will judge this team by how competitive and fun they are to watch. The W’s are nice, and I personally believe that if the Blazers don’t make the playoffs then they probably have underachieved relative to their talent and potential, but the joy I get from the Blazers is in watching players I like and can respect play well and be competitive.

Now, I think the L*kers game was difficult to watch, and not just because Oden got hurt. We didn’t play a good game AT ALL. But, as I said even the greatest have bad nights, so it’s way too early to freak out. That is not how I want the Blazers to play, even if somehow, the stars had aligned and we got the win. Conversely, if we play a good game, hard fought, competitive game and ultimately fail to win, I’ll still be pleased with the team.

it’s good to hear this…I was beginning to think I was the only one with these thoughts….Blazer fans want wins (understandable)…but basketball fans want to see good play and are usually not clouded by fanatic vision…..(although there is nothing wrong with being a fanatic)…..the thing about good play is; although it is entertaining and fun to watch, it usually has a by-product…….Wins……
    so get those steals, dive on the floor for loose balls, hustle back on “D”, slash to the hoop for an easy 2…and yes hit the open jumper (out of the flow of the offense, of course)….this will bring a smile to my face…..you might get beat…..but it won’t be because you didn’t play hard…..