Finding the best Coach for our team
by Clevelander among roses on Nov 15, 2008 10:55 PM PST
63 comments
Ooh, I found him! He's the guy we have now!
Seriously, I think Nate McMillan is the perfect coach for this team, but I've heard a lot of whining about how he doesn't do this and should be fired for that. I've even heard that he doesn't trust rookies, despite the fact that 3 rookies get regular minutes, including a 19 year old non-english speaker whom everyone else was already giving a ticket to Boise.
Nate does an all-right job at X's and O's, as evidenced by the fact that Portland was one of the leaders in the NBA at scoring after a timeout last year, but I think the biggest contributions he makes are in the mental make-up of the team, and the way he and Pritchard work together. Portland has so many talented players jockeying for minutes that when Martell Webster comes back, all 12 men on our gameday roster (Bayless, Batum, Blake, Frye, LMA, Oden, Outlaw, Pryzbilla, Roy, Rudy, Sergio, & Webster) would be starting for at least one other team in the league. Despite the fact that there are so many young, emerging, talented players on the team, McMillan has been able to get them to buy in to his system, compete with each other in practice, and find both minutes and a regular rotation for his players so that they know what to expect going into the game, and know their roles.
McMillan also has worked just as hard on developing the players' leadership abilities. With some, like Brandon, he obviously had a lot to work with all ready, but he's also nurtured that ability without being threatened by it, and without losing control of the team. He's obviously been helped by the fact that the Blazer's have tried to accumulate high character players, but I feel he doesn't get enough credit for his own role in enthusiastically supporting the acquisition of those players.
McMillan is also a very capable teacher. I forget who it was, but one of the national NBA writers mentioned that they had been going to camps for years, but never had seen as much instruction regarding basketball fundamentals as seen at the Blazers training camp this year. Obviously that has something to do with the overall youth of the team, but it also has to do with the fact that McMillan wants to teach, and recognizes what makes good basketball. The biggest beneficiary of this teaching, to my mind, has been Travis Outlaw; since Nate joined the organization, Travis's basketball IQ has at least doubled.
One final thought in my ode to Nate: I love the fact that he's been so strategic in his mixing of players, where he doesn't just start his 5 most talented players, but instead looks for the right blend of players and talents. It's true that Rudy, Travis, and (for now) Greg come off the bench, even though they are among the 5 most talented players on the team, but Nate has been able to make that work, and get those players to buy into their roles. Nate has shown how flexible he is in trying to have players on the floor that complement each other, while at the same time maximizing the total minutes of his most talented players. Despite the fact that Outlaw and Rudy aren't starting, they are 3rd and 5th in minutes per game on the Blazers according to NBA.com (Outlaw at 29.4, Blake at 29, and Rudy at 28.7). Overall, Nate has shown creativity in his rotation, and instilled a sense of pride in the Blazer's white unit that really shows when they come onto the court.
I love Nate as a coach of this team, and I wouldn't trade him for any other coach. He's a young, talented coach that is taking this young, talented team in the right direction.
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I am a big fan of Nate's as well
I definitely feel that he’s the right coach for this team. People point to getting the 1st pick in the draft two years ago as being a defining moment in this franchise, but I always felt that when we were able to sign Nate, that things were going to turn around.
Phil
by Philski on Nov 15, 2008 11:17 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Man we've come a long way since PJ Carlisimo
How great is it to see a coach who is competent AND has personality and smiles every once in a while?
by nima on Nov 16, 2008 5:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I was worried
Your title worked. I clicked expecting to read a line or two and move on. Nate gets bashed way too much when the Blazers lose and no credit whne the Blazers win. Even when the Blazers win, there are folks that pick apart whatever they can. I don’t think too many coaches could have coaxed 32 wins out of the team two years ago and backed that up with 41 wins after losing the number one overall pick with last years team. Nate had a lot of reasons to not expect too much out of his teams but he has pushed them to perform as a sum greater than their parts.
I hope he stays beyond next year.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
by tssbro on Nov 15, 2008 11:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Not to mention losing their #1 option and scorer.
by tmac16550 on Nov 16, 2008 1:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I forgot about that
Although I think that move helped McMillen get everybody playing as a team instead of having to deal with a star who would make the offense stagnate and demand touches.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
by tssbro on Nov 16, 2008 5:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I give my fair share of credit to nate
When he deserves it. Even in the NOH loss I felt he did good coaching. We don’t know if Nate is capable of coaching a championship team, so its still too early for anyone to write him off. I think hes an awesome teacher, but he does have his faults. The way he has handled some of the non gametime decisions have been a little suspect.
To the OP…I dont know if Nate and KP are on the same page 100%…to me it seems like KP built our team to run and to be versatile. At the time KP took over, a lot of teams were trying to emulate Phoenix…so I guess that makes sense. Nate’s philosophy seems quite different, but since KP got so many versatile players they could play in a variety of schemes.
Also…a lot of people say that Nate doesn’t trust rookies, is bc it came out of his mouth. Although he is playing Batum and Sergio…he was hesitant in doing so and second guessed himself (last year for sergio).
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 5:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
If they aren't on the same page...
they do a great job of being professional about it. I think the “difference in philosophies” idea doesn’t have much evidence. I just don’t see KP being frustrated with Nate at all at this point. I think they both understand they are building and as long as the long-term trajectory is up, they don’t seem to get phased by the ups and downs in a season. Why did they offer him a contract extension if KP wanted to run?
Every human has faults, so I am by no means saying that Nate is infallible. I just think when Nate doesn’t do what some fans want him to do, they chalk it up to bad coaching instead of considering why he might be doing it.
The overall direction of the team, meaning wins and team and individual skill, keeps improving every year Nate has been here. Until that stops happening, I choose to watch what he is doing and try to learn from it myself
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
by tssbro on Nov 16, 2008 5:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Everybody seems to be an armchair quarterback
If we won 82 games people would still be complaining about Nate. I really like his style and professionalism, he IS the best man for the job. Complainers just seem to come out of the woodwork…. nothing we can do about it I guess.
by volcompro11 on Nov 16, 2008 2:03 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
We can point and laugh
That’s what I try and do.
by einman77 on Nov 16, 2008 2:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
its not necessarily about complaining
but starting healthy discussions…thats the whole reason for this site anyhow. Honestly when I first started coming to BE…I had my own perspective on what went on…but after being here for so long, I’ve learned a ton about the blazers and the NBA from Dave, Ben, and the posters. If you love Nate, and other people don’t but you are able to hold your own in a debate while arguing your point, then you have just justified your belief a little more.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 5:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I think he´s doing a great work in a very complex situation.
Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16
by amlmart1 on Nov 16, 2008 4:35 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
coach is good
I always feel like being difficult responding to posts like this..
I like Nate.. I thought he was a great player and he seems to have helped our young guys. I think a lot of fans love speculating or taking the obvious improvements on the team and giving Nate a lot of credit for it. I don’t want to take that away from him, but it is important to have a reality check…
Simply put.. Nate hasn’t proven himself as a great winning coach. He just hasn’t had the opportunity yet. Weaknesses in abilities come out as the competition increases. Until we get to the playoffs, have to find adjustments within the course of a tough series.. we just don’t know enough to say Nate is it and that is that. Sure Brandon is our star and Brandon loves Nate – heck, I’ll go as far to say that we could not have gotten a better coach for Brandon.
But I think that I for one will reserve judgment on the long term coach of this team until we have made the playoffs a couple of years and I see evidence that Nate can handle the next level of winning as a coach.
Boycott Rose Garden Concessions!!!
http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/11/8/657044/boycotting-rose-garden-con
by idoltime on Nov 16, 2008 5:55 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
The issue is today, not later.
The issue isn’t best coach in two or three years. The issue is the best coach today. And today, I doubt we could do any better.
We’re 6-4, have had 7 games on the road, Oden missed six, Webster has missed them all, we’ve had to push a lot of time to two rookies, Batum and Fernandez, Frye missed the entire pre-season and still doesn’t seem to have found his groove, and we’re still 6-4. Now, we’re pushing a third rookie, Oden, into that mix.
At the same time, we’ve literally rebuilt this team from scratch. Roy and Aldridge are mainstays yet were drafted only two years ago, Sergio is in his third year, Blake and Frye have only been with the team a year, and Oden, Fernandez, and Batum are rookies.
Mac is a first rate coach – and the record proves it. We’ve gone from the jailblazer era to a new era, completely rebuilt the team, and are winning. That’s coaching.
by Eben Calder on Nov 16, 2008 6:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
not literally.
We’ve built this team from scratch. We’ve really built this team from scratch. We’ve completely built this team from scratch.
We haven’t “literally” built this team from scratch. That involves eggs and flour.
by LicketyBrindle on Nov 16, 2008 5:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
agreed
Many people will say that some coaches are good at developing weak teams and others are coaches that can take teams to the next level. I remember this being a criticism of Phil Jackson…since he has always had the best players and never really had to develop a team from scratch. I think that’s why he had the urge to go back to coach, and I think he’s proved that he can develop a team based on the success of the Lakers last year.
Nate is one hell of a coach for developing youngsters…No one can deny that. I just hope he will be a coach that can continue to grow as our players do. We forget that Nate is still relatively inexperienced as a coach, so while some of us may complain, we should offer him the same patience that we offer our players. I’m guilty of it as well.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 5:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
nice post, CAR...
It was the head coach of Portland State that was quoted as saying he’d never seen fundamentals being taught in practice as much as he did this year with this squad.
I was thrilled when we got Nate. I’ve not been disappointed in his development of this team, and I REALLY hope that he decides to stay and finish what he started.
"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Nov 16, 2008 9:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Probably one of the main reasons I like Nate is his demand of taking care of the ball.
The Blazers lead the league in fewest turnovers per game at 10.6, definitely a glaring reason for why they’ve come out victorious in probably all six games. We haven’t won any game by that many points, I think are largest margin was 8 or 9. If we cough up the ball 3 more times per game (about the league average) and the other teams score on those turnovers, we might be 0-10.
I realize that pace is a major factor of this, and I know many people would like to see this team unleashed to run and gun. I can’t help but think it’d be detrimental to a winning record.
"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Nov 16, 2008 10:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
It always baffles me that we’re so young, with so many rookies getting so many minutes and we’re still so good at taking care of the ball.
On another note, i was just a tiny bit mad(being from seattle, but living in p-town at the time) when the blazers signed Nate. Guess it was a blessing in disguise. Thank god he’s not in Oklahoma.
by moflow on Nov 16, 2008 3:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I was hesitant to click on this post
It’s a beautiful day outside and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a bunch of negative Nate bashing. But there were more recs than comments, so I took a chance. Glad I did — nice job in laying out Nate’s assets.
But I want to bring up one thing: it’s not just Nate, it’s a coaching staff. Sure he’s the leader, but there are several other people who deserve some credit (or blame, if that’s how you roll).
by Corvid on Nov 16, 2008 11:34 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
when coach was hugging everybody after the Minnesota win on the road, uh, well, that was just awesome I thought. Go Coach!!!
by 50backflips on Nov 16, 2008 1:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I thought so too
I think maybe it is easy to forget the humanity of the players and coaches as we watch from afar. It was not a pretty win but he appreciated them putting in the effort to make it back in and then win the game, so he let them know. It would have been easy for the team to pack it in down by 12 in the third and think, “its just one game.”
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
by tssbro on Nov 16, 2008 5:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I like Nate, but I have my doubts as to whether he's a championship-level coach.
I’m concerned about how bad the blazers have been defensively combined with the Sonics’ defensive experience under Nate. I’m worried that his offense is efficient but is based heavily around jumpshooting, and I’m not sure that’s a recipe for a lot of post-season success, even if it’s successful in regular season games.
Championships are usually won by teams with the best star, the most overall talent, and with the fewest gaping vulnerabilities. Coaches don’t have that much control over the first two, but they do over the last, and I think from what I’ve seen, even a very talented Nate squad will have some serious vulnerabilities— the reliance on the jumpshot, the very simple offense that relies very heavily on pick and pop, pick and drive, and the iso drive, with the offense only clicking if there are multiple quality jumpshooters. The conservative, non-gambling defense that focuses on lots of switches and zones, and leaves the interior very open. Maybe Oden will be such a great defender that he can individually cover for the weakness of the scheme, but I’d prefer a better scheme and rotations decisions based more on defensive man to man skills.
I do think he’s a good coach though. But I think there’s a difference between good and championship-level. For most teams, that difference doesn’t really matter - most teams just don’t have the talent level to seriously be competitive, so whether Jerry Sloan squeezes 55 wins out of a 50 win squad doesn’t, in the grand scheme of things, matter that much. But I do think decent but not great coaching can hold back championship caliber teams from greater success- the pistons under Flip, the cavs under Mike Brown come to mind.
Not that non-championship-level coach necessarily guarantees your team will lose if you’ve otherwise got the overall talent/best star, or have superb asst coaches— Doc Rivers, KC Jones, Paul Westhead spring to mind— but it definitely helps.
by howlingfantods on Nov 16, 2008 1:48 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
hmm
It’s a good topic that I’ve discussed with my friends…Isnate a championship coach? It’s hard to say if he is or he isn’t based on how inexperienced he is. I don’t think we are a jumpshooting team bc of Nate’s offensive philosophy. I think we are bc with Pryz as our anchor we really had no choice…thats why they put a premium on LMA learning how to improve his offense within the post.
Its kind of disappointing seeing a lot of quality coaches not win, but really mediocre coaches win championships and thinking they are an “elite coach.”
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 5:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
100% agree with Pryzbilla/LMA comment
Add an improving low post presence in Oden over the next year or two and the offense will look a lot better. Having guys like Rudy and Batum who know how to space the floor is important too. Travis is improving on this every year but you can tell a big difference in spacing between having Rudy and Batum on the floor vs a younger Outlaw and Jarret Jack.
I think the answer to your question about whether Nate is a championship coach is an easy one…when he wins one he will be one. The jury will be out until then.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
by tssbro on Nov 16, 2008 5:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
well
Even tho Doc Rivers has won a championship, I still don’t think he is worthy of being called a good/championship coach. At this point, I’d be mroe comfortable with Rick Adelman coaching my team than I am with Doc Rivers.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 7:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I just read this great article by JQuick about McMillan...
definitely worth a read.
Did you know that it was ZBo that came up with that silly nickname? I’m kinda surprised that is has held with so many people since it was Zach that came up with it… him being a knucklehead and all.
"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Nov 16, 2008 1:51 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
nice use of knucklehead
in avoiding using &$%#@*& in front of he kids
by LetsBlaze on Nov 16, 2008 2:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I like Nate.
I like Nate. He hasn’t been a coach long, but he is a good fit for our team. A relatively young coach on a relatively young team. His experience as a player from being to the 1996 Finals with the Sonics, so he has an idea of what it takes to get there and that’ll help us. One of the better coaches in the league, or at least an up and comer as one of the better coaches. I was surprised the Sonics let him go, after their last good season. Their last good coach. Their loss is our gain.
by CanadianBlazerfan on Nov 16, 2008 2:37 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Ok I am the loudest Nate Hater on this blog
and im not apologizing for it either. He gets grudgin respect from me b/c he is the coach of my favorite team in sports EVER but thats where that ends.
Nate might do well out of a timeout per the WSJ but that is only if he calls a timeout, at an appropriate time. I am seeing how he is hestant during times of bad play during the 3 qt. especially to call a timeout to halt the opposing team’s momentum. He just stands up sits down yells and finally sits down grumbling. With a young team, during slumpish times of the game, usually a timeout, calm down your nerves session, reiterate game plan talk is in order. He doesnt do that when I think he should and I think its a detriment to our team’s play at times.
In regards to the rookies…Dont get me started. I think Nate is in Love with certain undeserving players on the team and sacrafices the minutes of the most deserving players in his obvious favoratism. The only reason Batum is playing so much right now is b/c Webster went down. And even after it is painfully obvious that Travis is a sporadic and shaky shooter and terrible defender who’s weaknesses are enhanced when playing w/ the starting unit Nate keeps Travis in the game even throwing his not so brilliant 10 man rotation out the window to do so.
I honestly think a couple players will be gone baby gone and perhaps Nate will be able grow his brain back and I will eat crow for years and years, and hey, if we are winning I will happily eat crow for ever but I honestly dont think Nate is the coach to lead us to a championship.
If you read this and are half way through and already asking, “who would be your replacement?” i have to say I dont know.
Sophia
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 7:16 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
well that musta felt good getting that out
I dont entirely disagree like I normally do to your thoughts, but am not ready to call Nate a great coach. There will be no excuses now that the teams been assembled with quality parts. My biggest problem with Nate has always been his old school approach. This year its obviously Bayless as his example. Could someone explain why Bayless isnt getting any minutes besides the who cares crowd exiting garbage time?
Lord, help me to be the kind of person my psychiatrist medicates me to be
by bow4meow on Nov 16, 2008 7:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
my 2 cents
I’ll agree that I don’t think I can call Nate a great coach until he can produce a few winning seasons and some deep runs in the playoffs. Right now he is just a “good coach.” As far as Bayless not playing…I’m not going to say this is the reason, but here are some possibilities. The PG is the hardest position to learn hands down in the NBA. Bayless is still young, and I don’t think Nate wants to throw him to the wolves yet. When Sergio was a rookie, we had Jack starting, and Sergio didn’t see his first minutes until December. I don’t know why it took so long, but I have a feeling that Nate wanted to make sure the PG knew enough about his offensive philosophy. Bayless will be a good player, but I have a feeling if he or Sergio is rushed out on the court that any long term struggles might effect them as a long term player as well. The best example I can come up with is when a Coach protects his young/inexperienced QB (sorta how Bill Parcells was reluctant to start Tony Romo compared to Joey Harrington getting the start early in his career and now has been a bust in every team he has been on).
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 8:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn't say Bayless deserves to start or even that he plays more minutes than Sergio.
Sergio and Rudy have an undeniable chemistry that frankly no other 2nd unit of any team has . Bayless has the body type and skill set NOW to alleviate some of the inside rough fouls and shots Brandon / Sergio/ Blake take during certain stretches a game but since Nate is too hard headed to stick w/ his 10 man rotation Bayelss gets no minutes unless we are losing/winning by 20 and that is just not right. Bayless is no Diagu or Shavlik
Sophia
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 8:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Nate is too hard headed and* sticks with his 10 man rotation
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 8:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I dont even want to talk about bayless.
it is another prime example of Nate’s mismanagement. Last night would have been an excellent time to get him some minutes. No one could really score during the 2 and some of the 3 and 4th quarter so why not put BayBay in and tell him to drive the lane. I mean Bayless loves that type of crap and it could and would have served us well. ‘specially since Nate insisted on leaving Rudy of all people to sit on the bench most of the 2nd half of the game. W/o Rudy playing, it’s not as if the back court is crammed w/ minute hungry people .. unless he plays outlaw too much . oh wait
Sophia
Ps. You disagree w/ my thoughts? :-)
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 8:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
after watching nate for the past few years
Winning is his number 1 priority by a big margin, and player development is not important if its going to cost us wins. Example would be 2 years ago when we were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and Nate didn’t really change his rotation or give the players who didn’t play much more minutes. We eeked out some extra wins when we should have “tanked” to get a higher draft percentage (even tho we still won the Lotto). Last year the same thing happened when we were mathematically eliminated….Sergio, Von Wafer, or Mc Bobberts still didn’t receive too many extra minutes if any.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 8:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I know and that is not a good thing especially when he is coach of an "up and coming" team...
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 8:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
This is kind of ridiculous
When your the youngest team in the NBA, and all of your players are on the upside of your career, why would you spend time developing the 12th man on your roster when the minutes can be equally valuable developing the 5th man? Take Sergio, Von Wafer, or McBob. 2 of three are off the team. Any minutes to them would have been a wasted opportunity to develop Aldridge, Outlaw, Webster, Jack, Roy, Frye, or any of the other under 25 crowd playing the 2,3, or 4 positions. Sergio turns out to have been worth developing since he’s making a contribution to this year, but maybe part of that development was letting him know that he wasn’t going to be handed minutes just because he’s young, letting him know he had to earn them in practice by playing the right way.
I guess what I’m saying is that playing the youngsters isn’t the only way to teach them, and the 9, 10, 11, & 12 spots on the roster aren’t the only people that are developing.
Travis Outlaw is an alien, but in a good way.
Awesome Graphic was provided by CIC, because he felt like he should be hazed.
by Clevelander among roses on Nov 16, 2008 9:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
correction
upside of their career
Travis Outlaw is an alien, but in a good way.
Awesome Graphic was provided by CIC, because he felt like he should be hazed.
by Clevelander among roses on Nov 16, 2008 9:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Nate doesn't play dumb rookies unless he has too
Coach Nate trusts his vets.
by tominhawaii on Nov 16, 2008 8:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
because we dont have any dumb rookies that argument goes out the window
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 8:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Batum, Oden, and Bayless are dumb rookies
Maybe Oden is a half a rookie but he’s still a dumb rookie by league rules.
by tominhawaii on Nov 17, 2008 12:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
occasionally
but respectfully
Lord, help me to be the kind of person my psychiatrist medicates me to be
by bow4meow on Nov 17, 2008 9:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree
Nate is our best option. Leave him as our HC, develop some consistency. Our offense & defense will develop as we continue to advance as a team. only way to do it, is with consistency.
Time For The Spanish Guard To Step Up
by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 16, 2008 8:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
In response to Sophia:
What about Flip Saunders?
In my eyes a good coach should be able to take a bad, dysfunctional, or inexperienced team and make them good. Even with the Jail Blazers, who perhaps had some talent, Nate was not able to produce a winning atmosphere. In contrast, observe D’Antoni in New York: he joined a team that has been having character problems and has been losing, and now they are having a relatively successful year.
To me Nate just puts up a front. He has his hard-nosed attitude and his “you have to earn it” mentality, his favorites and his players in the dog-house. Why can’t he do what it takes to win instead of sticking to his bogus coaching philosophies?
The rotations are a definite problem. Batum had 8 points in under 10 minutes last night on 3-4 shooting. Why was he given such little time? I don’t care if Outlaw’s defense is dramatically better because he’s still chucking up shots; he was 3-10 last night. I cringe every time he takes a turn-around fadeaway jump shot. Don’t they talk about this in video sessions? Isn’t it a coach’s job to fix a player’s shot selection?
--
by CaptainSexyJacob on Nov 16, 2008 8:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I dont know very much about Flip
except to wonder immediatly if that is his real name.
In regards to the rotation problem , im completely baffled b/c honestly , all it does is put the weight of the game on Brandon’s shoulders at the end of the game. Brandon cannot play 40 minutes a game, especially w/ the 2nd unit this team has it just makes no sense and relying on him heavily is not a good plan, but of course leave it to Nate.
This is going to turn into a "i hate travis " post if I dont stop but I would just like to point out that Travis has 4 bad games and then 2 good games, gets an interview in the Oregonian saying how he has been having a mantally bad time and finally feels good then goes out the next night and shoots 10 % and plays 5 year old type defense. Then he plays like gargabe for 3 more games and has 2 good ones and gets another spot in the O and says he’s finally feeling good. Does anyone see the writing on the freaking wall? Travis has hit his ceiling. He is not going to get better. This is it. He needs to go . Batum is not there yet but Having batum on the 2nd unit will be good for when Rudy get’s double teamed or Oden/Pryz draw the defense they can pass out to Batum and he can hit an open shot (Batman has been doing that all year ) Batum is also a good defender. Martell will be the starter and hopefully is conditioned enough to play good minutes toward the end of the season.
Travis has been exposed, everyone sees it except Nate b/c Nate loves Travis .
Sophia
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 8:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
KP likes Travis a lot too, doesn't he?
With the timeout thing that you mentioned a couple posts up…. I don’t know if Nate saving timeouts is necessarily a bad thing. Minnesota ran out of them last night in the fourth and it cost them the game. But I guess the good coaching comes with knowing when to conserve timeouts and when they’re actually needed.
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by CaptainSexyJacob on Nov 16, 2008 8:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
devils advocate
I’m in the pro batum camp as well, but Travis is improving…although its only subtle parts of his game. He is close to his peak however. I wouldn’t be all that disappointed if he left, but to say he isn’t improving isn’t a fair statement. I’d hope Nic gets 8-14 mins once Webby gets back, but that seems a bit unreasonable.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 9:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry but I have not seen any quantifiable evidence that Travis is /has improved his game
in any aspect.
Sophia
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 9:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
if you want statistics
then look at 3pt shooting percentage.
if not…then you cant really deny that travis has developed his spot up shooting. last year he’d get fed the ball while being open but still dribble a few times giving time for a defender to close in on him…thats not happening nearly as often this year. travis still may not be a good defender, but at least he has been showing up defensively this year. not really dramatic improvements, but there is some there.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 9:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
ok his 3 pt shooting is better but he was good at shooting from deep last year as well
im saying, he may marginally inprove his stats in the area’s we already know he can improve in but he hasnt and wont develope any moves. Basically the scouting on him is exactly the same and he isnt giving us anything extra than he already was. I think some of the marginal improvements in his offense are offset by his horrid defense.
i swear to everyone reading this that I love travis and he was my favorite player last year and 1/2 of the year before that but I cant keep loving something based on “improvement” or something. He is where he is going to be for his career w/ the Blazers. With this team his assets arent used properly. He needs and wants the freedom to take a gazillion weird off balance shots and if he is givin enough touches he could average closer to 16 or 17 points a game but the minutes and touches aren’t available on this Blazer team.
Sophia
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 10:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Darn that first sentence is not how it should be
- He may marginally imrove on his stats in the areas we already know he is good and doesnt need to really improve but he hasn’t and wont develope any new moves
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
by BlazerFan1 on Nov 16, 2008 10:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
well its a bit different
Trout shot a good percentage last year, but he still wasn’t comfortable shooting a high volume from 3 vs this year. As far as moves go…your right. It took him what…5 years to get that step back move consistently? Well in year 6 he’s learned to catch and shoot. Travis has never and will never be my favorite player, I’m just trying to say that he has improved, granted I’m more excited about Batum and Webster reaching their full potential than watching Trout’s improvements at this point.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 10:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Thus far this season, Travis Outlaw is ostensibly shooting better percentages.
2007-2008: 49.0% eFG% & 52.9 TS%
2006-2007: 45.4% eFG% & 50.0% TS%
Career: 45.9% eFG% & 50.3% TS%
Yet, as it is, that fairly sizeable jump has been mainly caused by an unsustaniable rise in Outlaw’s efficiency from beyond the arc.
2007-2008: 54.8%
2006-2007: 39.6%
Career: 36.6%
Once Outlaw’s three-point shooting percentage drops to somewhere around a reasonable 40.0% from downtown — which’ll occur sooner rather than later — his eFG% and TS% will consequently return to the mean.
Outlaw, moreover, hasn’t shown a statistical improvement on defense — for he’s given up +5.7 net points allowed per 100 possessions and +2.3% eFG% 10 thus far this season — as a result, I’m not sure how someone can justifiably claim anything to the contrary.
by AK1984 on Nov 17, 2008 7:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Flip Saunders is one of the most nervous people I have ever seen coach a team, at least during games
No doubt he understands a lot about this sport, but I wouldn’t want him to work extensively with our young team full of rookies and some players who might need some more explanation due to language problems.
by Norsktroll on Nov 17, 2008 4:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Also in response to howlingfantods:
You’re absolutely right, the offense is stagnant. Why do they do pick and pops when there is a perfectly good opportunity to pick and roll? Why is there so much driving and kicking out?
Defense has been a major issue too, and the Blazers rank third in the NBA in opponent’s field goal percentage (at .476). Does anyone remember when Nate was quoted as wanting to use help defense more? This has been a major problem with the Blazers. Too many times there are defenders who stray off their man to “help” guard someone with the ball; this usually results in a dish to the open man for the jump shot or lay-in. Switching your man is also a problem.
I just wanted to elaborate on your points =P
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by CaptainSexyJacob on Nov 16, 2008 8:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Pick and Pop versus roll
I’d prefer if they’d roll too, but Pryz can’t catch, and Frye is soft. Hopefully Greg changes that.
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 16, 2008 9:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, the offense is *very* good.
Right now, we’re 4th most efficient offense but only 28th most efficient defense:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/2009.html
Before the last couple of ugly wins, we were #1 in offensive rating for a while.
And that pretty much confirms what I’m seeing in the games I’ve watched. We’re winning with offense, not with defense.
My issue with the offense is that jumpshooting teams tend to underperform in the playoffs compared to offensive systems that rely more on points in the paint, drawing fouls, and scoring from the free throw line. And we are a jumpshooting team.
Pick and roll…. yeah, we don’t really have the finishers for it, although Oden’s got potential. I like the cutting and motion that we’re seeing in the second unit with rudy and sergio. I’d like to see Roy posting up more, I think he can post almost every 2 guard in the league. He should study tapes of Jordan’s later years when MJ’s bread and butter was the 15 foot turnaround. I’d like to see LMA working on dribble drives, basically copying Chris Bosh’s game.
by howlingfantods on Nov 16, 2008 11:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
last year vs this years offense
It seems like our offense is a little more well rounded this year, and doesn’t go through as long of scoring droughts as it did last year. we may have not had the “highs” like last year, but i’ll gladly accept that since we don’t have the lows as well. the question is…is the team better individually on offense, or did the addition of rudy just make the 2nd unit a little more well rounded?
Honor Terry Porter
by Philthyanimal on Nov 17, 2008 6:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
i still scratch my head on some of his player rotations...
but i wouldnt trade nate for anybody
"im a buffet of goodness"-Channing Frye
by burritoman on Nov 16, 2008 9:59 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
This team and this group of players is the envy of coaches throughout the NBA
If Nate doesn’t get us into the playoffs this year, and it even looks borderline next year, he’s out. With the talent level of this team there can be no excuses. We’ll have our pick of the litter in a year or two, if Nate does his job he’ll remain the coach.
by as11osu on Nov 16, 2008 10:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I'm way late on this comment
So it will not be heard…But I will say it anyway…..Good coaches let the players dictate how the game is played and then adapt and refine what you have and set up offenses accordingly…..variations of this have to be applied to keep defenses honest…So no matter how anyone perceives Nate as a coach, he will cease to contribute to the welfare of the team, if he can’t adjust to the players by tying their hands in the confines of a methodical, offense with no imagination or instincts. …..Too structured of an offense will limit this team and make it too predictable….Just like we perceive this as a jump shooting team, so will other teams and set their defense to it…..(.they like their chances if that’s what we choose to become)
this is where Nate is at today…..He must be able to find an adjusted approach, (if you will,) to his offensive style. This may mean, freeing up Sergio, Bayless, Rudy, and Batum and the rest of the team to be creative and not let “robotics” take over .
I am not sure he doesn’t realize this..and up to this point, it may have been the most effective offense for the players he had.( no offensive center and not having a quick, penetrating point guard.)…….. But It is time to move on and of course the inclusion of Oden will add some good variations as well….But slow and methodical is not a good concept for the future of this team IMO…..along with good defense, speed. quickness and imagination will get you a lot of easy hoops…..
the Chicago game could be good example of how this type of play works…You would have to say that coaching was almost not necessary in a free flowing offense like this example……(that did not resemble any Blazer offense of late)…..free wheeling for sure, with dynamic results
( kept Chicago on their heels all night long)…..So when you see this style of play, you can’t help but wonder, if it’s not a better suited offense for this team…..Side effect=turnovers…something Nate does not like……
by 67 on Nov 20, 2008 12:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
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