Am I the only one frustrated with McMillan?

by DevotedBlazer on Nov 8, 2008 4:07 PM PST Comment 68 comments

I don't know if the Blazer players are not fulfilling McMillan's strategies, or McMillan is just off his game. I've never been so frustrated with the Blazer's play than now. We have so many weapons, and we seem to be using them just part of the time. Is Roy's ego getting the best of him? Or is McMillan giving Roy free reign? I never blame the players, I always examine the leadership. My suspicions started with the organization allowing themselves to get sucked into the Oden hype. Oden should have come off the bench, like Hibbert and Love.

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Yes you are

Nate is a great coach and his temperament and coaching style are perfect for our young team. It is only five games into the season, and we are 2-3 against superb competition, I wouldn’t be too upset if I was you. If the Blazers underperform this year, (win fewer games than the year before), then maybe we can start assigning blame. But until then, can we let McMillan do his job

There are no stupid questions, only stupid people

by blazersfan50 on Nov 8, 2008 4:14 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

?

Roy has been struggling and he needs to play better, but that’s not Nate’s fault (and a big part of it is that he’s been guarded by Kobe, Bowen/Udoka, Bell, Kirilenko- for part of the Utah game- and Artest).

Oden played well in preseason and looked ready to start to me. Neither Hibbert nor Love is anywhere near the prospect that Oden is.

The Blazers haven’t played great— especially defensively— but they’ve played decently (except for opening night). We’ve played a murderous schedule so far and we’re surviving. Also a big part of our defensive struggles is that we just don’t have a good defensive player at the PG position right now (though you could argue Bayless should get a chance… but he’s a 19 year old rookie).

If there’s a place to criticize Nate, its his usage of Sergio (its not like Blake’s been great) and his inability to develop LaMarcus into a decent rebounder.

Nate’s doing fine. The Blazers are doing fine. If Roy can get it going, we’ll survive the tough part of the schedule, then get Greg and Martell back and do well when the schedule softens.

We’re not playing incredible ball, but I see no reason to do anything approaching panic right now.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Nov 8, 2008 4:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I can't figure out why people think Sergio would do a better job than Blake

The starting unit play an inside out game. Or, at least that’s what they’ve been practicing this entire year. A crucial part of that inside out game is the out part. Roy, LMA, or Oden need to kick the ball out and have some HIT the shot or at least be a credible threat. That opens them up for work on the inside. The oustide shot is Sine Qua Non for the starting unit.

Sergio simply cannot fulfill this role. Putting Sergio into the starting unit would mean a whole re-working of the main offensive strategy the team intends to imploy.

It hasn’t looked great yet, but it will when Oden gets back. You’re neither hi nor low, but the tenor towards Sergio lately seems to have a disgusting lack of memory. He just cannot do what Blake’s in there for (to be a credible threat from the outside).

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 9:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sergio's a much better point guard for a team centered

around Oden and Fernandez, but a much worse point guard for a team centered around Roy. Blake’s not going to be feeding Oden a steady diet of pick and roll alley oops, or Rudy a bunch of back cut oops.

So his future with the team has a lot to do with (1) whether he can develop the off-the ball skills needed for playing alongside Roy, and (2) how much the team becomes an Oden/Rudy show versus the Roy show.

by howlingfantods on Nov 9, 2008 10:09 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

LMA?

Oden and LMA in particular benefit from having a player outside that can knock down threes. That keeps doubles off them or makes the double pay. If Sergios in, he has to be on the weakside, and we won’t be able to swing the ball around. That makes us weaker.

That sort of play’s going outnumber the oop to Oden by a large factor.

Sergios funadamental failure (in the starting unit sense) is his inability to knock down the outside shot. He may have improved that, but it hasn’t shown to be improved enough.

Fernandez can play well with Sergio, but that’s mostly because he’s so versatile he compensates for Sergios shortcomings. Oden, LMA cannot create havoc like Rudy can. They’ll likely end up being more bankable individually, and considerably so as a team. Rudy and Roy are hardly mutally exclusive right now, and will become more dynamic over time. Rudy and Roy could probably compensate somewhat for Sergio’s bad outside shooting, but it’d just be another place the opposing team could relax.

Bottom line, is that he needs to improve his outside shot to play inside out with Oden and LMA. If he becomes as reliable as Blake for scoring (which shouldn’t be tough), he’ll steal the job regardless of how abismal his D is.

Whether it’s Roy’s team of Rudy’s team, it’ll be shared with LMA and Oden. So, it’s hardly going to matter in the long run for Sergio. My guess is that it’ll be Roy’s, Rudy’s, LMA’s and Oden’s team. None of them are selfish jerks. All of them want to win and seem happy to share the credit.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 11:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nate's rotations are chaos

and that is definitely hurting our performance on the floor. BUT i’m not sure if he has any other options but to keep messing around with them until some things click and Oden comes back. I’ll give him about two more weeks to tinker with rotations before i start feeling like he isn’t doing his job.

Free Sergio! http://www.freesergio.com

by sergioFTW on Nov 8, 2008 4:32 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Rotation is whats bothered me too

example: I think it was the Pheonix game when he didnt put rudy in to the game until there was like 3 mins left and Bayless got like all his minutes in the fourth… how does that make sense? I love Nate and I understand that its tough to get all these tallented players in the game but it should be a weapon not a hinder.

The pictures kinda small, but Im giving the C's a big thumbs down

by Blazermaniac77 on Nov 8, 2008 5:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He wanted some one to slow Nash down.

He was torching us. Who’s got the best chance to slow Nash down? Bayless. It makes pretty good sense. Add that he might be able to draw some fouls and it’s a no brainer.

You’re not giving Nate any credit. Bayless failed in this instance, but it was Nate’s best bet.

If you go with Rudy, your best possible outcome is a shootout with the Suns. Would you prefer that?

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 9:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

agree

I will withhold judgment until January. If we’re not over .500 by then, then my nagging suspicions about Nate (lack of trust in Sergio, unwillingness to run, issues w/ LaMarcus’s rebounding, Travis/Batum yanking around) will become legitimate concerns.

There is a little voice in my head that’s worried that Nate is another Avery Johnson/Scott Skiles situation waiting to happen right when we’re about ready to take off. Notice that all three share a lot of qualities: known to be good teachers of the game, hard-nosed guards during their playing days, critics complain that they don’t let their players “play their game” and micro-manage too much …

… but like I said, that’s not an issue if we’re at .500 by New Year’s

by kickbrass on Nov 8, 2008 5:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Yes! I’m so relieved to read this whole fanpost!

I do believe Nate micro-manages. And his rotations have been chaos.

by CaptainSexyJacob on Nov 8, 2008 5:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

A Nate quote from a recent article about Sergio

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10510

“If you are unhappy come to me. Don’t let me read that in the press because I don’t control what you say to the media.”

If he wants that much control over what players say to the media, it’s a pretty safe bet her runs everything that way.

That might be good when they’re young and inexperienced (then again, maybe not). But sooner or later, the team’s gotta learn how to play on the court without help.

by Timmay! on Nov 8, 2008 6:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Once Oden and Webster come back, the rotations will be set

ROTUNDITYDOTNET

Founder of the "Crash Batumcoot" Movement.

by damir on Nov 8, 2008 10:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And remember when rotations didn't get set until a few weeks before the playoffs?

It’s been so long since we’ve been there that I think Blazer fans forget what it’s like to run into the playoffs.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 9:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nate's fine.

We’re fine. We’re at 500 against the league’s best with two starters out and lot’s of new faces. All is well. Be patient. Enjoy.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

by Ojala John on Nov 8, 2008 4:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hopefully after tonight...we're at .500

Let’s not jinx it.

by JasonT on Nov 8, 2008 4:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Speak it into

truth, mah brotha.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

by Ojala John on Nov 8, 2008 5:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You lost me when you asked if Roy's ego is getting the best of him.

You sound eerily similiar to the guys over at Oregonlive commenting on the Sergio article. They are insuating that Roy is jealous of Rudy and Batum, and therefore will not pass to them. Here is a sample:

Someone who calls himself Pacificblue (he/she refers to McMillian as "McClueless"):

Doubtlaw…dude sucks…hes the NBA’s "Black hole"…takes the ball and shoots whenever its good for him to do so…even when hes out in left field…BRoy has even been in competition mode…as mentioned above his "I" mentality…hes threatened by Rudy..and doesnt like it..hes even threatened by Batum…I remember this last game where Batum was totally wide open..and BRoy? he drives and gets a brick…even though Batum was there to take pressure off him..a Team Player? Im starting to think "I" in his name as well…even though he "can" be a good player…hes starting to show selfish ways…

Pdx Punk:

The only posts worth reading are by pacificblue. Everything pacificblue has to say is correct. I will add one thing and that is Roy’s jealousy of Rudy is getting to be ridiculous. Is this the guy who garners so much respect from coaches and fans for his humbleness? He is a big baby and is no good at hiding his feelings. Roy refuses to pass to Rudy when he is wide open, even calling for the ball at times. Roy just needs to acccept the fact that Rudy is better than him. Seriously just watch Roy only pass the ball to Outlaw and Aldridge, it makes me sick that this guy is the so called "leader" of this team.

Pacificblue responds:

Punk…I think everyone is seeing that…Roy is passing or not passing to those that pose a "threat:" to him

It was obvious in the game against Houston…he passed to those that were only in the first unit…and by-passed Batum..Rudy…etc…he feels threatend by Rudy..yeah ..well we need the best to come out and show that they care for this team..BRoy has..again been threatened..its not "his" team..sorry BRoy..your good..but you have to totally work up to your "own" level..and be a real "leader"..so far…its showing that you are not..a ball hog wanna be..its starting to show…

Seriously? Roy is a selfish player? I think many people feel the opposite…that Roy is not selfish enough sometimes. At the very least, you would be hard pressed to find many people who think Roy is a selfish player. Are you just spouting off stuff to get a reaction? Well I guess you got what you wanted.

by JasonT on Nov 8, 2008 4:40 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

I saw these...

And I still maintain that the crisp, intentional, perfect pass Roy gave Rudy off the drive in Utah to give him the shot to tie the game at 99 is indicate of nothing else but mutual trust.

I’m sure there’s a little ego pushing going on but it’s nothing more than a pecking order that hasn’t been established yet.

Buck Williams for the hall of fame

by Phizbin on Nov 8, 2008 5:02 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I agree with that

I do wonder after the 4th quarter of the Houston game if Roy didn’t lose a dash of trust for Rudy when he missed.

He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants

by Idog1976 on Nov 8, 2008 5:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's an absolutely baseless claim.

It totally dismisses all the things he does on the court to make this team win.

As far as the pecking order goes…wasn’t it Roy who made a public statement in favor of Batum starting?

by JasonT on Nov 8, 2008 5:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Roy hasn't been doing a very good job of getting Rudy involved...

But I don’t think that it is because he feels threatened by Rudy. Roy just hasn’t had much time practicing with Rudy and doesn’t have much experience working with players who have skill sets similar to Rudy. It’s not that Roy doesn’t want to get Rudy involved in the offense, he just doesn’t know how to fully make use of Rudy’s abilities.

As for Batum… Batum is raw offensively. His shot probably isn’t very reliable and he wasn’t a big scorer in the French league last year. It makes sense that Batum would be used as the 4th or 5th option on offense, because he just doesn’t have the skills to be a big scorer right now.

by trk on Nov 8, 2008 5:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding Rudy and Batum

Rudy and Roy have played what? 5 games together. And often they are not on the court at the same time.

That being said, I can remember several times Roy driving and kicking to Rudy for wide open 3 point attempts. It’s true he hasn’t been throwing ally oops to Rudy, but has Roy really ever thrown ally oops to anyone? Roy usually opts for the safe pass, rather than the flashy pass.

It’s not Batum’s role to be a scorer on the team yet. He is out there to play good defense and rebound. When a good shot comes his way, he should take it, but we are not typically running plays for Batum.

by JasonT on Nov 8, 2008 5:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

we don't know what the coaches and other players see in practice

ignacio

by ignacio on Nov 8, 2008 10:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

...

9 assists tonight.

“he’s a ballhog” ..

heard it before.

"I just know that I can't get big, I can't eat whatever I want to. I have to eat healthy, I have to stay right, I have to stay involved and ... I have to be here at practice because you know what? I can play pretty quick."

by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 8, 2008 11:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

O-Live commentors are idiots. They put almost not thought into the things they say

I always read comments here, but it’s painfult to do so over there.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 9:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe if Quick, Meahger or Freeman replied once in a while, took them to task

it would change the culture. It’s educational over here. It’s psyochotic over there.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 9:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok, make Phil Jackson the coach of this team.

Do you think our record is magically 3-2 or 4-1?

Marc Gasol´s formula.
Asked about his way to succeed, Marc Gasol said: "If the coach asks me for banging my own head 200 times, I do it. Even more, I do it 500 times."
--translated by Amlmart

by prezofdeath on Nov 8, 2008 4:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

3-2 is arguable -- they did choke away the UT game, but that wasn't really on Nate.

"I’m glad Sergio played well in pre-season, but he should be getting killed for whining. He ain’t that important to the country of Spain, let alone the Trail Blazers." --Mortimer Pritchard

by timbo on Nov 8, 2008 5:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The fact that we are 2 and 3

Given the injury and schedule issues reflects poorly on the coaching staff/s

by southern oregon on Nov 8, 2008 5:03 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

What? You give good reasons for 2 and 3 to be a decent result

but then say it reflects poorly on the coaches. I don’t get it.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 9:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, you really are

I’m frustrated with Sergio as well… but I’m not ready to hang this all on Nate. The Sarge was exactly right about Surge’s play last year. He was bad when he got in the game. Let’s see what happens over the next few games.

I’ll give you these three issues that have given me pause but are more long-term and not cause for immediate panic:

1) The weirdness over Batum starting, not starting, then starting again. But the fact that Batum is (finally) starting shows that he’s not averse to playing young talent.

2) He’s supposed to be defensive minded and we seem to get chronically beaten on defense.

3) He’s supposed to be this great point guard tutor and we’ve really, badly struggled at that position: Sergio, Blake, Jack, Taurean Green (remember Nate saying he’d win us some games), and I want to say he had a year with Telfair but I can’t remember for certain off hand.

4) I’ll even give you a bonus one with three years of no fast-breaking.

But I don’t know that we can hang all of that on Nate. Furthermore, even if these are legitimate gaps in Nate’s coaching aresnal, you’re assuming that he himself can’t develop them (I think he probably can) and/or the assistants have nothing to do with it.

I’m really against blaming the coach for stuff. I look at Jerry Sloan and I’m jealous of the stability. I saw Addleman come in last night and I wish he was still with us.

Buck Williams for the hall of fame

by Phizbin on Nov 8, 2008 5:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

+1 on all fronts

including adelman. adelman would be an awesome coach here…dont know if he can develop players as well as nate…but his gametime decision making and substitutions are way better imo. an uptempo offense would be a good fit too.

Honor Terry Porter

by Philthyanimal on Nov 9, 2008 1:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Watch the Wolves game today

Their coach sometimes yanks the players out after 2-3 minutes, and is continually playing rotations that are making the team much worse on defense than they would need to be. Nate hasn’t figured out his rotation yet which is next to impossible with two starters hurt and isn’t communicating perfectly with his players (Nic, Sergio) wich leads to more confusion than need be, but compared to many coaches in the league he is golden. And he does make great in-game decisions from time to time, such as not calling a timeout with a few seconds to go when Roy was running down the right side against Houston. Not sure were I would rank him in the NBA, but e.g. ahead of seemingly more successful coaches like the ones responsible for Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland who all reached the playoffs and more despite many horrible decisions. Good players make up for mediocre coaching in the NBA, it’s not like the NFL were the coaching is really decisive.

by Norsktroll on Nov 8, 2008 5:22 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Nate McMillan is an all-around average coach.

Also, you’re absolutely right that Mike Woodson, Mike Brown, and Randy Wittman are awful coaches.

Now, while Glenn Rivers certainly isn’t a great tactician, he’s nevertheless a great leader and motivator who smartly delegates responsibility to assistant coaches — such as defensive guru Tom Thibodeau and big man specialist Clifford Ray — thus, “Doc” deserves a fair amount of kudos.

by AK1984 on Nov 8, 2008 7:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think I'll say too much here...

but to verify, you think Doc Rivers is a better coach than McMillan?

"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 8, 2008 10:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Rivers appears to be a better leader than McMillan.

I’ll leave it at that.

by AK1984 on Nov 10, 2008 3:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

wow.

I don’t think Celtic’s fans would even say that.

You do realize that before he got KG and RayAllen that he was widely considered one of the worst coaches in the league, right? He only won 18 games the year before the trade… in the weak east.

"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 10, 2008 10:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He is said to be a good motivator (e.g. the "Ubuntu" idea)

But he is not a very good “X and O” coach (though he has good help from his assistants). He threw out some pretty ugly lineups out there in the playoffs, e.g. after every other fan in the arena had already realized that Sam Cassell was overmatched and which power forwards not to use.

by Norsktroll on Nov 10, 2008 12:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That's exactly my point.

Nate McMillan is the better tactician, while Doc Rivers is the better motivator.

by AK1984 on Nov 10, 2008 5:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i saw a study last year

that said the Blazers were one of the best teams coming out of a timeout in that they scored more points than any other NBA team

Woof

by Charles Barkley McLovin on Nov 9, 2008 12:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

We've talked about that study repeatedly here

If necessary, I’ll go paste some details… again.

Short version: Correlation does not imply causation.

It doesn’t really say that much about whether the team is well coached.

by Timmay! on Nov 9, 2008 9:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There's simply no way to ever prove causation, so straw hat.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Nov 9, 2008 11:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly!

You’re absolutely, positively right here!

In my expanded post, I explain that I can’t guarantee that I am correct either, because I can’t prove causation. I make no denial of that. (Sorry, I’m not up for searching down old posts and re-pasting the previous threads)

Which is why we have to take the study with a grain of salt. Especially since it didn’t provide historical perspective to help with correlation.

by Timmay! on Nov 9, 2008 12:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

McMillan reminds me of Avery Johnson

A successful, rigid, micromanaging control freak. That’s the impression I get.

"I've hacked into your brain. You're throwing a party and no one's showing up."

by ignign*kt on Nov 8, 2008 9:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

For Nate McMillan, ...

Avery Johnson is an apt comparison.

by AK1984 on Nov 10, 2008 3:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

in my case...

you are.
Nate`s been doing a pretty darn good job considering what he`s had to do with… injuries, logjams, players complaints, and oh, did I mention one heck of a start of the season???
seriously, we`re at .500, everywhere I read a couple weeks ago we were predicted 0-5…
just enjoy as it goes, considering where we were and how far along we are in our development, honestly just cool down on looking for people to point the finger at…
again, considering the circumstances, I am perfectly HAPPY with the job Nate`s done.
heck give him twice that extension he just turned down!
oh and Devoted blazer, I`m not shooting you down or anything, it`s just that I`m a bit tired of all the POINTING MY FINGER AT -—— posts…

Ati toi, fumier de lapin...

by kidiblaze on Nov 8, 2008 10:03 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

I see McMillan as trying to emulate Greg Popovich.

He stresses defense and fundamentals. He doesn’t get sucked into the fast game that the fans would love to see (and that the players would normally play).

I love watching those high tempo teams, it’s great entertainment. But my level of fandom has gone CEO-like. I demand championships at this point. Copying the system that Popovich runs works for me. You know they’ve won a few championships lately. Not even in consecutive years at any point. You know why that’s so amazing? Cuz it wasn’t a fad. That team has an identity, they play within their selves, force thier game on the opponent, stay in the system, and win rings.

I’ll take that. Yes I can. More McMillan for me, please.

"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 8, 2008 10:56 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Wait, you're citing team defense to support McMillan??

We’re currently one of the absolute worst defensive teams in the league. He can "stress* it, as in talk about it all he wants, but we’re terrible, just awful on that end.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats?sort=defeff&seasonType=2&league=nba

by howlingfantods on Nov 9, 2008 10:14 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, we haven't been so good...

yet.

I just don’t see how we can go from being as good as we were last year (see 6th in opponents ppg and 8th in opponents FG%) to one of the worst, so I’m chalking it up to the difficulty of schedule.

We lost JJack, JJones… that’s about it, right? Surely those two weren’t the reason for our relatively good defense last year?

"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 9, 2008 1:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Pros and cons

Pros – nate is an awesome teacher…i dont think many coaches can develop our players as quickly

Cons – nate is a horrible game time coach…especially with substitutions
nate micromanages too much
nate refuses to go uptempo when we should (lets go uptempo while we are young to best use our strengths…after 4 or 5 years we can start going with half court offense once we are a little more mature or a little older.

Honor Terry Porter

by Philthyanimal on Nov 8, 2008 11:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Don't do us like that Philthy...

Your cons are terrible and baseless.

A horrible game time coach? Why, because he doesn’t do what you think needs to be done? Just because he doesn’t go D’Antoni on us? I think his substitution patters have been spot on this year so far, from timing to offense/defense to foul trouble. Who is it you think needs more PT to say something like this?

Micromanages too much? I see the team flounder when he let’s them try some things on their own. I see them execute when he shortens the leash some.

Nate refuses to go uptempo? I’d like to see more fast breaking, too… but I honestly wonder if it’s just that our guys simply aren’t that good at running. I do think we’ll see more of it though. Batum, Rudy, LMA… they’ve shown some streaking ability so far. I think it’s safe to say that Roy isn’t a runner.

You can put together a better Con list than that, can’t you?

Here’s one I got. Why don’t we focus more on getting to the free throw line? And why don’t we shoot a higher percentage from the stripe? Those are both very blamable on the coach.

"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 9, 2008 9:12 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

you lost me when you said "I never blame the players, I always blame the leadership".

Nate can only take the players as far as the sideline… after that, it’s on them. Line ups are a little chaotic, but he’s still figuring this thing out. He’s added Rudy, and Batum, and he’s missing Oden and Webster.

With the toughest start to a schedule in the history of the NBA (first time ever a team started it’s season with 5 games against teams with 54+ wins the previous season… not to mention two back to backs already), starting a rookie, and two starters missing due to injury… He’s still got his team at .500.

Most of us would (should) have been thrilled if we had known it would start this way. We can sit around and second guess him all day with our hindsight… I’m sure he does the same thing… but I can’t think of anybody available that could do it better.

by ***Jason*** on Nov 8, 2008 11:42 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

???

If this was truly KP’s team(Stressing Defense), I would have thought he would have made a move at Mario Chalmers, fellow Kansas Alum & whatnot… Miami trade in the future? Quinn has looked good…

It’s McMillan’s team because he is a great leader. We wouldn’t pull the plug on him unless the season spoils hard & we finish under .500 but so far this season, through this tough stretch he has coached very well(aside from not giving Brandon the ball at the clutch moment in the Jazz game).

by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 8, 2008 11:45 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

...

Because Chalmers is one of the best defenders in NCAA history.

by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 8, 2008 11:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

...

The dissapointing thing is he is doing well in defense in the NBA, averaging an amazing 3.2 steals a game & had 9 steals in one game breaking the franchise record.

WTH KP???

Kansas Alum? Defensive minded coach? Great Hustle defender?

No…. No we got Bayless… -.-

by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 8, 2008 11:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

You would have picked Chalmers at 13?

by Norsktroll on Nov 9, 2008 4:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not speaking for Dane here but...

I was kinda disappointed we didn’t get Supernintendo Chalmers with our first second round pick.

Turns out we traded that pick, if I remember correctly, so no biggie.

by Timmay! on Nov 9, 2008 9:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Whats diappointing is

that Nate is a defensive mided coach, but the opposing team can score on us in anyway. We cant stop nobody inside, and we rotate bad on the perimeter. teams bean shooting over 50% so I don’t know. I guess the defense is only in the mind of Nate. Cant see it anywhere else.

by RipCity on Nov 9, 2008 12:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

+1

he needs to change his philosophy…the coach should adapt to the players…not the other way around.

Honor Terry Porter

by Philthyanimal on Nov 9, 2008 1:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In the years Nate has been here

I’ve never seen him make serious adjustments based on the players.

Everything and everyone works inside his system.

by Timmay! on Nov 9, 2008 9:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nate is the new Isiah Thomas of the NBA

His use of Batum is ridiculous. Supposedly he’s in the game for energy and to get rebounds and he only got 1 rebound against junky Minnesota. I don’t like how stubborn Nate is. He needs to realize that the Batum experiment is a collasal failure and put someone else in. Outlaw should start and Randolph, Rudy, or Roy should be getting the minutes Batum is currently getting.

by tominhawaii on Nov 9, 2008 3:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

BRoy's +/- is pedestrian...

I think it’s time that Rudy start over him.

"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 9, 2008 9:14 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs

That's what I'm saying

Rec

by tominhawaii on Nov 9, 2008 9:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Best sarcasm of the day. :)

by Timmay! on Nov 9, 2008 9:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

My first rec EVER!!!

I’d like to thank my mom, for all her tidbits of wisdom. I’d like to thank my family for helping me be the sarcastic jerk I am today. I’d like to thank coach, for all of his awe-inspiring glares at the referee.

And I’d like to thank tom… in hawaii. If it wasn’t for tih, I wouldn’t be as compelled to come up with such unimaginitive banter regarding the best player on the team we all love. Thanks, tom… in hawaii.

"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 9, 2008 9:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Calm Down - Wake up.

If one thing is clear, it’s that many of you have opinions, and few of you agree with each other. Use Batum, don’t use Batum. Use Rudy more – but ignore the fact that that forces Roy to be your point guard. You want stability, but we’re missing two starters. And before that, ignore the fact that the pre-season was a mess as Roy, Rudy, Blake, Frye and Webster were all injured or coming off of injuries. And while the injuries were happening, we were trying to integrate Oden, Batum, Fernandez and Bayless into a line-up, and not one of them had played in the NBA before – let alone knew the playbook. And if that’s not enough, Outlaw – a combo SF/PF is trying to learn to be a pure SF, and has been inconsistent, and Frye, designated at the second team PF, has now been switched back to center because of the injury to Oden – and Pryz’s problem with fouls.

MacMillan is an excellent coach, but most of you exhibit impatience, a lack of appreciation for what he has to do, and a complete misunderstanding of what he has had to over-come.

Listening to some of you, I frankly had to chuckle. In Philadelphia right now, the issue is how to work Brand into the picture, as the team has yet to adjust to his skill set. And that’s exactly one player – and a veteran at that. So they debate it, argue, blame the coach, whatever.

The reality is that most peoples expectations for this season were based on Oden in the center – and he’s not there. They ignore the fact that Outlaw is a combo SF/PF and is still learning how to be only an SF. As a result, he has been inconsistent. They ignore the fact that Batum is not yet an effective starting SF, and that this will take time. They ignore the fact that Rudy is an SG – not a PG. They ignore the fact that getting Rudy and Roy on the floor at the same time forces Roy to be the PG, and if they put three guards out there, they end up with defensive mismatches as none of the guards can effectively defense the other teams SF. And without Oden in the center, you don’t have as much help as we need to play that line-up. They debate Sergio vs. Blake. But ignore the fact that Sergio’s fine on the 2nd team playing against the 2nd team PG, but would get eaten alive by the better PG’s in the league if he was starting because he doesn’t have the defense to contain them. And without Oden in the center – just who would give help?

The bottom line is that until Webster comes back, the SF position is weak. Until Oden comes back, the three-guard offense doesn’t work that well.

The reality is that without Oden and Webster, the Blazers are not that much better than they were last year as a team. Instead, they are the same team with the exception that Rudy is an upgrade – but the only real one as Batum is still very young and would be better coming off the bench – not starting, Bayless isn’t playing, and Oden is out.

This is not a team right now that can play run and gun effectively. First, it has to learn fundamentals. Then, you can build on that.

by Eben Calder on Nov 9, 2008 6:06 AM PST reply actions 6 recs