The Killer Mentality

by PtownJake on Dec 6, 2008 4:45 PM PST

KG has it. We saw it. We vilified him because we don’t have it. It is the mentality of a warrior. No matter how hard you push, they are going to push harder.

I see it in Bayless and really no one else on the Blazers, except maybe at times with Joel. Roy doesn’t have it, nor Aldridge or Oden. Rudy is still adjusting but there is some fire there. Channing? Ehhh, not. Travis? Nope. Martel? Still lacking. Batum? Sorry try again. Blake? Maybe a little but maybe not. Ike? Maybe as a gamer but not on the court. Sergio? Creo que no.

Nate was smart to put Bayless in the game. I don't think he was intimidated one bit by KG's antics. It is the kind of game that I see Bayless thriving in. War. That’s how he sees it and this Blazers team won’t get to the next level without it. I don’t ever see Bayless being the leader of this team but the “I’m going to kill you before you kill me” attitude that he brings to the court can’t be taught and I see it as a must have to beat teams like L.A. and Boston. Bayless has the fire, he just needs to learn to channel it into smart, savvy play. When that day comes, look out. I just hope that this can be developed as our 3rd string point guard, but I doubt it.

Right now Brandon is the team’s leader but even his moral crumbled when facing an insurmountable deficit. He will always be the Blazers’ leader but the team needs someone to throw caution to the wind and charge into battle, one versus one thousand.

Garnett would answer that battle call any day of the week and he does. The interesting dichotomy of the Boston roster is how Garnett has become the leader of that team. As I said, every good team needs to have a warrior but to be a leader, rage and bloodlust has to be tempered with level-headed wisdom, interpersonal skills and respect. I guarantee that Glenn Davis doesn’t respect KG anymore. Dwight Jaynes has an interesting post about this. Paul Pierce was the leader of this team before Ray and KG got into town. If he doesn’t reclaim his team, I could see the team imploding with the weight of KG’s ego in another season (ring) or two.

I am thankful we have Brandon to guide our players but we are going to need an attitude like Bayless' to champion us through the battles.

Poll

Do the Blazers have enough talent and potential to take them into the NBA elite right now or does the team need a player with the killer mentality to take them there?

The Blazers have the right roster & rotation right now.

8 votes

The Blazers have the right roster but they need Bayless in the rotation.

30 votes

The Blazers need to acquire a veteran with the killer mentality.

15 votes

Ptown's arguement is flawed. Roy has it.

19 votes

72 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

KG's "intensity"

is vastly overrated. The dude does a bunch of histrionics. That absolutely, positively does NOT translate into intensity. He can run around and bark like a dog, cluck like a chicken, moo like a cow, but in the end, it’s ability that matters. Last night, the Celtics just played better basketball. KG wasn’t doing his Fido impression until they were up double digits. Before that, the game was spirited, but there wasn’t any amount of chest-pounding on either side.

As for Brandon leading the charge, I’m not sure that would have made any difference last night. Let’s say it’s a 13 point game and Brandon gets T’d up for jawing in KG’s face. What’s that going to do? Sure, it may fire up the team a little bit, but the Celtics would be equally fired up. In the end, it comes down to how you play the game. The Celtics played better. Had they been down 15 points, KG wouldn’t have been acting a fool.

by champs2011 on Dec 6, 2008 4:53 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

what is up with the barking thing? What is KG trying to say when he does that?

Is it some kind of super humiliating stunt?

"I would be in favor of trading LMA and Oden for a reliable starting PF at this point."

MT Suit, 11/25/08

by MT Suit on Dec 6, 2008 5:20 PM PST up reply actions

I am pretty sure he says "Hibachi"

by PtownJake on Dec 6, 2008 5:35 PM PST up reply actions

LOL

Agent Zero ftw

by mannyfresh1 on Dec 6, 2008 6:50 PM PST up reply actions

Wrong. Did you see KG off the court

Motivating his team? We don’t have that veteran energy. He set them apart from us.

I want Rajon Rondo

by TheGreatDane17 on Dec 6, 2008 8:39 PM PST up reply actions

Motivating his team, you mean like what he did to Davis last night.

He kind of reminds me of another “superstar” – K*be – in the way he “motivates” the rest of his team…

by lethaldose on Dec 7, 2008 1:22 AM PST up reply actions

For the record,

I’m not saying that KG didn’t deserve to be kicked in the mouth. I just think that it’s more important to not let it get to the point where KG can bark at our guys. I think the best way to do that is make it a close game, and stand up to him with play. If Brandon was getting to the hoop and getting fouled, if Lamarcus was hitting, if Blake got some good looks, KG would’ve been quiet. I think that if someone had smacked him in the face in the first quarter, it wouldn’t have done us any good. The run they made in the second and third quarters was because of their defensive execution and our lack thereof. In my mind, that’s it.

(On a side note, JB is most certainly a killer.)

by champs2011 on Dec 6, 2008 5:01 PM PST reply actions

Agreed. Pay Up has one of the most killer attitudes on our team.

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Dec 6, 2008 5:15 PM PST up reply actions

Roy's got it,

But the rest of the team doesn’t react to it the way kg’s team does becuase roy don’t “act” like that all the time…only when he needs too. becuase to do it the way the celtics did it. well…is just….wrong. One day we’ll show em how to do it right , and the Jedi will have superior weight in the balance of the force again. :)

Youth, how old is kg anyway?

The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.

by faith on Dec 6, 2008 5:39 PM PST reply actions

32... As Walton said... He has aged so much better then The Diesel

I think KG will be playing for awhile. That team provides a goal in my opinion. Similar to the Spurs a few years ago. I like their brand of basketball.

I want Rajon Rondo

by TheGreatDane17 on Dec 6, 2008 8:40 PM PST up reply actions

Close wins

Would indicate we have IT. KG could be just as effective and have IT without the dog and pony show. A killer mentality isn’t always overt…. I feel that what happened last night against the Celtics was more about the circumstances of the game. The Celtics were given a LOT more lattitude by the refs than the PTB. example Oden’s technical foul, KG had a least two similar plays and nothing is called. At least 3 of Oden’s fouls should have been non calls….Roy drew far more contact multiple times and got squat called. They got veteran treatment because they are veterans. Our newbie players got newbie calls, but we won’t be newbies forever. Our Killer mentality will be more evident as this team grows just wait and see1

by Odenrising on Dec 6, 2008 6:29 PM PST reply actions

Welcome to the NBA...

It’s always been a league that protects it stars. Stern is loving it that LA and Boston are back as elite teams and we can expect it to be twice as hard to knock either one of them off their pedestals as long as they are playing like they are. We have to still find a way to win against these teams even though they are going to get most of the calls.

by lethaldose on Dec 7, 2008 1:26 AM PST up reply actions

absolutely right

ignacio

by ignacio on Dec 7, 2008 1:36 AM PST up reply actions

I don't buy the premise

I don’t believe the idea that KG’s antics are part of a “killer mentality” that is necessary to win a championship. I can think of many NBA champions that had no one like KG. I can think of many seasons where KG did not win an NBA championship. There is not correlation between having a nutjob on your roster and winning an NBA championship. There is nothing to see here. Move along.

by PoliSam on Dec 6, 2008 11:28 PM PST reply actions

I posted this in another thread..but it fits better here.

There’s swagger, then there’s acting like an idiot and not knowing you are one.
What’s KG going to do next, lift his leg and take a leak.
I don’t care how good he is, some of the things he does just sick (in a bad way).

KG hauled off and hit (elbowed) Blake in the gut last year. It wasn’t in the heat of battle, everyone was just standing around. We’d all be arrested for assault for what he did. Ever since then KG’s on my hate list.

GO
THE TEACHER ......come into my classroom "THE PAINT" for some tutelage.

by Blazer1342 on Dec 7, 2008 4:16 AM PST reply actions