Today's Poll - Nate Criticism Edition
by Ben Golliver on Jan 15, 2009 11:07 AM PST
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PrintDwight Jaynes has a hotly commented story today regarding last night's loss, which includes a number of criticisms of Coach McMillan and the team. I tend to agree with Clyde Drexler that Nate should be near the top of this year's Coach of the Year race but that doesn't mean he's perfect.
Go read the story and then vote in the poll and explain your thoughts in the comments, especially if you voted "some of the above." Otherwise, you're just a giant mystery.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
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I voted "some of the above"
I’ll otherwise be staying far away from this thread.
[Backs away slowly]
i am extremely frustrated with the usage of oden
mcmillan is too quick to yank the big fella when he draws a couple of fouls. let him play! he comes in and doesn’t have the opportunity to get into a rhythm. in fact, it makes no sense that mcmillan would pull oden in the first quarter after two quick fouls and then NOT use him down the stretch. i wonder what nate is saving him for if he’s not using him later in games?
let’s get the ball down in the low post, let the big man go to work. if he makes some errors, so what? keep going to him. let him warm up. as he begins to score, it will loosen up the offense more. let’s trust the guy and see what he can do playing 25 to 30 solid minutes as one of our go-to offensive guys.
now is the time to try it. we are missing two of our best outside shooters. let’s take it inside on a rookie center tonight.
by ultimatefish on Jan 15, 2009 11:18 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Absolutely.
I think in Nate’s mind there’s a logic behind the way he’s using Oden. Easing him into production, keeping his workload light until he’s fully in-shape, etc. I don’t know.
That aside, there have been too many instances where Oden has been playing with a spark, and 5:00 rolls around in the first quarter, and bam, you’re done for 8 minutes. It makes no sense to me.
Or, against Chicago… Oden’s best game of the season— to me— and you just go ahead and bench him for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Granted, we were comfortably ahead, and he was in foul trouble. But what’s to say for just putting him out there on the general principle that it was a great opportunity to get his confidence up? Run up the score for all I care; dunk on a few people’s heads; make some people look really silly, it doesn’t matter.
I’m happy with Nate’s coaching in general, and I feel like he’s been a huge improvement over Cheeks, Carlesimo and Dunleavy. That said, he’s definitely not perfect.
by lyleleander on Jan 15, 2009 11:34 AM PST up reply actions
This reminds me of Dwight when he worked for the Oregon
Quick to troll the Blazers over everything. Portland lost one road game against a hot team, and everyone wants to panic.
Oden couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game. Nate tried to post him up several times early in the first quarter, and he threw up a few bricks, which was part of what dug Portland into the hole to begin with. When you’re down twenty in the first half and playing for the playoffs, your margin of error drops and you can’t waste possessions trying to develop someone if you want any shot at getting back in the game.
this is true
but it also wouldn’t hurt to go back to the post game considering we weren’t getting it done consistently from the outside. If we can hit those shots, we can get back into the game, but as soon as those 20 footers stopped falling we had nothing. So why not give Oden some more minutes and more looks at least it is a higher percentage shot and the big man gets some work in.
"It’s a good ol’ fashioned Rip City beat down!"
by Magnum on Jan 15, 2009 11:26 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
That is garbage
He attempted 3 shots! Would you say Brandon, Travis, LMA or even Blake couldn’t keep up if they were given only 3 shot attempts. Dwight nailed it. Oden plays 18 minutes and gets pulled in third with three fouls! You have to be pretty dim to not know that a foul a quarter is acceptable in the NBA, no one is pulled with 3 in the 3rd unless their initials are G.O. Nate has no idea what to do with this team. Post up play is about 1/5 of our offensive sets, and most of that runs through LMA and Roy. Let Oden work, he may struggle but he will figure it out. He has shown glimpses of dominance only to be pulled out during his surge. I love JP but ride the G.O. train he is the future and the present. Nate’s man crush on Travis is silly, just because he puts up thirty does not make him legit. He is a negative presence on our team at least 2/3 of the time.
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 2:50 PM PST up reply actions
Pounding the ball inside to set up the outside game
includes using Oden more, so that’s what I chose.
The Blazers have long stretches where they don’t seem to have the ability to create anything out of a broken play. I’m using broken play in the broadest sense possible, because many times the play isn’t working because the defense is overplaying that option. I’ve seen us FORCE the ball to Oden/Aldridge when he’s got 2 guys right next to him and usually it gets stolen or poked away. It was like no one could figure out that the play wasn’t going to work that time. Same thing happens with Roy. He gets doubled and it seems like every Blazer is still being guarded. It’s like no one can find the open man.
We can’t seem to deal with being strongly overplayed. Entry passes get stolen or broken up, plays start 10 or 12 feet further out than we want and we quickly turn into only jumpshooters. It’s like no one on the team knows what a back door cut is or no one on the team is a good enough passer to utilize it anyway
"It’s a good ol’ fashioned Rip City beat down!"
by Magnum on Jan 15, 2009 11:24 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
It seems Portland is running a dance-by-numbers offense and seems determined to run the play called regardless of how it’s being defended.
I prefer a coach who just rolls the ball out and chooses which players are on the court together to take advantage of matchups. I’m not a fan of coaches who call out every single play. It slows the game down and basketball is not football. The game should be instinctive.
Some of the above..
Oden needs some plays called for him. Him taking 3 shots is a fail.
Pound the ball in is in line with feeding Greg, but I want to see BRoy post up more often, too. Of course LMA could do more of that, too.
For me, it’s time to cut the line on Sergio. I think he’s had enough time to show that he simply cannot succed in this system. I hope can go somewhere and do well, but I fear he just isn’t cut out for a big role in the NBA. His time has passed here in Portland.
Shav… meh. If we are resorting to Shav, things must be going poorly. This is also in line with getting Oden going. No offense to Shav, but we need to be good enough to not be worrying about using him for toughness.
Third quarter last night the Blazers got into the penalty with 7 minutes to go or something… I think they only took 4 more free throws for the rest of the quarter. We then started resorting to jumpers (Frye, Aldridge, Roy, Batum… most of which missed). Not good enough. Stop the clock and get some gimme’s to finish off the comeback.
"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 Jan 15, 2009 11:26 AM PST reply actions
Whether or not we should cut the like on Segio.
It sure feels like Nate already has with the way he has been using him. I just dont think Bayless is really an upgrade, at least at this point. Neither one can make an outside shot. So what if Bayless is better at going to the hole he’s almost as black of a hole as Outlaw and passes about as good too.
Is it really Nates fault?
He felt that the tempo didn’t suit Oden at all so he didn’t play him. Now i don’t know if i agree with that but its 1 game. We pounded it inside against chicago and we always start the game with Oden and finish with Roy taking it to the rack and LA posting up down low. I feel that the real problem is that we are beat up and we have no depth now. Roy is not 100%, Rudy is hurt, channing/ike are inept(I would rather see Shav in there, he cant do any worse than those two) and outside of the chicago game travis has really not been playing well. The dude is the worst off the ball defender we have. he has 6 years in the NBA and he still have no idea how to properly rotate and keep an eye on his man. Blake is now hurt and we have a 19 year old rookie and a 3 year guy how cant shoot and has trouble defending trying to pick up the slack and we are complaining about Nate?? Lets all just settle down a bit
- Neil
My only issue about the tempo argument
is that it smacks of something Avery Johnson (easily one of the worst coaches in the last 5 years) would do. You play your best guys and force the other team to play your style as best you can. We’re never going to keep up with these top fast breaking teams (which Philly is without Brand), so it becomes that much more important to work it down to Greg and force their guys to double him on defense and get them scrambling a little bit so they have to worry about something other than just getting down the court as quickly as possible on the other end.
Greg finally seems to have shed a little of his tendency to pick up stupid fouls bumping guys on the perimeter when he gets switched out on them, so that’s less of a valid reason to bench him. His foul troubles in the Chicago game definitely seemed to have more to do with the bull fighter defense that our perimeter players were playing out there since Joel was in similar foul trouble, and he’s usually excellent about not picking up fouls.
Watching Greg these days, I’m pretty firmly in the camp that he still has an excellent chance to be the legit HOF guy that everyone predicted him to be. Everyone in the league is falling all over themselves for Lopez these days, but Greg already as one and a half times as many double doubles this season as he does, plus he’s younger and coming off surgery to boot. With most of our normal offensive outlets dinged up, it’s time to start featuring the big man a little more.
Avery Johnson the worst coach?
Really?
Who was that strange man that tought the Mavericks defense and got them to the championship? Must have been someone else.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
yeah
did you forget that Isiah Thomas was a coach? Vinny Del Negro? PJ Carlesimo?
Note
easily one of the worst coaches in the last 5 years
“one of” . If I had to pin down a single guy, I’d probably go with PJ, but I don’t see Avery as being must of an upgrade over those other guys. VDN is definitely bad, but he’s been there less than half a season, so I don’t want to be that harsh on him.
I can think of a lot of others that I would personally avoid
I didn’t think AJ was that bad but he definitely lost his team.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
You mean the strange man
who took the NBA team with the most wins since the 2000 L*kers and managed to make pretty much be solely responsible for it losing in the first round? Heck, over the past two years Joel has been pretty dominant offensively against the Warriors relative to everyone else, and him and Damp are almost identical players out there, but I guess Devean George worked out so well starting that series.
Or perhaps the amazing job he did micromanaging away Devin Harris’s development? Maybe it’s just purely a coincidence that Harris is going to win the MIP and looks like a top 5 PG in the league in the first full season that he’s away from Avery.
Perhaps it was the way that he managed to have his team completely zone him out after a mammoth three years coaching them? Even Skiles managed to make it 4+ years with the Bulls before they tuned him out.
It was more the absence of Nelson that led them to play defense. I believe strongly that any conventional coach would have gotten that out of them. Heck, you put Larry Brown in charge of that team, and they win at least one title, guaranteed. As far as the championship, the only reason they were there was a stupid Manu Ginobili foul on a Dirk layup that let the Mavs tie up a game in the closing seconds, and I have a hard time crediting that to Avery.
right...
all you need to do in order to play good defense is not have Don Nelson around.
and if Larry Brown could do something you couldn’t, then you’re a terrible coach.
and a stupid foul is all you need to get to the NBA Finals.
this game is a lot easier than I thought it was.
by LicketyBrindle on Jan 15, 2009 3:47 PM PST up reply actions
No, but when
you have two elite perimeter defenders (Howard and Harris), a couple solid defensive centers (Damp and Diop), and two other solid wings who are at least willing to put in the effort (Terry and Stackhouse), playing defense isn’t rocket science. To suggest that Avery was getting them to do anything that any average NBA coach (Carlisle, Rudy T, Flip Saunders, Jim O’Brien, etc.) couldn’t is ridiculous. Maybe Larry Brown was an extreme example, but he would have made a title an absolute lock. When you take into account that their defensive efficiency actually got worse than it was under Nelson the first full year he coached, it doesn’t exactly make him Jeff Van Gundy or Tom Thibodeau out there. Even in their 67 win season, it was less than a point per 100 possessions better than under Nelson.
He got the opportunity to take over one of the best teams in the league, and managed to completely blow its window. Note how every other guy we think of as a “terrible” coach was coaching a team with awful players. PJ, Isiah, Silas, et al all inherited bad players, so it’s not like it’s only due to their terrible coaching that they lost. Look at how perceptions of Doc Rivers changed once he got a couple HOFers added to his team.
Look at Flip Saunders, the only other guy considered somewhat marginal to inherit an excellent team. He managed to take the Pistons to three straight ECFs. What did Avery do? 2nd round after he took over midseason, then lost in the NBA finals, and then 2 first round exits. I know the East was easier than the west over that time, but not to the point of only being able to make it past the 2nd round once.
Basically, Avery got handed the keys to a Porsche and managed to wreck it, that’s not even taking into account the fact that his mismanagement of Harris basically forced the Kidd trade because of how little he was able to get out of him. Or the multiple boneheaded decisions like benching Kidd in crunch time of a game last year. I mean, realistically, who knows how well PJ or even like Skiles or Theus with that team.
But hey, he must be a great coach. He did win like 170 games, right? I mean, Dunleavy and PJ must be great coaches, too, since we never missed the playoffs with them and Dunleavy made a couple WCF runs.
Also,
I’m not trying to say Nate is like Avery, just that Avery was an awful coach and Nate made one move that reminded me of him.
Nate is definitely a top 10 coach in the league in my mind who occasionally makes a maddening decision to me, but given that his basketball knowledge is roughly infinitely greater than mine, I’m trusting him to do the coaching and me to do the frustrated blog commenting.
Oden had a +5
This is off memory correct me if I am wrong. Nate no doubt has access to all of this stuff as the game is going on… Oden must have been doing something right defensively.
(This stat is obviously deceptive, as there are 4 other guys on the floor and if another defender loses their guy for a wife open 3 it counts against everyone. Still, you have to wonder if Oden’s presence did matter, or if Philly simply hit one of their 2 cold spells while he was in.)
I don't like second-guessing Nate.
Nate and his staff know pretty much everything there is to know about the players on our team, the players on other teams, basketball in general, and the NBA. The media and fans know a little and guess a lot. I would have played Shavlik 40 minutes cuz I figured he would blow-up in Philly. In Nate I trust.
by MiledAnimal on Jan 15, 2009 11:38 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I would have played Nate
and had that veteran show the younguns how it’s done.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
I wonder what Nate is thinking...
when he makes his substitutions. I admit I dont know a player’s exhaustion level but our team is young and very deep and we hardly ever run so why Nate seems to make rigid substitutions regardless of a player’s getting hot really annoys me.
Oden looked like the only aggressive player on the floor in the 3rd and Nate yanked him and he never returned (note Jaynes post on his +/- last night)
He will play Outlaw for an eternity with no positive results yet he pulls Batum so early and yanks Sergio at the first mistake…
He may be a good locker room guy and the players may like him but I dont see much to respect when it comes to utilizing your assets and imposing your will on the other team. Too often it looks like Nate is trying to react to the other coach. I dont have the stats on our ability to score out of timeouts but boy it sure seems like we have a ton of turnovers, shot clock violations, poor execution, after timeouts. Nate always says he wants to “get out and run” but its very obvious that he has no fast break offensive sets built for this team. Every time we run a break it looks like we are doing it for the first time and it often results in a poor pass into traffic or a hold up and kick out for a three.
Our record is good and you have to acknowledge that fact, but I would not be sorry to see Nate go. I don’t think it would hurt our team. We get by on our talent right now…..which is very good. But we need a coach who can maximise our potential and use our players skills effectively…I dont think Nate does that. So far we succeed on Roys amazing abilities and some hot outside shooting.
TP FOR 3
by WhereInTheWorldIsDontonioWingfield on Jan 15, 2009 11:41 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
I absolutely agree
with this post. Nate’s substitution patterns are absolutely atrocious. I’m not ready to call for his head yet but I was blown away how you can mount a 14 to 0 run or whatever it was in 3rd quarter with line up:
PG: Bayless
SG: Roy
SF: Batum
PF: LMA
C: Oden
and then you never have that lineup for the rest of the game. Baffling! Especially with Blake hurt! Why would you go away from what works? ANd then never go back to it if you go away from it? By the way the above lineup is the lineup of the future and they DESPERATELY need to be developed together. I also want to say if we don’t pound it into Oden more I’m going to scream. The guy is a beast and desperately needs to make and then play through his mistakes. Pulling him for foul trouble is one thing, but as soon as you possibly can you need to go back to him. Frye over Oden and Przy? I’m sorry I don’t want to hear about pace when Speights and Delambert are OWNING us on the court. McMillan must have been high last night…
He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants
Good points
It’s better to dictate pace rather than react to it. Just because Philly wants to run doesn’t mean Portland has to run too. Oden is one strong dude and Delambert is too skinny to keep him off the block so pound it inside. Sure, Oden’ll turn it over a few times, but he’ll also get a lot of dunks.
The first thing I thought when I saw your lineup is, that’s the best one Portland can throw out there now and then I read the rest of your comment. I agree that Portland needs to find out if Bayless can play and with whom he can play. I think most of us can agree that Portland is not going to win the championship this year and might be better served finding out exactly which pieces fit and which ones don’t. Can Sergio run the team with Roy? Start him and find out. Is Bayless a better fit? Well, start him the next game. Maybe choose which one to start based on matchups.
Coach of the Year?
When Drexler said that I took it as his being polite or uninformed. What the heck else is he going to say. But I’m not sure how anyone else, anyone who watches the games, could think that.
Nate doesn’t trust most of his players and thus they do not trust themselves. Is there a single player on this team playing up to his potential? Prizbilla maybe. Though I think his offense, with his improved hands and ability to put it in the hole, should be… encouraged. When LMA was drafted I worried that his ability to run up and down the court would only last five plus years. We’re not using it at all. Nate seems terrified of the fast break. Also, We’re being robbed of the fun and exitement of the Spanish Connection because… well I don’t know. Cause the game isn’t fun for this team. Hey it’s a game, you actually play better when you relax. Get serious in the last half of the fourth quarter if you are not up 20 but until then… play. Oden would benefit from a happy fun atmosphere leaps and bounds. Look at what sitting at absorbing negative pressure for a year did to him.
And what about Defense. Like someone said the other day, if he’s such a good defensive coach why can’t any of the Blazers play defense? They only time I see good D out of these guys is when they are flying all over the floor with abandon. Outlaw, who is a mega athlete, is always out of position… Other than the centers and some times LMA I don’t see any great individual Defense on this years team.
Nate tossed in the towel in the first Boston game down 12 with 6 minutes to go. Nate brought in Blake with 2 minutes to go even though Sergio was playing the best game of his career and running the show like a seasoned vet. We were up 8 and lost by 1 I believe. I am also of the mind that pulling Oden just cause he has two fouls is… let’s go with weak and counter productive. Let the man/child play. If you tell your opponants all they have to do is get some fouls called on the man mountain in the middle then guess what their strategy will be?
These are my frustrations off the top of my head. Hey, maybe I don’t know diddly about basketball and I’m blinded by homerism, but that’s what I see and I don’t like it. I’ve been a Nate fan, I was thrilled when we stole Mr. Sonic from up North but all I see now is someone who might very well be harming the future of this young team and if I am wrong, I damn well want to be corrected right here, right now.
by Blazersaurus on Jan 15, 2009 11:56 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I'm not sure who said it
…maybe Jeff Van Gundy, but someone doing a telecast ripped a coach for pulling a main dude when he got his second fouls. Fouls are not regular so just because you pick up two in thirty seconds doesn’t mean that you’ll pick up your third in 15 seconds. Sometimes they happen in spurts.
I don’t think Philly has anyone bulky enough to guard Oden so why not let him loose? Why hold to the rigid two fouls in the second quarter means pull him thinking? How many fouls did Oden end up with? 3? That means he could’ve played another 15 minutes at least.
by torsoheap on Jan 15, 2009 12:15 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I agree
I’ve looked at peoples lists of “who you would have coach us then?” and I see slim pickings. I think this guy, from what I can tell, seems the most basically knowledgeable. Still, I think if and when a coaching change is made KP and PA are going to look outside the box and find someone unexpected yet brilliant.
I would like to through my hat in the ring.
by Blazersaurus on Jan 15, 2009 1:57 PM PST up reply actions
I love JVG
but his offenses were as ugly as our defense. Maybe uglier.
I thought the SVG thing in miami was just about having a famous last name, but he’s proving to be a more complete coach and better at developing and maximizing personnel than JVG.
by howlingfantods on Jan 15, 2009 2:25 PM PST up reply actions
Some of the above
Stuff based from entire season, not just last night.
Make Better use of Oden- Run plays out of timeouts to get Oden the ball down low. He’s shown he is pretty efficient when he gets the balls. A lot of turnovers yes, but he FG percentage counters that. (I.E. a 5-7 shooting night with 3 turnovers ends up being a 5-10 shooting night, albeit with no chance for offensive boards.)
Pound the abll to big 3- I don’t know about this so much as looking for mismatches and moving more. Aside from Rudy, Portland is a pretty stagnant team.
Give Sergio more consistency- Obviously agreed 100% here. Take his damn leash off and let him play without looking over his shoulder for a few games. If he really isn’t working, then let him go be awesome somewhere else and move on with the JBay era.
Play Shav more- No. Shav deserves to be the 12-13 man for a reason.
by Zaig on Jan 15, 2009 12:02 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
Sergio’s main asset is his playmaking ability. Either cut him loose on the court or trade him. If you’re not going to utilize a player’s strength, then why is he on the team? It’s certainly not for his shooting, nor his defense nor his rebounding.
Sometimes Nate seems like a coach-by-numbers kind of guy and makes strange substitutions.
how much of this is coaching
and how much is on the players? That’s the problem I have with this post.
—Is Nate protecting Greg by easing him into the NBA? Would Nate like to use Greg more, but Greg is showing in practices that he’s not ready? Was the game plan to go to Oden all along, but he wasn’t getting open position or calling for touches? There are too many variables here to pin this on Nate. Anyway, any calls for “play Oden more, win now” seem shortsighted to me. He’s recovering from serious injury, he’s a rookie, and he’s the future. Just a couple of weeks ago everyone was saying to bench him and give his minutes to Pryz.
—I don’t know that I’d force Roy to post up—I think that Nate trusts him to be aware of when to use what moves against who. Having both Greg and Lamarcus post up at the same time is just clogging the middle. That being said, LA’s issue with post presence is well-documented. Is this on Nate, or LA? Again, hard to say.
—No argument re: Sergio, but if Blake isn’t injured, this is not a pressing issue.
—Shavlik (note to D-Jay: you don’t have a copyeditor any more, so you’ll want to double-check player names) is basically the polar opposite of a pressing issue.
—The call of Pat’s over Geno’s is right on. Jim’s is above Geno’s as well.
Having both Greg and Lamarcus post up at the same time is just clogging the middle.
This is a hypothetical situation based off of Jaynes’s “Post up the Big Three”. It probably hardly ever happens.
That being said, LA’s issue with post presence is well-documented.
In case I needed to be more obvious, what I meant here was, “He hardly ever works in the post at all, and he really ought to.”
Whenever I watch, I just see a bunch of a fadeaways.
You can also take fadeaways from the post.
Ah. I failed reading comprehension.
I agree. His main problem seems to be a lack of aggressiveness. I’d like to see some fire where he beats his man down the court to get great position on the block. Hopefully someone gets him the ball, he can either bust a move or wait for the double team to hit the open guy.
I think he has the stamina and speed to consistently beat his man down the floor. Good things happen when you play aggressively. He should be able to average about 8 trips to the free throw line rather than the 3.6 he averages now.
Overall
I’ve questioned a lot of Nate’s choices during wins and losses. The thing is, is there a better coach out there for us? Coach of the year talk is silly. He’s a poor mans Phil Jackson. He’s been given raw talent, so his bad team is now a good one. We all know that KP was the man behind this.
If Nate is coach of the year then Phil Jackson is the best coach ever, which is silly IMO. Jordan was the best player ever, giving Jackson 6 titles. Then he goes and gets to coach Shaq in his prime?!? The most dominant player in the post Jordan era was Shaq, hands down. Chicago and LA had the most talent in the NBA all 9 of those years without a doubt. For the truly great coaches you have to look at the ones who win titles without the games best. (An example being Marion/Amare/Nash vs Duncan/Manu/Parker. Either threesome could be argued as better, but only one had the results.)
However! (Yes, one of those.) Nate isn’t a bad coach by any means, he’s a decent/mediocre one. Dropping him right now would mean bringing in an unknown.
Great coach > decent coach > unknown coach > bad coach.
During the season, teams drop bad coaches for the unknown. You don’t drop a great or decent coach during the season for the unknown. If they do part with him, do it during the off season.
When you're a winner
you always have the most talent.
KG was an amazing player, he never got past the first round. it takes more than players to make teams work.
Red had a Celtics team that was the best around. Does he not deserve credit?
Look at Bulls with Jordan minus Phil. Look at bulls with Jordan AND Phil.
Look at Lakters with Shaq and Kobe minus Phil. Look at Lackers with phil and shaq and kobe.
Phil takes teams on the edge to championships. He’s now rebuilt a laker team that looks to win championships for a few more years… from kobe and scratch. The guy wins.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
oh yeah
so, I’ll give Nate coach of the year because I don’t see another coach out there taking such raw talent and getting it to win. Win without a starter even.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
What's your point?
You wander all over the place with this.
Nate is not a poor man’s anything. He’s Nate McMillan and has his own style of play. And what do you mean by Pritchard being behind “all this”? All what? That Portland has a bunch of talent? Sure. That Portland has gone from bad to good? Well, that’s as much Nate’s doing as Pritchard’s. KP got him the players, but it is McMillan that has to get them to produce, learn to play as a team and play the right way. Your comment is almost offensive, in it appears to delegate McMillan’s coaching to some minor aspect of the team’s success. You’ve also done a nice job of exhibiting the concept “damning with faint praise”. Nate’s not bad by any means – yeah that puts you solidily in the pro- Nate camp. In fact he’s decent. Or wait, maybe just mediocre.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jan 15, 2009 12:45 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
totally agree.
From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.
by TheOdenator on Jan 15, 2009 12:53 PM PST up reply actions
Mediocre/Decent
Means they are the same thing. I don’t really wander at all either. I explained some of his flaws, explained why he is not coach of the year, tangented a little with Phil, but then concluded that some flaws are better than the unknown.
This makes no sense at all
“The coach gets no credit because the players are good!” Then I guess Red Auerbach is a bum, Pat Riley too. And Popovich is worthless because Tim Duncan is one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
Vinny Del Negro interviewed for the job today. I mean come on! Nobody else thinks this is nuts?
by Juiceboxjerry on Jun 6, 2008 4:21 PM CDT actions actions 0 recs
by Ozzie Montana on Jan 15, 2009 2:20 PM PST up reply actions
No?
I don’t recall ever using the word no. I said for the truly great coaches you have to win titles without the games best.
This means that Popovich is a genius because he won 3 titles when I question if his team had the best raw talent in the NBA. They might have, might not have, it was pretty close. (As I said, Duncan/Manu/Parker vs Amare/Nash/Marion. Seems close, and yet look at the results.)
All 9 of Jackson’s titles came from when he had hands down the best talent in the NBA.
Phil Jackson's record says it all
You can say that he had Shaq and Kobe or Michael and Scotty. Which is true but he got the best out of the roll player as well. There have been plenty of other great tandems/coaches that couldn’t get it done. Just in our division you can look at Stockton/Malone/Sloan and Clyde/Porter/Adelman. I think there is a reason that Phil has coached the two most powerful dynasties of the last 20 years, he is likely the best coach. At the very least he is the best suited for Championship teams. I would trade me some Nate for Phil any day of the week. Can you imagine the confidence the team would feel from a man with that many rings?
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 3:09 PM PST up reply actions
Well
Last years Lakers were more talented than last years Celtics. Whether it was coaching or player attittude the Celtics ended up on top though. This years Lakers still have the most raw talent, so we’ll see how it works out.
Also, Jackson had a very bad team with Kobe on it as well. No playoffs with one of the game’s best players FTL. There wasn’t much support on that team, but come on now, at least grab an 8 seed?
We’d have to see Phil go to a team like Memphis to see his true power as a coach. That’ll never happen soo… yeah. I can concede that Jackson is at least a good coach, but I won’t buy that he’s great.
I don't know..
I don’t think I would agree that the Lakers were more talented then the celtics last year. Just my 2 cents.
"Every time Troutlaw touches the ball, I pop an anti-anxiety pill."
I like Nate
This team, along with alot of team, go away from what is working. They need to stay with the hot hand. Feed Oden and Aldridge in rythme not just drop it down to them and watch them work. When the ball is in the post. MOVE.
The problem is once a shooter, any shooter, gets hot they do not give it to the post any more.
"Joel Przybilla... all the rest is potential, Joel is fact." -ken
What this shows ....
… is that even professional sports writers who have watched hundreds, if not thousands of basketball games, can have their head as far up their ass as the average fan.
It’s stuff like this that confirms Dwight made the right decision in retiring. You almost have to wonder if Canzano didn’t sneak onto Jaynes laptop and email in the piece under Dwight’s name.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jan 15, 2009 12:48 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Look
I’m not going to defend Dwight across the board he has been an idiot about a variety of things over the years. Points in the paint is what NBA basketball is about if you don’t know that then uh…well you should know that.
Virtually everything Dwight said across the board (minus the bizarre Shav comment) was totally spot on correct. Shav over Frye sure but Shav is not the answer. The answer is in playing inside out and having faith based on results during a game not results from past games (IE travis constantly getting more minutes then batum regardless of how cold he is, Oden being yanked when hot etc.)
He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants
It is strange
that Batum plays nearly the same number of minutes every game no matter how well he’s playing.
It probably has a lot to do with
the fact that Dude has just turned 20 years old and that this is his first go-round in the NBA. – Elgin
If you smile at me I will understand, because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language. - Crosby/Stills/Kantner
Just think
If Golden State had done that with Morrow though? “Oh hey, this guy is lightin it up tonight, but it’s his time to go to the bench…”
Why would you come on here,
name call, insult, etc… and then not spend one letter explaining why any of your opinions are correct.
‘Gee, I’ll just call him names, and people can just imagine how brilliant my reasoning is… not that i actually have to back anything up after trash talking people like that.’
I think the internet was invented for people like you.
I believe it is Jaynes that's claiming McMillan doesn't know how to coach.
And he’s qualified to make this assessment how? Because he’s watched a lot of games?
The coach can tell guys to pound it into the middle all he wants. Doesn’t mean it will happen. And if he makes too much of a point of it when his guys don’t seem to be doing it, then he risks them forgetting everything else about the offense, trying to force the ball inside to make the coach happy.
I can’t claim this with any surity, as I’ve never coached an NBA team, but I’m fairly confident there is a lot more to playing NBA basketball that telling your guys “Give it to the big guy.” It’s one thing if you are say San Antonio and you see your team is getting away from it’s offense and you tell them, “Hey, let’s get Timmy some touches.” Those guys are mostly vets and they understand what coach is saying. Nate’s guys don’t have that experience to call on. Nate knows this and constantly has to keep in mind what the overall objectives are. And they are to help teach this team how to play basketball the right way.
Some of the other comments Dwight makes also show he’s talking out his butt. That Nate has a crush on Bayless. Yeah, that’s so obvious from all the DNP’s the kid has racked up. The give Sergio more consistence comment sounds like a mail it in line. Nate’s given Rodriguez the backup PG duties. Sometimes he’s gotten a good run. Other times he hasn’t. But we are talking about backup PG. McMillan’s objective is also to win games. In having to choose between doing what he thinks is right to win a game and ensuring the development of his 2nd string PG, it’s pretty much a no brainer what a coach is supposed to do in the position.
The reason I didn’t bother with all of this is because Jaynes piece was such a pile it wasn’t worth the time or effort.
hakkaa päälle !
I agree with most of what you have to say
but I do think that nate favors Bayless and isn’t so fond of Sergio. His patience with Sergio over the years has been little. There may be valid reasons for that, but it’s still a preference. I also think that Nate doesn’t use Sergio to his strengths and instead forces him to fit the blazers. This will probably help sergio in the long run, but also hurts him in the short run. I don’t think Sergio wants to be hurt in the short run with Bayless on his heals, and I don’t see the blazers keeping him.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
Good points...
I can respect all of them.
I agree with you completely about us not having a complete picture of what McMillian is dealing with. I think that was what you were trying to say.
Just take the handling of Greg Oden, for instance, which a lot of people seem to have their panties in a bunch about if you look on this board.
That could easily be a lot of things. First of all, Oden could be experiencing more pain than we realize in the knee, still. And the team doesn’t want to give that information away to other teams. So for us to just assume by default that it’s because McMillian doesn’t know what he’s doing seems a bit unfair.
However, again on Oden, and the rotation in general, there are just some things that don’t make logical sense about it… and i think that’s what Jaynes was trying to express. You know, killing his momentum when he has things clicking by just abjectly taking him out at McMillian’s stubborn time in the quarter for substitutions.
Or I remember another game where Batum had gotten off to a particularly good start, and had also managed to rack up two early fouls by about no more than 8 minutes into the quarter. Now, this is when he was getting probably 15 minutes a game, maximum. So, here’s a guy who’s playing terrific basketball, puts in his ordained time per game… and McMillian pulls him right in the middle of playing great basketball, presumably because he’s trying to follow the unwritten rule in basketball that you pull someone after two fouls in the first quarter. But if the same guy only plays 15 minutes every SINGLE game, how does that make any sense?
I felt like that was just plain dumb, honestly.
So we can all have our criticisms of the coach, but yeah, he’s probably dealing with a lot more than we can understand… so keep an open mind.
When it comes to McMillan I have a very open mind.
I am open to the proposition that he knows a heck of a lot more about coaching an NBA team than I do. Or Dwight Jaynes. Or any of the nabobs here who like to point out all the mistakes he makes.
Just because I don;‘t understand a move he might make or disagree with one, doesn’t make me think I know better. And I’m sure McMillan makes mistakes. My point is most people here are not capable of telling the difference between when he does something because it is the right move or when it’s a mistake.
hakkaa päälle !
Free Shav! He deserves some time to show if he can't be as good as Frye - yesterday he was
And play Greg consistently even when he has 3+ fouls. He is less predictable than Joel at this point and some lineups including him don’t work so well, but his offense is already improving to the point that he is more dangerous there with his outlet passes and play around the rim. Joel can just convert open shots.
lol, +1
Man, we should forfeit before roy’s hammy explodes, knocking him into LMA’s ear who loses his balance and hits Greg’s knee… - HurraKane212
http://www.nba.com/news/miles_10_080919.html
by maid tu rek on Jan 15, 2009 12:55 PM PST up reply actions
I used to be a non-fan of Oden
(not really against him, but not for him either), but after seeing him play in person a couple of times, I think he has the necessary skills and attitude to succeed. However, he needs to be on the court for that to happen, obviously.
He got pulled with two fouls and then only played enough to pick up a third. For what exactly was he saved? Can Dalembert prevent him from getting position on the block? I can understand that if the Blazers are shooting lights out (Chicago game, third quarter) then you can leave Oden on the bench, but it didn’t seem like anything went right in the Philly game so why not see if you can get something started?
saving him for tonight i guess?
From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.
I know Oden
isn’t 100%, but I think he can handle more than 18 minutes even with a game the next night.
I was watching yelling
at Nate through the TV last night. I was pissed when Oden got pulled in the Third and then HE NEVER RETURNED! I can not understand why we didn’t go back to him, his inside presence was shutting down the middle and they started missing the deep ball. Pryz comes in and the paint was wide open. Nothing against pryz but he has been tentative and almost feeble since the injury. He needs to take the time to get healthy so we can use him if/when we make the playoffs.
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 3:18 PM PST up reply actions
Weird Poll
Most important category is missing: Substitutions/ Timeout/ Game Management. It’s not Greg or Sergio specifically (and who cares about Randolph??) It’s Nate’s unwillingness to adapt his plan to the situation on the floor. He pulls guys who are hot or calls an ill-timed timeout when things are going Portland’s way. It’s like Nate is a coach that doesn’t recognize that momentum is an aspect of the game. This is his weak point, IMO, otherwise a good coach and good motivator..
absolutely
this is almost a killing weakness for McMillan and is what draws 90% of his criticism. It is a huge problem and one that will kill us in the playoffs if he doesn’t figure out how to remedy it. I’m thinking of changing my nickname to “Pound it into the post! Smallball is NOT the answer!”
He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants
Heh
It’s more appropriate to say that small ball is not the answer for Portland since they have a solid front line of Oden and LMA with a capable backup in Przy.
Small ball is appropriate for teams like the Warriors, the Knicks, Chicago, etc.
A good coach exploits matchups.
nail on the head
game time decisions are Nate’s biggest deficit. He makes terrible on the fly decisions…where you at Monty?
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 3:19 PM PST up reply actions
Which is why we have such a poor record in games decided
… in the final few minutes or OT.
Oh wait. We don’t have a poor record in those games. We’re actually pretty good in crunch time. It must be due to the players learning to ignore Nate during the timeouts.
It is a testament to how good our players are that a .500 level team from last year is playing above .600, with 4 guys from it’s starting rotation having missed time due to injury. Thank the lord for blessing us with heady rookies who know better than to let their game become contaminated with the coach’s instructions.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jan 15, 2009 3:58 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Silly talk
I could do what Nate does in the final minutes of the game.
“Give the ball to Roy!”
“What, Roy’s injured?”
“Fine, give it to Outlaw then!”
essentially
not quite, but I think our late game success has to do with Roy not Nate
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 10:11 PM PST up reply actions
agreed..
my only frustration with Nate. Mostly because I don’t understand the logic. It does seem like he swaps out guys just for the sake of keeping the rotation. i’d like to see him ride the momentum more, other than Travis Outlaw. Other than that, I all ready for this next game.
"Every time Troutlaw touches the ball, I pop an anti-anxiety pill."
Some of the Above
I agree that the team should emphasize posting up Aldridge and Roy, and give Oden more minutes more consistently. Posting up to collapse the defense and create open shots for your jump shooters is the classic game plan for a reason—it works. Trying to hoist jumpers over an extended pressure defense only when games when your shooters are on a hot streak; that sort of game plan is not the foundation to consistent success. As for Oden, I agree that the constant yanking after a couple of fouls seems wrong-headed. Let him play, let him learn to live with being in foul trouble. If he fouls out you still have Pryzbilla (and Frye won’t mind playing some center when needed, I’m sure). I like the idea of trying to play Oden more on the high post though, rather than force-feeding him on the low post where he keeps throwing up bricks. Take use of his speed and decision-making and see what the extra space does for him. This has been a great season so far, and this was just one loss (albeit the worst game of the year so far), so certainly, resist the urge to over-react. At the same time this discussion reflects my two most consistent frustrations with the team: reverting to shooting from outside rather than putting in the hard work to get a quality iniside shot and yanking Oden off the floor like a yo-yo. Let him play! I would rather see him on the bench because he fouled out than just because Nate was afraid he would foul out. We have four rookies seeing significant roles this season (now that Bayless is finally getting on the court)—sure we have a shot at making the playoffs this year, but we are also still trying to develop this team and lete our players learn how to play. Invest more minutes in Greg now and it will pay off in the future.
by IdleMercutio on Jan 15, 2009 1:12 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Oden on the high post
sounds pretty intriguing. He would be tough to stop once he got some momentum going. I also agree that Portland should post up more to take advantage of their tall team.
Someone needs to tell Travis to go to the hoop more rather than jacking up outside shots. He also needs to hit the boards. Someone with his jumping ability should be a great rebounder.
Our big men need to be more aggressive.
I understand that we are a very young team and they are going to be inconsistent. Like I heard someone say in a power poll, semi “Sometimes the Blazers look like the best team in the NBA and other times they just look mediocre.”
However, Lamarcus and Greg need to be way more aggressive in the paint. LA could be going to the charity stripe at least eight to ten times a game but he doesn’t. I mean our front court could dominate other teams but it doesn’t. It makes me sad :-( Besides, that would open up outside shooters and hopefully someone besides LA and BRoy will be able to hit an open shot.
For tonight, Bayless will start because of his defense and BRoy will run the offense. BTW tell Sergio to stop dribbling so much, especially when we get the ball with only 14 left on the shot clock.
As far as Jaynes, sometimes he makes sense but sometimes he just says stuff to get a reaction, but I guess were talking about it.
Agree with agressive
that and some bone head plays on rotations/defense by the players, drives me nuts. ATTACK THE FREAKING BASKET!!!!
Seriously I want to kick LMA sometimes. I love the kid and think he’ll be special, but ATTACK TEH BASKET!!!
I’m hoping that next year that will be in the game plan. LMA attacks from the left and Oden attacks from the right and Brandon attacks the middle kicking it to LMA who’s not in the post or a three point shooter.
I’ve given up on LMA this year.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
I couldn't agree more.
I mentioned in a previous post that LMA should be made to run laps or do pushups for every fadeaway he takes. He’s tall and lanky, but is not Nowitzki. He should realize that he’ll have better success being aggressive and initiating contact than by firing away from the outside. He doesn’t make his defender work nearly hard enough.
He really needs to watch film of Tim Duncan. Duncan posts up quite a bit, shoots from about eight feet and in and works the glass like no one’s business. That square on the backboard is there for a reason and I think bank shots have a more predictable behavior if they don’t go in so it’s easy to get the rebound. Tim Duncan is not the greatest athlete in the league, but he is the most fundamentally sound player. If LMA could add some of Duncan’s post fundamentals to his game, he could be one of the top five forwards in the league.
I read somewhere that LMA spent the summer working on his three point shot. I wanted to punch someone when I read that. I’d rather he spent the entire summer working on a couple of go-to post moves.
I'd rather he shoot 3s than 20 foot fadeaways
but yes, he needs to spend his time in the paint.
Boomshakalaka
You all are aware that LaMarcus is in the league's top 10
when it comes to adjusted +/- , right?
hakkaa päälle !
How does adjusted
plus/minus account for the fact that his backups (up till Nate started playing Travis at the 4) are terrible? I actually don’t know and I’d like to know the answer.
by BlazersOrBust on Jan 16, 2009 9:53 AM PST up reply actions
Benefit of LaMarcus playing outside
Currently Portland leads the league in Offensive Rebounding %.
Part of this is that we’ve got two great rebounding centers Greg and Pryz. But another big part is that they rarely have to fight with another power forward for the rebound. When LaMarcus drifts out, so does his defender and the offensive glass is ours.
The mercurial nature of Blazer fans is as predictable as the rising and falling of actual mercury at a particular temperature.
Do good: Future long-term NBA Champions.
Do bad: Worst coach/player/officiating/any-excuse-we-can-come-up-with ever.
While we’re losing, it’s important to say: Nate’s a good coach, and has got more out of these young players than anyone could should have hoped for. We have great up-and-coming players who are still learning what it takes to win in the NBA and doing a fine job of it.
When we’re winning it’s important to say: We’re still a young team with ups and downs, winning a few games doesn’t make you a contender yet. Our players still have some growing up to do.
No one seems to have a level head, no matter if we’re winning or losing. And one game seems to be life or death to everyone. Thank goodness that the players/coaches/front office aren’t fans, and seems to have a modicum of foresight.
Poor grammar is poor communication.
Poor communication causes misunderstanding.
Misunderstanding causes fighting.
Fighting causes war.
War causes death.
Therefore, your poor grammar may just kill us all.
(One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season)
by T Darkstar on Jan 15, 2009 1:36 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
I'd disagree with the no one part
My issues with the blazers have nothing to do with winning or losing. winning makes it easier to swallow, but I still get frustrated. I would have been okay losing to the Celtics because I saw a game I liked. For me it’s all about how they’re playing.
I do not blame nate, although I do question a few things. Frankly, I agree with comments that suggest it’s the players who aren’t ready for the complex and are still being spoon fed.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
rat bastird and I
are of like mind on Nate I believe. He has some definite skills but his game time decision making is crap. This is true in wins and losses, it is just much easier to gloss over the mistakes when it ends in W.
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 3:25 PM PST up reply actions
Nah, I don't think so.
rat has a mind. Your observations about Nate make is sound like all you have is an opinion.
If you read what he says above, he thinks it is more likely the players and not the coach. rat understands that not agreeing with everything you see from McMillan is not the same as concluding he sucks at in game coaching.
hakkaa päälle !
I am not
saying he doesn’t bring some great things to this team. I just don’t like his rotations/playcalling. He is obviously respected by his team and by coaches all over (Team USA). He has some great skills I just worry about that the inexperience of the team and the coach. This shows in the way we don’t ever go for 2 for 1s or foul efficiently, feed a hot player unless it’s Roy. He seems to like platoon subbing, usually reserved for college and h.s. The confidence of most the players on this team seems weak, which could be due to their age and experience or the way they are handled. I think it is a bit of both. He is known as “sarge” and some teams really need that but do we? That is my question.
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 15, 2009 4:32 PM PST up reply actions
I don't understand what you think Nate should be rated on.
Going for 2 for 1’s? What is that? Trying to squeeze an extra possession out of the shot clock at the end of a quarter? If so, that’s a rather thin slice of what is important in an NBA game.
Fouling efficiently? How does one foul efficiently and exactly how is this an aspect of coaching? Are you saying that Nate does not instruct his guys to intentionally foul when he should? Maybe. Maybe not. I’d love to see some examples.
Feed a hot player? One could argue that feding a hot player is a sign of a coach who isn’t that knowledgeable. Pay attention to what happens when a team follows this strategy. The rest of the team starts standing around. The defense adjusts and once they do, the offense is now stalled because the hot guy has been throttled and there is no flow for the other guys. A good coach learns to exploit mismatches within his offensive scheme. Sure, there are times when having established that mismatch you keep going with it until the other team adjusts. But it is a delicate balancing act a coach has to make, as he has 5 guys out there he has to keep involved.
Platoon subbing? It could be the result of having as many talented players as we do. I’m curious why you think this is a sign of a poor coach. Can you explain why platoon subbing is a bad thing?
I don’t necessarily agree that most of the players suffer from low confidence. In fact I’d say they show a surprising amount of confidene for such a young group. I believe that’s one of the reasons the are playing so well this season (and why they over performed last season). But assuming for the moment your observation is accurate, which of the two causitive factors you mention do you believe is more likely? Is it unreasonable to believe that being young and inexperienced, guys might be less confident? Or is more likely that they are brimming with confidence, but are being held down by their coach?
I don’t think I know anymore about coaching in the NBA than any of the McMillan doubters. But I’m probably way ahead of you all for the simple reason that I at least am aware of how little I know. Criticizing someone who is doing a job you know little or nothing about sounds like the action of a fool.
hakkaa päälle !
making assumptions
about someone based on a blog post is foolish. I have coached, not at the NBA level mind you, and I don’t claim to be an expert. The things I observe are things MANY people observe.
1. When your average margin of victory is less than 4 points, yes every possession matters. So yes 2 for 1’s are important. That could be as many as an extra 12 points a game, will that make a difference in the game….YES.
2. Fouling Efficiency. This is a pretty hard one to give examples from but one example would be the Hedo three when the Magic beat us. We could have easily fouled on the pass off or when he was running across the top. Yes you run the risk of him getting fouled on the three point line, but this is a low risk and then he has to bury 3 high pressure ft’s to TIE. Most likely they shoot 2 and we win. This is one example that comes to mind because it hurt us, but it happens in many close games.
3. Riding the hot player. Give me a break. Riding the hot player does not mean they shoot every shot. Riding the hot player means that player touches the ball to force the defense to adjust. More importantly it means don’t take the hot player out because the 5 minute mark hits and that’s when you like to do your rotations. Nate, with the exception of Travis, will pull a player who is feeling it because he wants to keep his rotation, even Roy has fell victim to this at times.
4. Confidence. It is pretty hard for me to prove the confidence thing. It is more a feeling I get from guys like Sergio, Ike, Channing, Oden and even LMA. That is why I wrote “The confidence of most the players on this team seems weak, which could be due to their age and experience or the way they are handled. I think it is a bit of both.” I think it is a combination, you think it is inexperience. I won’t argue with you, I have no proof to back me up besides the inconsistencies of our role players.
5. Platoon Subbing. Your argument is that we are so talented that we are forced into this? Really? Is that why Utah does platoon subbing? Oh yeah they don’t. How about LA? Detroit? Houston? Oh yeah deep teams still don’t platoon. The cream of the crop rise to the top on these teams. Nate has started to go away from the Platoon subbing thing anyways. It has developed into more of a substitution routine instead which isn’t all bad as long as there is flexibility in that rotation. The lack of flexibility irritates me sometimes.
Tim you are not ahead of me or behind me. We have different opinions, you can’t with out a doubt prove that Nate is the right coach for us and I can’t prove otherwise. Spout off about your increased intelligence if you must but it does not help your point, it makes you look one dimensional. Your experience couldn’t possibly add up to more than Dwight Jaynes who has spent his life following sports, yet your OPINION counts just the same. I could understand a post that said “McMillan has good points too!” I would have to agree with this, he does have strengths. He is human he has weaknesses too, and I think those weaknesses hurt the team at times. We owe McMillan a ton, he helped us transition from the dark days to a bright future. Is he our champion coach? I don’t know, my guess is no. I will continue to give my opinion despite the condescending tone of some. It doesn’t really matter anyways, I trust KP to make the right decision on this. He will probably find a way to get Popovich here and no one will be complaining about that :)
by The Natural ala Mode on Jan 16, 2009 4:58 PM PST up reply actions
I tend to agree with the Darkstar but...
Do good: Future long-term NBA Champions.
Do bad: Worst coach/player/officiating/any-excuse-we-can-come-up-with ever.
C’mon D Star, though there are certainly fans of any sport that do this through out a season I think this nullifies all the points folks are making regarding Nate’s coaching ability.
“While we’re losing, it’s important to say: Nate’s a good coach, and has got more out of these young players than anyone could should have hoped for” Do you mean other than me because I’ve never disagreed with you more? I think he’s doing damage to young minds. I think this team could challenge for it all. Does that mark me as a fool? Should I accept our 2nd round playoff exit now?
Our players have lots of growing to do. I see them developing bad habits and not believing in their abilities, so maybe they need a better kinder garden teacher?
Life or Death…? Nah.
by Blazersaurus on Jan 15, 2009 3:22 PM PST up reply actions
When fans get emotional, they tend to paint things in terms of black and white.
Even me, it seems.
Poor grammar is poor communication.
Poor communication causes misunderstanding.
Misunderstanding causes fighting.
Fighting causes war.
War causes death.
Therefore, your poor grammar may just kill us all.
(One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season)
I rec'd your post
because I stand beside you on that soapbox.
It’s really starting to annoy me (not just here, but Mike & Mike & JQ & DJ and others, but NEVER Dave) make insignificant acts into turning points. X hits two shots in a row and so “he’s out of a 3 game slump.” Y shines in summer league and is annointed our savior. (Does anyone remember Bellinelli’s first Summer League?) Oden has played almost a half season so he should be as good now as he’ll ever get. Travis has a big game against Chicago and “the wait is over” OK, Quick was talking about waiting for BRoy but it implied so much more. Am I the only one who was totally unsurprised that Travis did not have a good game last night?
Are we that desperate for … for what? … that we grasp at every straw sure that it’s a gold one Rumpelstiltskin spun? Or that we grasp at a single bad play and cry doom & despair?
My reply to so many of these “turning points” is “oh yeah? just wait.” But I guess waiting is out of the question. Even “Lord, grant me patience and grant it now!” has a hollow ring these days. It used to be funny.
Thanks Dave, and TD and the rest of you whose voices are now getting lost in the babel. Keep up the fight!
"Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier." - Randy Pausch.
by jorga on Jan 15, 2009 4:24 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Great comment, Jorga
the benefit of a lifetime of experience shining through in your post.
by BlazersOrBust on Jan 16, 2009 9:55 AM PST up reply actions
Pound the ball inside sounds nice until you realize you've got nobody to pound it with
Oden is undeveloped, Joel is limited offensively, and LMA doesn’t like the paint.
But that’s what I think is eventually going to be the answer. Not many great times play outside in.
Blazer Fan
times = teams...no clue why I type so bad here
But I do.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Jan 15, 2009 1:37 PM PST up reply actions
side note
wow… i never connected your name before. (recently started playing wow)
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
LMA needs to go to a conditioning camp
to be TAUGHT to like that paint and BEGGING for it.
Hot button for me. Love the guy, but that aspect of his game gets me hot.
Travis should also learn to love the paint and cut more.
Then again, the blazers are doing a nice job of winning and they’re being coached by nate, not me.
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
I've got the same
hot button. I guess there can be a compromise where LMA and Outlaw go to the hoop more often. They don’t need to do it every time they have the ball, but at least half the time. No need to bail out your defender by jacking up outside shots.
Basketball 101
Nate is giving his rookie center every opportunity to succeed. If anything fans need to stop making excuses for the big man. Get on him more. I don’t care if he is a rookie, it shouldn’t take 25+ games for a basketball player to learn how to keep their arms straight up when defending a shot.
Our two main problems…
1.Defense – It is horrible, we get picked apart, plain and simple. Our halfcourt defense is porous and often our transition D is inexcusable. Lets see some effort boys, if I see Ray Allen, Radmanovic, Vujacic, or Stojakovic left for a wide open 3 one more time i’m going to lose my mind.
2.Offensive Strategy – Our inside out approach is pretty good…but when we’re not shooting well we tank. Start the game going to the post and kicking it out for shots, but don’t do that for 4 quarters if it isn’t working. Cut to the basket! Move without the ball! We rarely make penetrating passes and rely heavily on 1 on 1. I hate Utah as much as anybody, but you have to respect the way they pick us apart with back cuts and crisp passing. Is anybody else shocked when somebody other than Brandon makes a layup?
Bottom line, this starts with the coaching staff. I’m sick of seeing unanimated coaches on the sideline. These guys are young, they need to be coached. Phil Jackson gets away with his stoic coaching style because he has Jordan or Kobe on the floor, we don’t.
by carlosrossi on Jan 15, 2009 2:03 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
McMillan is not the sort of coach to show up his players on the court.
He’s not going to yell and scream at them when they screw up. He’s likely to sit them, but not show them up. It is my understanding that most NBA players love having a coach like that. It’s one thing to get yelled at in practice or in the locker room at half time. They expect that. But no one likes having the spot light turned on them by the coach when they make a mistake.
It is just one small thing he is trying to teach his guys. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Don’t go yelling at your teammates or the refs. Be in control, buckle down and do what you are supposed to do.
hakkaa päälle !
I don’t care if he is a rookie, it shouldn’t take 25+ games for a basketball player to learn how to keep their arms straight up when defending a shot.
I find the above statement so…. not undumb that I can’t comment on it. ……….. okay I will. Sure that’s what we want from him… playing good fundimental hoops but there’s so much pressure on him he’s playing badly. Coaching is part of teaching him what to do and helping him to do it. He’s coming out of his shell finally.
Phil gets to be stoic during the game because he did his work before the game. He gets to sit and enjoy the game.
ODEN
This guy seems to make and break our games. If Oden is going, he plays confidently on both ends, he is quick, not sluggish, and makes everyone get better opportunities for open looks at high percentage shots. We need to take the turnovers he may have in stride with the development of his game. If we do not get this out by playoffs, the first round is all I think we can handle. I think Bayless is a good point guard because he can penetrate, that is half the battle, now he just needs to play more so he knows where his players will be and can make the pass out when defenses collapse on him.
Bayless is a Roy double minus the amazing jump shot. That will come with more time though, and less nerves. WE HAVE TO PLAY CONSISTENT INSIDE OUTSIDE GAME IF WE WANT TO BE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS! Look at Dwight Howard, Shaq, Tim Duncan, and other big men around the league. They consistently are getting touches on the ball. It gets defenders trying to help, out of position and just over all will give our guys a much easier time on the offensive end of the floor.
It seems that despite our neglecting Oden during games outside of the first quarter, teams are not letting us get an inside game going. Looking at the 76ers game, we tried to get him going, weakside help comes, we turn it over, they get an easy bucket. That may have been a lazy pass/attempt to feed the big man, but that is not the only time this has happened.
Bottom line, we need more Oden, 30 minutes, pound the ball in there, and drive the ball if your a guard. pass out if the defense is sagging, rack up the assists!
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life,(of the Blazers), (of KP's madness), of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity." - Albert Einstein
by BlazerandBeaverBELIEVER on Jan 15, 2009 3:32 PM PST reply actions
I wonder....
If Paul Allen could pay Sabonis to come back over and work with Greg, like Ewing is with Howard? How sweet would that be. :)
quick update
Yep, more proof Nate can't coach.
Afterall, don’t a majority of the fans here think Bayless should get the start?
What is McMillan thinking?
hakkaa päälle !
Right for once
"This is his shot, this is his chance,’’ coach Nate McMillan said.
"I told them that I don’t want them to go out and try to be Blake – be yourselves and be aggressive,‘’ McMillan said. "The one thing I don’t want is for them to be hesitant. Go hard, have some fun, and don’t tighten up because you are in a different role.’’
If this means that Sergio can finally play a 9 minute stretch without fearing being pulled, it means we can finally see if Sergio can work in Portland. If the next 7-10 days goes poorly, then I will gladly say go with Bayless, as long as he writes on the chalkboard 500x a day that he is a PG.
jaynes article
oden is either the man or he isn’t. we have to teach him to shoot something besides a dunk, let him get a rhythm and feed him. if he gets two quick fouls, so what? we have to let him play and either establish himself or not. sitting on the bench is not where he is going to learn the nba game. feed him and force the other team to stop him/us.
playing the game from the outside in means we spend no time at the foul line, hence our opponents don’t get into foul trouble, and unless we are on fire, we more than likely will get a poor percentage shot. go to the hole!!! higher percentage shots or free throws.
sergio? there are plenty of times where he can get a good chunk of consecutive minutes where he can either put up or not. we have seen some glimpses of brilliance, glimpses of adequacy, also glimpses of the invisible pg. only one way to find out if he has a place on this team (besides being a friend for rudy): let him play.
every day is a great day to be a blazer.
There is a reason the word "jerk" is in "knee jerk reaction."
I'm a Blazers fan and If you ban me from your blog, I'll sue you!
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