Andre Miller Doesn't Get The Blazers' Big Picture

If Dre comes off the bench, we could have the best second unit in the League!

over 2 years ago ramblinchild 20 comments 0 recs |

Comments

He doesn't need to come off the bench

He won’t either. It’s why Nate’s pushing Rudy into play making. Rudy’ll make second unit plays while Blake brings it up and hits outside shots. Miller won’t play with Rudy if Rudy’s the one creating. That simply makes no sense.

All that’s happening right now is a lil face save time for Blake. He’s a good man, and they’re trying to show him respect.

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

by hobobob on Oct 7, 2009 12:45 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Start, schmart. Miller will play more minutes, and be in there for crunch time.

The unit I see in 4th quarter scoring situations is Greg, LMA, Roy, Rudy, and Miller. Subbing Batum for Rudy at the 3 on defense when you can, rolling Roy to the 2. Perhaps swapping Joel and Greg also, depending on foul trouble.

by dario argento on Oct 7, 2009 12:50 PM PDT reply actions

Also, that is a really stupid title for an article. Miller wants to start, so does Steve, so does Brandon, and Nic, and Trout, and Greg, and Joel.

NBA players want to start. We WANT guys who want to start. The big picture is winning, and if Miller is playing heavy minutes and winning, he will buy into any role he is thrown into. Him wanting to start doesn’t mean he “doesn’t get it.”

by dario argento on Oct 7, 2009 12:52 PM PDT reply actions

I don't care what anyone says, including the players

Everyone wants to start, starting DOES mean something and everyone knows it. Everytime I hear someone say, “starting doesn’t matter I want to finish games!” I want to jump up and say, “LIAR!”. Starters earn the money, a great 6th man makes under $10 million per year, (Manu is an exception), you start and play your best players the longest, because the more time your best players are on the court the more time you are playing at your peak potential as a team. This is the exact same reasoning that leads coachs to trim their rotation in the playoffs.

Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?

by usmcr3049 on Oct 7, 2009 1:18 PM PDT reply actions

If a second unit needs more firepower, it can make sense to bring a player who would be a starter on most teams off the bench

Ginobili is one example, Jason Terry another. They come off the bench, and then still play 25 to 30 minutes. It could also happen to players like Bynum and yes Greg or Andre this year. After some weeks I expect both to start, but it might not happen immediately with Nate trusting his starting 5.

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 7, 2009 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't know.

Those examples don’t really apply because the Blazers already have a ton of firepower coming off the bench. Fernandez, Outlaw, Bayless, Webster. That’s entirely enough punch.

Miller is not a firepower off the bench sort of guy. He’s a tempo machine. He’s an all around great player. Much more like Jason Kidd than Jason Terry.

by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 7, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions

That unit still needs a leader, and a scorer close to the rim.

Bayless can score close to the rim, but he is no facilitator yet and can’t run good pick and rolls. Blake doesn’t penetrate. Nate has a point, if he splits the units like that (in reality there are no full unit changes anyway, just one by one substitutions) he can do whatever he wants with both. And most backups will have nightmares to play against those guys.

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 7, 2009 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions

How much time will the second unit get in the playoffs?

The Lakers pretty much had an eight man rotation last season. Everyone has longer rests between games, so having two full units isn’t really a bonus at all.

Miller was playing 43 minutes a game with Philly in the playoffs last season. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to match that with the much slower Blazers. Not sure how Blake starting and then only playing 5 minutes makes any sense.

by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 7, 2009 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions

The "second unit"

played together pretty rarely even in the regular season. Combined, the Sergio-Rudy-Travis-Frye-Oden and Sergio-Rudy-Travis_Frye-Przy (since they varied starting) accounted for roughly 4% of the total regular season minutes played, slightly less due to OTs. I just don’t understand the obsession that we need to have our second 5 guys comprise a balanced lineup.

You’re right, though, in the playoffs it went down slightly, although it undoubtedly would have gone down even more if not for having an entire second half of garbage time in game 1. We almost never played a lineup without at least one starter on the floor against Houston.

by Royster on Oct 7, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree.

Having a full 5 man unit coming off the bench doesn’t matter during the post-season. It’s nice to have a bunch of depth for 82 games, but in the end it’s really going to come down to who has the best 6 or 7 guys.

by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 7, 2009 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions

The l@kers pretty much had a 6 man rotation in the playoffs.

By the time the playoffs start the discussion will be pretty much over, and we will know who is deserving of the minutes, but we will most likely run a 3 guard rotation again. Roy and Rudy are no brainers. That leaves a PG to get 5 maybe 10 minutes a game, and it aint gonna be Miller getting that few minutes I guarantee it.

by dario argento on Oct 7, 2009 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Exactly.

It’s why good teams like the Spurs haven’t put too much emphasis on a true backup PG. When the playoffs role around that guy’s only getting 5 minutes a game anyway.

Some teams have made it work by having a guy who’s a 1/2, which cheats the time crunch a little bit. Unfortunately Blake isn’t a 2 at all, and we already have a great backup SG in Rudy.

I think the word is “superfluous”.

by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 7, 2009 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions

We are not talking about the playoffs yet, but about the start of the season

I think Nate will go with his old units at the start giving 11 players fairly extensive playing time, and shorten that as the months go on.

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 8, 2009 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions

Money is the root of all EVIL !

Miller already has his money, so shouldn’t it be about winning a
championship ?

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Oct 7, 2009 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions

GET COINCAST AWAY FROM THE BLAZERS !!

nearly got hit with a t shirt cannon t shirt while typing

worse than travis
-Ben.

by rockingharder on Oct 7, 2009 8:04 PM PDT up reply actions

COINCAST SUCKS !!!

Starting Year # 3 with no Blazer Cacble here in Southern Oregon,
and Laaaaarry Miller wants to take the Blazers brand GLOBAL !
Hey Laaarry, How about making the Blazers a Oregon Brand 1st !!!

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Oct 7, 2009 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions