Analysis on Greg Oden
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 2:40 PM PST
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Hey BlazersEdge community, I'm Mike. I'm an avid sports fan, and have decided to try my hand at blogging about my favorite team, the TrailBlazers. Keep in mind my relative youth (I'm 16) and inexperience at blogging when you read my posts; I try my best to provide a mature, in-depth, and objective analysis in all my blog posts. Please give me feedback about what I can do to improve my writing. Thanks, but enough about me, now it's time to talk about the Blazers.
Every once in a while, I'll pop out one of these- an in-depth analysis on a player whose success I think is essential for the Blazers to do well. Today, I'm focusing on Oden because I believe that if he is able to find his role on the Blazers team, then the Blazers will succeed. If he doesn't, the Blazers might still do well, but won't reach their potential.
First, let me point out something: expectations on Oden to become an offensive superstar are unfair. Look back even to his high school years. He averaged only 14 points a game. That's 14 points in high school, where people are shorter, slower, and weaker than in college or pro ball. Oh, yeah, and 10 rebounds. And a few blocks per game. What would these stats lead you to believe? That his game is geared towards defense and rebounding. Granted, he is a physical specimen, with a well-built body, good strength, and decent speed. However, intuitively, he leans towards the defensive side of the ball game, which might not be a bad thing, but rather something that the Blazers desparately need.
The Blazers already have two scoring superstars. Last year, All-Star Brandon Roy averaged 22.6 ppg, while his counterpart LaMarcus Aldridge averaged 18.1 ppg. Throw into the mix the offensively gifted Travis Outlaw and the sharp-shooting Rudy Fernandez, and you're good on offense.
But it's defense, not offense, that wins championships. Oden has looked great defensively, blocking a league leading 2.75 shots a game. That's more than Dwight Howard. Or LeBron James. (Together, LeBron and Dwight both blocked 12 shots so far, Oden has 11.) It's hustling, and fighting for every loose ball, and scrapping for every rebound that brings toughness to a team. It's hitting the boards for an offensive rebound, and then hustling back to get on defense if you don't the board, that truly shows dedication. And Oden's been doing just that. (3.3 offensive rebounds per game, 10.0 rebounds per game overall.) The Blazers as a whole should value his defensive contributions more than his offensive game.
Oh, and let me tell you: the kid's got game. He might not be an offensive superstar yet, but he certainly is developing on the offensive side of the ball. He might not be able to average 20 points per game, but again, the Blazer's don't need that. What would be great, though, is if he could get 12 points a game (his career average is 8.3) to go with 10 rebounds. Throw in 2.5 blocks per game, and you have a great player that complements the likes of Roy and Aldridge.
So then take a look over what the Blazers' starting five will look like in a few years:
PG- Blake/Bayless/Miller: Consistency, good passing, maybe a small scoring threat. Very good handling.
SG- Brandon Roy: Perennial all-star, great shooter of the ball, able to drive into the lane and finish, also able to create his own jump shot. Emotional leader of the team, offensive catalyst and first option on offense. Will be the game's top guard after Kobe retires.
SF- Martell Webster: Physical freak. Good shooter, and you'll get one "Holy-Mother-of-God-Did-You-See-That-Dunk?" from him every game. Defensively works very hard.
PF- LaMarcus Aldrige: Will become an All-Star at some point, great 18-footer, also able to create his own shot with a killer turnaround jumper. Pretty good rebounder, runs the floor on fast breaks as well as any big man in the whole league.Offensive second option.
C- Greg Oden: Will dominate the paint on the defensive end. Great hustle player, very physical. Fights for rebounds, blocks shots, crashes the boards. Emotional leader on the defensive end, gets things done. Will get 12 or so ppg, a lot of it from offensive putbacks. Third option on offense.
Looks like Kevin Pritchard made a good choice choosing Oden over Durant after all, doesn't it? This team looks tough on both ends of the floor, and I think the current Blazers team has a chance of achieving their potential. Two of the positions are already there (LaMarcus and Brandon), three are still works in progress, but they're coming along.
Go Blazers.
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Great post
keep writing kid you have a knack for it.
surprised so many clicked no
internet sarcasm is mean
too Bad
The Stats from high school are completely inaccurate and based on soley his sophmore season. Journalistic professionalism out the door.
He's doing little shimmies. Jump hooks with the left hand, jump hooks with the right hand. - Brandon Roy on Greg Oden
Analysis of Mike's Analysis
My name’s Mike as well. I refrained from voting and instead will leave a few comments here. From your intro, I assume this is your first blog entry on the Blazers. Please keep ‘em coming. I have never personally done a deep analysis of the game so I don’t have a leg to stand on. That said, I appreciated the insight regarding Greg’s high school stats, reinforcing what we’ve been seeing about the assumptions that he will not develop into an offensive powerhouse. I’d like to see more in depth about h.s., Ohio, and maybe his rookie season. Your style was enjoyable and easy to understand without a PhD in physics. I look forward to more.
But you knew from my first paragraph that the criticism was coming, right? I did feel that the transition from high school to projecting five years out was kind of abrupt. Likewise with the transition from individual to team. Just sayin’.
Mike D
Thanks
Thanks, guys.
By the way, I like your signature, OCBlazerFan1…
Gotta hate the purple and gold.
Or actually, love the purple (I’m a University of Portland Student) but hate the Lakers.
Go Blazers!
Nope.
Not on defense. If you drafted him to get 30 ppg, then yes. But Kevin Pritchard is a lot smarter than that.
Leading the league in BPG, while playing less than 25 minutes a game? How is that a bust?
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 3:20 PM PST up reply actions
im trying to get alot of negative karma to turn into positive karma
so dont mind me
Trade for Luis Amundson!!Do it KP!!
Great Job!
I enjoyed that you referred to Oden as a “kid” when he’s clearly your senior. :) I personally disagree with you about Oden being the third option on offense. I would love him to be (at least) the second option and maybe get to close to 17 eventually. Right now our offense is WAY too jump shot-centric. First, he scores at a higher fg percent, second, he’ll probably get the opposition into more foul trouble, and thirdly, it leaves shooters open if the defense collapses on him. Right now LMA’s offense is more of a pseudo “post” game. It’s not the classic PF type of scoring.
And, I do find it odd that the current scorers (Roy, Travis, LMA) are encouraged to put more effort into defense, but Greg doesn’t get (imo) the green light to become an offensive option. I think we would become a much better team if this were to be the trend.
Travis
Travis is a special case. He’s a kid that is physically and athletically at a level comparable to LeBron-
He has, as the NBA highlight announcers say it “crazy stupid hops”. His dunking is really getting better. Couple that with attention to defense and he’ll be blocking shots just like LBJ.
If the L-Train can drain 18 footers at a very high shooting percentage, why not let him shoot them? Though I agree that the Blazers shoot way too many jumpers, I also have noticed Roy is a much better 3 point shooter. I hope our offense doesn’t turn into the Pheonix Suns, though.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 3:31 PM PST up reply actions
Well, I agree.
Let LaMarcus continue shooting the jumpers. Just as a third option. :)
I've said this elsewhere
But it bears repeating. The offense needs to run through oden more. I am not concerned so much about his scoring, option 2 or 3 does not matter too me. Although I must say having Roy peremeter and oden interior as a 1-2 punch is appealing. Running more offense through oden will create a better halfcourt offensive rhythym regardless if oden is option 1, 2, 3 or 4.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
Quite possibly.
Regardless, I’d like to see more of the Pick and Roll between him and Blake- it worked well with Przybilla last year, and Przybilla has nowhere near the offensive skill set as Oden does. Combine that with good passing out of the post and that’s a formula for success.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 10:04 PM PST up reply actions
I don't think pick and roll
Is the key, high low with aldridge is more valuable. It is to easy for oden to pick up offensive fouls that way…he gets so little slack from the officials…
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
No disagreement there.
Portland doesn’t get any respect. We’re slowly earning it, though. And that’s when Oden will become a great player.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 10:13 PM PST up reply actions
I find it amusing that you keep referring to the Blazers as "kids"
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Because you're 16.
Just a guess.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Nov 2, 2009 4:33 PM PST up reply actions
KP calling Blazer players kids....fine
16 year old doing it…..a little funny
Thats all
"What happened to Bayless anyway? Did he turn into a pumpkin? Most teams don’t just let #11 picks rot." - Xiane
Travis is not physically at a level comprable to LeBron.
He can jump, but in terms of strength and power, its not close.
LaMarcus has a pretty jump shot, but does not make it at nearly a high enough clip to justify it being a bigger part of the offense than post up play by LaMarcus or Greg. 40% or so on a jumper that is not worth 3 points and never creates a foul is inefficient offense.
Lebron makes most pro players look like college kids
He is on a plane of existence much higher than outlaw athletically. Not a knock on trout, James is just that much more talented.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
go steroids!
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
"I told Pau the Lakers never win here in Portland; I think it's great." -- Rudy Fernandez
oh wait
steroids don’t exist in the league. Stern told me so.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
"I told Pau the Lakers never win here in Portland; I think it's great." -- Rudy Fernandez
I'm starting to think that options aren't the way to go with scoring...
To me it seems more logical to look at the syntax of our scoring threats. Right now we look to LMA to get going at the beginning of the game and then for Brandon at the end with a sprinkle of Rudy and Travis throughout the game.
I think it would be better to go to GO in the beginning, establish the post (and maybe draw some fouls on the opposing bigs) then transition to LMA in the second. In the second half, start with GO again and transition to Brandon in the fourth.
Of course, each game will flow differently, but I think this would yield great results. Get GO 8-12 FGA per game with LMA and Brandon getting their usual attempts.
Also, Blake, Rudy, Martell and Travis would FEAST off of the open threes available to them when the opposing team is forced to double Greg.
Good point
But L-Train is a consistently potent threat in the first quarter. We can always count on him to get us going. Throw in Greg Oden getting more touches and I see good things happening for the Blazers.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 1:27 PM PST up reply actions
Nice analysis
I agree Oden will never be on offensive juggernaut, but I believe the Blazers need to try harder to establish him as a legitimate and consistent low post threat. The pattern so far this season is a few 1st quarter touches, then no more the rest of the game. I get so tired of watching the ball passed around the perimeter while Oden works so hard to get low post position with no passes to him inside. Of course we can usually get a pretty good outside shot, and with our shooters in often works out, but that is not the point. Not getting him the ball down low does a disservice to both Greg and the team.
A perfect example was in last night’s game. Rember Martell’s highlight dunk? Look at the replay. Before Webster took off to the basket from the elbow, Oden was WIDE OPEN under the basket. How Martell didn’t see him is beyond me. Of course it worked fine because of the dunk, but the much smarter and unselfish play was a simple pass to Oden. Everyone always talks about rewarding your big men….weill Greg rarely gets “rewarded.”
Well enough of my rant…. Again, nice analysis and keep it coming!!
Still too early to tell.. The dude IS 7'1" tall...
Oden will never be on offensive juggernaut
High School game
In high school, with smaller, weaker, slower opponents, he managed only to score 14 ppg. He’s always focused on his defensive game, and that’s something the Blazers need- not another offensive superstar.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 5:29 PM PST up reply actions
scratch that freshman year he averaged 14, in his sophomore year
he averaged 16, 19-20 pts junior year, and 22 senior year. I’ve been following him since his high school years. His point total increased every year.
Precisely
And he was at over 70% FG%.
High school games are 8 minute quarters, right?
And his team probably blew a lot of teams out, with Conley on the team as well. So he probably didn’t play long minutes.
I suspect he was a point a minute scorer in high school.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Journalism ...
Fewer people care to get the facts before they start writing or conversing about a topic. Seriously, how does Greg’s Freshman year in highschool represent the sum of all his years in highschool? And you know he wasn’t 7’0" tall as a freshman in highschool.
Sorry Rip City Mike, but you lost a lot of credibility right there.
He's doing little shimmies. Jump hooks with the left hand, jump hooks with the right hand. - Brandon Roy on Greg Oden
It seems
clear that Greg is suffering from just playing one year of college ball. Not to mention missing a whole year in the NBA. Its going to take time and the Blazers have it. Im the biggest Nate supporter here but I know he knows that they arent ready for a championship run this year so why not develop Bayless? This is why i didnt want Miller on this team. If you are 2-3 years away from seriously making a championship run why not give Bayless time? If he’s not the answer give him some run so you can trade him.
Greg's Role
Greg’s coming into his own. Bayless, on the other hand, deserves playing time.
Totally agree with you.
I think, though, that this year could be our year.
If Kobe goes down, then that’s our free ticket to the Western Conference Championship…
Then all we have to do is earn the title. :D
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 4:14 PM PST up reply actions
Not really
The Spurs are old and fragile. Relatively ancient (Duncan is still a beast, though)
Nuggets have maxed out their potential.
Blazers have nowhere to go but up. And that’s about a team with a 54 win record last year.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:48 PM PST up reply actions
The NBA is about now...
Most would agree we are in the first year of a solid 5-6 window (with LMA and BRoy locked up, that seems more assured). IMO, we need to think about the title every year now, starting with this one.
I do agree with your take that if Bayless isn’t the answer, trade hil. I think that perhaps KP is trying to stockpile championship caliber depth, trying to both get a title this year and keep building for the future… That is really difficult. With Miller, I thought he’d made the choice to go for it now. Which I why I expect our only two tradeable assets (Travis and Blake’s expiring contracts) to be traded…
Good Write Up Mike...
Thanks for posting and I look forward to more.
I’m a big Greg fan and look forward to seeing his offensive game grow to match his defensive and rebounding skills.
I’ve never heard this mentioned before but it looks to me like Greg needs to work on establishing position and presenting himself to the passer on the wing when he’s in the block. People say we need to get him the ball in the post, get him involved, but as I watch him it seems like he flashes to the block for a second then backs out. I’d like to see him really sit down, spread out and occupy some space. As big and strong as he is he should be able to hold that position and make himself a better target.
Any opinions on that?..
GO BLAZERS!!!
3 in the Key
The refs keep hitting him with 3 in the key. They did that 6 times in the Oklahoma City game. That’s why he keeps backing out.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 5:05 PM PST up reply actions
Agree
Yeah, Oden can only maintain his position deep in the low post for a few seconds, then he has to give it up and re-post. The biggest part of the problem is that the perimeter players just aren’t looking to pass to him in the low post. If you watch closely, as the ball is passed around, their heads never even seem to be in the direction of Oden. They seem only to be looking for the more open guy on the perimeter until they get a shot they like. Also, some guys are just not that skilled at passing into the post. Blake and Outlaw come especially to mind. In fact, Blake is probably one of the poorest post passers among point guards in the league.
We could really use a point guard
that uses peripheral vision, has great court awareness and a sense of timing to get the pass off at the right time.
A proven veteran assist-maker who can feed the low post.
Didn’t the Sixers have a guy like that last year that became a free agent?
Maybe we should sign him!
Unfortunately...
…we got the other guy from the Sixers… The guy who starts slow, plays sluggish defense and takes ill-advise shots… I like th sound of your guy better.
We have never had a Real Post Up guy...
like a Kevin McHale or a Shaq with this team. Somebody who holds position in the low post and has real post moves. LMA isn’t exactly that kind of player and Pryz is a stud but hardly a post up offensive threat. I’m not sure who Steve is suppose to be throwing it into on the entry pass but it’s hard to blame him if there is no one posting up.
I have watched closely and what I see Greg doing is going to the block but not spreading out and establishing position. I’d like to see him get low, get his base wide and seal his man behind him. Instead what I see is Greg upright leaning on his defender who is able to either get in front of him or to his side and cut off the passing lane. I’ve seen our wings and PG’s look into him but he never seems to offer a good target.
I think this is just another part of Greg’s development but he has to learn how to get position and demand the ball to use those post moves he’s been working on.
GO BLAZERS!!!… Beat the Hawks
Go Blazers indeed...
But Oden’s problem is that refs like calling 3 in the key on him. They’ve been doing it A LOT and that many turnovers scare him.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 4:24 PM PST up reply actions
Well they call everything on him...
3 in the key, travelling, moving screens…
What I’m talking about though is low post position… outside the key down low. I don’t see him spread out and take up space. Someday…soon I hope… he’ll demand the ball down low by establishing position, sealing off his defender and presenting an easy target for the entry pass. At least that’s what I hope for.
It doesn’t matter how many solid post moves you have if you don’t get the ball in the proper position and with the right spacing. It seems to me that is what’s lacking right now.
GO BLAZERS!!!
The refs
Could help by calling either
1) 3 in the Key on everyone (not just Greg)
2) Calling less of 3 in the Key (including on Greg)
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 5:28 PM PST up reply actions
I agree
I really hope we have a big man coach on the staff who tells the big guy how to post up…
Then if we could tell the rest of the team how to make an entry pass, we’d have something…
Only the best
Coach Lucas is the best. Period.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 6:11 PM PST up reply actions
Very nicely done.
A little constructive criticism: your use of statistics was throughout was good but I thought you drew some broad conclusions from a very small (4 game) sample size
Some opinions:
- Blake, Miller and Bayless won’t all be here in a few years. It will be more like maybe Bayless, maybe Mills and possibly Blake. PG rotation should not be forecasted at present as it is too unpredictable.
- Projecting Martell as the starter in a few years seems dubious. Batum is the starter until he loses the job and although I know Martell has played well both offensively and defensively so far this year, again it is 4 games.
- Roy as top guard once Kobe retires? Assuming you mean shooting guard I would think it will be more like Wade surpasses Kobe this year or next (unless you think he already has) and then Roy surpasses Wade not long after as he breaks down (due to his reckless playing style and being over 30 by then).
- Oden needs to be the second offensive option for this team to win a championship, not the second leading scorer but definitely the player we are looking to after Roy to run the offense through.
"What happened to Bayless anyway? Did he turn into a pumpkin? Most teams don’t just let #11 picks rot." - Xiane
by MadBlaze on Nov 2, 2009 5:28 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Thanks
Thanks for feedback. Though about the SF job, Martell’s been playing as good defense as Nic. And he’s offensively very gifted. I think if he can prove he deserves the job, he keeps it.
And Roy is better than Wade, IMO. He can pull up and shoot the jumper, though Wade’s handles are very nice.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 5:30 PM PST up reply actions
im not hating btu alot of homer talk
roy is not on wades level yet
Trade for Luis Amundson!!Do it KP!!
I would disagree.
Can Wade pull back and hit the jumper with the same proficiency as Roy? Can Wade lead a team with the passion and ferocity of Roy?
Essentially, can Wade capture the hearts and minds of his home town?
No, but Roy can.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 6:10 PM PST up reply actions
He can and has
They LOVE him in Miami.
He won the franchise its first championship and has consistently lead that team with both passion and ferocity even when he has been the only real quality player on the squad.
You are way off base here – would we trade Roy for Wade, no, but by all reasonable measures Wade is the superior player at present. Which is fine, he has had 3 years more experience in the league.
BTW I guess neither can truly capture the hearts and minds of their home town while playing for the franchises that they do, as Wade is from Chicago and Roy from Seattle.
"What happened to Bayless anyway? Did he turn into a pumpkin? Most teams don’t just let #11 picks rot." - Xiane
Fair enough
He comes from Seattle.
But Seattle has to root for the Blazers now because the closest other team is Utah. Everyone hates Utah. And Carlos Boozer.
And what has D-Wade done lately? He’s put up scoring, but his team’s not been winning many games since Shaq left.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:33 PM PST up reply actions
True
But when MJ had the flu, did that slow him down? And no supporting cast? Put a dude like Roy on any team and they’ll win 40+ games a year, regardless of other players. Roy makes his teammates better. Wade just crosses everyone over and pursues the scoring title.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:39 PM PST up reply actions
Go to bed, youngster ;-)
Mike, are you now comparing Roy favorably to MJ?
Can you demonstrate clearly how Roy makes his teammates better? (Personally, I don’t think anybody’s game is enhanced by standing still and waiting for a pass)
Are you sure that Wade’s crossovers and points have hurt his team’s pursuit of a title (which he has won?)
It's still early, oh wise one.
Wade’s crossovers and titles have only made his team better when he has good players behind him. (i.e. Shaq)
Roy has built this team from the ground up. With just a little help from KP.
Don’t you think Roy is comparable to MJ?
Sure, he’s not athletically able to be G.O.A.T. like MJ was (and I mean Jordan, not Jackson), but he’s smart, passionate, and a natural leader.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:52 PM PST up reply actions
Be careful man
You are starting to venture into the realm of sounding like a misinformed homer. You need to take a step back and look at reality if you are mentioning Roy and MJ in the same sentence.
With the Wade thing, you are making no sense. You say Roy would win 40+ with any supporting cast – thats exactly what Wade did last year with an awful supporting cast (seriously, Udonis Haslem was the second best player on that team). “Wade just crosses everyone over and pursues the scoring title” – that is in no way accurate. Wade is a damn good facilitator (7.5 apg last year – 2.4 more than Roy) plus he manages over 2 steals and a block a game. Stats aren’t everything but those are impressive for a guard who just happens to average 30 as well. By most objective measures, Wade is superior to Roy at this point in their respective career. Thats no slight to Roy, Wade is just that good.
By all means be passionate about the Blazers Mike, but you also need to be logical or your arguments will begin to border on the unreasonable.
"What happened to Bayless anyway? Did he turn into a pumpkin? Most teams don’t just let #11 picks rot." - Xiane
Be careful man
You are starting to venture into the realm of sounding like a misinformed homer. You need to take a step back and look at reality if you are mentioning Roy and MJ in the same sentence.
With the Wade thing, you are making no sense. You say Roy would win 40+ with any supporting cast – thats exactly what Wade did last year with an awful supporting cast (seriously, Udonis Haslem was the second best player on that team). “Wade just crosses everyone over and pursues the scoring title” – that is in no way accurate. Wade is a damn good facilitator (7.5 apg last year – 2.4 more than Roy) plus he manages over 2 steals and a block a game. Stats aren’t everything but those are impressive for a guard who just happens to average 30 as well. By most objective measures, Wade is superior to Roy at this point in their respective career. Thats no slight to Roy, Wade is just that good.
By all means be passionate about the Blazers Mike, but you also need to be logical or your arguments will begin to border on the unreasonable.
"What happened to Bayless anyway? Did he turn into a pumpkin? Most teams don’t just let #11 picks rot." - Xiane
Wow.....that a double post and a half
Damn thing went weird….guessing because I was posting just as the changes hit.
"What happened to Bayless anyway? Did he turn into a pumpkin? Most teams don’t just let #11 picks rot." - Xiane
Oh, sure, blame it on the software
We believe you. Really.
:)
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
Great Post! I had a long response typed out and then deleted it by accident! Lucky you probably...
Great post though, keep them coming!
I love my Comcast!
Comcast sucks.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Nov 2, 2009 10:20 PM PST up reply actions
Now, now...
Dave asked us to keep personal attacks out of here…
True
But he’s right.
Comcast needs to be less greedy.
However, their presentation of Blazers games aren’t too shabby; they look professional and sharp.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 10:32 PM PST up reply actions
Comcast has made it personal.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Nov 3, 2009 9:03 AM PST up reply actions
You must not ever have experienced the true awesomeness of it then!
I love my Comcast!
by Comcast Lover on Nov 3, 2009 6:19 AM PST up reply actions
Excellent job, keep it up.
You might consider telescoping two posts into one since things get hot and heavy in the sidebar and things spool off pretty fast in season.
If you’re getting fancy with the layouts, you can switch to html mode and replace the part that says “photo” with “left” or “right” to justify the photo and run text around it. Typing in “center” justifies the graphic to the center and eliminates the border that appears around it by default.
Nice job, again!!!
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
by timbo on Nov 2, 2009 6:12 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Thanks
Thanks for the input, man. Appreciate it.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:34 PM PST up reply actions
I was 16 once
I used to wait on hold for 30 minutes to get on 5th quarter. I wish there had been blogs back then! thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Bring back the Uncle Cliffy!
Thanks
Thanks man. Btw are you a hawks fan or is your name just hawkblogger?
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:37 PM PST up reply actions
yep
I’m a hawks fan and periodic blogger (http://hawkblogger.blogspot.com). Thank goodness I’m a Blazers fan too!!
Bring back the Uncle Cliffy!
meant to say...
Yep, I’m a hawks fan and periodic blogger (http://hawkblogger.blogspot.com). Thank goodness I’m a Blazers fan too!!
Bring back the Uncle Cliffy!
When Martell can simply get enough shots off to possibly score 20 or more
then we’ll see. He has never shown the ability to generate space between himself and the defender so that he can shoot the 3 other than now and then. I wish him well.
Likewise, I hope that at some point he hits a clutch shot. Sometimes he seems to “run from the ball” in these situations.
ignacio
Space?
Who needs space when you can just jump over your defender and jam it? Or do a quick fake then jam it?
Martell is a beast. Maybe not as strong or fast as LeBron, but there’s only one LeBron, and it’s not fair to compare any human’s physicality, speed, and instinct to that of LeBron.
He’s been on SC how many times? I think he had two great jams in the four games? That’s called representing for Portland- maybe now the refs will throw some calls our way.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:36 PM PST up reply actions
SC twice. I believe he has been on 4 of the NBA.com videos.
Top 5 dunk – Twice
Top five plays – Twice
Don’t have the tenacity or energy to link it, but I am pretty sure this is correct.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Nov 2, 2009 10:23 PM PST up reply actions
Top 10 plays, my bad.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Nov 2, 2009 10:24 PM PST up reply actions
Great post
I agree mostly. I do think the Blazers would benefit tremendously by running more offense through oden. Not for scoring, but rather for assists. He will draw lots of help defense, that means open shooters and easier driving lanes for our peremeter guys. I think you are right, don’t look for much more than a solid 12 points per game or so early career. If the offensive sets go through him more he should get assists to the tune of 4 or 5 a night. The few times our offense looked sharp so far this season has been when the ball went down low early.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
by PDXBuckeye on Nov 2, 2009 9:32 PM PST via mobile reply actions
True.
Centers generally don’t get amazing till later on in their career. Just remember: Oden is only a few years older than me. Haha and I’m 16. He has a lot of years of ball left in him. Just be patient, let him grow.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:37 PM PST up reply actions
Absolutely...
Unfortunately, Greg’s passes out of the double team usually won’t translate into assists, because most teams would make the extra pass (which should find the wide open guy who the defender left to double Greg), so unless we start counting assists like hockey, it’s gonna be the guy that Greg passes to that gets the Assist, not Greg…
But still, we definitely should go into the big guy to start our offense… (In response to other posts in this thread, I think Miller (on the break) should be option 1, Oden (off the P+R, or post up low) option 2, and Roy (iso) option 3.)
Miller's finishing
Is somewhat questionable. I’ve seen him miss an open layup against Houston. And I have yet to see an amazing lob pass from him like he promised. (I’ve seen a few failed attempts, though)
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 9:50 PM PST up reply actions
Just wait...
One reason you haven’t seen any lobs from Dre yet is because of Nate starting Blake (duh!), Dre is playing with Pryz, not Oden…
This will fix itself shortly…
True
But as guys get used to playing inside out there should be more cutters for oden to hit. Miller is the only guy providing oden that option, it works and = assists for oden…if they run the offense through oden most of the time you are correct, the ball will be rotated, but oden should routinely have 4 or 5 cutters to hit once the team gets used to inside out play. We got the speed, lma is faster than most PFs, speed on the cut is also no problem for our 3’s or 2’s and miller is a natular for this style (one of the reasons I liked the acquisition).
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
Why the hate?
Do 77% of the people really dislike my analysis? Or is it just some random dude that voted 277 times?
Go Blazers!
Don't take it personally...
I enjoyed it, and voted that way, but when you only give people two options… And, ‘enjoyment’ is a very subjective term. Even if I agree with what you’re writing, if the wife is nagging and the kids are yelling… I might’ve voted no… Options like:
1) Do you mostly agree with my analysis
2) Think I’m right about a few things, wrong on others
3) Think I’m totally wrong
4) Bored, don’t care…
Might have got you about 60% #2’s…
In short, it’s a good lesson: be careful how you ask for feedback.
I don't think so...
It was just above 90%, so I think it got spammed or something.
Haha
Well, I’m proud of my work, and I’ve got a pretty thick skin for a 16 year old.
Go Blazers!
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 10:06 PM PST up reply actions
Let 'em hate
This is solid. I disagree with you on GO’s offensive ceiling. Big men take a long time to develop, and with the physical tools Greg has, I think 14 ppg is the floor for his NBA career. A lot depends on how much the offensive load is spread around among the big 3.
I’m with you on your analysis of Martell, especially if Bayless develops into the starting PG on this team. Martell’s ability to stretch the floor is critical if a less than dead-eye shooter is at the 1, and like you said, he has shown a real commitment to defense so far. Now, if Nic develops a 3 point shot, that analysis could change…
Keep writing, you have a talent for it. The best way to develop it is practice, so I hope you stay with it.
I hate Comcast.
Card carrying member of Team Bayless
I believe in Greg Oden
by blazeraddict on Nov 2, 2009 10:05 PM PST up reply actions
Thanks
Thanks man.
Btw, can I get a Bayless card? (Like in your signature)
We need to
1) Use our #11 pick (who’s a stud)
2) Trade him away, along with Travis or Rudy and get a superstar.
I’m all about the first; Blake and Miller are getting older, time to bring in the new guard.
As to GO’s offensive ceiling, OK, fine. Disagreement is fine. But my point is the Blazers at this point don’t NEED more offense, they need consistency on defense, as well as on offense. Greg can provide both.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 10:09 PM PST up reply actions
But they DO need more (varied) offense...
Look, if we’re not going to have a superior Defensive team, then we gotta out score ‘em. Houston proved last year that having one predictable option isn’t going to cut it…
So we DO need more, varied, better offense… not to win 54 games, but to win it all, yes…
Very good point.
The Lakers had Odom, Bryant, and Gasol.
The Celtics had the big 3.
Well, I’m turning in now.
Great to get to know all of you guys.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 2, 2009 10:31 PM PST up reply actions
I voted no just to be different
I was surprised when there where way more no votes,,,,,,,,,,,,,People probably just wanted to be contrary.
Hey, Mike, nice post
First, it’s desperately, not desparately. I’d ignore it, but since you asked for feedback on improving your writing, I’ll mention it. If you are not naturally a 99.999% speller, and you are writing publicly, write your content in Word and use spell-check, or alternatively, paste into Word and use spell-check before publishing. Doesn’t matter so much in a comment, but in a fanpost, you want to have it be clean.
Second, facts, facts, facts. A key part of your analysis (Greg isn’t a scorer) is based on flawed research. He scored 14 ppg as a high school freshman, and more every year after that. This is the kind of thing that can discredit your whole argument, even if you are correct. People will focus on the error and say, “This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Harsh and unfair, because you’ve got a well-reasoned argument, but that’s life on the Internet.
Third, facts in perspective. How many minutes per game did he play in high school? His senior year, his team won by an average of 21 ppg. He scored 22 ppg. How many minutes did it take him to score those points?
Fourth, all the facts. Greg scored almost 16 ppg in college, while recovering from a wrist injury. He scored 25 in the NCAA Championship game against a front line consisting of three lottery picks. Next to that, his high school stats are irrelevant.
Now, that’s a lot of negative stuff, but it really is focused on minor details. In general, your assessment sounds good to me. I would like to see a little more focus on Greg in the offense this year, because the inside threat will really open things up for the shooters. But in general, we don’t need Greg to score a lot of points, so I agree with you there. I do think we need to establish him as a threat to score, and the sooner the better.
Keep writing.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Thanks
Thanks for the feedback. Love me some Blazers!
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 11:50 AM PST up reply actions
I think you're a 47 year old ex-NBA player with a PhD.
Keep posting.
"Aneurysm".
When Outlaw wins a game on a last-second shot, it’s called an "annthefaneurysm". QualityPie
You forgot to hit the "Reply" under my comment
before posting that.
:P
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
Wait...
Did you really play in the NBA?
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 11:50 AM PST up reply actions
Eloquently elucidated, my Egotistical Imperator.
"Aneurysm".
When Outlaw wins a game on a last-second shot, it’s called an "annthefaneurysm". QualityPie
If "egotistical" is an adjective,
Then why did you capitalize it?
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 4:24 PM PST up reply actions
Jscot is the future ruler of the world, maybe even the universe. Just ask him!
I try to keep him confused entertained with alliterative titles to avert his wrathful vengeance.
"Aneurysm".
When Outlaw wins a game on a last-second shot, it’s called an "annthefaneurysm". QualityPie
Oden
Mike…I think you have a good perspective…the part about Oden being a key figure in the Blazer’s success is spot on…where he goes from here, depends on a lot of things, but he needs to develop into the player they thought they might get when they drafted him….
The blazer’s have a lot of issues, but if Oden develops, a lot of that could go away….They have little flexibility (like they advertise) and must come together as a team….
It’s hustling, and fighting for every loose ball, and scrapping for every rebound that brings toughness to a team. It’s hitting the boards for an offensive rebound, and then hustling back to get on defense if you don’t the board, that truly shows dedication.
Your also spot on about the mentality a team has to have…as it is the most important part of team building…this is a quality I’d look for if I was deciding on whether this team will succeed or not……
The Blazer’s have let minor distractions get in the way of preparing for this season, so we will see if they can come together…they are only putting a lot of extra pressure on themselves, when they assume too much, and read too many articles of concern… the coaches have a responsibility to connect the dots….fundamental basketball is essential to get you on track and will always be the most reliable source for success…..
Thanks
I believe in working hard, and if the Blazers are willing to knuckle down and do that, they are going to have good things happen to them.
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 11:51 AM PST up reply actions
Good Job
I think you make some good points and communicate them rationally and clearly. Good Job. Keep writing. I enjoyed reading your piece.
The only thing I would debate is the following sentence: “But it’s defense, not offense, that wins championships.”
I’ve heard others say similar things, but it’s my opinion that at a Championship level it’s both. I’ve never seen a championship team that wasn’t excellent at both.
If you watch the Blazers right now you’ll see that nothing is given with offense in the N,B.A. . You must have a complete and diverse offensive game. Outside, Inside, Perimeter and Post. Defense is also critical of course, so I guess I just don’t like the “Either/Or” semantics. Championship teams are great offensive and defensive teams.
But that’s a minor issue. Plus debate/discussion is what you want to create. Keep up the good work.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
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