Can someone teach the Blazers how to post pass?
by hawkblogger on Nov 3, 2009 8:27 AM PST
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A lot of time is spent bemoaning the lack of interior offense with the Blazers. Some point the finger at LMA for settling for jumpers. Others point at the lack of sets run for Oden. Perhaps the biggest impediment to our post game is just getting the guys the friggin' ball!
Is anyone else getting sick of seeing Greg or LMA establish position in the post and the passer being unable to get the ball to them?
In a typical post passing situation, the passer needs to decide whether to bounce it in via a low feed or lob it up high. Making the proper decision involves noticing where the defender is, and where the hardest spot would be for the defender to reach the ball. A great post pass means that a post player does not have to relinquish an inch of the position they've worked so hard to establish, but the post player must come to meet the ball if necessary. Most players have a preference of whether they like to receive a post pass up high or have it bounced in. Those are things you learn over time and during practice conversations.
Increasingly, we're seeing teams switch to "fronting" the post player. In this case, the post player essentially must do a "reverse" post by pushing the defender away from the basket enough that the passer has enough distance between the player and the basket to lob a pass in.The Blazers have shown ZERO ability to get this done. Once a team decides to front our post players, it's pretty much game over. And once again, it's not because of the post players. Greg is pushing his defenders almost to the free throw line, but the pass rarely, if ever, is attempted.
Now, I acknowledge that lobbing a pass to a post player who is being fronted is more difficult. The reason being that: (1) it's a feel pass more than a direct pass (2) there is almost always a weakside defender ready to sandwich the post player should a pass be attempted. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be attempting the pass. In fact, we are ignoring one of our nightly advantages by not attempting that pass. When you do get a weakside defender rotating over, it's always means someone is open. As we have all painfully witnessed with the Blazers, slow or incomplete defensive rotation leads to some of the easiest buckets in the NBA.
That's not even taking into account the very real possibility of the fronted post player getting the ball with nobody between them and the basket, which can happen when a weakside rotation is late or nonexistent.
Frankly, with the lack of interest and persistence I've seen in post passing on the Blazers, it's no wonder why a guy like LMA would choose to float out and shoot jumpers. Banging in the post is hard work, and not getting any benefit for that work is unacceptable.
This is something I put directly on the coaches. Post passing is not a natural skill for many ball players. It can, however, be taught. Practice post passing routinely. Get on players for missing post players who have established position. Reward players who show a proclivity for post passing with more playing time.
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I should point out
Juwan Howard is among the best post passers in the NBA. I have not seen it as much, but I heard Andre Miller was good at it in the pre-season as well.
Steve Blake and Brandon are among the least willing and seemingly least confident when it comes to post passing.
Travis Outlaw should never pass. Ever. :) just kidding, but man, it’s an adventure with him
Bring back the Uncle Cliffy!
I Think what you meant to say
was he (outlaw) should never try a difficult pass, but he SHOULD pass the ball more often, AKA every touch he has. But he should also make sure to pass it to someone wearing the same color and style of jersey as his. He can look down at his own jersey first to double check if he needs to, thats fine with me..
I think what you meant to say
is that Outlaw should never receive a pass unless he is ready to score
that's closer to the truth
frankly, I think we are better off when travis shoots than when he passes. I’ve lobbied to have him pass more for seasons only to be horrified by what I see when he actually makes the attempt. If he was a quarterback, his passer rating would be like 35.4.
Bring back the Uncle Cliffy!
I've noticed this too
Seems like there’s no commitment to the post.
Gotta put this on the coaching staff. The game is like a chess battle. There should be a sufficient counter move, but we’re not finding it (unless that counter move is a three pointer)
Yellow Mamba FTW!
I agree 100%. Coaching needs to demand the players pass the ball into the post.
Even if it means having them practice it for 2 hours per day for the rest of the season. IMO, if Bayless learns how to feed the pass into Oden and LMA (who really floats out because he does not receive the ball well when he gets deep position), he should start. Whoever feeds the ball into the post starts. If they had to start Howard as the PG for one game, so be it. Defensive nightmare for us, but it might stress the point. I played center, and NOTHING took me out of the game quicker than being ignored when I pushed my man literally within a foot of the basket and not getting the ball. The reason for not getting it doesn’t matter. 3-4 post ups without the ball and I’d start hanging around the 3 point line to draw the defender out and only run in for rebounds. No sense posting up if the ball won’t come when I have position. The guys I were playing against were small, I can only fathom how much work it takes for Oden to post up. Not getting the ball is absurd. If he makes mistakes, so be it. Basketball is fun as a center when your team feeds you, it’s not fun when they ignore you.
Yep, as a lifelong post player I totally agree.
Nothing more frustrating than getting position (and maybe even a mismatch) and having the ball-handler’s eyes skim over you as if you aren’t there.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
as a guard.
It is always the first thing I look for coming down the court. who’s the closest to the basket and how can I get him the ball.
Seriously, it can’t be that hard. It’s a grade school concept, right up there with the 3 man weave.
Perhaps something changes when you play on real hardwood vs blacktop? Naw….
Why we don’t see more low block pick and roll is beyond me when we have one of the biggest frontcourts in the league. why we don’t see more dribble drive to the pick and pull back to dish to the big is beyond me. Blake did it once last game and it resulted in a foul on oden and 2 free throws (that he made). He didn’t even need to use the pick and roll to do it, just fake the pick and roll and let the big man slide in.
But, I regress, I am not Nate and I don’t know what he’s thinking. Been racking my brain trying to figure it out though, but to no success.
Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'. -the shawshank redemption.
Rec'd
This why I want Miller in the starting 5. On another note, with Allen Iverson already whining about not starting in Memphis and coach Lionel Hollins statting point blank that an Iverson/Conley/Mayo lineup won’t work for defensive reasons, my pipe dream of attaining the PG who knows exactly when, where, and how to get the big man the ball has new life.
I hate Comcast.
Card carrying member of Team Bayless
I believe in Greg Oden
The problem with starting miller
Is that he can’t hit the 3, which collapses the defense and contributes to a clogged middle (not that Blake is helping a lot in that regard).
"Its not that I can't read and write, its just that I don't like to read and write."
-Charlie
My counterpoint to that
is that Martell and Rudy (and even Travis, to a more streaky extent) can serve the essential function of spacing the floor when Miller is out there. I’d rather see that than watch Blake struggle to get it to the bigs.
I hate Comcast.
Card carrying member of Team Bayless
I believe in Greg Oden
by blazeraddict on Nov 3, 2009 11:33 AM PST up reply actions
while still being a threat for the kickout from Roy!
Amen….!
"Do me a favor. Put your lip over your head... and swallow." Max Goldman
Yes
Roy can kick it out to Miller cutting to the hoop, where he’s a good finisher. Or Roy can use Miller like he did Jarrett Jack: catch a breather on the weak side while Miller penetrates and scores or draws fouls.
A major problem with the Roy-centric offense is that it requires Roy to save his energy for offense. For the Blazers to progress, they need all five guys to be playing hard at both ends all game long. Playing alongside Miller, Roy won’t have to carry the load as much offensively. Once the two get a feel for playing together, that is.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
Roy and Miller definitely need to figure it out together...
The difficulty is that neither is a staunch defender (Roy can be at times) and most teams have either a potent PG or SG. IF they playing alongside Rudy or Blake in a 3G lineup we are likely to get burned at one of those positions….
"Do me a favor. Put your lip over your head... and swallow." Max Goldman
I'm completely sick of a Roy-centric offense
Kobe never had any success with it and AI never had any success with it and Jordan only had success with it (a) in the triangle offense (b) because he was Jordan.
No single player can win a championship or even a playoff series on their own and no team is going to succeed by relying on a 1 vs 5 offense.
"Its not that I can't read and write, its just that I don't like to read and write."
-Charlie
by ninjasocks on Nov 3, 2009 10:09 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
It's a matter of focus...
Nate’s focus on offense is… well, apparently, to pass the ball around the perimeter until a 3 opens up, or until Roy gets it…
This has to change for the Blazers to become champions.
Feed the big man! And if he passes it back out because he’s doubled… either take the open shot, or wait 2 seconds, and REpost.
I agree with you, Blake has not clue one how to make an entry pass to a player on the low post. (Or, how to make e high pass off the P+R, although I did see him hit Joel with a bounce pass – of course, because the ball was low, he got stripped, but it’s something…) It’s been driving me crazy for over a year now…
And that is reason #1 why Miller should start. Because he and Oden could establish the post early.
And it’s absolutely a fault of the coaching staff. It’s not that tough of a pass, especially when you’re throwing it to a mountain like Greg… Just get it up there! (I remember on opening night, BLake make two horrid entry passes within a few minutes – but LMA on one play, and Greg on another, made great plays to go get the ball, and were fouled…)
Feed the big men!!!!
by Visionary2 on Nov 3, 2009 8:51 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
The re-post
Is one of the essential championship plays. The lakers and spurs used it extensively in the play offs to allow the center to get position, see the defensive scheme, reset the 3 in the key count, and know where the primary defensive option for help coverage is going to come from.
Rec for the title alone!
I have seen numerous times that Greg has his man sealed off and the only thing between he and the rim is air. Easy dunk (or could be).
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
Amen
This deficiency in the Blazers’ game has been the most disappointing aspect of the early season to me, especially after hearing so much about Oden’s work over the summer and reports of his improved offense in training camp. I put this mainly on Nate’s shoulders. It appears that low post offense is just not part of his mindset on offense. I do not believe that the players lack the ability since they seem to have no problem passing to LMA in the post. Rather, it looks like except for the first few possessions in the 1st quarter, the perimeter players rarely look to feed the low post, either Oden or Joel. About the only guy to consistently pass into the post is Rudy, which may be another reason to try him some more at PG. Blake and Roy rarely pass into the low post. Miller probably would look to do so, but he hasn’t played enough with Oden on the court together to know. Maybe that is another reason McMillan is starting Blake over Miller.
Although the majority of the blame goes to the coaching staff, I also put a little bit of the responsibility on Greg himself. He needs to demand the ball, and give his teammates an earful during timeouts and practices when he is not getting it. Can you imagine Shaq not making a big fuss if he didn’t get the ball enough when he was a rookie or 2nd year player??
Totally agree...
These guys are only open for a second or two but we have trouble recognizing it quickly enough. As such, the defender rolls around to the front or side making it more difficult. It is not so much about hitting ‘em when they are open but hitting ’em as they get open. Rudy (and maybe Miller) seems to be the best at anticipating when a guy is going to be open. Sergio was pretty good at this as well. Some people see this kind of play as ’flashy’, I see it as ‘timely’. Good passing encompasses anticipation (and timeliness) as much as pin-point accuracy…
I would also agree that Greg needs to demand the ball and let people know about it when he is open and does not get it. Nate needs to follow suit.
"Do me a favor. Put your lip over your head... and swallow." Max Goldman
I agree with you to a point
But Greg shouldn’t be demanding the ball yet, his offense game is just not there yet. Roy and LMA are far more established offensive players, so they should get it more. But both Roy and LMA can post and both can be very effective posting, so why do we see LMA post up about 5 times out of his 14 shots per game, and Roy almost never do it?
This has always been my complaint about coach Nate, his offensive sets are UNIMAGINATIVE! That may work during the regular season when teams are playing you on a back to back or with only 1 day to prepare while flying cross-country. But in the playoffs when teams have time to prepare for it, Houston proved that it can be stopped. Nate needs to try and install an offensive set that doesn’t involve the pick and roll, how about posting Roy at the high post, or even low post and let him create from there? That is something we have seen Roy can do, but rarely tries to do. How about the often mentioned, but rarely seen high low between LMA and Oden? Or a back door screen and cut? It happened once with Blake but then never even tried again, that should be happening 5+ times a game.
I love nate, and think he is the best coach for this team, but he needs to improve just as badly as Oden does on the offensive end. And I don’t care about how efficient this offensive was last year, that was last year and the offensive rebounds the team grabbed made that number better than it should have been. The Blazers are a mid-range jump shooting team that gets very very few easy buckets, there is not efficient about that.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
It's a chicken or egg question
Oden is not very proficient on offense yet, but IMO he will not become so until he gets more chances in real games. He’s worked on it during the offseason, and apparently flashed it during pre season, but regular season games are another story entirely. He and the Blazers need to endure the growing pains to get him there. He is just too big of a threat to neglect it. Look at what happens already when he gets the ball down low. He frequently gets doubled as it is (even though he is really no more than a threat at this point). And he usually passes quite well out of the double team, which creates open players and mismatches elsewhere on the court.
I said Greg needs to demand the ball more, but that is only partly true. We all know he wants to get along and fit in, and probably it isn’t really in his nature to make waves about not getting the ball. So this really also falls on Nate and a team leader like Roy. They should pull Greg aside and instruct him to demand the ball more. That’s what a good coach would do to a young, developing superstar who still struggles with his ego and confidence….
by socalblazer on Nov 3, 2009 10:56 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
agreed there
and really that is more of what i was trying to say, Nate needs to demand the ball go into Greg, because Greg doesn’t have the offensive chops to do it himself.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
Nate is too restricting
They are all too scared to make a turnover.
by BarelyLegal on Nov 3, 2009 9:53 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
FEAR
Whether it’s Nate or some other reason, the fear of making a turnover is clear. It’s not just on exhibit during post entry passes. It’s also the primary reason this team can’t score any fastbreak points. You will never convince me that every single Blazer is fundamentally incapable of running a fast break. They have played basketball their whole lives. They are in the NBA. They have run 3-2, 2-1 drills for 15 years!!! Yet no matter who gets the ball on the break, that person consistently passes the ball too soon or too late. They are simply afraid of making a mistake and it completely cripples their ability to make a quick decision on the break. It’s sad really- for a team with a lot of athleticism, good rebounding and an incredibly fast big man in Aldridge. The fact is this team actually most of the attributes of a great fastbreaking team. They simply don’t have the mentality.
by TPfor3 on Nov 3, 2009 10:41 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
A sad rec....
I hope you’re wrong, and Nate was just holding the reins while his young team developed… Hoping to see that soon….
Does it need a mindset shift from Brandon?
It took a while for MJ and Kobe to buy into a program where they weren’t single handedly trying to carry their teams. With Kobe, the shift didn’t happen until Phil Jackson came to town (and they even had Shaq).
Right now the Blazers paradigm is Brandon centric. Brandon and Nate grew the franchise together into a successful program. So its harder to shift away from what got you to this point in the first place. Maybe when we lose many games even though Brandon is pouring in 40+ pts, we might shift to a different strategy.
Last years failure against specific teams with a Brandon centric model would be reason to explore a shift. But success could make for short memories, and would sweep our deficiencies under the carpet.
To this extent, I am happy with the huge free throw disparity. Brandon is league leader in FTs, but most of his attempts are coming in the second half. Maybe the staggering disparity in first half will be impetus for the team to explore other means to impose their muscle.
The team is emphasizing defense. But free throw disparity usually means foul trouble, which then reduces aggressiveness on defense. The vicious circle spirals out of control because the refs favor the aggressor. So oddly enough, being timid on offense loses the refs respect and limits aggressiveness on defense as well.
On a related topic, front-line post-up offense might allow our guards to get back on defense better. As compared to Brandon penetrating and expecting the other guard to be an outlet in the corner. However, post-up offense might reflect in fewer offensive rebounds, if our star rebounders are initiating the offense.
by FromAfar on Nov 3, 2009 10:26 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
yes!
Everyone knows it is Brandon’s team and he is the first option. But I see the weakest part of his game is playing off of others and without the ball. Rarely do you see him setting screens for others, cutting through the lane without the ball, or even going after O-boards (unless its his own). He gets his assists off of driving and kicking out and not driving and dishing (to the post) or passing into the post.
It seems like Miller has been told that he needs to adjust to Brandon’s game and not vice versa. I believe Brandon can (and needs to) get better by playing off the ball. I would hate to think that he has reached his ceiling so soon…
"Do me a favor. Put your lip over your head... and swallow." Max Goldman
Thank you for this post--Rec
I’ve observed that Blazer ball handlers, on those rare occasions when they DO attempt a post pass, almost NEVER throw it HIGH enough! (Blake & Roy are prime offenders.) It’s as though turning the ball over by throwing an entry pass too high or far were somehow worse than turning it over by letting the fronting defender pick it off.
When GO gets fronted, unless he’s being double-teamed, there’s usually plenty of room to toss the pass up over the defender’s head where only GO can get it. Yet that’s never where the pass goes. Do the guys think GO can’t go up and get it?
Sure, that pass requires touch and must be practiced. But the same could be said for 15 foot jumpers, and the guys are willing enough to attempt THOSE.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
Right on target!
Greg had twice pinned a Rockets defender down low on Saturday and Travis looked in there, like “Maybe I should throw the ball to him.” Of course, by the time he made the calculation, other hands were in there. As low as Greg was, just catching the pass would probably earn a foul.
And, yes, throw the damn ball HIGH. GO, if you ever get one of those high passes, don’t bring it down, THROW it down.
Notice how nicely the L*kers get the ball to Andrew Bynum. He doesn’t have as much work to do as Greg does because of where they feed him the ball. Of course, Greg has to keep working on recognizing where to be and setting up for the pass.
Hey, and let Pryz have an occassional touch down there.
What's funny
…is that the best lobbed post entry pass I’ve seen this entire year was by Oden.
"HA HA HA HA HA
I'm not laughing, I'm just listing the five ugliest Blazers ever."
- rockingharder
I think LMA also sent a nice one into GO on one occasion
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
When he started to throw it,
I was somewhat concerned, then I thought to myself, "He is probably trying to send a message, isn’t he. Way to go GO!"
The best players only try to, "do it all," themselves when it is a playoff necessity or, on occasion, to put on a show. Other than that, the game is easy for them, and they are just having fun and getting a workout in. There is no need to belabor the point!
Feeding the post needs to come from the Wings not the Point
This is the inherent problem with our offense as it stands today. The point guards or Roy usually starts the offense at the top of the key looking for screens and then trying to penetrate into the teeth of the defense. They then react by shooting or kicking to the wings who are in the deep corners (looking for threes). None of those results in a good angle or spacing to dump the ball in the post.
Ideally the point should pass to the wing inside the three point line at an angle where they can dump the ball into the post. The point guard should then clear out (to take his man with him) so the post player has the most room to operate.
Until we change our offense, our post passes will be rare and extremely difficult.
"I saw him in the face" Sergio's quote on the latest alley-oop to Rudy.
by blazermaniac32 on Nov 3, 2009 12:06 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
exactly, it all comes down to ball movement
If a post defender knows where the entry pass is going to come from, he’s not going to have a hard time stopping it. He’ll either push as hard as he can to move the post player out of a dangerous position, or deny the entry pass and try to steal it. But if the ball is moved to the corner, often the player in the corner can zip the ball along the baseline as the post player puts the defender on his hip, giving him a clear path to the basket. Otherwise, if you make a pass or two to reverse the ball to the opposite wing, the post player can move quickly across the lane and typically take up a great position on the other side (and sometimes the other big can give him a screen to help even more). As it stands, the Blazers have looked very stagnant on offense. We’ll make one pass, look to make the totally predictable entry pass. If that pass isn’t there, or the post player kicks it back out having been well defended, the offense stagnates and none of the perimeter players look for a later entry pass after using ball movement to scramble the defense. This is easy to stop.
by atomiccafe on Nov 3, 2009 12:16 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Both points excellent!
The entry angle of the pass as well as crisp ball movement (and, perhaps, courage) are critical to making the effective post pass.
Now, Miller can create great angles off the dribble, if he ever played with Greg we might see that. But until the offense isn’t designed to pass around the 3 point line until something open’s up, the post pass is going to be tough.
I do have faith that as Oden’s game matures, the guy’s confidence in Greg getting them an assist and not a turnover will lead to more entry passes…
like it or not
I think this is exactly why we targeted turkeypooh this summer. The ability of a point forward to work in our system is ideal. I can’t say I’m a fan of that guy, but I can understand why we went after him anyway. (still glad we didn’t get him).
Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'. -the shawshank redemption.
Word word and word again!!
I’ve been screamin it since forever…. BRANDON don’t know how to throw a post pass…black blake can’t, rudy’d be the only one (aside from miller) that even know’s what a post pass is…
agree 100% that our team sucks big butt at getting the ball to our bigs in the post. (emphasis on the Period)
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
"New Man Law: If you don't show up for the draft you don't get to come later if you're picked. If you believe in yourself, show up and sit there. If nobody else believes in you, take it and cry like a man...in front of the cameras."
-Dave
Fail
What is a “black blake”?
Go Blazers!
by Rip City Mike on Nov 3, 2009 1:47 PM PST up reply actions
uh... a blake that isn't white?
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
"New Man Law: If you don't show up for the draft you don't get to come later if you're picked. If you believe in yourself, show up and sit there. If nobody else believes in you, take it and cry like a man...in front of the cameras."
-Dave
Watch the blazers run a pick and roll is almost as painful as watching them defend one.
There is never a pass to the big rolling to the basket. Ever. About half the time the guard moves before the big is set causing an offensive foul call on the big. Of which we no longer have an overabundance, btw. The other half the time the guard moves so far behind the pick that the defender can just cruise through without getting picked.
I’m not a big “fire nate” guy. I’m sure he knows more than I do. But the inability to run the pick and roll, even more than the inability to defend it seems to be a coaching problem. That and the bigs switching on to Aaron Brooks after a pick. Man that has got to stop.
Both correct...
The pick and roll needs to be every team’s bread-and-butter play. What, does nobody remember Stockton and Malone? Now THAT play you could run all night in the 4rth, because there are so many options off of it that a D can’t ever just douvble one guy and shut it down.
I agree:
- Why don’t the Blazers guards know enough to wait for the big to set the pick?
- Why don’t the bigs know how to set a good solid pick?
- When the big rolls, why doesn’t the guard know how to make that lob pass?
And WHY don’t the bigs take a step or two toward the opposing guard to slow him down, while our guards fight through the pick and get back defending their guy??
Nate? Anybody?
Man, this is an awesome topic.
Someone pointed earlier our guards (Blake, Roy) are too scared to make that entry pass. I agree. Really, if you watch Rudy, or Andre, or even Sergio, (and Juwan?) they don’t even hesitate. It’s in their instincts. They don’t even think about the possibility of a turnover. Roy and Blake rather over think it. They have a much more conservative style and it’s no surprise, therefore, that they’re favored by their equally conservative coach.
Was Nate ever required to make frequent entry passes?
For the few years that Nate was starting PG, the Sonics didn’t real have a post-em-up front line. By the time Sam Perkins and Shawn Kemp joined the team, Gary Payton was playing as the primary PG, and Nate was backup defensive specialist.
Good point.
I can’t really remember. The Nate/Gary Payton past fascinates me though. I think there’s some strong subtext there. I remember the myriad “flashy” highlights of the Glove throwing insane lobs to the Reignman for those awesome dunks. And usually off a fastbreak. It’s curious to this day Nate doesn’t encourage this type of play.
I guess I see it differently...
I mentioned this in another thread and I may be the only one that sees it this way but watch Greg tonight .
Greg needs to learn how to REALLY establish low post position. Right now he goes to the post stands straight up with his feet close together, barely puts a hand up for the ball while his defender easily blocks the passing lane, then he backs out to the weak side. I have been around basketball most of my life and that is not how you establish post position. You have to get low and wide and seal your man behind (sometimes in front) of you, command some space and demand the ball. You have to provide a target for the entry pass. As big and strong as Greg is he will be able to do that but he’s not so good at it now.
As far as Aldridge goes he doesn’t really set up low either. Generally he tries to set up a few feet out from the key and up from the low block. That position makes the angle all wrong for a wing entry pass and awkward from the top. When he does get the ball in that spot it causes him to have to do that back in dribble move that Scola had figured out so well in the playoffs and poked away the ball or “flopped”.
Everyone says Andre Miller is great at entry passes. How many times has he made them for us? Not many… Maybe that’s because they aren’t available.
GO BLAZERS!!!
Agreed!
But at the same time, as many others have pointed out, Greg and LMA must be able to PASS OUT of the double-team once they get the ball!
Agreed. The SEAL baby.
Greg is really good at it when players front him. He seals them off and has nothing but hardwood in front of him all the way to the hoop. Our guards need to take a chance and lob it over the defender to get him some eeeeeasy buckets. One or two of those a game and they will front Greg a lot less. allowing him to pound and punish ( and hopefully not turn the ball over ).
People are going to be surprised, but Batum is an excellent post passer
I noted his passing skills several times last year. He’s the one player on the team who is not afraid of zipping the ball to the post, often times before the defender was set. This allows the post player to establish a great position with the ball.
Oden typically does a good job of getting good post position and sealing off his defender. I can’t say the same for LMA. He is often pushed out from his position into the wings, not only by power forwards, but smaller players like Wally Z and Corey Maggette. When it comes down to it, the Blazers have one reliable player who can get a good position and demand double teams. Wait, actually two players, Oden and Miller. Unfortunately our coach is not willing to take advantage of Miller’s post skills on smaller PGs.
"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith
The other player who isn't scared to try that is Rudy
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but he tries to hit cutters on the move. It’s really a bit sad our point guards don’t yet do.
But slowly things happen that they cannot help and the Blazers Fellowship of the Ring begins to break apart
lol post pass to who??
Our fumbly-fingered foul machine?
Our 6’11" softy jump-shooter?
Our stiffy wormanlike backup center who can’t throw it in the ocean?
Blazer Fan
that s/b workmanlike, not womanlike
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Nov 4, 2009 11:15 AM PST up reply actions
hallelujah
I was yelling at the TV the other night when Oden was getting fronted, had his hand up, and Blake wouldn’t throw him the ball. It’s an easy lob to his hand and a drop step dunk or foul from a help defender every time. Oden generally gets good position, but by the time the ball gets there, if ever, the defender has had time to adjust. Brandon and Outlaw are terrible/unwilling entry passers as well. Many of the turnovers Greg gets in the post are a result of late or poor entry passes. To my mind, this is the number one issue that needs to addressed for the Blazers to make the next step- accessing the post and then playing off of it.
As far as Nate’s responsibility for it, it seems like he always talks about wanting to establish the post and run the fast break, but it never happens. The idea that Nate and Brandon have overinvested in the Brandon-centric one on five offensive scheme seems about as plausible as any. Habits born of the lean old days need to be changed in lieu of the riches the team now possesses. The sooner the better, as last night’s offense was virtually unwatchable.
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