Not Time to Panic

by halo_on on Nov 4, 2009 3:15 PM PST

It's not time to panic fellow Blazermaniacs.

Remember that we won 54 games last season after starting with the exact same record of 2-3.

In fact looking through the game logs we were actually outscored by 35 points overall in 08/09 through the first five games. Of course the Laker game is a bit of an outlier. They won the championship. But even if we erased that win we were still outscored by 15 points. The games have been much closer this season than people think. The loss to Atlanta last night was the worst of this season and only by 6 points. Why then are some fans panicing? We didn't just automatically get better by adding Miller over Sergio and starting Oden/Webster. Young teams don't have a great track record of improving immediately after major roster changes.

Consider the following dramatic differences when you think big picture.

- Greg Oden is now a starter. Joel is averaging 10 less minutes/game this season vs. last.
- Martell Webster (a pure scorer) replaces Nicolas Batum (defender who plays well w/o the ball).
- Andre Miller (a scoring PG who looks for his own shot) replaces Sergio Rodriguez.
- Rudy Fernandez would like his role expanded.
- Travis Outlaw's future is undecided with the team.

..and then consider who we've played so far:

Houston is an underrated team given injuries. They hustle, play big and are well coached.
Denver was in the western conference finals last year.
Some have the Thunder stealing that #8 seed in the west this season.
Hawks are probably the #4 seed in the east right now.

So rest easy everyone. Give Nate some time. If the team is sub .500 heading into late December, go ahead and hit the panic button. Our first major back to back is 12/19 & 12/20 at ORL/MIA followed by 12/22 & 12/23 at DAL/SA. If we don't have our act together by then, I'll be very worried. I know we're all expecting last season's late effort this year. But the team was different last season. Our effort hasn't been there at times but we'll figure it out. Nate is a really good coach and he's surrounded by guys who WANT to win. They really do.

Also, an interesting footnote:

1. Both of our wins this year Oden played pushing 30 minutes/game.
2. Both of our wins this year Outlaw played OVER 30 minutes/game.

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Comments

f that i am panic mode

Just watching them play like a bunch of high school kids gives me anxiety. I find myself stressed out and riled up after games which I am watching for enjoyment.

You can’t hide the fact they are playing like crap and nate looks confused as hell and has no clue what to do.

Those are facts

by blazermania92983 on Nov 4, 2009 3:59 PM PST reply actions

i agree with you 110 percent i had it

with their excuses

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches.

by Nad on Nov 4, 2009 9:49 PM PST up reply actions

what I wouldnt give for a VanGundy right now........

by blazermania92983 on Nov 4, 2009 4:01 PM PST reply actions

for one

i think that nate needs to quit switching the lineup so often. keep travis in there a little more often instead of swapping him for webster every 5 mins. oden being in the game longer depends on his ability to ACTUALLY stay in the game by not fouling.

by jeremyse on Nov 4, 2009 4:01 PM PST reply actions

My biggest problem

23+17 does not equal 48.

That needs to change. Unless they are averaging 12 fouls between them there is no reason for us to play 8 minutes without a centre in my mind.

"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 4, 2009 4:33 PM PST reply actions

oh my god! oh my god! oh my god!

trade Travis, fire Nate, double Roy’s contract

by Escrote on Nov 4, 2009 4:40 PM PST reply actions

You hit it right on the money. I think a major reason why we're losing is that Roy isn't happy with his contract. He deserves double after all the work he has put in for the franchise.

Love.

by L-TrainFTW! on Nov 4, 2009 5:05 PM PST up reply actions

Dont fire Nate

Go old school. Starting PG Nate McMillian! Blazers are coached by Nate McMillian. Player/Coach! Like Chocolate Thunder did in Winnipeg!

Its delightful, its delicious, its delug

by GertJohnnys on Nov 4, 2009 7:17 PM PST up reply actions

It just occurs to me (finally!) how to define Martell Webster.

You said he’s “a pure scorer.” No. Not at all. He’s a pure shooter. And he’s not that great a shooter, though his form tends to beguile. He looks good all alone in the gym.

A pure scorer drives to the basket, gets fouled, pulls up when he needs to or feels like it, and in general finds a way to score — over and over again, as needed, all game long.

I watched the replay of the Blazers/Atlanta game and paid particular attention to that little spell in the 3rd period when Martell scored 8. I wanted to see if they ever passed him the ball again. Well, they did. And he never took a dribble or a shot. He was arguably wide open for an immediate 3 pointer at least once, and he didn’t pull the trigger. He showed no, uh, aggressive tendency whatsoever.

I’ll leave it to others — it’s not my job — to chart Martell’s movements and touches on offense in an obsessive (but highly interesting) manner — but early on… it’s the same Martell as two years ago, and that was a perhaps promising but medicore player at best, who looks scared to shoot or make a move.

I don’t know if this mindset is Nate’s fault or not. He seems inclined to pull some players quickly when they make a mistake. Is it true that the more invisible Martell is the longer he plays?

ignacio

by ignacio on Nov 4, 2009 7:40 PM PST reply actions

Wow the naysayers are determined so consider further

Portland has lost to Houston, Denver and Atlanta.

Combined those three teams have a record of 12-3 through 11/4/2009

One is the Western Conference leader with no losses

One is third in the Easter Conference with one loss

One is sixth is the Western Conference with two losses.

So who are those losses to?

Denver – nobody

Atlanta – LAL

Houston – Portland and LAL

So the desire to force feed how bad the losses are seems way too premature. Wait until we lose at home to the Clippers before throwing away the team’s chances to win the championship. Oh, wait – we did that last year and still finished tied for 2nd in the Western Conference.

Houston took LAL to the wire in overtime losing by one point. Denver is on an road trip and are steamrolling everyone. Atlanta is a very good team. Now LAL has a loss to Dallas but rumor has it that they might have a pretty good team as well. This is a small circle we live in so far.

Do we have to get better? Absolutely we do. But we are not done and we are not hopeless and no change the team can make in terms of personnel on or off the floor is warranted yet. Nate is testing and the players are responding (some well, some not so well). Will Brandon rise to the leadership position he wants by motivating the players to all-out effort? (Nate is giving him room to work here.) Will Andre learn and grow to play within the system more comfortably? Will Greg, LaMarcus and Joel learn and grow more about playing defense without fouling? Will our perimeter defenders learn to stay in front of their assignments and stop forcing the bigs into foul situations? Will Nate and coaches learn and grow about whom to play with whom when? Will some fans learn and grow to become more tolerant of mistakes and losses as this still very young team accomplishes the above? We simply do not know and only the last one is in our power to affect in the slightest.

"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster

by lee3022 on Nov 4, 2009 11:42 PM PST reply actions