Encouraging signs

excluding the win or add it in....the team had many more positives than negatives

1. they won the game

2. rip city is back (almost) but at least the jerseys are

3. inside game (almost) LMA still hasn't quite got it, but Greg and Andre and most of the rest of the team

4.most free throws were made (atta boy Greg)

5.some good team defense (at times) with some hard work on their big guns....Blake chased Parker and made him work... Oden did a fine job on Duncan and really outplayed him on both ends for the most part...

6.refreshing new offense....thanks boys .....Andre does have his place and so does Blake (was this genius or a stab in the dark) oh and thank you Roy, you let Andre run the team and call the plays ......and the result was (and hopefully still is) a "Team"...not just Roy and LMA and the rest spectators

7. The coming out of Oden (both offense and defense)......I think Nate has awakened as well(at least the swelling in his head has gone down)....as Andre took over and got the whole team participating.....Hey LMA get a little closer to the hoop man, it's lonely in there for Greg & Pryz.....We like dunks a whole lot better than your pop out jumpers

8.transition game much improved ( to defense)......(Don't forget what you learned from this game boys) Note:part of poor defensive transition is from crashing the offensive boards, so sometimes it gets to be trade off  or some sort of 'in between" for the perimeter players

9. Greg is getting it!...I just have to keep saying this .....he's starting to get in better position to defend without fouling He's using his big body to get the defender on his hip and he has developed some moves to score....this cannot be understated on how this will help the team....

Negatives

1. We didn't lose (oops that's a positive)

2.passing the ball still needs some work  (cutting to, back door,and pick and roll to the hoop ; there was a little but still not enough) still confusion when we pushed the ball (fast break; no, not quite yet ..... a lot of rust to bust off first .......hopefully Nate will let them grow and get their wings (I realize this is not Roy's and Blake's game but this needs to happen even if only in a modified form)

3.didn't play 48 minutes (but outside of a few "what the hell are you doing plays" and some defensive lapses we played a solid 35)

4.LMA ....he was the only guy that has not yet bought in to the(hopefully) new style...it goes against his grain,  and he will be a bit lost at first, but he needs to get inside...we have plenty of outside scoring and his game should be 15 feet and in....with the "and in" part as at least 50 % of  that.

5. Option plays and broken sets are getting us up against the clock to much....(hopefully this will get better as we adapt to the new style)

6. transition to offense still has a long way to go .....No flow yet (lot of confusion from not doing it much)

7. it appears that Nate has finally broken away from the mundane and lifeless offensive sets ( he must have been listening to the "good guy" on his shoulder) or maybe he likes being a head coach in Portland instead of an assistant in N.Y.?