With Each Amazing Victory My Frustration Grows
by seablaz on Jan 3, 2010 4:39 PM PST
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From Nate after the last game:
Well, I think it was, for me, it says, it's an old saying that it's amazing what you can do when no one cares who gets the credit. Ok, and I think early in the year we were concerned about minutes and rotation and shot attempts and combinations and this team is just playing. And they're playing free and they're playing guys whatever minutes they play with or get they're going out and they're making the most of it. They're rotating them in and they're executing down the stretch on both ends of the floor. I think you see a team now that's free as far as their thinking and how they're playing. They've been able to come up with some good wins."
The bottom line for me the past week is this: The Blazers (Brandon Roy+) are happy to be a 54 win, 1st round playoff team. Surround Brandon Roy with a bunch of guys who are just happy to be on the court. Make Brandon the central figure of the offense. And he'll be great. And the team will play together, "scrappy", inspired ball.
Give them the personelle to go further (a legit dominating center, a high caliber point guard, a deep supporting cast) and they self distruct with "concerns about minutes and rotations and shot attemps and combinations".
My initial reaction to each victory is euphoria, but it doesn't take long for that to fade and i'm left wondering... if we are this good playing without 6 rotation players, how good 'should' we have been with them? Why were we so much worse? What will prevent us from self destructing again as we add the pieces back (that will inevitably lead to the concerns mentioned above?)
I once heard a sportscaster say that you cannot underestimate the importance of having the right blend of experience on a team because older players know their roles. Juwan Howard won't complain playing 1 minute per game, even if it follows a period in which he plays 40. Maybe the "fix" is that we need a better mix of experience. We need to trade away some of our youth for comparibly talented seniority. Seniority that gives us more flexibility at the expense of future upside.
In any case, our recent play has been aggrevating because it makes me wonder what we should have been before.
What do y'all think?
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True but...
That was early season where some good teams often take a bit of time getting their team straight.
Maybe we are just going to have to live with Roy getting “warmed up” at the beginning of each season. LMA too.
In Bayless I trust.
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Maybe but
Not sure i totally buy that. didn’t take long for the newer lineups to gel. Lineup has been changing like crazy and we’re beating good teams. (later in the season when they’ve had time to gel) And i didn’t see any signs of progress indication that any gelling was taking place. Things actually seemed only to be getting worse each game.
Roy has started slow every year........
…..except when he was a rookie.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
More about number and less about mix
Having the right mix of players is important, but it’s not necessarily an age thing. Andre Miller is a veteran and he is clearly upset with his diminished role (he vented to Brian Smith in an interview today). And many young guys (e.g. Batum) seem more than happy to be role players.
I think what the Blazers injury issues have demonstrated, more than anything, is that there are benefits to playing with a shorter rotation. When you try to rotate in 10 or 11 guys, it can lead to disjointed play. You get too many different combinations of players and the guys don’t get enough time on the court to find a rhythm. When you play with a smaller rotation, 7 or 8 guys getting real minutes, they get a better feel for each other and they play enough to find a rhythm
I think a big part of the Blazers success of late is due to the simple fact that they are using less guys.
www.ripcitydispatch.com
good point. consolidation could be an important lesson too
I still get worried about Brandon’s comments about not knowing how to play when the offense runs through Greg or Andre. But point taken.
Good point.
There’s a reason that people say the step from good to great is much harder than the step from fair to good. Ego.
Based on what we’ve seen this year, it looks like Brandon has a big one.
"The only 'Advanced Metric' that matters is what you see with your eyes." -Timbo, Nov., 2009.
I hate to call someone out but, how do you know?
How do you know Brandon has an ego? Because he limited his offensive game to defer to Greg who was wildly inconsistent and caused a lot of the ups and downs on offense ea rly on? Because you believe based on something never said by anyone in the know that he prefers to play with Blake instead of Miller?
Fact is, Roy’s only statement that I recall specifically on the Miller/Blake issue was that he didn’t care who started or played with him most. Roy is the only consistent offensive player the Blazers have. In deferring his offense so the team could get Greg and others involved the offense struggled. The defense appeared to be better and the team won games. I never, ever heard Brandon say or do anything that indicated he was mad at not getting the ball.
he was clearly frustrated that the offense was at times horrible. And he is a fierce competitor as evidenced by the fact he was really the only Blazer that appeared truly disturbed at the quick exit from last years playoffs. Competitors want to win. And this team performs much more consistently on offense when Brandon dictates the pace and flow of the game.
Greg may be a good offensive player if he can stay healthy in 2-3 years; maybe. I’m not sure it makes sense to focus an offense around a guy that can’t shoot outside 5 feet for the most part. Maybe Roy was venting that once or twice but I don’t recall it. If he did vent it then good for him and it doesn’t make him egotistical in stating the obvious.
In the NBA, championships are won with guys that can get their own shot and create offense for others. Jordan, Magic, Bird, Duncan, Hakeem, DWade, Kobe. Not by engineering an offense around a big guy who can’t create for others (Howard).
The step up in consistency for the Blazers offense is due to the re-discovery that the offense runs through Brandon at all crucial moments in games. Consistency is what its all about. My take is until Greg can shoot outside 5 feet and command a double and pass out of it consistently well, run the offense through Brandon and let greg patrol the paint and get rebounds. That is a formula for championships.
I still have no idea where you get the idea that Brandon has some kind of big ego.
by jcuw94 on Jan 3, 2010 6:37 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
I believe that there was some comment about a pecking order made by brandon
although I agree that most of it is just blown up speculation.
Of course it's speculation.
That’s a lot of what we do on here. It’s a guess. But watching Brandon this year I have seen him make full effort only when everything depended upon him. Are there other explanations for this than his being pouty about the focus of the offense shifting away from him? Of course. Nate’s handling of Brandon is a prime alternate theory.
But in watching the way he underperformed, it seemed mental. And somehow, it seemed juvenile.
As for running the offense through Brandon, that is the point of the post, which I agree with. Eventually,to get to a championship level, we are going to have to do more than depend on one or two weapons. Sooner or later, we will be back where we were at the start of this season with the same mountain to climb. And we will climb it when Brandon is ready. He wasn’t this time around. But that’s ok. He’s young.
In the NBA, championships are won with guys that can get their own shot and create offense for others.
IMO championships are won with guys who know how to play together as a team.
"The only 'Advanced Metric' that matters is what you see with your eyes." -Timbo, Nov., 2009.
This is how I feel.
Brandon has the skills to be a truly great player, now he has to swallow his ego and put what is best for the team before his own needs.
they're young and learning
it’s not like it’s a given fact that they’re going to immediately go back to chemistry issues when the roster beefs back up. i don’t see at all how you get “The Blazers (Brandon Roy+) are happy to be a 54 win, 1st round playoff team.” just because guys are stepping up during hardship and young players gaining confidence. the early part of the season, i think maybe they thought they were going to coast by on talent mixed with miller/webster trying to fit back in and i think this recent awfulness will only get all of the guys on the roster a chance to play together in various configs and i doubt that we’ll see the same chemistry issues later on or next season.
I don't see that either...
I think there are many here, including this poster, that think if the team didn’;t smoothly run their offense through Greg right away and didn’t incorporate Miller right away then it’s Brandon’s fault and that Brandon somehow then doesn’t want to win championships. These are huge, wild leaps based on zero facts.
the fact is the team struggled on offense and struggled with their offensive identity early on due to having too many offensive players to try to keep happy in my opinion. Couple that with the offenseive inconsistency of Bayless, Martell, Rudy, Greg, blake,and even LMA and you get up and down games early on.
This team now is more reliant on Brandon offensively and Brandon is the only consistent offensive player on this roster. It makes them look better offensively. The defense is not dominant now and they will lose games because of missing Greg and Joel for sure. But if they give solid efforts on defense and in rebounding they will win games because Brandon is consisent making the offense more efficient and more consistent.
I think this team is fine and will incorporate Greg into the system next season and this original poster will be happy as will all the naysayers. But just because Brandon is stepping up his game by necessity, it doesn’t give rise to the premise that he can’t play with Greg or Andre. He is definitely meshing with Andre now and he will with Greg given time next season to do so.
The
offense was crap in the beginnng of the season. It had Roy not touching the ball for long periods and LA’s rythm took a large hit as well. I thought it was Dre but apparently it was Oden. It got so bad that Roy and LA had to have a meetng with Nate and Oden about roles on offense (before the houston game when oden went down) in that game you could see they were going to return to the same similar offense they ran last year. Let Roy be Roy and this team will be better off for it.
To me, that's one of the big problems...
That Roy and Aldridge can’t adapt to having a legit post presence (which oden wasn’t but he definately seemed to be going in that direction).
As Roy has proved lately, he doesn’t need that many shots to score big. In the end, was the problem shot numbers (how many shots was he getting pre/post Oden?) or just his frustration that the offense was running through Oden and not him?
Do you see the problem being that the offense was being run through Oden too much or that Brandon/LaMarcus couldn’t adapt to it?
I don't understand where this "frustration with Oden" idea is coming from.
For my money, it had much more to do with the middle being fuller on offense because the other team guarded Oden much differently than Przy, which made Roy’s penetration more dificult.
Oden was wildly inconsistent
When he was playing well, the team didn’t look so discombobulated. When he didn’t, they stunk. Running an NBA offense through a second year center who doesn’t have any consistency yet, was lame brain.
Run the offense through Roy, and work Oden by getting him easy buckets and let him clean the boards. He could score 12 pts a game, easy, on put backs and drive and dish’s. Let him get consistent at doing that, get his confidence up, then start SLOWLY running the offense through him until he gains some confidence, trust and it will eventually lead to consistency.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
We weren't "running an offense through a second year center"
I don’t know where this idea that Greg Oden was suddenly made the focal point of the offense overnight came from. Astute BE readers would remember that there were lots of complaints about Oden not getting the ball enough here, leading Ben to delve into the whole Oden possession charting hoopla. If you’ll recall with his last healthy game, the vast majority of his offense came from offensive rebounds. He may have taken 13 shots compared to 25 for Brandon, but the majority of those 13 shots were tip-ins and putbacks, not anything resulting from running the offense through him.
And in spite of that, our offense still wasn’t functioning well. Blaming Oden’s effect is being unfair to him. While his presence could conceivably have affected Brandon’s game, was Oden causing Blake, Miller, Rudy and Webster to go through awful shooting slumps, too? Did he somehow cause Joel to morph into 2005/2006 Joel instead of 2008/2009 Joel?
I understand Brandon may have wanted the ball in his hands more, but if we can’t get a guy of Oden’s talents 8-10 shots per game without being accused of running the entire offense through him, that’s an issue in my book.
#52
I agree and have the same frustrations
Right now there is no pressure on this team to win. When they were loaded at the beginning, there were big expectations and a lot of pressure and thus the team did not respond well.
Nate has shown he is great coaching an underdog type team, but hasn’t shown yet that he can successfully coach a loaded team. Hopefully everyone (including the players, KP, and coaching staff) learn a lot from this year and we become better next year for it.
If we don’t learn from our mistakes early in the season, we can expect nothing more than mediocrity from this team.
They can win all they want in the regular season. But they’ll never go far in the playoffs playing the way they did early in the season when they were mostly healthy.
I thought they played great at times before Greg went down...
This team had a point differential of over 7 when Greg went down. They were inconsistent on offense just because Brandon was deferring too much in my opinion. But their defense was at times very special. That’s why Nate praised Greg as being maybe their most consistent player – because his defense was great every night he wasn’t in foul trouble and his board work was spectacular at times.
I think this team will be great next year if Oden can come back healthy and stay healthy. The offense has to always run through Brandon at crucial times but other than that, i think things will be great for Portland fans next season if injuries can stay away.
you cannot underestimate the importance of having the right blend of experience on a team because older players know their roles.
This has been proven true throughout NBA history. Contending teams need a balance of youth and experience. KP added Miller and Howard this summer, as well as 3 rookies. Andre isn’t a perfect fit, but he’s enough of a pro to not complain too much. “Everyone” thought that Juwan was washed up (based on his stats from the past few years) but to his point he’s shown that this is far from the case.
The danger is having too many kids in their mid-20s who are competing for minutes and shots because they haven’t signed their big contract extensions, yet. This creates anxiety because their agents (and friends) are telling them they’re the bomb and should be getting a fair slice of the pie. While Portland was rebuilding, it was OK for KP to collect young talent, but now that they’ve crossed the threshold and are “contenders” a few of the younger players should be replaced by 30+ year-old vets who are more concerned about winning than their next contract.
It’s OK to keep a young “core” together, but that shouldn’t “extend out” to 8-9 players. Some of those roles should be filled by older vets, and the remaining spots can be covered by rookies (or 2nd-year players) who will accept whatever PT comes their way
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
couldn't have said it better than this:
It’s OK to keep a young "core" together, but that shouldn’t "extend out" to 8-9 players. Some of those roles should be filled by older vets, and the remaining spots can be covered by rookies (or 2nd-year players) who will accept whatever PT comes their way
How much more settled has Webster been with his new extension? He was essentially the only guy under 38 (good old Juwan) in training camp who seemed to come in and really commit wholeheartedly to the “sacrificing personal statistics for the team” mindset that was thrown about repeatedly in the preseason. There are really only enough minutes to go around for about 5 or 6 young players to really be happy with their PT, so those last few young guys are going to have a hard time buying in. It’s not like you even need to have ancient guys like Juwan in those roster spots, but just some established veterans in their mid to late 20’s or early 30’s who have figured out that they aren’t going to be all stars, but have carved out their own niches and are comfortable with that.
#52
It’s not like you even need to have ancient guys like Juwan in those roster spots
That’s true enough, I’d gladly take a 28-32 year-old veteran with loads of playoff experience. Chauncey Billups is the perfect example, just look at what he’s done for the Nugs, and how they’re struggling without him. Now, not all of the fringe veteran players need to be borderline all-stars like CB, some may be limited offensively but strong in other areas…there’s no replacement for experience in a playoff series, as Houston demonstrated last year
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I share your mixed feelings, Seablaz
It’s so great to see the team scrapping like this. But what happens when GO returns next season? For the team to contend, they’ll need to exploit GO at the offensive end. The Roy-centric offense isn’t a championship formula.
Obviously, this problem isn’t unique to the Blazers. Remember what happened when the Suns brought in Shaq? Yes, this wasn’t “prime Shaq.” But, on paper, his introduction shouldn’t have caused the Suns to fall apart like it did.
Nate’s gonna have his hands full next season just like he did early this season, I fear. Questions about GO’s reliablity health-wise will only exacerbate the problem.
The bottom line: I guess tossing it into the big guy just isn’t as fun as playing small ball. But small ball doesn’t win championships—EVER. You’ve gotta have that low post option and that eraser at the defensive end.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
Roy is Jordan, Batum is Pippen?
Well all-righty then, let’s trade Oden now because he’ll just be “in the way”
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I don't think that was the point
I don’t think you really thought that either.
Running an offense though an inconsistent center, by forcing it to him in the post, when that’s not Oden’s game, is silly. Was Oden looking better this year? Absolutely, I really enjoyed watching him. But that doesn’t mean he was ready to carry a team to the mythical championship everybody is talking about. How about taking it slow getting him the ball in positions for easy buckets. Get his confidence up that way. Then, a year or two down the road, he’ll be ready to dominate on the block.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
How about taking it slow getting him the ball in positions for easy buckets
I thought that’s what they were doing, especially when Miller was in the game. If anything, the complaints were that Greg wasn’t getting enough touches because he was extremely effecient with his still-limited offense skills
If Portland was running the traingle offense to perfection like MJ’s Bulls did, I’d be inclined to agree with you. But if the halfcourt choices are Roy ISO/PnR and feeding Oden with a lob pass, I’m going to choose door #2 >50% of the time
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Absolutely, I agree 100%
But how many times did you see Oden get the ball on the P’n’R? I think we’re talking about the same thing here. They dumped it to him in the post with his back to the basket too often, instead of finding him cutting across the key, or rolling or high low with aldridge or slipping the pick and throwing down.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
No, the Bulls didn't play "small ball"; they had low post options in Cartwright, Grant, etc.
They weren’t FEATURED options. But they were important in keeping defenses honest.
Even at that, the Bulls couldn’t have won those championships sans a major post presence if Jordan and Pippen hadn’t been so extraordinary. Roy is great, and I’m hopeful that Batum will keep developing. But those two will never be the dynamic duo that Jordan & Pippen were. If the Blazers are to win a championship, they’ll need to do it in a more conventional way.
The team was given the ultimate gift in “the Greg Oden draft.” Thru a miraculous bounce of the ping-pong balls, they got that rarest of NBA phenomena: a 7-footer with strength, timing, quickness, hands, touch, toughness, and a good character & work ethic. To fail to develop that guy as a weapon at BOTH ends would be the ultimate in folly.
Including GO in the offense will cramp Roy’s style. It won’t be as much fun for him, and his numbers will suffer. At times, it’ll seem like GO is just in the way. Who needs a dominant center anyway? Aside from the Bulls, didn’t the Lakers win an NBA finals Game 7 with Magic at center instead of Kareem?
But game in, game out, year in, year out, the Blazers will find it infinitely easier to contend for championships if they make full use of their “aircraft carrier.”
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
The Suns were fine with Shaq when they first acquired him
when they had a coach with the balls to tell him that they’re not going to revolve the offense around him because they already had possibly the most potent offensive combo in the league. It was only when they brought in Porter who decided to accede to Shaq’s will and run the offense through him that they fell apart.
What we were doing with Greg was nothing like what Porter did with Shaq, and far more analogous to what D’antoni did with him. We had a guy who could give us something on offense, and we tried to utilize him some to that effect. Sure, there were some learning curves to deal with, but it’s not like Nate made Greg our primary offensive option.
#52
Gregs game has never been back to the basket domination
We forced it and it worked……….sometimes. We RARELY got him the ball in position to score easy buckets, such as on pick rolls, alley oops, etc. Dumping it into the post and watching him throw up jump hooks wasn’t the best utilization of the big man, at least this early in his career.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
It never will be as good a utilization
as a well-run pick and roll. That will create havoc in the defense, if we ever do it right.
#5 #10 #52 #88
I'll back off on that
Greg is a good passer, and if we are going to give him the ball on the block and have guys cutting to the basket and moving off the ball all over the court, that could be an excellent way to utilize him. They simply can’t double him because he’ll make them pay with a good pass, and if they don’t double him, he’s going to be tough to handle down there.
So I could see running an offense through Greg in the low post eventually. But even then, I don’t know if it will be as effective as using him in the p’n’r.
#5 #10 #52 #88
He'd be deadly in the P'n'R if he ever got the ball
I think he could dominate the block, eventually as well. I just don’t think he was ready to consistently dominate the block. He’d certainly made strides though with his footwork and patience. Just needed some time.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
Shaq was established in the league
It’s irrelevant to compare using Greg, to using Shaq.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
We're talking about integrating a new piece
into an established offense. Shaq works as an example both of how it can work and how it can’t. D’Antoni showed it’s possible to integrate a guy with somewhat minimal effects into an offense that isn’t a great match for his talents. Porter showed how it’s easy to screw it up by completely changing the offense to put it in that guy’s hands.
Making wholesale changes for Greg like Porter did for Shaq was never happening this year, despite the perception. Giving the ball to Greg in the post 4 times a game isn’t a radical departure from the offensive scheme, regardless of how effective it is a utilization of him (I agree on this point, incidentally).
The issue isn’t comparing Greg and Shaq’s relative effectiveness at this point in their careers, but the characterization of the situation. We weren’t overhauling our offense for Greg like Porter did for Shaq, but installing some comparatively minor adjustments like Mike D did for him. The hyperbole about how we actually adjusted gets a little out of hand sometimes.
#52
What do I think?
I think the title of your post speaks volumes!!!.. Instead of enjoying this amazing display of heart and teamwork… Instead of appreciating the huge contribution of Brandon Roy and the other integral pieces of the team we put on the floor… Your Frustration is Growing???
It is amazing to me that you can have this attitude. Realistically we were NOT going to win the Championship this year no matter the injury situation. Instead we are lucky enough to watch a bunch of guys with huge heart succeed in circumstances where they have every right to fail and still there are many like you who still feel it necessary to find fault in Brandon or Nate or Steve Blake or… (fill in your scape goat here)
Incredible!..
GO BLAZERS!!! and thank you for efforts. I’ve never been more proud to be a Blazer fan!
Truly
there is nothing stranger to hear someone frustrated with success. It’s not like we were terrible before the unfathomable string of injuries highlighted the Blazers’ resiliency – we were doing quite well even if we were still fitting the pieces together. Not only that, but next year the team will be a collective year older, and so each game that goes by renders the “too young” part of the complaint even less valid. I have no doubt that the team will only continue to grow and improve through this time of adversity, and will continue to cheer on the incredible play of our healthy guys, and the root for the swift and successful return from injury for the rest.
The poster isn't complaining about the result now
He is wondering where was Roy in some of the previous games when we were healthy. Blaming Oden is just silly he was only taking one, thats uno more shots per game than last year. Roy and LMA were both taking 2 LESS shots per game prior to the injuries.
I think a lot of the perception that we weren’t playing well is a little off. 9w3losses was the best start in 6 years. We are winning now on pure determination and a much less rigorous schedule. We have a string of games coming up that are really gonna hurt. I truly admire Roy and what he has done in the last 3 weeks…but he IS going to have to learn to play efficiently on offense with more than 2 other players if He wants to win a championship. Our competition is too good to win a title with only Roy, Aldridge, and a three point shooter being the focus of the offense.
O.R.
Yes
It’s been great to see the guys playing with such heart & spirit. Inspiring, really. But Blazer fans need to realize that this is not sustainable. Roy has averaged over 40 minutes per game during this stretch, and his teammates aren’t far behind him. LMA just broke down, and Roy will likely be next.
THIS is why you need to fully utilize a talented big if you’re fortunate enough to land one: he can make winning EASIER. As dysfunctional as the Blazers were prior to GO’s injury—as poorly as Roy was playing—they were still winning at a good clip. Imagine what they’ll be able to do when they run on all cylinders, full out—with GO as part of the mix at both ends.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
Look at the mid 90's L*kers
Shaq came to the team in 96, the year Kobe was drafted. It took a couple of successful regular seasons before they really put it all together. It’s not a perfect analogue because I don’t recall Shaq having the same injury history early on that Greg has had. I’ll have to dig back through the rosters (if I can find them) to look at the moves made between the time that they got a legit post presence and were able to bring in the right mix in order to be a championship team.
What we should have been doesn’t really matter at this point, we have to live with the what is and right now it’s pretty damn nice. Hopefully KP and Nate find a way to consolidate some of the young talent and bring in some vets and the players this season and seasons going forward understand the value of playing their behinds off.
We are better now because the players we DO have play with effort and passion
Travis never played with heart or a particular effort.
LMA, same.
Rudy and Batum give a little more but I’m not sure they possess the hunger than guys like Pendergraph and Bayless do.
There’s your simple answer. Remember earlier this season when I blasted the effort? I don’t blast the effort anymore because it’s there.
Blazer Fan
How could you list LA and Outlaw and leave Miller off that list?
At least LA and Outlaw passed the conditioning test.
Travis
I’m not sure I agree with you on him. I think he plays with passion… in the fourth quarter. Which of course is frustrating because imagine what he could have done if he did that ALL the time! Guy would be amazing!
100% agreement on LMA and still think he doesn’t. I watched him give up on plays while in town and it drove me nuts. he may have effected the play or he may not have (in fairness), but that’s not the point to me… the point is you try because miracles happen and habits become set when you most need them to not be there.
I think Batum IS hungry, but in a different way. He’s not about scoring points, he’s about not letting OTHERS score points and he does that AMAZINGLY well. He also didn’t play this year when all that effort was missing… so unfair.
Rudy… not sure what to make of him. He’s a showman, and i love that. He’s there and then vanishes. I love him yet I think he’s a top priority to trade. I just don’t think he fits our players/system or that he can be happy here.
"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 think Travis was putting out a lot of effort this year
His defense was better, his rebounding was better.
I think Rudy was putting out a lot of effort, too. He was getting a lot of steals. But his back wasn’t right, and that can hamper you and make it look like you aren’t trying when you are.
I expect Rudy to fit right in with the aggressive, all-out effort we’re seeing now, and to love it. It fits his game more, and he’ll love playing next to Jerryd. He’s an attacking player, both offensively and defensively, and so is Jerryd. Rudy hasn’t looked like he has the hunger only because he’s been in a relatively passive role far too often.
I’m not sure how to read LMA. Since Joel went down, he went 19/12 (Dallas), 22/8 with 3 steals (S.A. — at least negated Duncan, who was 24/11), 10/13 (Denver), and 17/12 (Philadelphia). That’s averaging 17 points and 11.25 rebounds over four games, and all on a bad ankle. On the board in steals and/or blocks every game. The thing is, when you are injured, sometimes it feels like you are moving in quicksand, nothing works well. Certainly, at times he looks like he isn’t working hard, but the numbers say he’s been doing some work on the boards, especially when you remember that Nate’s offense often takes him away from the basket.
And even when he is inside, it is hard to get an offensive rebound off of your own fade-away jumper, which is what his inside game consists of. You can say that his offensive game is not the right one for a big man, and you’ll get a lot of agreement, but that isn’t the same as saying the effort isn’t there.
And defensively and on the boards, he held his own against Nowitzki (who shot well but had 6 TOs) and Duncan (who didn’t score efficiently at all while LaMarcus did). The only game in which he got killed defensively was Philly, and Brand was A) just plain hot and B) much too strong for him, and effort can’t negate that.
So while I also have wondered if the effort is there sometimes, when you look at the total picture since Joel went down, you see a guy getting a lot done. Which makes me think that his effort may not be as flashy as guys like Dante, who come crashing in from outside to grab a rebound, but that he’s doing enough steady work on grabbing position to make a real difference for us.
#5 #10 #52 #88
I haven't read comments
but I agree.
My personal thought is “too much of a good thing” and then “a little bit of egg shell in the cake.”
Too many players on the same level who are competitive will naturally create issues because they all believe in themselves and that they can help the team win. This creates a little discontent and I believe the fix is consolidation. This is why I’ve wanted trades for future draft picks not for positions.
Maybe eggshell in the cake isn’t quite the right description. more like Icing on your hamburger. Icing is great, but not exactly the flavor you’re looking for on a hamburger. We have players that are great players but don’t fit together with their style of play. The weeding out of other players opens the door for what they bring to the table.
All this said, I do see more effort now as opposed to before. People seem to care. I never left a blazer game as angry at the blazers as I was when I was out on Thanksgiving weekend.
I was never more proud of the blazers than was for the Christmas Denver game. almost every blazer made a strong effort for the majority of the time.
Effort can be hard to come up with when you don’t know your roles so I don’t lay a raised eyebrow solely at the team. I generally side with Nate, but he failed to weed out a rotation and I feel he was pretty indecisive or too stubborn (yes, that is ironic) which led people to not be sure of roles or left knowing they were filling a role they shouldn’t be in and thus continuously looking over their shoulder.
Either way, i’m happy with the play now for the most part.
"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
This team is a tease
With each win I too grow a bit frustrated. As talented as this team is (when healthy), they still seem to be missing that little something that will propel them over the top. A 50 win season would be amazing considering all the adversity. It might also prevent KP from making the move that will put this team over the top.
KP’s failure to trade RLEC (perhaps he wanted to save the money, I dunno) along with Outlaw made me wonder where this team is going. Giving big contracts to both Roy and LMA was somewhat of a questionable move. Lots of locals thought Gerald Wallace would be a nice trade, yet did KP ever really consider it (notice the monster year he is having?). I would have traded Outlaw, Webster, and Bayless for him. (Batum is my favorite, although a year of coming off the bench might benefit him)
I will give KP props for signing Howard. You don’t see what a positive impact he has had on this team unless you have seen a game in person. He is always talking to and giving tips and encouragement to the younger players, especially Pendy and Dante. I hope he is back for next year.
And where was the hustle and passion early in the season? When home court advantage in the playoffs can be decided by a single win or loss… Preseason is time to work out the kinks and slack off.
Until KP makes that move, whatever it is (although now isn’t the best time), he will play the part of Lucy and we, the fans, will be Charlie Brown. It’s great to get your hopes up, but in the end that football will get yanked awat at the last second.
SJ from Rip City Project: Depth was our gift and our curse
its interesting to see how Portland is playing so cohesive and scrappy and hard because, well, they only have 8 guys and have nothing to worry about. Its kind of like in a rec league when you only have 6 players, you know you can just go play the game. Could it be that depth was our gift and our curse (Blueprint 2)?
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