Hollinger's 2010-11 Player Profiles: Blazers (Insider)

Just sharing the link for those that have ESPN Insider access. Hollinger is probably my fav ESPN analyst, these projections are pretty good.

Here's his piece on 'dre to give you an idea of what you can expect:

Projection: 17.0 pts, 4.0 reb, 6.4 ast per 40 min; 16.08

• Big guard with vast array of inside and low-post moves. Loves to push tempo.
• Among best ever at alley-oop but an ordinary passer otherwise. Great rebounder.
• Line-drive set shot rarely goes in. Good team defender but struggles one-on-one.

Miller's nickname should be "Groundhog Day," because he has the same season every year. He shows up in poor shape and gets off to a slow start. Then out of the blue he goes gangbusters in January, leading to a slew of "Andre Miller is the League's Most Underrated Player" articles. Last season it came with the added bonus of a practice confrontation with Nate McMillan right before his outburst, but it happens every season as reliably as the sunrise.

Miller is 34 and can't shoot, which you'd think would be a bad combination, but his numbers are virtually identical to what they were seven years ago. Last season was his third straight with 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds per 40 minutes, along with a PER just over 18.

Miller does not appear to be the most well-conditioned athlete in the league, yet he played the entire schedule for a seventh consecutive season. And while he's not overly athletic, Miller is a great rebounder and destroys small guards around the basket with his craftiness. We keep waiting for age to knock him off his stride, but it hasn't happened yet.

over 1 year ago Billy Hoyle 30 comments 0 recs |

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UGH!

Can we get some more excerpts from this article?? Is that even allowed? Wish I had insider… but certainly not worth paying for, IMO.

"Batum must be french for: being at the right place at the right time" -
-StudMuffin15 @ Rufus On Fire
"Juwan "The Clipper Killer" Howard" - Natedog1977 @ ClipsNation
" I would trade our entire team for Brandon Roy"
- Slick4President @ Indy Cornrows

by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Oct 4, 2010 12:51 PM PDT reply actions

$40 for one year, $60 for two.

And that comes with a subscription to ESPN Magazine. I agree that it’s not worth it to me, but the price isn’t that bad for what you get. And it’s their material, they have the legal right sell it if they want to.

"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?

by T Darkstar on Oct 4, 2010 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions

It’s very much worth paying for in my mind. Only $6 a month for ESPN the magazine and Insider access? I don’t make a lot but I can afford that. Great read too. I always enjoy Hollinger’s analysis. He did call Oden “extremely injury-prone” though. Not sure how well that would go over with the Odenites on Blazersedge.

"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.

by halo_on on Oct 4, 2010 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions

it's a little hard to argue with, even for the most ardent Oden supporters

by sammymohawk on Oct 4, 2010 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Don't be fooled like I was

I paid $6 a month for over 2 years, before I talked to some friends who paid around $7 for the whole year. So I called ESPN up, complained, got a refund for 2 years of overcharging, and now pay about $7 a year for insider and the mag each month.

Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?

by usmcr3049 on Oct 4, 2010 5:18 PM PDT up reply actions

How'd your friends start paying $7 a year?

I don’t have insider, so I’m not too familiar with it, but I’d probably change my mind if it was that cheap.

"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"

by ericking on Oct 5, 2010 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't know how they started

I just know that once I actually found the 1-800 number for ESPN insider, (which was a bit difficult if I remember) and got ahold of someone, (which also took a bit) I told them if they didn’t give it to me for $7 a year, and refund me the money they over charged me, I would be canceling. That seemed to be enough motivation for them to switch me.

Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?

by usmcr3049 on Oct 7, 2010 7:07 AM PDT up reply actions

dude Insider is like $5 a month

just buy a lesser grade toilet paper and you can get it!

by rip_city_swagger on Oct 4, 2010 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Is the material worth it? That is what I meant by "worth it".

From what I see… it seems like ESPN doesn’t put out much quality work.

by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Oct 4, 2010 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions

look at the comment I drop below on his review of Aldridge

to me, it’s worth it, but I’m a junkie for whatever I can get my hands on to read so maybe it’s just me!

by rip_city_swagger on Oct 4, 2010 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions

see my comment above about

the cost of Insider.

Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?

by usmcr3049 on Oct 4, 2010 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions

Why does he think Dre will fall from a PER of 18 down to 16 this season?

No reason provided. If anything, with Roy moving without the ball more and the Blazers being a lot healthier, his PER should improve this season.

Now all we need is the rest of the roster to get into "how can everybody help Nicco and Oden" mode. -- Oden Mad, Oden Smash! Sep 29, 2010 7:47 PM

by LaoTzu on Oct 4, 2010 1:26 PM PDT reply actions

We keep waiting for age to knock him off his stride, but it hasn’t happened yet.

It’s called hedging your bets

I agree with you. The more the Blazers are “connected” and Miller is engaged from day 1, the better his chances re: maintaining his PER rating. Even if Andre averages fewer mpg in lieu of Baylless and Matthews

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions

He also comes into the season more fit than before

So Hollinger is wrong there, too. This is like last year’s predictions warmed over.

Now all we need is the rest of the roster to get into "how can everybody help Nicco and Oden" mode. -- Oden Mad, Oden Smash! Sep 29, 2010 7:47 PM

by LaoTzu on Oct 4, 2010 5:48 PM PDT up reply actions

once you pass 30, the skills start to decline

by rip_city_swagger on Oct 4, 2010 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions

The reason is age.

by AK1984 on Oct 4, 2010 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Miller-Roy-Batum taking turns posting up the other team's smallest defender

recipe for sustainable success

Brandon, Nic and LMA can spread the floor when Dre is operating down low

Among best ever at alley-oop

Need to see more of these delivered to Oden, LMA, Batum. Set hard back picks and spin towards the rim when Miller has the ball up top

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 1:42 PM PDT reply actions

THANK YOU HOLLINGER! so beautifully true and accurate I almost cried reading it....

Lamarcus Aldridge:

• Tall post scorer with soft touch and high release point. Runs floor well.
• Average rebounder and indifferent defender. Tends to play soft.
• Never turns ball over, but needs to take a few more risks. Settles for J too easily.

Aldridge can make jumpers over almost any defender and never turns the ball over, which is where he derives his value. But unless you shoot like Dirk Nowitzki, that approach gets you only so far. His other numbers fall in the middle of the pack among power forwards, and they’re going to stay there unless he develops a more aggressive approach.

That mindset applies at the defensive end as well. Few power forwards have his length, yet Aldridge was 44th in blocks per minute and 36th in defensive rebound rate. On a per-minute basis, he drew the fewest offensive fouls on the team — just a dozen in 2,922 minutes. He doesn’t need to go out there like Rambo and ignore his key skills, but he’s unlikely to achieve his oft-stated goal of making the All-Star team without mixing it up in the paint a little more.

by rip_city_swagger on Oct 4, 2010 2:53 PM PDT reply actions

the truth hurts

I hope this analysis makes it’s way back to LMA, via his peeps

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 3:08 PM PDT up reply actions

I think LMA is probably well aware of the perception

and I’m sure the Blazers coaching staff see the same weaknesses that everyone else does…I mean, if it’s obvious to us it’s obvious to them. On a side note I think 17 ppg for Andre is just a wee bit lofty. I see him more in the 14-16.5 range.

by sammymohawk on Oct 4, 2010 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions

it's 17 per 40 min

a little weird, but that’s how he did the projections for everyone, it’s per 40min numbers

by Billy Hoyle on Oct 4, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions

oh, gotcha

that makes more sense…thanks

by sammymohawk on Oct 4, 2010 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions

LMA knew that he was getting dissed for not going to Turkey

so he’s got his feelers out there in cyberspace

More assists and less scoring for ’Dre would be fine with me. But if the other team wants to defend him with a small PG? Send Miller to the post and make them pay for it

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions

Per 40 Dre's projections make more sense to me

as far as LMA, I just think the whole world knows where he needs to improve, and from everything I’ve heard those aspects of his game have been the focus this offseason. I still contend that LMA showed a very nice increase in his post repertoire last season and is in position to take another step in that direction. We’ve seen the running hook and up-and-under counter move to his turnaround jumper incorporated, now we need to see more moves that involve putting the ball on the floor and taking it strong to the rack. Defensively his road block is mental…fingers crossed we see a little more tenacity.

Regarding Turkey, I understand why people are disappointed. But from what I’ve heard LMA had a child and his mother was very sick this summer, so I’m not gonna hold that against him. Family still comes first.

by sammymohawk on Oct 4, 2010 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Regarding Turkey, I understand why people are disappointed. But from what I’ve heard LMA had a child and his mother was very sick this summer, so I’m not gonna hold that against him. Family still comes first.

LMA’s comment was “you should have trusted me” back in July when the news broke that he wasn’t joining team USA due to an undisclosed family matter. It’s his life and he can keep his off the court stuff as private as he wants to, but when there are no details provided the media is free to speculate, and LMA hasn’t earned as much benefit of the doubt as he thinks was due

Defensively his road block is mental…fingers crossed we see a little more tenacity.

Can tenacity be taught or is “the dog” in a man from chidlhood? Maybe LMA needs 6 weeks at boot camp, eh?

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions

He definitely didn’t handle it in a way that illuminated the situation or made him a sympathetic figure…maybe that’s a reason to respect him, I don’t know. I know a lot of people were really hard on him over it, some of my personal friends included, and I responded to a number of comments on this site questioning his drive to succeed and whatnot.

I’m not sure if tenacity can be taught, but I think it can come with maturity. Watching my dvr of the FanFest scrimmage, a play towards the end where Aldridge went hard at Pendy stood out to me. I know it was Pendy, and LMA even had the lay-in rim out, but Jeff’s defensive positioning was good and the shot clock was winding down. Aldridge didn’t settle for the jumper in a classic situation where he would have. He put the ball on the floor and drove hard right through his defender. I can only hope that as he tastes success with these new moves he learns to trust them and go to them more and more. As for defensive tenacity, his motor on the glass, and his ability to block shots? I’m hoping Buck can light a fire under him, and more than anything I’m hoping that Greg, Marcus, and Joel can be healthy and render it a relative non-issue. LMA has the tools to do it though, that’s why he’s so frustrating to so many Blazer fans.

by sammymohawk on Oct 4, 2010 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions

I’m hoping Buck can light a fire under him, and more than anything I’m hoping that Greg, Marcus, and Joel can be healthy and render it a relative non-issue. LMA has the tools to do it though, that’s why he’s so frustrating to so many Blazer fans.

Agreed. Not many Bedgers remember Mychal Thompson in a Blazer’s uniform—high draft pick, very talented and athletic—but missing the toughness factor that separates real bangers from perimeter posers. There’s a place in today’s NBA for a long/smooth forward like LMA, but when the playoffs roll around he’s not going to be a difference-maker unless Greg and Joel are in there doing the heavy lifting

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 6:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Not many Bedgers remember Mychal Thompson in a Blazer’s uniform

I remember all too well. I remember we chose MT when “Larry soon to be Legend” was still on the board.

by blazinagain on Oct 4, 2010 8:07 PM PDT up reply actions

yeah, but

no one other than Red Auerbach would’ve gotten away with selecting an underclassman back in ’78. Boston exploited a loophole in the rulebook, and the commish was not going to slap down the mighty Celtics

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 4, 2010 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions