Media Row Report: Hornets 97, Blazers 78
by Ben Golliver on Nov 26, 2010 11:51 PM PST
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PrintThe Portland Trail Blazers looked like a good team bent on being mediocre through sheer indifference, as they fell to the New Orleans Hornets, 97-78, in the Rose Garden on Friday night.
It was a pathetic non-effort, 12 minutes of occasional excitement followed by 36 excruciating minutes of some of the worst basketball this team has played at home over the last three seasons. A sluggish 15 point second quarter, followed by a stalled 17 point third quarter, followed by a hopeless 13 point fourth quarter.
Take a look at this chart of the field goal percentage quarterly splits to experience tonight's Titanic meets Enron disaster.
It was spirit-crushing bad, the kind of game that not even an extra Red Bull and some bland post-game comments -- usually a toxic combination after an ugly loss -- can get me fired up to really go in.
The worst part? Coach Nate McMillan appeared to feel the same way. To his credit, he didn't look panicked afterwards and there were no fireworks, as expected. Instead, McMillan meekly chalked up the performance to poor shooting, repeating the statement in answer to virtually every question, steering clear of any discussion of effort, intensity, focus, character or heart.
The question, though, is why? Why give his team a pass in public? Because he's tired of hearing himself say that about his team? Because they're tired of hearing it? Because he decided to address it in private rather than bring it up in public? Because it's an older group that knows better? Because there's so many moving parts -- with Greg Oden's injury and Brandon Roy's health struggles -- that now is not the time? Because there are a few chippies coming up on this next road trip that should buy everyone some more time?
All possible explanations, but one thing is for sure: it's more than poor shooting that this team needs to fix.
There wasn't a single Blazers unit that played particularly hard, or smart, or even just cohesively bad. It was just all bad, and McMillan eventually admitted as much in his final statement: "We're not playing good basketball."
Why? Has the carrot of playoff success shriveled up in Oden's absence? Is the weight of the marathon schedule crushing that ability to provide extra effort in November?
That's what it felt like tonight. A team that used to beat itself up over losses casually checked the score of Boise State vs. Nevada on the locker room television while going through the media motions, resigned to the outcome in the locker room after the beatdown had been delivered because they had resigned the outcome while the beatdown was being delivered on the court.
Outside of guys like Armon Johnson and Dante Cunningham, who didn't play particularly well tonight but at least still bring that "looking forward to my second contract" glow to every minute they play, which rotation members can look at tonight's tape and say they went above and beyond to aid a winning cause?
Sean Marks ... and that's it.
Brandon Roy's return performance was better than anticipated, as he hit for 27 points and added three rebounds and four assists, but his inability to move quickly and decisively on defense gave a significant portion of those points back.
LaMarcus Aldridge looked trapped in his adjustment back to being the beta dog, his 14 points on 15 shots representative of Portland's inefficient night.
Marcus Camby, who said last week that he and others needed to step up and help carry the burden that was being placed on Aldridge, was as invisible as he's been all season.
Nicolas Batum had a number of nice defensive plays but had nothing to show on offense, aside from an early cut for an easy hoop that Portland could have used about 10 more of.
Andre Miller found himself sitting in the fourth quarter, as Roy's return forced him back into a supporting role that hasn't been his strongest suit.
Wesley Matthews struggled once again coming off the bench, never finding his shot or rhythm in 20 minutes.
Rudy Fernandez suffered, seriously, a "pelvic bone contusion" and played just six minutes, not impacting the game or its tempo in any meaningful way.
Chris Paul tore apart the Blazers to the tune of 16 points, six rebounds and 13 assists, taking just six shots yet ensuring that four of his teammates hit double figures on the way to a red hot 51.5% team shooting and 8-14 team shooting from deep on the road. The Hornets casually dispatched the Blazers like solid playoff teams do to marginal playoff teams, owning the boards (48-27), getting to the free throw line (30 to 14) and moving the ball much faster than Portland's defense could keep up with.
If you're tallying the rotation ledger, you've got one semi-solid performance from Roy in a return coming at the expense of rough nights for your next two guys (Aldridge and Miller), a disjointed performance from your step-in starter (Matthews) and three no-shows (Batum, Camby and Fernandez). That's not a winning formula against anyone, save the dregs of the league.
To put it frankly, the magic from two years ago has disappeared. The grit from last season has apparently ground up. The excuse from last week -- exhaustion from too much playing time -- evaporated in the face of such a poor performance after an off week. There's not much left except for bad basketball.
The bad basketball isn't coming from nowhere. It boils down to two simple questions.
Who is "buying in" right now? And what are they buying into?
Nate McMillan's Post-Game Comments
Initial Thoughts
We're not knocking down any shots. It's as simple as that. We had some open looks. We're shooting 31% from the three. When you get open looks like that, you've got to knock those shots down. Teams are going to continue -- they've been doing this for the last couple of years -- collapsing on Brandon and LaMarcus, making other guys shoot the ball, and we get those shots. We've got to knock those shots down.
Fourth quarter execution
Well, again, you've got to knock down shots. Part of execution is finishing the play off with a bucket. If you're not knocking down shots, you're going to be in trouble. We shoot 33% from the three, 39% from the floor.
Need to attack more?
You've got to make your reads. A lot of those shots are wide open jump shots. You're going to go to the basket, be wide open, you've got to put the ball in the hole. The gameplan is always to attack the basket. When the defense is packed in and trapping, and you're open, you've got to knock down those shots.
Andre Miller pulled during fourth quarter
We had some open looks, I thought he was turning the ball over a little bit. Brandon was the one guy who had something going, so we needed to try to get some defense. Try and spread the floor. So I went back with Wesley.
Did he sit because of his performance or match-ups?
Tonight, it didn't seem like he had his rhythm.
Rebounding
Again, the first quarter nice job. The energy was good. The ball movement was great. We make substitutions, we get into our second, third and fourth quarter and offensively you can't make any shots. It's one shot. They're one of the top rebounding teams in the league so it was one shot and done at that point.
Brandon Roy
He made some buckets and that was the one option that we had that was creating some offense. I thought he looked pretty good, as far as moving out on the floor, he's able to get to the basket and score for us. That's what we needed. We need both units to play well. It's a small margin of error for us. We just need both units to play well.
Rudy
I don't know. He got caught, he got hit in the stomach. They did some X-rays, came back, I don't know right now.
Status of the team right now
We've just got to do more, if that's possible. The hustle game, knocking down our shots. Making plays. We're not playing good basketball. We're good in certain areas for a quarter or two, but nothing consistent. Nothing consistent. First quarter, great quarter as far as playing defense and scoring. But then second, third and fourth, defensively we made some mistakes. And then offensively we could not put the ball in the bucket. No doubt about it, most teams when that ball is not going in the bucket, if you're able to play through that, you're probably a pretty good team. That's where we've got to get to. Defensively, regardless of what the ball is doing offensively, we've got to win the hustle game. We've got to continue to defend.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
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Well said Ben
Exactly how I feel. Time for change.
I believe in Greg Oden. I believe in Brandon Roy, too.
I may get abuse for saying this, but my personal feeling, consistent with this quote
you’ve got one semi-solid performance from Roy in a return coming at the expense of rough nights for your next two guys (Aldridge and Miller)
Is that Brandon costs as much as, or maybe more than, he gives this team, at least as it it run now. Brandon out, to me, is actually encouraging news as far as expecting the team to play well. (No, I am not happy Brandon is hurtin’) It is not Roy’s “fault” so much as a complex interaction of all the factors that are changed when Brandon is in versus when Brandon is out. The ‘defer to Brandon’ feeling is not helpful to the overall team ball.
It sounds like the players not inspired to play and losing heart.
If Oden does not give up on the Blazers, we should not give up on him.
The reward for "scrappiness" (when Roy is out) is the possibility you might score 18 or 20
but when Brandon is back nobody’s leading the team in scoring but him. Meanwhile, Roy is not very scrappy. He’s sort of gliding around to avoid agravating his knee. And the team defers to him, over and over, if the initial option is not there.
ignacio
what game did you watch?
Roy was on the floor no less than 10 times in this game…I would say he was about as scrappy as I’ve ever seen him. You’re looking for the wrong scapegoat I’d say
by Billy Hoyle on Nov 27, 2010 1:11 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
come on....
Roy took a few charges, great, that’s smart ball and is to be commended. On the floor does not equal hustle however, as Roy was loafing around all night trying to save his knee. Watch the game over before you make these statements. Roy is considerably slower, noticeably less quick and the rest of the players tend to follow his lead.
Billy, the Blazer play differently when Roy is playing, and it’s not good. The buck stops with Roy, he gets his looks and shots, and makes a bunch of them, but it’s terrible for the offense how it comes to pass. It clogs up our offense so badly that no one else ends up getting involved. Proof, compare the stats from last night to games where Roy is out.
They play differently
which is why we were up by almost 10 until Wes went down and Armon came in. Yeah, blame Roy. I guess you could blame him for taking out Rudy, since he’s our only other semi-reliable bench offense.
The difference with Roy and no Roy
When Roy is not hurt and playing he gets a majority of the plays and is the leader on the court, and when he is not in there Andre is the vocal leader on the court and the ball is spread around more between the players, This is not Roy’s fault its Nate’s his consistency with how the players are being treated is horrible.
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
maybe miller type of player costs as much as, or maybe more than, he gives this team.
Andre Miller found himself sitting in the fourth quarter, as Roy’s return forced him back into a supporting role that hasn’t been his strongest suit.
so miller thinks we brought him here to be a franchise player? as far as i see, everytime miller is given the text of playing a supporting role, he failed. if the role players play the supporting role without heart and inspired spirit, maybe he is hurting the team more and should be benched. roy should not be called out because he plays like franchise player, that is his job. (although you can call out him on defense, I agree with that)
Roy for MVP
Until miller is not a blazer, I can pretend "I dont hate him "
by chinafansheartroy on Nov 27, 2010 1:46 AM PST up reply actions
Miller is a class act and has always made his team better
What disturbs me is apparently BRoy can’t swallow his pride long enough to have a conversation with Dre outside of the court to build that trust and familiarity. How can you call yourself the leader of the team when you can’t reach out and communicate with your starting PG who’s proven his worth on many teams, after an entire season playing together? How many times do we have to see Dre chuck up a three because Roy keeps throwing him the ball with 3 ticks left on the clock? A franchise player knows the strengths and weaknesses of his team, and a “franchise” player, Roy, should be taking that shot with 3 seconds on the clock rather than exploit a teammates offensive weakpoint.
not do a good job of "pretend" again, my bad.
I actually like this game after rewatching it. I think this game is lost from 4 minutes left in the third quarter when both roy and miller were not on the court. So I will put the roy/miller thing to rest for now.
why those bench players look afraid to shoot, that confuses me most this game. You say blazersball are predictable, however, from the 4:00 mark in the third quarter, I totally do not know who is going to shoot and what is the offensive strategy. they all play “drive and kick” for fun.
Roy for MVP
Until miller is not a blazer, I can pretend "I dont hate him "
by chinafansheartroy on Nov 27, 2010 5:18 AM PST up reply actions
These comments do not reflect what happened last night
Miller plain and simple did not come to play. He was not the only one that didn’t but he was far from a class act last night. How that fits into the larger picture of the season is something the Blazer organization has to figure out. But for some reason, Andre had no interest in playing that game last night. Sad.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
Right now, I'd say Miller is just as key to winning games right now as Roy is
If not more. Maybe he’s tired of taking that desperation 3 because Roy gets stifled off the dribble so easily now and still can’t run an effective pick and roll. I dont know why he checked out last
What I do know is that after watching nearly every game this season, Miller has been much more key to our successes this season than Roy has. Yet he still gets snubbed by many fans who are still in puppy love with Roy because Miller is not the type of PG who can sit on his butt all game in the corner and shoot threes like steve blake. It’s not Roy’s fault he’s not the same player, but I feel like coaching hasn’t done enough to spread the offense effectively when Roy is in the game and as a result I think guys lose hope when every bucket is a struggle and their star can’t keep up consistently on the defensive end.
I mean last night, Miller wasn’t brought in the game after a long period until it was 6 minutes in the fourth and the boat had all but sunk. And Nate left poor Brandon in long after the game got out of reach which makes absolutely no sense when you’re trying to preserve his body.
And if Miller is getting this much crap for this game, Where’s the critique for our ‘second star’ LMA who SHOULD be our key to winning games if Roy is hobbled. He was -20 last night and is still more or less the same player we drafted when the heat is on.
OK
I was making an observation about last night. I watched Miller for extended periods because I wasn’t sure what was up with him. I think he has played a big role in the team’s successes this year. I was pointing out that you were defending him for last night’s game with observations from previous games which in itself is not out of bounds but didn’t really address last night. LA at least showed some effort in stretches but I was not letting him off the hook by any means. I agree wholeheartedly with Ben’s comment that this was their worst effort in three years. They all laid one collective egg. They played like a lot of words I cannot post on this website but most importantly to me, they did not seem to care.
I can honestly say it is the first time in a long time, I paid to go to a game and wanted to leave and wanted my money back. I showed up and they didn’t. Miller didn’t either. That is all I was saying.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
tssbro...did you watch the game last night?
Miller did not come to play? Andre consistently shows up night in and night out. I feel you are basing your assement of him on a few moments of last nights game. Do you think that Miller might have been disheartened during the game last night because no one from the Blazers showed up to play? Do you think it could have been that the Blazers horrible practice carried over into last nights game? Blaming Miller is a joke. Roy is the one that should be under the microscope on this one. He sits out a week, all this attention on him, comes back and hits a few jumps shots and the team plays the worst in three years. WHY ISN’T ROY ENCOURAGING THE BEST OUT OF HIS TEAMMATES? Simply put, he’s he’s a hobbling liability out on the court who’s limited to jump shots and taking charges. Don’t get me wrong, he did some good things last night, but look a little closer at his overall effect on the game and you will see some disturbing trends. Mark my words, this is on Roy and the solution to it is going to be centered around Roy.
Why does my comment appear to blame him?
I was not blaming Miller for the loss. I was there. I watched him closely because he did not seem to be himself. Especially in the third quarter, he just did not show up. I was not saying that was the reason we lost and everybody else is off the hook. I agree that Miller comes to play. That is why it stuck out to me. Please don’t attribute more to my comment than I did.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
this will settle itself soon enough...
the mark of a good player is not how many points he can score, but how much better he makes the other players around him. Roy does not make anyone better.
Miller, that’s all he does, is make other players better. If we continue to ride Roy into the future the blazers will continue to suffer. Roy is a selfish player that concerned only about doing things his way.
Proof, he has never talked to his point guard Andre Miller. How does that happen? How can you go two years and not sit down with your point guard? That’s our leader…..
Look, I like Andre Miller
but he’s in his late 30s and has never been out of the first round or an all star. He is an above average point guard, but he is not going to lead this team to the promised land. Unfortunately, Roy has bad knees, Oden is a bust, and LMA and Batum aren’t franchise changing players either. Injuries closed the window on this team before it ever really opened, and the front office will need to retool or rebuild if we want to see the second round. I think the “Roy is selfish” talk is both unfounded and ignores the larger issue – the team as constructed is a fringe playoff team, and nothing more.
Kevin Durant won me over when he went Rocky IV on Russia this summer.
by blazeraddict on Nov 27, 2010 5:40 PM PST up reply actions
remove Roy, keep miller and what do you get?
I think you get the entire team playing better, and a better team overall.
Remove miller and keep Roy and what do you get? More points from one player, Roy, and less points from everyone else, consistently. If that’s what we are after, then were screwed.
Roy can score some points as an individual, but is a liability to the team.
Even if you're right, and I don't think you are
Building around Andre Miller in the short term will result in at best an 8 seed, and is not a long term option due to his age. Brandon Roy was a franchise player pre-injury. Unfortunately, his knees probably have ensured that he won’t be that guy again. I’m bummed out that this team will likely never live up to its promise, but the fanbase turning on the player who pretty much saved this franchise and proved himself to be one of the best wing players in the NBA because of a collective man crush on an aged point guard who can’t shoot and who is more likely to be moved at the deadline than have his option picked up baffles me.
Kevin Durant won me over when he went Rocky IV on Russia this summer.
by blazeraddict on Nov 27, 2010 5:52 PM PST up reply actions
Remove Andre Miller from the team, completely....
Now, and imagine the team with Roy leading the way. We have big, big problems. Our offensive system is terrible, wayyy to predictable, year after year. One of the biggest factors is that it’s built around Brandon Roy. Roy is a mediocre player that has had the world placed on his shoulders, and he cannot bear the weight. He’s still trying to, and the team still stands around and expects him to, but he hasn’t been able to do in the past (especially in the playoffs) and is definitely not going to be able to in the future (knees).
I didn’t turn on Roy this season, I turned on him a few seasons ago. If Miller gets traded, then bless him, I hope he goes to a winner, because were headed down hill in a hurry with McMillan as coach, and Roy with the keys to the world. Miller wants to win more than anyone, that’s why I like him so much.
By the way, will someone address why Roy is still pouting and won’t talk to Miller? I think that fires me up as much as anything. How good could the blazers team chemistry possibly be if team leader Roy won’t sit down with the starting point guard and talk to him?
I saw Brandon and Andre smiling and talking on the bench a few weeks ago
So I don’t know where you’re getting your “the starting guards never talk” info from. (Sounds like an old Jason Quick article from 12 months ago)
Basically everything went south last April when Artest stepped on Roy’s foot. Up until that point, the Blazers were peaking and building towards first round playoff success, with the Miller-Roy-Batum-LMA-Camby starting lineup. Since that injury, it’s been downhill for Brandon and now the whole roster needs to be re-evaluated, including the head coach.
You’ve got December, Nate. Let’s see if you can pull another slow start out of the fire and turn this team around, again.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Nov 27, 2010 6:53 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Brandon was interviewed at the beginning of THIS season...
and said he still hadn’t sat down with Miller. Look it up
same response on the other thread
I saw ’Dre and Roy smiling and chatting on the bench a few games ago
Jason Quick started this weak-sauce drama as soon as Miller hit town 12+ months ago. Roy has made some comments about how he didn’t speak up enough in the past and how that needed to change. Otherwise, it’s a side issue. Both players communicate just fine when on the court, and the best plays are made by non-verbal familiarity and eye-contact, anyway
Neither player is going to be the team’s leader through a championship run, regardless. There are only so many guys like Maurice Lucas and this roster is still searching for one
what Roy and Miller do during in their spare time is a small concern. They both have families to talk to, and they both stay out of trouble. If you want to make a mountain out of a molehill, go ahead. There’s nothing “wrong” with the Blazer’s starting backcourt that a healthy set of knees for Roy wouldn’t fix, unfortunately, no amount of talking or typing will correct this problem
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Nov 27, 2010 7:15 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The Lakers are on their way to a threepeat
with Derek Fisher at the helm, and I think Andre is quite a bit better than Fish. Acknowledging that a player can no longer do the things we need him to do is not turning on him. Just like all the players say, “It’s a business.”
no its
cho’s responsiblity to get some shooters around roy and la
Roy and Aldridge are pretty good shooters
so maybe it’s Cho’s job to bring in a player who can either penetrate or post-up (and demand a double-team) and let those two play off of him, instead?
It’s realize it’s hard to start looking at a lineup differently after 3-4 years, but it’s necessary. What used to work isn’t going to get it done, anymore. The league has figured Portland out; Nate and the boys don’t have any more tricks left up their sleeves. It’s either knock down the contested 20 footer or the open 3 pointer, or lose. No one wants to hear it, but Charles Barkley was right—jump-shooting teams aren’t the answer. With a healthy Roy or Oden, and now that Bayless is gone, there’s no one left to attack the basket.
and that’s something that Mr. Cho needs to address, if he wants to save this season
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
34 is NOT late 30s.
Also, this is Miller’s 12th NBA season. It is Kobe’s ? season…KG is the same age as Miller but has been in the NBA 4 MORE YEARS…WAY more pounding on his legs…also has been in playoffs…till the end.
So what if he’s never been out of the first round or an all star.
This is pretty much my point
he’s never been out of the first round or an all star.
This team is hosed if Andre Miller is its best player (which due to all the injuries, he has been this season). We’re going nowhere fast if he’s the bell cow. Not Dre’s fault, and he’s preformed great this season, but he isn’t going to be able to drag this team to the playoffs. If Roy isn’t right and/or LMA and Batum don’t step up, we’re toast.
Kevin Durant won me over when he went Rocky IV on Russia this summer.
by blazeraddict on Nov 27, 2010 7:07 PM PST up reply actions
How old do you think Miller is?
Late 30’s to me says 37, 38, 39…….Is Miller really that old?
This is why I said to start Matthews. We are a team with Matthews starting. There is 0 movement with Roy in.
Let Roy come off the bench the first few games back. Now they can’t do that because he will be expecting to start.
by BRoyInThe4th on Nov 27, 2010 3:34 AM PST up reply actions
If the whole team is rebelling because the Star is back??????? No way!!!!
How can you blame that on to BRoy? I don’t buy that in the least. Matthews got his bell rang and until then was playing pretty well. Not making any more excuses, but if you think he is rebelling because he not the starter, then it might be Matthews that is the problem not BRoy.
I don’t know the problem, I don’t know if we are still having growing pains early in the season or what, but I don’t buy the team rebelling against BRoy and the coach in the least.
hg
yeah, that cracked me up!
genius, pure genius!!!….now if we could just work on making MORE 3’s that would be great!
For once I agree with Ben totally. This was a middle of the pack team playing no heart, middle of the pack ball.
It’s too bad. Roy is such a huge liability on defense I’m not sure that what he brings on offense is worth it. The only ball movement was around the perimeter. Not making shots is a lot easier when they are all from 20 feet or more.
But you know, the saddest thing was, it didn’t really annoy me. It seems to be the next phase. The glow is gone, Nate, I think, has officially been tuned out., and the talent level has peaked and is now on the wane.
talent level peaked?
I do not agree at all with this.
Not at all…
Perhaps not being utilized as it could be…
Or coached as it could be…
Or not bringing it to the game for whatever reason..
but peaked? no way.
Blazers roll on but this loss hurts more than it should have
I was prepared for a loss tonight but I wasn’t prepared for how it happened. So sad…
I think I know why everyone is so negative
We used to talk about a championship window, and wait for Broy, La, and Oden to come into their prime. Now we have Broy past his prime, La a little better, and Oden a disabled free agent soon. Also our deep bench is now Rudy, Wes, and Dante. The only way to open up another championship window is??? I don’t have a answer and can’t find one. Any suggestions?
by dfrenz on Nov 27, 2010 1:17 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
The team may be losing heart
About a half hour after the game, a friend of mine emails me a pic of her with Brandon. She and several other pseudo fans were guests of an agent for one of the Hornets. Roy is photo opping with “vips” right after a horrible home loss? I remember 2 years ago I was fortunate enough to attend the Oregon sports awards. Brandon was the surprise last guest. That was the night he won the game on a last second layup. My friend, who is a sports writer, said if we’d lost the game Brandon wouldn’t have shown. Brandon hated losing and would be in no mood to hob nob. I guess that has changed.
And while I’m at it, isn’t it great that a group of semi attractive women who can’t spell Pryzbilla and who would never actually purchase a ticket get seats right behind the bench and the red carpet treatment? I’m a season ticket holder up in 321, still waiting for my Oden bobblehead.
"She fell in love with the drummer, another and another"
by Cap'n Crash on Nov 27, 2010 2:19 AM PST via mobile reply actions
there is no such thing as a "Przybilla"
The Blazer fan’s distant cultural memory of a time when a healthy, competent center played in a Blazer jersey at the Rose Garden is purely a myth.
A “Przybilla” exists no more than a unicorn. It doesn’t matter how you spell it.
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
- Charles Darwin
Unicorns don't exist???
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
Money makes the world go 'round 'n' 'round.
"I'm a misanthrope,
For I loathe humanity;
It's my way to be."
Nice week rest...
After such a long break.u.would see higher energy hustle….guess not?
I.can.understand lack of shooting due to rythm being off with lack of games…but you hate to see broy 27pts and we get owned…
sucks but I can see where he becomes a blackhole and stagnation is here again….
OSU '06
Trade for Gerald Wallace!!
by TyboOSU on Nov 27, 2010 2:21 AM PST via mobile reply actions
That has been a trend with this team.
I said it yesterday before the game (you can see my post in the Game 15 Preview): When the Blazers have 3 or more days have, they play poorly in their first game back. There were several times last season in which they played like all they had to do was show up.
I’m not going to blame Roy, Nate, or anybody else. The entire team collectively takes the hit on this one. Surely someone has pointed out this little statistical anomaly to them?
or flu bug?
I do remember last year after Thanksgiving..not a good game…remember the turkey references.
We need a new coach
I like Nate, but he can’t get the team to play defense, and his offense is predictable, stagnant, and just plain boring. Someone’s gotta inspire these guys and light a fire under their as*es
Yes!
And we need new players too! Miller’s too old and isn’t a threat outside of 15 feet, Roy is too injured to be the effective slasher that he once was and since the team was pretty much built around Roy being Roy, that’s part of why we’re floundering. Camby, solid, but too old. Rudy, too fragile. Cunningham, too short for his position. Armon Johnson, a quicker, less savvy version of Miller (once again, not a threat outside 15 ft)…..I also think it’s laughable that so many people here are pinning their hopes on the return of Przybilla (a dude who’s career stats include 4.2 pts, 6.5 rebounds) as if he could save this team. I know he’s a fan favorite, and I know he brings attitude to the table, but seriously?
Personally, I say give me Aldridge, Batum, & Matthews, and let’s get rid of the rest!
P.S. did anyone at the game notice how Monty got way more of an ovation than Nate when they were introduced?….The fans know it’s time for CHANGE!
Batum
He hasn’t shown he is consistent
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 10:35 AM PST up reply actions
I agree
But very few people on the Blazers team have shown any consistency this year. I just think that at 21 he still shows a lot of promise, and I think it would be interesting to see what he would do when he’s forced to become the second or third option, rather than about the 4th or 5th option offensively.
I think Batum knows there is a hierarchy among the players that he defers to
But what he needs to realize is now is the opportunity to put himself near the top. Stop playing hesitant, take guys off the dribble, take it to the rack, play your best defense night in night out. Get pissed. No more mister nice Nic.
Yes, he is kind of LMA.2 right now
He needs to become Nic.1
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 28, 2010 12:20 AM PST up reply actions
look at
the roster folks. Its been turned over and not for the better.
By the way I never thought I'd get used to losing so much. I couldn't take this if we had a Oden and Joel back.
I’d give up all hope. There is always hope when it’s early in the year though.
A lot of RUST is hard to remove.
This by any means was a horrible game, not only in missing shots, not rebounding, playing little spruts of moderate defense, but without any effort to show the crowd that they belonged. It is one thing to have a player or two in a funk, but to have the whole team looking for the exit sign with the early departed fans is bad, bad, bad. it is horrible to have an opponents coach that knows our players better then our coach. If you deny LaMarcus a early entry pass, the team does not have another consistent inside threat. Monty did that, game over.
Can we mark this up to RUST that comes from long periods of rest with no games? I am sure much of it was just that and no more.
hg
by BBK on Nov 27, 2010 3:56 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I rec'd your comment
I am having a hard time with this. Your comments did put a little light at te end of the tunnel perspective here.
My thoughts prior were, Joel will have an eventual effect. Rudy and Wes were nonfactors due to two freak “Injuries”. Ball and Player movement disappeared. It is sometimes a hard pill to swalow when you have been waiting for a championship window. This is not a championship team. Time to blow it up. i have seen lack of effort losses that just don’t sit well with me. With Brandon out, the team moves and scraps. With him in, he is the one who does. If he wants to be a leader, he needs to get others to follow with effort
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 5:51 AM PST up reply actions
Rust, Shadows and Fog?
Last season, I was really proud of how this team seemed to react to all the injury and adversity. As a unit it never gave up. So games like last nights really bother me.
When we were in the midst of our multi-game stretch I heard excuses. Many of them potentially valid, and I heard them. Too many games in too many nights…toughest schedule, Brandon limping….Oden news shocking…
Tonight…“Rust”? No excuses please. Especially don’t tell me how we were playing badly last week because we were playing too much, and then follow that with we are playing badly now because we haven’t been playing enough….
This by Ben bothers me the most:
" A team that used to beat itself up over losses casually checked the score of Boise State vs. Nevada on the locker room television while going through the media motions, resigned to the outcome in the locker room after the beatdown had been delivered because they had resigned the outcome while the beatdown was being delivered on the court."-Ben Golliver
This is unacceptable. What has changed to the fabric of this team? Has all the adversity finally caught up with the team? Has McMillan lost the team? Does the team no longer believe in it’s own goals and capabilities?
What I’ve enjoyed about this incarnation of The Blazers in very recent seasons past was it’s fighting spirit. Games like last nights were rare. We faced better teams last season, we faced more rested teams, even potentially more motivated teams but in most cases to The Blazers credit the team always competed…with effort and confidence.
Have the scales tipped? The reality that Oden isn’t coming back? What can ultimately only be called bad news about Brandons potential long term condition? Personal drama coming from Fernadez….
Have all these things created a team afraid of not only it’s shadow but the shadow of every other team in the league?
I can deal with not winning every game. I can handle losing. But I’m quickly tiring of a team that’s greatest most agile, skill seems to be post game excuse making. And a dangerous, dangerous complacency that seems to be coming along with these losses.
Integrating Brandon and then NOT integrating Brandon difficult? Watching Fernandez writhing in pain “shocking”? Seeing Sean Marks twist his foot eerily frightening?
Sooner or later it’s going to come down to what this team wants to strive to accomplish and what it believes it is capable of achieving. Right now I see little striving for anything, and it’s not reflecting an on the court attitude that makes me think it believes realistically or unrealistically that it is capable of anything…but a trip to the outside of playoff contention.
Last season I was proud of The Blazer that manifested in the face of overwhelming adversity. This season adversity appeared again the difference being so far this team has cowered in it’s shadow and seems lost in a fog.
Rediscover an identity…or we perish as a playoff team.
For whatever reason…or excuse…this team seems lost and without identity and most troubling without much evident intrinsic desire to evidently create one…
It isn’t as early as it has been…shake off the rust, emerge from the shadows and quit playing like you are in a fog…
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
I don't buy the "Rust Factor" Either
We played a pretty fantastic first quarter. Rust was nowhere to be seen.
We got Pensive. I think partly fouls to Camby and Miller and then three players injured. That is like playing with 5 players that have one hand tied behond thier back.
I agree the the team doesn’t fight like they did last year. Though, the first 20-25 games last year… Wow, go back and reread the threads. I guess i would rather of seen Camby and Miller step up and foul out. Baum???? He has had the opportunity to become the “Scotty Pippen of France” handed to him.". Yet, he disappears from the challenge like a Frenchman from a war…
I am disappointed. But i step back and look at the lack of fight this team had at this point last year and have not given up all hope
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 7:04 AM PST up reply actions
disappears "like a Frenchman from a war"?
You’ll probably get some heat for that, but it’s funny.
Bring it, LOL
I am not a PC guy
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 8:15 AM PST up reply actions
French resistance fighters in the 1940s would beg to differ
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
- Charles Darwin
Yes, but the Label sticks somehow
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 10:35 AM PST up reply actions
Pensive
as in “thinking too much”? If that’s what you meant, I agree. One of my favorite coaches (Linfield’s Ted Wilson… yeah, I’m that old) used to say “Show me someone who’s thinking on the court and I’ll show you someone who’s hurting the team.” Teams that have to think (and rethink) on the court are no match for teams that are in the flow and just know what to do next without thinking about it.
As matters stand, this Blazers team is in flux, which means that it can’t establish any kind of consistency. Hustle for a loose ball won’t help you if you’re not exactly sure what you’re supposed to do once you get the ball.
Pensive and Apprehensive
My Coach, Gary Sather said if you are thinking, you are late. It takes like 2 seconds to turn thought into action. He wanted us to get to the point of Reacting. it is instinctive and automatic
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 8:15 AM PST up reply actions
That is absolutely true in most facts of life.
I am not a BB player, but I can imagine it being the same. I always use the example of hitting or not hitting your brakes when you hit an icy spot in the road. If you have to think abut it. it is way to late. it has to be reflex and reaction.
Another good example, if you are boxing and your opponents throws a punch. if you have to think about what to do to defend it it is too late. Now I can imagine that is exactly the same as defending an attractor on offense. That may be where the problem lays.
hg
I don't buy the "Rust Factor" Either
We played a pretty fantastic first quarter. Rust was nowhere to be seen.
We got Pensive. I think partly fouls to Camby and Miller and then three players injured. That is like playing with 5 players that have one hand tied behond thier back.
I agree the the team doesn’t fight like they did last year. Though, the first 20-25 games last year… Wow, go back and reread the threads. I guess i would rather of seen Camby and Miller step up and foul out. Baum???? He has had the opportunity to become the “Scotty Pippen of France” handed to him.". Yet, he disappears from the challenge like a Frenchman from a war…
I am disappointed. But i step back and look at the lack of fight this team had at this point last year and have not given up all hope
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 7:09 AM PST up reply actions
OK, maybe it wasn't completely RUST
Rust has got to be at least part of the factor. Portland has always had trouble with tough defensive teams when their jump shot is not falling. I have seen the shots not fall before, but not this badly for the period of three qtrs.
I really don’t have the answers except Monty knew exactly where to apply the pressure.
I still have confidence that they will come back; my only fear is I have no idea of what capacity.
hg
Yes.. They aren't challengers for the WCF
But they can be a pretty good team… On attacking LMA… If we have no good cutters to the basket, he is ultra easier to defend. We helped Monty. It is where a Matthews playing normal helps us
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 8:17 AM PST up reply actions
come on Cho...
You have a STAR that nobody wants to play with …and a dumb ass coach that has no adjustments for anything. This can’t go anywhere…get what you can for the star and retool!
We must endeavor to persevere.
McMillan is done.
Even if he makes it through this season, I think we are seeing the death throes of his tenure. He just doesn’t seem able to get this team to play on a regular basis, and all this team needs to do to win is play on a regular basis. Too bad, he’s done amazing things for this team, but there comes a time to move on.
I kind of hope the change happens this season. I’d like to see a shake-up, because I am tired of watching the same things happen over and over.
By my count this team is 1-7 against teams that are over .500
’Nuff said.
Let’s not forget that Paul Allen has the ultimate decision making power, not Andrew Cho. Cho makes a convenient fall guy, just like KP did. We can change the coach. We can try to change the roster. But until there is effective leadership at the top… Allen is a very generous owner, but just ‘cuz he is willing to spend money doesn’t necessarily make him a good one.
I'm gonna call this every time I see it from now on...
Allen is a very generous owner
He’s a billionaire hobbyist, the 17th richest man in the world, and is milking the fans for every cent the market will bear before he or his heirs cash out and turn a profit on the sale…
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
^ harsh but damn true!
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
baseless, classless character assassination
not truth in any way.
if allen just wanted to milk the fans for money he wouldn’t be willing to take on toxic contracts to improve his team which he’s done multiple times over the last 4 years.
he wouldn’t hand donald sterling 3 million to rent marcus camby
he wouldn’t spend millions on additional draft picks attempting to make his team better
he wouldn’t pay the luxury tax on players not on the roster.
blazer fans have no idea how good they have it. if we had an average owner we would be condemned to mediocrity because said owner would be totally unwilling to have a large payroll in a city where gate proceeds are never going to be very good given the inability to sell a lot of high-priced suites and boxes.
by colinmarsh on Nov 27, 2010 10:34 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Question
Do you think Paul Allen got rich by flushing money down the toilete? Paul Allen knows what he has he’s not an idiot, he has a team that sells out every game, he has an arena that he bought back at a discounted price (after he claimed bankruptcy on it) and he has raised ticket prices two years in a row. He’s not loosing money on this team in the long term.
the losses he takes year after year are a huge tax right off, and the profit he will make when it eventually sells trumps all the losses. So Lets not pretend we have this great charitable owner and just call it as it is, another Rich guy who owns a Basketball team.
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
I think people misunderstand tax writeoffs.
You never make back the money you lose in tax breaks. A percentage, sure, but it’s like spending a $100 on a $20 bill. Maybe more or less. But one does not lose a bunch of money just to get rich on tax breaks.
And it has been documented (which I really should look up and find) that Allen does lose money on the Blazers. And the only way he does that is if he wants a winning team. Now, we can argue that he may not do a good job in getting that. But lets not fool ourselves into thinking Allen is into the Blazers for the money. Would he like it to turn a profit? You bet. But will that stop him from running the team? Not likely.
"Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal." - C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 1940
Allen has 1 billion $$ in sunk costs on the Blazers in 20+ years
and that’s a conservative estimate
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I assume Paul Allen...
…doesn’t need me to defend him…but I don’t think it fair to characterize him as milking the fans for every cent the market will bare before he or his heirs cash out and turn a profit on the sale.
He’s owned The Blazers as a fan, not as an investor, and we are damn lucky he has approached ownership from this P.O.V.. Over the decades of his ownership he has at times funded one of the highest active payrolls, as well as making huge investments into not only the creation of The Rose Garden but then unfortunately the subsequent buy back of The Rose Garden.
Maybe and only maybe could Paul Allen hope for a break even season, or perhaps a modest operational profit, but overall the point where Paul Allen would ever see The Blazers as a venture inwhich he would make a overall profit was passed years and years ago.
I don’t blame the franchise for trying to make a profit, trying to sell merchandise and trying to be profitable…not to do so, or even attempt to do so would be ridiculous.
Have The Blazer been operated perfectly…flawlessly? No…I would not say that, but neither would I say that it has been run as an operation that was trying to milk the fans for every cent….only for the ultimate goal or a profitable sale…
I don’t know Mr. Paul Allen. But I honestly think without his ownership The Blazers survival as a franchise in Portland is murky at best. I have witnessed his willingness to spend resources to improve the team at a level that is rare or unprecedented in the N.B.A.. and while I would argue he hasn’t always or maybe even often got his moneys worth…he still has done it…
Does that make him generous? Who knows. But it does make him a rare commodity among owners…one willing in tough economic times to write checks to improve the team.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
by Krang on Nov 27, 2010 10:52 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
has Jerry Buss put 1 billion$ of his own money into the L*kers in the last 20 years?
No Paul Allen, no NBA in Portland, OR.
Paul has replaced popular (or unpopular) coaches and players before, whenever he has seen enough re: the team’s lack of effort or progress
The season tickets and luxury suites have already been sold for this season. If Portland fans want to send a message to the front office, they need to stay away from games in droves, like they did back in 2004. Otherwise, the Blazers will just figure that they’re doing alright by the local fans
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The Blazers would remain in Portland.
He could sell the team.
I believe the Rose Garden is here to stay…along with the Blazers.
Allen is not the only billionaire who would like to own a team with a great fan base.
how does the Rose Garden ever get built without Allen?
Are you saying that some other billionaire owner who is ga-ga about NBA basketball and wanted his own private suite on the rooftop would have come along back in the ’90s and spent his own money on the project?
I’m not talking about now, I’m talking about the transition from the MC to the RG back in the ‘90s. The city/county/state wasn’t going to build a new arena. Neither was Phil Knight. PA is the Sugar Daddy, and without his pocketbook the Blazers (like the Sonics) would be playing somewhere in the midwest, right now.
Generous is as generous does. I still don’t want Paul in the draft room every June, but he’s paid for the right to be there, and rubber stamping all the questionable PG selections
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
sorry, but...
… you have no way of knowing whether that particular “alternate reality” is true or not…
Reality...
This team has a rotten core-
Roy- not a team player. Does not make teammates better. Will always be shutdown in games that matter. Has reached his peak and on the decline(sad to say).
LA- no BB instincts. Uncoordinated(does not have a soft touch inside the paint), no fire in his gut.
Nate- no creativity. Has had plenty of time to develop a system and yet all we see is clock winding down and forcing a bad shot. Team does not play defense together.
Miller- best player we have. Unappreciated and underutilized because our “star” has a fragile ego and Nate kisses his butt.
Management- poor evaluators of talent. Have assembled a team full of jump shooters who can’t create their own shot and wont take it to the hole.
I think we need a new coach who will establish authority and install a system. ASAP
by acdcpc1 on Nov 27, 2010 8:54 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
hear hear
I hear ya bro’ (or sis if that is the case). You da man with these wise comments (or, as may be the case, you da woman).
It is time to be candid and clear out the ghosts of all these bad decisions and start rebuilding.
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
- Charles Darwin
Giving up on what you have in the face of adversity has always worked???
Roy Bashing~ "Blakes gone...Brandon is next alphabetically " ;-}
by Hermistonmelons on Nov 27, 2010 10:37 AM PST up reply actions
Hmmm...
I agree slightly, I think there are 3 problems on our team,
1. Nate McMillan – has done all he could with the Blazers and it is time for him to move on, we need to find a coach with a fresh perspective who does not have a man crush on any of our players.
2. Roy seems to not fit with the first unit as well as Wesley does, this could be because of Nate or because of Roy, I’m not sure but I would love to see Roy as our 6th man ( in an OJ Mayo/ Jason Terry fashion)
3. Larry Miller – Needs to stay out of GM affairs and stick to running the business side of things or go back to Nike (ie; resigning Oden?) – It’s Cho’s team to Build change whatever.
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
larry miller
what evidence is there that larry miller is running anything?
he offered a contract to wes matthrews during a time when we didn’t have a gm.
isn’t that sort of what the president is supposed to do if there’s no gm or acting gm?
would you have suggested sitting on the sidelines the entire free agency period?
Lame Duck Session
The owner won’t commit to the coach – or fire him.
The captain and best player is injured.
The great hope at Center is gone, finally.
Coaches and GM’s all fired and no love or bonds of trust with the new ones.
A big trade was promised by the new GM and is due by the deadline.
“Mixed Messages” coming from the President’s office.
Someone will say the players ignore this crap and play on, but they don’t. It affects the team, especially wondering in the back of your mind who or how many guys will be traded. With any luck Cho will see the light and trade for Chris Kaman tomorrow.
Can B-diddy play?
Kaman can. Scoring and rebounding Center at the peak of his career languishing in LA and now completely eclipsed by Blake Griffin. If you need forceful player in the middle, and we do, there’s no better available center than Kaman. In fairness he’s not quite the defender that JP is but comparatively he’s a scoring machine. You can get 14 points a night out of him for the next 5 years. No, he’s not in the same class as D. Howard but this guy is a top-tier Center. And he can be got from the always willing to negotiate Clippers. A front lint line of Camby, Kaman and Aldridge would definitely represent a massive upgrade over our current situation of Camby, Aldridge and Cunningham. Przybilla is a free agent and in any case can’t score. We need scoring in the middle and Kaman can provide it with rebounding and passing. He’s a smart trade play.
kaman is a stiff
makes his team worse, no thank you.
plus he's earning 25 mil for the next 2 years
and a good portion of one of those seasons will be locked out
I don’t mind the idea of a low-post presence in the middle of Portland’s offense, but I don’t think Chris is the answer or that Nate would know what to do with him if he arrived. You’d have to trade 2 of Przy-Miller-Matthews just to make the salaries match
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Cho didn't promise a big trade that was KP.
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
Paul Allen all but said they were going to try to make a big splash
during an interview with Barrett back in July
as the Stones would say " you don’t always get what you want…"
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I don't accept the "heart," "hustle," "grit" meme
This is the most common “analysis” of sporting events. “They wanted it more than we did.” It’s nearly always wrong, because it so seriously underestimates the psychological complexity of group activities. You don’t seriously believe the Blazers didn’t want to win, right?
4th blowout loss in 15 games
@ Chi, @ LA, @ NO, and now vs. NO at home.
We need some change. The whole “not making shots” argument is becoming BS. The players are clearly tuning Nate out .
PHILLY!
I do not believe this team has a leader.
Great teams have leaders who won’t accept sub par effort from their teamates but also back up their talk with their own actions. An not just during game time, they work their butts off in practice too. I’ve always disliked Kobe but I can appreciate his work ethic. He doesn’t take nights off just coasting around. Here’s a recent qoute from an interview he did. I think it makes total sense and shows why our team seems so out of sorts.
"How to truly make players better, what that really means," he said. "It’s not just passing to your guys and getting them shots. It’s not getting this or that many players into double figures. That’s bull[expletive]. That’s not how you win championships. You’ve got to change the culture of your team – that’s how you truly make guys better. In a way, you have to help them to get the same DNA that you have, the same focus you have, maybe even close to the same drive. That’s how you make guys better.
"I’ve never understood this stuff, where a star player sits out and a team goes into the tank. Well, they need him because he makes them better. Well, if he’s making them better, they should be able to survive without him. That’s how you lead your guys. You’ve got to be able to make guys suffice on their own, without you. If you’re there all the time and they take you away, they shouldn’t need a respirator.
"Once I understood all that, I looked at things completely different. I took my hands off. I didn’t try to control them. I let them make decisions, make their own [expletive]-ups and I was there to try and help them through it."
I'm typing this here because I became jealous of everyone else with signatures in their posts.
P.S.
I believe we have most of the peices in place to be a very competative team but for some reason we lack a killer instinct and I believe it comes from Roy. He lacks intensity. Almost too cool for school. I didn’t like his approach to the preseason. I don’t like my team getting spanked by Utah over and over.
I'm typing this here because I became jealous of everyone else with signatures in their posts.
Excellent post
Quite honestly, I think this team misses Juwan Howard.
That’s right, I said Juwan Howard. This was a guy on his last legs, at the end of his career, not expected to be anything other than a veteran presence at the end of the bench. Instead, when Oden and Przybilla went down, he came in and gave all his effort, and taught his teammates how to compete. I think he might even have tossed a buffet table or two. It isn’t that he lost his temple, its that he didn’t accept losing and didn’t accept sub-par effort.
Brandon Roy and Nate McMillan have yet to learn from Juwan’s example.
ice buckets
Howard tipped over the ice after a lackadaisical home loss to OKC last year
Ben’s report of the post-game locker room last night was…no wet floors and general apathy
Juwan would also take hard fouls whenever he was beat around the basket. That hammer left town when Howard did. Hopefully Joel will bring some of it back before it’s too late
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Nov 27, 2010 5:01 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Mental Fatigue
Bad game… no question. But I attribute a lot of this to something someone mentioned above: we played against an opposing coach that knows the players better than Nate does. Probably true.
I’m not a big fan of Nate but I don’t think he ought to be fired mid-season. I have worried for years about Roy’s ability to play off the ball but I don’t think he ought to be traded or benched. (For the record, I was fan of Sergio and I turned out to be horribly wrong; but then again, I was no fan of Jack’s and he didn’t show much—laughed like crazy when he lost the ball by dribbling it off his foot to give Roy his fast break opportunity. Glad to see that happen to the OTHER team.)
Here is my answer for last night’s game: mental fatigue. Think about the last few years and the story is constant:
- Players injured—subs have to step up
- Need to rebound more because of lack of interior strength
- Perimeter players need to play better defense to protect the bigs
- Be ready to yield to Roy in closing minutes and prepare for jump shots
- Be strong; be tough; scrap… read: “you have to try harder and hurt more than the other team in order to win.”
I don’t remember a time in the last 3 years where this wasn’t the prevailing necessity of the team. Nate has probably given the same halftime speech for all 3 years. Here’s the critical thing: Nate has been near miraculous at getting everything out of second-tier players and bringing the team together under adverse situations.
That bears repeating: no one can argue that Nate has been a wizard at this; I’m no fan of Nate’s system but I can sure recognize how amazing he’s been at holding this team together. (Despite my irritation at his handling of Batum’s starting position way back and Miller’s more recently.)
But there has to be a point where the great coach’s inspirational speech has been heard too man times. A great song you use to pump yourself up on the way to the rat court pick-up game has to be changed up once in a while. Or, if you prefer, you can’t keep getting angry at the same idiot, foul-heavy dude at the rat court month after month and year after year. Eventually, you quit playing and go to another court or just stop getting angry.
What I saw last night was a team that was just tired of being in the same position. Ennui has set in: a kind of prevailing resignation to the same fate, the same rote game, the same rut. Can you imagine aiming everything you are and do towards progressing towards a championship and finding yourself in the precisely the same place, listening to precisely the same message?
Here’s a funny experiment: go look at Dave’s pre-game analysis against New Orleans from 1 or 2 years ago. I bet it says the same the same thing.
What this team needs, I believe, is a new system. Not because it’s better but because it will be different and the team will be in motion. Movement in any direction will be better—that’s why they play better with Matthews. Not because he’s better than Roy but because it’s different.
So I guess at the bottom of this, I have talked myself into a new coach. But not because Nate is a bad coach… merely because of the necessities and conditions that has been wrought upon this team.
Buck Williams for the hall of fame
by Phizbin on Nov 27, 2010 9:19 AM PST reply actions 5 recs
If this sort of thing keeps repeating itself, it will be time to blow the mother up and start over...
A team that used to beat itself up over losses casually checked the score of Boise State vs. Nevada on the locker room television while going through the media motions, resigned to the outcome in the locker room after the beatdown had been delivered because they had resigned the outcome while the beatdown was being delivered on the court.
This is now a big money, veteran team lead by a guy with no superstar fire and anchored by a power forward with no mean streak.
They need to start kicking ass and taking names — but who among this complacent bunch is gonna do this?
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Well said, Ben...
To put it frankly, the magic from two years ago has disappeared. The grit from last season has apparently ground up. The excuse from last week — exhaustion from too much playing time — evaporated in the face of such a poor performance after an off week. There’s not much left except for bad basketball.
The bad basketball isn’t coming from nowhere. It boils down to two simple questions.
Who is “buying in” right now? And what are they buying into?
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
What do you think should be done?
New owner?
I think the Blazers will stay in Portland even if Allen sells.
I believe the Rose Garden is leased to the Blazers for years to come…not sure what the status is but read something about it a long time ago…in response to the whole..if Allen leaves, Portland will no longer have an NBA team…
think there would be a buyer given the rapid fan base.
Do you have any info on this?
Am a bit sick of the micromanagement that goes on with Allen.
You know what they say about rolling down hill..sometimes it is best to look to the top “root” cause when a change is needed.
A new owner would be a good start
In Edwardian England people like PA were politely referred to as “eccentric.” I would gladly trade eccentric for dedicated, focused and professional. Paul Allen’s ownership brings words to mind like hobby, ego, meddling, personal money, and similar non-winning ideals.
Short of a sale in the next few weeks it’s pretty obvious we’re weak in the middle. A big, strong, reliable Center or Forward that can score (sorry Joel, I love your game but you can’t score) and rebound is desperately needed. The best available player with those skills is Chris Kaman and we can get him if we want. He’s not glamorous like CP3 or Carmelo but we don’t need that kind of player – we need a big to get to the playoff and advance this year.
spare the rod spoil the child?
Nope, never spanked my kids, but they did understand the boundaries and are now just beginning to appreciate the groundwork tough love offers (as they start their own families)
This team is spoiled and doesn’t understand hard work or the significance of high energy.
Sadly, I think there is too much ’respect" between players and coaches to allow for more constructive/critical approaches. Mild and mundane attitudes often tend to sweep issues under the rug and therefore may never get addressed. Time for a fire to be lit under this team and Nate appears to be too “entrenched” to get it done.
"You play good defense and let your offense generate from that. You will find that success of your offense, is proportional to the extent of your defensive diligence." Jack Ramsey philosophy (it works)
I think out of all our players right now
The one guy, in my opinion who has that fire and accountability for failure is Matthews – if he gets a bigger role on the team. He seems to excel on a bigger stage and is not hesitant to critique himself and his game quite realistically. My god if LMA had Matthew’s attitude toward the game, he would have been an allstar years ago.
As of now, Roy is too broken, Miller doesn’t like confrontation, and Batum is too young and quiet (although there is hope for him). I think Pryzbilla helps fill this ‘fiery leader’ role so I’m really eager to see how the team plays with him out on the court. I think the team could potentially feed off of Pryzbilla’s and Matthew’s intensity…
by ricecracker on Nov 27, 2010 12:57 PM PST up reply actions
you forgot to mention
…and Bayless is gone
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
same old Nate
“Knock down shots”. continues to be the tone. Of course if you don’t make those (outside jump) shots you can’t win with Nate ball. It’s the very essence of our issues…live and die with the outside shots….walk don’t run…No versatility…no identity
soon the facade will dissipate and reveal the truth. attendance needs to reflect their play, so that the awakening can arrive quickly, and with it a new approach and fresh start.
I’ve said it many times in here….this team has an analytical and methodical system that turns player into robots and drains out inspiring play. The “part time” identity of this team only fits Roy and no one else.
and this doesn’t even cover the lack of “fire inside” that is conclusive of this team and the stag"Nate" system that chokes off player instincts.
Jackson and Pop have disciplined systems, but they have flexibility and options to them. The most noticeable is the confidence in their players to “read” the defense and start the offense from that read. The set plays are always secondary to that.
I’m tired of hearing about execution….The system lends itself to this notion and can be considered a by-product of a system with few options and where execution is often confined to making the outside shot.
Perhaps I’ve never appreciated this team as much as some, but I have always remained solid in my opinions and views. This has been my tone for this team since it was first ’glorified" 3 years ago. I have ignored statistics and went almost exclusively with intangibles and gut feelings.(influenced by my associations) This team needs some “fire inside” We are a young team that has forever played like old men (before we became old men)
I seriously question the intelligence of this team….no I won’t say intelligence, but I will say wisdom. I don’t really think they recognize the flaws and the weaknesses that need attention. Nate touches on the obvious, but never seems to get to the root causes. coaching change? not likely to find a better one…but IMO his philosophy is holding this team back.
"You play good defense and let your offense generate from that. You will find that success of your offense, is proportional to the extent of your defensive diligence." Jack Ramsey philosophy (it works)
Question I'm looking for a real, non-emotional answer for:
At what point does Nate actually get fired? What record would it take, how far into the season, etc.
End of the season. That's the "rational profit-maximizing capitalist's" course of action, and that's the way the decision-making apparatus of the Blazers is structured...
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
I think you're right
Too bad we missed out on Monte Williams being the Blazers’ Chip Kelly.
"Coach said to always be careful around Greg, because Greg costs a lot and even the slightest amount of basketball can damage him." -- The Onion
I would have loved to have Monte
Lionel Hollins would be a good pick up though, faster tempo, Jersey hanging in the rafters, oh and his contract is up at the end of the year
For the love of god can New Orleans please start loosing, Portland needs a good draft pick...
Terry Porter's jersey is hanging in the rafters, too
Loved him as a player, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best option to take over for Nate
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
this assertation is so ridiculous
and easy to refute, i won’t bother because every sensible person on this board who’s followed the blazers under paul allen knows you just have a grudge against him and are full of it.
looking over the cliff?
I think there is decension between Roy and “his team” … I also think it started last year..my opinion only of course…what I saw at the RG last night was Roy ball and not team ball and I think it is subtle and hopefully not deliberate but the others have more fun and seem to be more successful playing when they don’t have to always defer…even if they lose. This is from my gut only…but that is what I saw….I believe Cho will make sweeping moves that are smart…we need a coach that has boundaries with all his players…as a fan I have more fun watching the TEAM play…Roy got his points…so what….we lost…
I don’t see them winning the title immediately. Nicolas Batum
Hey, it's my Birthday!
Thanks for this:
The bad basketball isn’t coming from nowhere. It boils down to two simple questions.
Who is “buying in” right now? And what are they buying into?
Oh well, at least for the next month and a half I can still escape the looming massive depression the Blazers look to be bringing with these words:
Go Ducks!!!!
"Coach said to always be careful around Greg, because Greg costs a lot and even the slightest amount of basketball can damage him." -- The Onion
I don't buy your 'between the lines' assertions
“coming at the expense”
So, you are basically claiming Roy was the reason everyone played horrible. I dont buy it, that takes the accountbility away from individuals and puts on it on the star, which is not how team play works.
This is just how sports plays out, good games and bad games and media pointing fingers. Nothing new here.
Yeah
no way you could put this one on Roy. He was far and away our best player tonight, I’m absolutely sick of all of the anti-Roy talk
'Sean Marks, Patrick Mills, and Luke Babbitt made like the three wise men, coming late to the party having followed the stars and bringing gifts of an assist, a turnover, and a personal foul.'
by collectiveshane on Nov 27, 2010 11:27 AM PST up reply actions
I agree.
Roy played within the flow of the offense last night. He wasn’t ball hogging, or forcing shots that weren’t there. If the rest of the team stands around and watches him, then it’s got to be on them, not Roy, after last night’s performance.
"Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal." - C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 1940
I agree
Roy showed up. He never will be a defensive stopper, but then again, neither is Ray Allen. There are schematic deficiencies at both ends of the floor right now.
Kevin Durant won me over when he went Rocky IV on Russia this summer.
by blazeraddict on Nov 27, 2010 11:48 AM PST up reply actions
I don't think we should outright blame Roy
But whether it’s because of his style of play, his vocal leadership, or the coaching schematics when Roy is in the game – our offense is more vulnerable to fail as is our team defense (queue bench player willie green leaving Roy in his socks for a layup). A healthy Roy was good enough to topple these shortcomings, but this team’s system’s reliance on Roy is being exploited now that he’s injured.
Perhaps the main problem is that our system still tries to use him as the focal point of our offense, but our offense as it is designed now fails to get guys enough shots, and in rhythm. Many of our players feed off of a rhythm, which is partly why we see LMA, Batum, and Matthews struggle when they can’t get a read on the pulse of the game.
I guess it’s also hard to be pumped up about defense when you have to deal with a basic offensive system which is one of the slowest and most boring in the league. If our offense is one of the most boring to watch, I can’t imagine it being much more fun to play in. These guys need to have fun playing ball again and are probably tired of Nate’s grind-it-out style which produces few easy looks consistently and few transition opportunities.
I know there's something wrong.
But to blame the coach or Roy I think is too simplistic. Because there have been nights that the Blazers’ offense has looked brilliant. With lots of ball movement, lots of team play. And then there are nights where it looks abysmal. And this is both with Roy in the lineup and with him missing. And on the defensive end, I’ve seen it too. Times when everything clicks and we look really good out there. And then times it goes missing.
So I think Nate’s offense and defense are good enough as designed. What is missing is sustained effort. Is this Nate’s responsibility? To some degree. But after what he did last year with the personnel that were healthy, I’ve seen Nate squeeze effort where there is a lack of talent and win ball games his team shouldn’t.
What it looks like to me is that the team is emotionally exhausted. And we, as Blazer fans, should be the first to understand this. Because we too are emotionally exhausted. Lucas, Pendergraph, Oberto, Williams, Oden, Roy, Przybilla. Not to mention last season. How much can one team take before depression sets in? I think our players are emotionally tired. The summer helped, but when the season started back up, all the stressers returned as well, with a vengeance.
So what are the options? Fire the coach? Another stresser. And who do you bring in that’s better? Trade Roy? The leader of the team? Another stresser. And what would you get for him? I think you could get more for an unextended Carmelo Anthony at this point.
I think there are a couple of viable options though. One is wait. The team is talented. The team will eventually get through this spot. But I think another option is to go out and get another high level player to take the load off. But you can’t get something for nothing. So if this option is taken, a tough decision needs to be made.
Can’t trade Roy, you wont get enough for him. And I think trading Miller at this point is a mistake, unless you can get someone better at the point. We are so short on bigs, that trading Camby or Aldridge doesn’t make a ton of sense. And that only leaves Batum. Which is the player I’d personally like to see stay the most. But he has also been one of the most inconsistent players out there so far.
But you know, if Philadelphia was interested in a Batum for Igoudala headline trade (I know we’d have to get salaries to match), I could understand it. I may not like it. I know I don’t want to trade Batum. But it would give another legitimate option out there on the floor. And Igoudala has defensive chops. What we would lose is three point shooting. But we’re so bad at it this season, that I don’t think it really makes that big of a difference right now.
"Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal." - C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 1940
by T Darkstar on Nov 27, 2010 11:30 AM PST reply actions 4 recs
Seems we have been folllowing your main option for awhile
One is wait.
I totally agree, but only because we have no "reasonable’ other options. (we are so very deeply vested in our current situation there is no viable way out)
However,as is, this team cannot be a serious threat to anyone. It’s really time to move on. Maybe they won’t get a better coach than Nate, but he has never been able to light a fire under this team…If I see energy, hustle and desire I’m happy. (even if it doesn’t always translate into a win)
"You play good defense and let your offense generate from that. You will find that success of your offense, is proportional to the extent of your defensive diligence." Jack Ramsey philosophy (it works)
And at this point, I'd rather shuffle things around by bringing in a new player than getting rid our or coach.
"Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal." - C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 1940
Trade for Iggy, the star who's team has won 3 games in the EC?
This roster needs to be shedding unproductive salaries, not adding to them
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Everything fell apart when Wesley hit the floor and didn't move for a loooooooong, long time
The guys were playing GREAT until Wesley went down. I was in the cheap seats but clearly felt the wind go out of everyone’s sails at that moment. And when Wesley finally got up and wobbled off to the locker room, I expected a loud roar from the crowd but all we could muster was a half-hearted clapping.
That was the moment we all started believing that indeed this team is cursed and doomed. The RG crowd lamed out. The team lamed out. Everything tanked.
I think Cho needs to hire a zen master therapist for the team. We fought through major adversity last year. Do we have the heart to do it again?
that’s the question in my mind. We have the talent – the first quarter was an awesome display of what this team is capable of.
Do we have the heart? The rest of the game showed us what this team looks like when they lose faith and surrender to fear.
Time to see if they can rally and triumph. I’m staying tuned.
I was wondering the same thing
Seeing Wesley, Rudy, and then Marks go down was difficult for me. I don’t know if I can project that onto the fans and the team but I was definitely wondering “what else is going to happen?” Maybe the team was affected by that same feeling of dread and shrank back from it. It certainly made me think about how much energy and force of will it took for this group to win 50 games last year.
PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04
The thing that really surprises me
is that three Blazers go down in the same game, and no one is calling for the trainers or team doctors to be replaced
either the fans are starting to catch on that the medical staff is not to blame for player injuries, or they’re as zombie-like as the players looked during the 2-4 quarters last night
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The way the players went down last night has nothing to do with the trainers.
Someone stepped on Mark’s foot. Matthews was slammed into..funny Maurer didn’t see THAT one..so no one on the Hornet’s team got a foul. And Rudy …another Blazer ran into each other.
I think the medical staff needed to be closely watched and new methods brought in to prevent injuries. But not this kind…
The way the players went downlast nightfor the last 10-15 years has nothing to do with the trainers.
FIFY
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
it's called the breaks of the game
whether a Blazer player’s knee hits an opponent’s metal knee brace or the groin of a teammate
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Time to update your Best of Marks post, Ben.
I think he must have read that, because working men from all countries united under that monster block that the refs took away.
It may not be popular, but I’m a Marksist and proud of it!
Stealth > Wealth
by 500dogs on Nov 27, 2010 12:16 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Clearly the team is cabaple of going up by a decent margin.
Against teams above .500 nonetheless. If this team played 4 quarters we’d have beat the Thunder at least once, and New Orleans at least once.
What a depressing season it's been so far.
For the Arcade Fire fans out there, “Even in the half light / we can see that something’s gotta give.”
2009-2010 = Half Light I. 2010-2011 = Half Light II (No Celebration). Hope’s gone, rosy future turned to ash, and we’re all just sitting here picking up the pieces and wondering how things went so badly so quickly.
"One of the bright spots of the young season has been rookie point guard Jonny Flynn, whose name sounds like he should be the lead character in a Broadway Musical. "What are you doing here, Jonny Flynn?" "Why I'm here to court trouble, and woo a girl, and build the most fantastical contraption the world has ever seen!" -- Dave, Game 7 Blazers versus Timberwolves preview
"It was bad reffing...but not rip apart the fabric of time bad." -- The Arkitect, Game 79 Blazers versus Mavericks Post-Game Thread
"We Used To Wait" would also be appropriate sentiment right now...
Sometimes it never came…
"OK Kids! Who wants a basketball? That's why I love my Chevy Silverado."
Iggy for Roy?
Imagine Andre Miller running the break with Iggy, Batum, LA and Camby? That would be one fast breaking, defensive lock down type of team? We have the personnel.
I'm a little confused by your tactics
by oderiferous emanations 74 on Nov 27, 2010 2:21 PM PST reply actions
That's never going to happen
but I love Iggy’s game.
this is just one more loss closer to drafting kyrie irving.
glass half full!
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
by jenstcy on Nov 27, 2010 2:27 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Irving would have to be pretty desperate to leave Duke and decalre for the draft
when the NBA is heading into prolonged lockout
Two mid/late 1st-round draft picks in the weakest class in recent memory? Would someone please remind me why Jerryd “Mr. Fire and Intensity” Bayless needed to be traded back in October, again?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
16 games in the 31 days of December for the Blazers.
Well at least Mike Barrett will have a good excuse as to why the team isn’t playing well at any particular moment during December. Unless he reads my post, he’ll be throwing that stat around like it’s confetti.
Treat people well because Karma can hit you at any second.
Because they play so well after 6 days rest?
It’s time to look in the locker room mirror and not at the upcoming schedule
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
excuses, excuses, excuses
I am sick of hearing excuses from the Blazers, and about the Blazers. The team needs to man up and overcome adversity. I am glad they are leaving town for a spell. They really stunk up the RG last night. Home cooking and rest obviously did them no good. Maybe a road trip will bring them together as a team.
by Blzr fan on Nov 27, 2010 5:30 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
So Nate, you pulled Dre out in the 4th for all those turnovers?
Dre had 3 turnovers. Chris Paul had 5, but I doubt Monty is too mad at him. Sitting Miller and running the offense through Roy in the 4th sure helped, though. 13 amazing points in the 4th, what an offensive genius. So now that we have a hobbled Roy back, we’re going to go back to running everything through him at the expense of the rest of the team?
by Coastie07 on Nov 27, 2010 3:01 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Its amazing
people continue to attempt to blame Roy or Nate for the Blazers plunge when the reason is staring you right in the face. Getting rid of Blake, Outlaw, Martell and Bayless and replacing them with Miller, Matthews and 2 rookies in Armon and Babbit who contribute little to nothing has had a deep effect on this team. Heck the starting pg of this team cant even be in the game of 4th quarters when Roy is playing because he cant space the floor. This team is dysfunctional and has been that way since miller arrived. Its unfortunate that injuries had to break up a team that played so well together and was so fun to watch.
Injuries to the centers "broke up" the team and made the Blake/Outlaw deal necessary
but the 2008-2009 roster was never going to be a playoff juggernaut, regardless
the 2009 offseason was a fiasco, whether it was the draft, or the Hedo offer or the Roy extension. The only good thing that came out of it was Andre, but it wasn’t like Miller was Portland’s option A,B,C
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
i do
understand why the blake and outlaw trade happened but it filled one hole by creating another. Why not resign blake instead of watching him go to the lakers? Miller is awful for this team as a starter but would be great off the bench as the team intended to use him when they brought him in. He can only play his game when roy is out of the game or injured. The 2008 team was a player and maturation process away from being a perrennial wcf challenging team even with limited contribution oden.
The 2008 team was a player and maturation process away from being a perrennial wcf challenging team
You can keep believing this and no one will ever be able to prove you wrong.
After the Rocket’s series, Roy complained that he was completely worn out (this was in April, the post season ends in June) Brandon asked for veteran help; Blake and Outlaw played poorly against Houston. In July KP went after Hedo, Millsap, Lee, Odom and settled on Miller with his remaining capspace. Andre was responsible in large part for the team’s 50 win finish last season and 6th seed, despite all the injuries. It wasn’t ’Dre’s fault that Roy tore his meniscus last April or that Roy is no longer the effective player he was back in 2008-2009. The Blazer future prospects have dimmed due to injuries and blaming productive players for it is not going to bring back the past.
I suspect that it’s going to take years and a whole new direction (roster, coaching staff, philosophy) before the Blazers return to the top of the WC. It is what it is, and wondering what might have happened if the roster had been left intact for the last 18 months isn’t going to improve the future course of the ballclub.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Nov 27, 2010 6:22 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
uh
ƒorgot camby, the guy we got or blake and outlaw
i say that is pretty good
by thomasikehara on Nov 28, 2010 2:00 AM PST up reply actions
it is painfully obvious that the Blazers have no leader
The players appear to have tuned out their coach. Our “best player” has NEVER had a conversation with the starting PG. The team is rapidly resembling a dysfunctional family. No shared vision, no common purpose. What a dreary season.
On the brighter side: HOW ABOUT THEM DUCKS!
by Blzr fan on Nov 27, 2010 5:41 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Kinda sad at this point
But I would suggest we all get used to it.
Now that the personnel is different, that anti-movement, jump-shot-oriented offense is going to look even uglier than it did in past years.
Nothing else has changed. Roy is fragile and injury-prone. LMA is still mediocre and has no impact on the game in spite of his occasional Zach Randolp-ish double double – and worse doesn’t seem particularly bothered by this fact. Miller is wasted in this ridiculous ‘offense’ and I’m shocked he hasn’t blown up again yet this year. Camby works his backside off for no reason and I’m shocked he hasn’t punched LMA in the face after covering for him on defense for the fifty thousandth time. Batum is still overrated on both offense and defense. Rudy is still one-dimensional. And no other team in their right would pay equal value for any of them.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that Nate is out-coached on a near nightly basis, this city still loves him (hey, he’s a nice guy!!!11) and unless some Vulcan somewhere can talk sense into PA, he’ll probably get an extension and lead this team to the ‘promised land’ of five seeds and first round exits for the next five years. I don’t care whether you’re the most ardent Nate defender there is, you have to admit it might be time for something different. I don’t know if there’s anything better out there. But nothing else could be worse! Being out-executed every night is too big a hurdle to overcome in the NBA, the Blazers lack the sheer talent to overcome that – especially now. Sure, they’ll beat (some of ) the patsies, and they might even beat the big boys on a magical night or two. But it’s not good enough and if you’re satisfied with another decade of mediocrity, then I wonder about your soul.
I don’t know, I should probably just stop chiming in altogether. But it’s so damn pathetic and depressing. Every third or fourth game the Blazers underachieve, it irritates me to the point of snottiness. Especially when contrasted against the success a young OKC team that was supposed to be in our rearview is having.
And of course, the Ducks, a program I’ve grown up with – much like the Blazers. A program that is innovative and cutting edge – unlike the Blazers. A program that makes exceptional personnel decisions – unlike the Blazers.
Eh, whatever.
GO DUCKS!
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
I hate to see Blazers fans giving up so quick....
I’m a Hornets fan here, but I wanted to offer some support. I can’t believe you are so down on your team this early in the season. Personally, I’m always terrified when the Hornets play the Blazers because your team was always more active and athletic. Things seem to have changed fast.
It’s a shame the bad luck you’ve had with Greg Oden. We’ve had some years with lots of injuries, but not the same guy year after year. Then again, we’ve never had a big guy down low. Chandler was athletic, but also injury prone.
Trust me, I can relate with the underachieving part. Remember, its my team that went from a #2 seed one year, to losing in the first round with a 58-point home loss the next. Fortunes change quickly in the NBA.
I sure hope things get better for you. The Blazers are one of the few decent teams in the West that I don’t hate with a passion, so I’d rather see Portland in the playoffs than someone like Denver or Dallas.
Thanks
Both fans and team just a little shell shocked by ongoing bad fortune over the last couple seasons. Unfortunately, every loss for us will probably be accompanied by trade/fire Nate/Roy/Miller/LMA and whoever else we can find to blame.
Good luck to NO this year…you guys started Miami’s epic reality check. Nicely done!
I hate to see Blazer PLAYERS giving up so quickly.
I'm typing this here because I became jealous of everyone else with signatures in their posts.
by Flapbreaker on Nov 28, 2010 12:52 PM PST up reply actions
One more thing,......
I forgot to say, we really do appreciate Monty down here. I know its early, but he seems to be someone the players can relate to, but still respect, and he doesn’t seem to sugar coat anything.
Now, since we’ve devalued the first round pick we sent you with our fast start, can we have it back? That Bayless guy you sent us was worthless, so we traded him for another ex-Blazer, Jarrett Jack. Me, I’d rather just have my 1st round pick back…… please?
I'd give you the pick back for Bayless, right now
but I don’t have a say, or a time machine. At least Jerryd played with passion and would attack the basket, and his offensive spark has been missed at times this year, even if few Blazers fans are ready to admit it
As far as “giving up” goes, what a lot of us fans fail to remember is that Portland has played poorly in November for most of Nate’s tenure, and they’ve somehow managed to flip a switch in December—even last year after they lost both Oden and Przybilla! So the jury is still out on this season. If McMillian can somehow dig down and inspire the troops one more time, he could get the locomotive back up on the rails
If not, well then we’ll just be plain loco—and headed for the lottery for the first time since ’08—and hopefully Cho will make an even better selection than…Bayless (in a very weak draft class)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
3 playoff games (1 at home) versus 3 ping pong balls?
Never an easy decision
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
its best of 7
but yeah, i would rather be in the playoffs
by thomasikehara on Nov 28, 2010 2:42 PM PST up reply actions
we will take CP in exchange for the pick and BRoy
by Blzr fan on Nov 27, 2010 7:46 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
speak for yourself, thank you very much.
Lucas, then a Blazers assistant, walked past and said that nobody trash-talked like Garnett during his career. "Back then," Lucas said, "it was only a $50 fine for punching a guy in the mouth."
#52
by bustabucket on Nov 27, 2010 11:38 PM PST up reply actions
dear x-and-o guys
Show me an NBA that is missing its jump shots, and I’ll show you an NBA team that is losing. Hitting the open jump shot is central to the way every team plays offense. Great players in the NBA hit contested jump shots regularly; everyone else has to make the open ones. Regardless of the system the team plays.
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