Blazers Sign Armon Johnson
by Ben Golliver on Aug 2, 2010 3:35 PM PDT
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PrintAfter listening to the scouts rave about his Las Vegas Summer League performance, it should come as no surprise that the Portland Trail Blazers announced today the signing of rookie point guard Armon Johnson.
Some are asking: Why Johnson over Patty Mills? That's an overly simplistic false dichotomy. The question to ask of each player is: How do they fit with the rest of the locked in roster pieces? For Johnson, even though he's still young and untested at the professional level, the early answer is: like a glove.
Boasting good size and displaying solid strength and quickness coming out of Nevada, Johnson impressed throughout Summer League with his ability to run an offense, make good decisions, display good shot selection, limit his turnovers and, perhaps most importantly, really get after it defensively. He can't quite guard both backcourt positions but he should be able to handle undersized twos (combo guards) as well as most point guards. The biggest knock on him, of course, remains his jumper. It's been a point of emphasis in his development work since before he was drafted. Johnson doesn't lack for confidence: you might remember that back in June he said his goal was to be an "all star caliber point guard down the road."
As for Mills, this signing shouldn't come as a surprise. The writing on the wall was more like graffiti. Mills' skillset remains a square peg/round hole fit here in Portland. Recent interest from overseas is a positive sign for him but it's still unclear whether he will get an offer from another NBA team, which is his clear first priority. The Blazers should be in no hurry to make a decision regarding his future. If a trade winds up opening up a roster spot then they might still give him a look. When Mills gets an offer elsewhere that suits him, the Blazers will almost certainly let him walk. That seems like the path that's in the collective best interest. Mills needs lots of touches and lots of possessions as he has significant skill development ahead of him. He will find neither in Portland.
It should also be noted that the Blazers reportedly spent $2 million to trade up 10 spots in the second round, using the 34th pick they acquired to draft Johnson. Given the size of that investment relative to the team's overall payroll his signing was a virtual guarantee, regardless of how he fared in Summer League. His solid week in the desert turned the decision into something of a no-brainer.
To pull it together: Johnson plugs in nicely at the third string point guard position. He likely will not see much court time unless either Andre Miller or Jerryd Bayless is traded or injured. Depending on match-ups and who is healthy and when, there's the possibility he will be pushed to the inactive list on some nights. Nevertheless, he's Portland's latest and greatest point guard hope, and who doesn't love that?
Here's my initial interview with Johnson during his pre-draft workout.
Johnson has one final trait that has marked some Blazers draft picks in the past: a chip on the shoulder because he has been overlooked. I asked him where he saw himself in two or three years as a player. "I definitely want to be an all star caliber point guard down the road," Johnson said, without hesitation. "If that's not what you strive for, then this shouldn't be what you do." Not many projected late-first/early-second round players play the all star card that readily.
- Here are my very brief post-draft first impressions.
- Head scouts Mike Born and Chad Buchanan offer post-draft thoughts on Johnson and how he might fit with other backcourt personnel.
Anointing Johnson as a rotation player would be premature. He hasn't even hopped all of the Summer League hurdles yet and those are a long way up the track from actual playing time. But if you're looking for a guy with the inside track, who might be able to help the Blazer lineup eventually, even in a reserve capacity, Johnson is the stand-out this year. As Ben pointed out in his recap post A.J. is looking like a hot prospect and a good fit. That's a great combination. So far, the buzz is justified.
More Mike Born on Armon Johnson...
What we saw in him as a player we're continuing to see grow for him. We liked his size, we liked his athleticism, he's got good length, he's tough. He guards. Offensively he can run a team, he's going to have to continue to do a good job. At Nevada he scored 14 or 15 points a game, he did pretty well on assists and rebounds. Just finding that balance of how do I run my team and also not be a liability on offense. I don't think he's going to be a liability on offense but it's that fine line of trying to figure out how can I run this team and also be a capable scorer, because he's definitely a capable scorer.
I would say that maybe raised our eyebrows was how and when he passed the ball. He's better in pick and roll. They didn't run a ton of it in Nevada for us to see that skill. We thought he could do it because he has the size and strength with the ball in his hands to get to spots you need to get to in a pick and roll situation. I think his passing off of that -- he's one of those guys as a point guard it's the most important trait to be successful in this league, to be able to play with your head up and the ball in your hands. Armon can do that. He's confident with the ball, he's strong with it. His vision coming off of the pick and roll was better than we anticipated it being.
Looking at other things he did well, I thought he defended multiple positions, he defended ones and twos, did a great job on both positions. I think his shot selection was very good for the most part. I didn't feel like he forced a whole lot. He's a great finisher. In college he could overpower guys around the hole, smaller guards, and that was one thing you felt like was going to translate. It did here. Let's see if it can translate against NBA guards.
We like Armon. A lot.
It hasn't surprised us, I wouldn't say, but I would go back to the fact that it's Summer League and you take it for what it's worth. Whereas some guys do well and you've got to kind of hedge it a little bit and some guys play poorly and you've got to hedge that a little. I don't think we're too high or too low but we're happy with what we've seen. He's what we thought he would be, I think.
Defensively he's been very good. That's what we thought he would be. At Nevada he carried a lot of the offensive load, he and Luke it was pretty much those two, so he wasn't able to press up 90 feet at all times. Really get up in guys because he had to stay on the floor. But he wants to, no doubt. His defensive effort, grit, his offensive composure, all of that has been a pleasant surprise. Not turning the ball over a whole lot, making pretty good decisions.
"I thought Armon was fantastic tonight," Portland's Director of College Scouting Chad Buchanan said. "I think that was a major bright spot of our play tonight, him guarding Wayne. He just has such good feet laterally that if guys want to break you down off the dribble they have a hard time getting separation. I think you saw that from Armon tonight. I thought he did a great job of keeping him in front, making him shoot tough jumpshots. I think every shot felt like he took, Armon was in his area contesting it. You could just sense Wayne a little frustrated tonight dealing with Armon."
The Blazers have talked about Johnson's ability to cover two positions and this is what they envisioned: Johnson as a combo-stopper. "I think against ones and a lot of those combo guards he's got the tools to defend both of those guys. There's a lot of those guys in our league. You talk about a Jason Terry, I think you can throw Armon out there against a guy like that."
Dave's Summer League review...
Armon Johnson was clearly the standout player of the week for the Blazers. His stock rose enormously. He played well on both ends, guarded a variety of players, kept his head in the game, and filled the boxscore on good nights and bad. His physical qualities were exciting. His production looked both solid and transferable. You never decide anything based on one week in July but Johnson has inspired hope, if not confidence, among observers and team officials both. As much as folks don't want to admit it sometimes, the Blazers point guard situation is still in flux. Johnson's performance was enough to pencil him in as a possible partial answer to that conundrum. "Possible" and "partial" aren't exactly ringing endorsements but given the lack of solid leads so far they look pretty good.
Here's the team's official press release.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers signed rookie guard Armon Johnson, General Manager Rich Cho announced today. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"We feel Armon can help this team and are excited to have him on board," said Cho. "He's a physical guard who can defend, and we like his potential."
Selected by the Trail Blazers with the 34th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Johnson led Portland's 2010 Summer League entry with 33.2 minutes per game, averaging 11.6 points (fourth on team), 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists (second on team) and 2.20 steals (led team) in five games (all starts).Johnson, 21, played three years at the University of Nevada from 2007-10, where he averaged 14.3 points (46.7% FG, 75.0% FT), 3.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 32.7 minutes in 101 games (99 starts). The Chicago native led the Wolf Pack in assists in each of his three seasons.
The 6-3, 195-pound Johnson earned First Team All-WAC honors as a sophomore, Second Team All-WAC honors as a junior and was named the 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year.
Johnson becomes the 15th player on the Trail Blazers' current roster. He will wear jersey No. 1.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
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they made the right choice
Now hopefully the consolidate a little bit and get to keep Patty too.
Why?
"You can lose lots of money chasing women, but you will NEVER lose women chasing money. " - Mr.Landis
by Bump22 on Aug 2, 2010 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why did they make the right choice?
Or why should they keep Patty too?
1. Armon is the better NBA prospect
2. Patty might be useful as a sparkplug off the bench type player in certain situations, but certainly nobody to cry over if he goes somewhere else.
Patty has a role...
As an instant offense player off the bench. 10-15 min in the occasional game a la Nate Robinson.
He would be a good guy to bring back once we have solved the AJ/JB dilemma or once the PGOTF is in place. AJ might be PGOTF, Patty would not be.
by Rip City Reign on Aug 2, 2010 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Only if Nate's offense changes.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
that's Bayless' role
and Jerryd can defend a lot more NBA guards than Mills can (same with Armon)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
About time.
I hope Patty finds a home somewhere in the NBA.
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
by ericking on Aug 2, 2010 3:37 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Phoenix is reportedly looking for a 3rd string PG
Patty would seem to be a potentially great fit in that system.
www.ripcitydispatch.com
maybe he can beat out Dragic
seeing how Patty’s Australian team dismantled Slovenia last week
(yes, I’m kidding)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
They were named the starting point guard and shooting guard in the all tournament team
That being said two4, i dont know if you saw the game, like him or not, Patty smoked him. Just killed him off the dribble. The Boomers got out to an 8 point lead off Patty burning him with a crossover and taking it to basket, did it like 4 times in a row.
I would love to see Patty down here in PHX.
I acknowledge all the arguments for Johnson, but I really loved watching Patty play.
Wanted: A MEANER Blazer attitude! Knock somebody down and step on him!
Welcome Armon!!!
Huzzah Huzzah!!!
"We are building a fighting force of extraordinary magnitude. We forge our tradition in the spirit of our ancestors. You have our gratitude." - Rich Cho
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Aug 2, 2010 3:42 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
it is
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Aug 2, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
DAMN STRAIGHT!! IT ALL CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS AND GRAVY BOATS FROM HERE ON OUT BUDDY!!!
"We are building a fighting force of extraordinary magnitude. We forge our tradition in the spirit of our ancestors. You have our gratitude." - Rich Cho
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Aug 2, 2010 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Nice
I wonder what this means for Jerryd though.
Greg Oden ate my baby. Need money for body-building training so that I may take my revenge.
Nothing at all
Armon is likely to be third string for at least his first couple of seasons.
| MC2PDX | Horf2PDX | Cho4GM | Griff4AGM | JVG4HC | 1/5
Johnson played college ball at Reno
he should be familiar with the Boise area, a little time in the D-League would be helpful, it’s a big jump from the WAC to the NBA
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Indeed.
I hope he spends a lot of time down there, and stays there for a large chunk of time. Enough to get into a flow and really grow. Unlike when Patty whent back and forth a couple/few times.
That was really unfortunate for Patty
First his own injury that he had to battle back from, and then all of the injuries to the rotation guys that kept him from getting into any kind of groove in Idaho.
Boise didn’t help Patty. They play a system nothing like we do in PDX and it didn’t help him work on his weaknesses. He could just run and gun. It could help Armon some though as he has to work on his shot some.
by danielfarrell on Aug 3, 2010 6:10 AM PDT up reply actions
They certianly made the right choice.
"Batum must be french for: being at the right place at the right time" -
-StudMuffin15 @ Rufus On Fire
"Juwan "The Clipper Killer" Howard" - Natedog1977 @ ClipsNation
" I would trade our entire team for Brandon Roy"
- Slick4President @ Indy Cornrows
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Aug 2, 2010 3:51 PM PDT reply actions
Clang
Now we have 4 PG’s that basically slash and cannot shoot outside 15 ft.
Dre, JBay, Williams & Johnson.
With Rudy rumored to be going for another point blank big, stockpiling us there too, where oh where is our outside shooting going to come from?
Plod, plod, plod. Sag baby sag.
williams is not a PG
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Aug 2, 2010 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions
What the???
Williams CAN shoot the 3 and is more of a SG, not a PG.
Johnson provides the defense that J Bay has not shown so far and is more of a true PG than Bayless.
Batum, Roy, Matthews, Babbitt and an improving Aldridge (watch him extend his range) will bomb away from the perimter.
by Rip City Reign on Aug 2, 2010 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions
As ULC is fond of reminding us
Bayless improved his 3-pt% over the 2nd half of the season. Nic and Jerryd shot it better than Rudy and Marty
but we’ll really miss those guys, because…?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
because Martell played some decent defense on some bigger 3's
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Dante is making progress
he’s never going to be a fluid SF, but he’s got a chance to have at least as good of a handle as Webster (which is faint praise) If Cunningham can learn how to knock down the corner 3, he can play “SF” for Nate for 15-20 mpg. His shooting mechanics are sound, so DC should be able to do this
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
agreed....Dante is a warrior and just needts to be able to take advantage of defenders leaving him to be adequate offensively
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Aug 3, 2010 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
so did Matthews
and Wesley’s shooting doesn’t run hot and cold when he’s coming off the bench
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
no knock on Mathews
but Webster had ideal size for defending guys like Carmelo. Mathews is a bit short for that matchup, and Carmelo can simply out-muscle Batum. Cunningham will most definitely be the guy that has to come in to take deal some of the punishment on the bigger 3’s.
I think Dante will be fine in that role – his mid-range shot alone is enough to make opponents defend him…
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Aug 3, 2010 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
Melo and K*be told reporters that Matthews defended them the toughest in the playoffs
that’s good enough for me
insert “size of dog in the fight” cliche here _______________
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Bayless's shooting isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.....
scouring over his synergy stats right now shows that he shot 38% in half-court spot up situations ranking 135 in the L. Not great, but I wouldn’t say he can’t shoot at all.
dont forget all his foot on the line jumpers
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Aug 2, 2010 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm tired of the "no shooters anymore" nonsense.
The Lakers won two championships without having a single standout shooter. They went out and got a couple of guys who can knock it down (Blake and Barnes), but last season they won because of their defense, rebounding and post scoring. Strong interior scoring will also improve the spacing for our shooters, which will naturally increase their chances of hitting the long ball.
I Agree
“Strong interior scoring will also improve the spacing for our shooters, which will naturally increase their chances of hitting the long ball.”
See the concluding statement in my post below.
The Lakers do not have “great” outside shooters, but they use their length and skill on the front line to create space for their average shooters and makes them above average shooters. If someone like Steve Blake (who is a good shooter) is consistently wide open, he will have a field day.
and a ring
If someone like Steve Blake (who is a good shooter) is consistently wide open, he will have a field day.
"Better, not good, but better." - Herb Brooks
Elliot Williams doesn't fit that mold, as has been said by others.
I’m still not too fond of Williams, though, for within him there’s a lot of Ronald “Flip” Murray — or, as a way to relate this to older Blazer fans rather than younger ex-Sonic fans such as myself, the comparison of James “Hollywood” Robinson also works here — thus, I’d say his role on this year’s team will most likely be that of a third-string shooting guard.
I dunno
When I listened to Williams interviewed, he sounded nothing like those hotdog players you reference. He was kinda impressive. I admit I know very little about this kid. But in his favor, he doesn’t go by a nickname.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
If he is a consistent Flip, I'd take him
I still remember that time Ray Allen was down and Flip averaged simply unwholesome points over the preseason in Seattle. If he’s consistent he could be that “sparkplug” everyone is pining for (and looking at Patty.)
The question now is how many people will demand he start/get minutes?
He will see about as much floor time as Mills did last year or Bayless the year before that.
signing Armon means one of 2 things
the obvious answer is CP3 is coming to Portland but it could also mean that Allen is moving the Blazers to Reno to make up for that guy Johnny Cash shot.
by Biph on Aug 2, 2010 4:05 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Just to watch him die...
Rec for any Johnny Cash reference. ANY where, ANY place. But then I would die and he would have to move them back to make up for me.
Ugh
Good kid, but he won’t be helping this team anytime soon, I fear. It seems pretty obvious that this team needs a PG who can defend AND shoot the three. Maybe that’s not Patty, but Nate’s penchant for Johnson-like PGs (uh, also Nate-like PGs) hasn’t proven wise so far.
I hope Bayless or Williams get the shot to run this offense. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll really take off under Nate.
Since when have we had a Johnson-like PG?
By my recollection the last one was Antonio Daniels and before him Greg Anthony — ie. a point guard who plays defense first and looks to pass before taking a shot.
He was a nice defender in his prime for sure
But reportedly not much of a mentor in his dotage. Sebastian Telfair and Jarrett Jack both said that Anthony had been a real jerk to them. “Veteran leadership” doesn’t pan out when said vet is selfish.
Apparently all Anthony saw in those young point guards was competition for his minutes, so he did what he could to sabotage the youngsters, not help them.
Good t.v. analyst, though.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
who else would Nate have brought in?
I think he’s done well with the PG’s he’s been given. A non nate PG, Sergio, isn’t in the nba anymore. I think Nate has done well with the cards he’s been given
I love B Edge almost as much as I love B Roy and close to my love for B atum
Probably the easiest decision Cho will be faced with this summer
Good work, new GM. Hopefully he does as well with the more difficult decisions.
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
Yet To Be Seen
Williams was listed as a PG/SG (combo) in the draft.
He has great athleticism, similar to JBay. Scouting says his outside shooting will need to improve.
Johnson shows great promise as a defensive player, but is a brutal shooter.
Dre is a saavy veteran who can create his shot somehow, but has limited range.
I’d like to see LMA extend his range. That is yet to be proven. I’d like it even more if he could post up moves could improve.
Babbitt is yet to prove if he can nail shots against an NBA defense in primetime and in limited minutes off the bench.
JBay is 15 ft in with an occasional prayer answered from 3.
Both Batum and Matthews were secondary players last year and were not asked to knock down shots on a consistent basis. It will be interesting to see where their shooting % goes if that changes.
Roy is more comfortable with the ball in his hands and creating than he is spotting up and shooting.
Last year teams had great success packing it in on the blazers and daring them to win from deep. I don’t think that will change this year. I don’t see that their shooting prospects have improved.
We need GO to be healthy and effective and LMA to be more proficient to give our so-so shooters better looks and a better FG%.
okay, you're making some big assumptions
Bayless has an outside shot now. He shot very well later in the season, and it’s hard to imagine a guy with a crazy work ethic like his won’t improve.
Batum shot 41% on 3.6 3pt attempts a game – I think that’s consistent. Matthews had 2 attempts per game in about the same minutes, so not quite as much – but he also played a full season. They’re not going to be asked to be primary options on offense anyway – Roy, Miller, Aldridge and Oden will all be ahead of them.
Regarding Roy: he shot 35% from 3 pre-All Star break, and only 28% after. That’s a very clear indication that his shooting suffered due to injuries and nothing else.
Basically what I’m saying is that all of our rotations guards and wings except Miller are legitimate 3 point threats – they can’t be left alone. Of course, healthy Oden matters hugely no matter what – I especially look forward to watching his passing again.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Im not that excited about this-
We have another summer league standout, oh yeah he actually won the summer league MVP- our pg Bayless. Now I should be all happy cuz Armon Johnsons on our team and he performed well at SL? No diss to AJ because every player who makes it as far as he has is good, but all this does is logjam our pg positon up some more-something that obviously hasnt worked out well for us in the past!
Bayless>Johnson
Bayless>Mills
Miller>Bayless
Case Closed.
The Dude: Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!
by cavejunctionblazer on Aug 2, 2010 4:17 PM PDT reply actions
I love this
“If that’s not what you strive for, then this shouldn’t be what you do.”
Here’s to hoping he makes the All-Star level. It will be a lot of work, but if he proves capable I wouldn’t mind seeing him start long term for us.
Love the Hammer - if it was strickly Patty vs Armon, I belive Cho made the right choice
Welcome to the team Armon!
Welcome Armon!!
It’s summertime, and that means we’re allowed to be excited over stuff like this! Wooo!
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I think it is worth the risk
The notion that Patty Mills will become an All Star pg, is pretty far fetched. So even if Armon sucks, it’s not like we lost out too badly on another point guard.
by JasonT on Aug 2, 2010 5:18 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
He'll be the backup by season's end.
Dude can become exactly what this team needs. The question is: how long will it take him to get there? Regardless, sweet perimeter D and solid floor general off the bench is always an asset. Congrats, Armon.
Rich Rolled
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Aug 2, 2010 5:37 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
The question is: how long will it take him to get there?
I think the real question is: How much hair can Amron harvest for his Andre Miller voodoo doll? For advice, I’m sure Batum would give him a look at the one he made of Martell Webster (I’ve heard it’s wearing a Wolves jersey and has about 20 knitting needles in the foot).
Seriously though, if the roster remains as is Armon’s chances of getting anything but garbage time minutes are about as slim as John Waters’ mustache. However, like our winning streak against LA, all good things must come to an end and Andre ain’t getting any younger. If those crazy ankles of his give out, Nate will have to make some adjustments. In that event, I’d hope he’d start Bayless and give Armon some run, but it’s probably more likely that he’ll just stack more minutes on Roy, Bayless and Mathews, playing Roy at the point for longer stretches.
It’s funny, I like Nate a lot as a coach but when it comes to rotations, it seems like he’s always the last to know when something is terribly wrong (*cough*three-guard lineup*cough*). I think he’d sooner watch Roy wear himself to a nub before he’d consider putting a rookie into the guard rotation. Armon might prove to the exception to this rule though—if there’s one way to Nate’s heart, it’s through his defense.
Stealth > Wealth
by 500dogs on Aug 2, 2010 7:40 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Nate played JBay quite a bit his rookie year
When Steve hurt his shoulder JBay shared time with Sergio.
hg
You make some great points.
Remember how much Ime played? Nate likes guys who can play D. I’m sure he’ll find non-garbage minutes for AJ. AJ isn’t bad on offense either. He’s got NBA paint ability and a better floater than J-Bay (to my eyes, at least). That’s huge.
But we’ll see. I like J-Bay A LOT. It’s fun to have so many great guts to root for.
Rich Rolled
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Aug 3, 2010 6:47 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I like this.
I don’t think he will see a lot of time on the floor and his shooting will definitely need work. But any guard that can run the pick and roll and play solid defense at two positions will be useful in this league.
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone!
Good D at the one is a great alternative.
Armon, Mathews, Batum, Camby and Oden. Hmmm. I’d like to see that lineup for a spell when we’re 16 points up. Bring the D!
by Jeffe Portland on Aug 2, 2010 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The right call
Not exactly a tough one but nonetheless, Cho’s first move is a hit.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
No brainer for sure
The Blazers have badly needed more competent perimeter defenders. This kid can get after it at the defensive end. He’s aggressive like Bayless, but has longer arms and maybe better judgement. He looked pretty good on offense too; intelligent & tough, tough, tough.
Obviously the jumper is a project. But you’re not going to get the total package @ #34. Not everyone is able to develop a quality jump shot after reaching the NBA, but it’s not uncommon. A bit of talent, good coaching, hard work, and confidence are the keys. I wouldn’t bet against Johnson.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
I've told myself
I’ve told myself all along that Armon Johnson and Patty Mills were different but equal enough players that I wasn’t going to sweat which one got picked.
BUT…
“Why Johnson over Patty Mills? That’s an overly simplistic false dichotomy. The question to ask of each player is: How do they fit with the rest of the locked in roster pieces?”
I disagree, it may be a simply question but it’s not a false dichotomy unless someone personally chooses to make it one.
It’s a fair question.
In my viewing of summer league, I thought Patty Mills actually played slightly better. I kept hearing “spin” about how Armon was superior defensively, more athletic and the fabled kiss of death…“a Nate type of PG”.
Armon played fine, and had moments but so did Patty Mills. The Blazers kept Mills out of the biggest PG match-up of summer league giving the match up against John Wall solely to Armon.
I thought that sucked. Why? What were The Blazers afraid of? That Patty might clearly outshine Johnson in the match-up? All summer league I got the subtle and not so subtle feeling that the decision was already made…it was going to be Johnson.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like Johnson and as rookie his ceiling is unknown and undefined and I did think he played well in summer league. But to say he fits like a glove? Well one could argue that given Mills international experience, and a better outside game, plus IMO much maligned defensive ability that Mills is the role player we should be keeping. As it currently stands Armon Johnson’s game is like Bayless Lite.
Okay, I’m a Mills fan. I can’t run from that, and despite the fact that I do like Johnson I have the nagging feeling that this decision was made for the wrong reasons. Money spent to obtain him and because he’s a “little newer” shouldn’t be defining factors at all. I find it funny that the exact same realities used to dismiss Mills are presented as positive reasons for keeping Johnson. For example, " Mills needs lots of touches and lots of possessions as he has significant skill development ahead of him. He will find neither in Portland." …fair enough but Patty doesn’t need touches to develop a non-existent shot? Patty doesn’t need playing time and possessions to improve? I don’t think The Blazers roster as currently configured can afford to have two 3rd or even 4th string PG’s, but if the Blazers had chosen Mills over Johnson what makes you think the playing time available would be significantly different. Johnson and Mills might have slightly different skill sets, but they would both be filling the same role.
Again, we are talking 3rd string PG which on a team with Andre, Bayless and a playmaking Brandon Roy is a very limited role so I don’t care so much that The Blazers have initially chosen Johnson over Mills. But IMO Mills wasn’t really given a totally fair shot and his performance was spinned negative, while Johnsons was spinned positive.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
ugh....
If you’ve bothered to read, please substitute “Armon Johnson” for “Patty” in this sentence:
…fair enough but Patty doesn’t need touches to develop a non-existent shot? Patty doesn’t need playing time and possessions to improve?
I blew it……I meant Armon Johnson….
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
"I thought that sucked. Why? What were The Blazers afraid of? That Patty might clearly outshine Johnson in the match-up? All summer league I got the subtle and not so subtle feeling that the decision was already made…it was going to be Johnson."
Um, because he would have gotten burned on D by the much taller and much quicker Wall. I think it’s as simple as that.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
Come on?
Playing…is what summer league is all about. If it is presented that you have a competition going on between two PG’s in Mills and Johnson, then keeping one out of an entire game is ridiculous.
Even if Mills DID get burned…which now we will never know because he wasn’t allowed to play, that would of been something we would want to know coming out of summer league.
I really think The Blazers knew they were going with Johnson and just did not want Mills to somehow muddy the decision by having a good or great game against Wall.
You could of allowed him to play. No real excuse.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
Your theory is about as good as mine but when it comes down to it they are both just theories.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
would not worry to much about Patty
expect to see him sign to anothe club in the weeks leading up to the World Champs.
Pattys management Goodwin sports have feilded interest from The San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Orlando magic, Sac Kings, and Indiana Pacers in the last 24 hours with the news that PDX put an offer to Armon.
Ball Clubs are wise to the fact that if Mills has a good World Champs then his stock, and price, will jump considerably, so they are all trying to lock him in at a minimum now.
The ball is acutally in his court.
My tip is the Spurs, given the Australian link, and he will be a nice 3rd behind TP and Hill.
I hope that works out for Patty
He really looked sharp in Summer League and I hope he gets to play. I don’t feel it needs to be for Portland.
Do you have a link?
BTW, I’m not questioning you. I know some Aussies who’d be interested in reading the news if there’s an article available.
Even if he doesn't get minutes this year, I bet he's the #2 guy next year
I’ve been thinking one of the big pluses in Andre Miller’s team option year (2011-12) is that the Blazers can cut him to give that salary to Greg Oden if needed. So there are two paths — (1) Andre gets cut. (2) Andre looks like the essential guy so the Blazers take their lumps in terms of the luxury tax, and maybe Bayless is wide open to get traded before his contract has to be renewed. Either way, Armon Johnson has a door wide open to play big minutes in 2011-12.
AJ doesn’t have to be an all-star point guard either — if he can just run a team well, the rest of this team will make him look good. From Summer League, he seems to be a very good defender, ball-handler and passer. I think he’s practically NBA-ready, except one thing — his key play is to get past some guys, get into the lane, and stop for a second before making a pass. (Bayless at the same point just drives to the hoop and doesn’t think pass.) I only think that in the NBA he’ll find he doesn’t have that second to make a decision. With experience, he should get even quicker. He’s a perfect guy to set up Greg, LMA and Camby close to the hoop. I’m VERY excited about him.
Mills
Mills never got much of a shot because Blazers had players that were ahead of him and deservedly so.
I don’t know whether Mills is good enough to be a rotation player on another team, but he certainly is good enough to be a reserve on some teams with the potential to work himself into the rotation.
I expect he will be on contract with an NBA team before long. I will look forward to see whether he gets a chance to prove himself and if so, how well he does. There just wasn’t the opportunity for that to happen in Portland.
tweet tweet from Brian T
this is what Brian T Smith just tweeted “#Blazers’ retain Mills’ rights and he is restricted.”
Is it November yet?
He was restricted since they gave him the QO
Only know they would have to waive a player if he took it. Though that player could be him ;-)
I think we have rights to Mills to training camp
Restricted means we couldn’t match with 15 roster spots, right? But the other team would have to beat our offer.
In KP I trusted!
i don't see him making an all star team.
I love B Edge almost as much as I love B Roy and close to my love for B atum
not this year
but the “playing with his head up” concept is understated – and he has the physical tools to dominate opponents. Nothing is guaranteed – but I’d bet on Armon. Not the house, but five bucks….that I borrow from a friend….
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
john wall has the physical tools to dominate,
armon will at best be a back up
I love B Edge almost as much as I love B Roy and close to my love for B atum
where perception and fact don't overlap
Wall is slightly (3/4") taller with a 1.25" wider wing span – and both come in at 5.6% body fat.
After that, Armon actually had the better no-step vertical, Wall was slightly better in the max vert and agility, and they were equivalent in the 3/4 sprint. Wall didn’t test in the bench – but Armon had a very impressive 18 reps – only four less than Griffin did last year – and 8 more than other noted physical specimens at point such as Bayless and Derrick Rose.
So, yeah – Armon has the necessary physical tools to dominate opponents. The rest is all about what’s in his head – and he is starting at a good place – with his head up.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Aug 3, 2010 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
just to add onto the bench reps
according to Nathan Begley at Portland Roundball Society, he had the sixth best reps of all draftees. That includes the beasts like Cousins.
Portland could coast along with their superior talent and stay right with us. Now that Portland woke up, the hammer cometh down.
Bayless > Daffy Duck after 3 cans of rockstar
by Batumshakalaka on Aug 4, 2010 5:07 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah - higher than several bigs - including Favors
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Considering the PG crop in the west
that’s not such a horrible thing. The Blazers don’t need a fancy PG though. One who can play D and control tempo fits nicely alongside Roy/Batum/LMA.
Rich Rolled
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Aug 3, 2010 9:17 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I love blazersedge
100 comments and in-depth analysis of the 15th man signing in August.
This is the best place to spend 10 minutes in all of cyberspace, with Dave and Ben being half of that reason and the most passionate basketball fans being the other half.
Here’s hoping for a great year.
by seasnake333 on Aug 2, 2010 10:08 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
If Armon can learn to shoot
He will be golden. He’s strong enough to control the ball at the point, he’s strong and fast enough to defend the point, he moves back and forth and side to side with the ball and has the patience to let plays develop to hit guys when they get open. That takes intuition that many players don’t have. Especially Bayless. Bayless runs the point mechanically and drives with his head down. He either gets his shot blocked, turns the ball over or scores/draws foul.
Armon is crafty and that’s what makes a good pg. Think Steve Nash and Rajon Rondo. They move around and shuck and jive until somebody breaks free or they have a lane to the basket themselves. They always have options and I think Armon will be that way.
by davebball on Aug 2, 2010 10:16 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
He needs to be a bit more ambidexturous too.
Shooting is a priority but so is this.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
by dpnim on Aug 2, 2010 10:58 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I see this as more of a problem personally
It sounds like his shot is pretty good fundamentally, and was hitting them well pre-draft. Apparently he had confidence issues in college shooting 3s, considering him and Babbit were the only clear options on offense, opportunities for open/uncontested 3s didn’t happen often. Unlike Patty, AJ doesn’t consider the contested 3 a good shot, so was hesitant because he knew there was a better shot out there.
In our offense, the only 3s he will need to take are the wide open kick outs, so he shouldn’t have any confidence issues there. I’m not saying he will be “blake-esque” right off the bat, but he should be plenty capable to hit the spot up 3 down the road.
Portland could coast along with their superior talent and stay right with us. Now that Portland woke up, the hammer cometh down.
Bayless > Daffy Duck after 3 cans of rockstar
by Batumshakalaka on Aug 3, 2010 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions
his DraftExpress scouting report did knock his shot selection
but the knock was on his tendency to come down the court and launch ill-advised bombs early in the shot clock.
I think a little McMillanary discipline will go a long way to helping Armon.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Aug 3, 2010 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah, no early shot-clock 3s on the fast break
only Rudy was able to get away with that
I could see Nate intentionally walk across Armon’s path, like he did to Bayless last year when Jerryd took a jumper (and missed) rather than pass it to Roy
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
no question the promise is there
I didn’t see any of his negative scouting report elements manifest in Vegas…
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Great signing.....
If armon keeeps working on his deep ball( which should be fine since he is a lefty and they are all good shooters!!) he is the next chauncey billups but with better D. Go Zers
SHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDD
Meh
I’m rather bored with the Blazers signing second round point guards. I wonder who he’ll be traded for in a few months.
Question.
What is it or who is it that you want the Blazers to go after?
You never seem very happy with anything that we do. I see this a ton in posters on BE but I’m curious what reasonable and realistic decisions they would really come up with.
We picked up a PG, SG, and SF this summer and two, technically 2.5 PFs (depending on how you look at Dante 3/4, Claver 3/4 and Pendergraph 4/5), last summer. We are at least balancing the roster and creating a clear pecking order for PT.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
I'm happy with Roy, Oden, LA, and Batum when he's not injured
I like Camby and Przybilla and I’ll start liking Pendergraph and Cunningham since they won’t be rookies.
Fernandez made me mad with his crying and I never like rookies. Rookies are dumb and cannot be trusted. Same with Cho, he’s just a dumb rookie GM. I don’t expect anything from Babbitt or Williams as well.
To me, at this point, Johnson is no different than Green or Mills. I’m more than happy for him to prove me wrong, and he can’t disappoint me, because i don’t expect anything from him. I just think 2nd round point guards are worthless.
I used to like everything the Blazers did until they signed Miller last year and I was happy KP got fired because he signed Miller.
In regards to adjusting the roster, if Bayless has improved, then I’m cool with him sticking around. I’ve always thought he was too cocky for someone who couldn’t beat out Steve Blake for playing time. I want Miller off the roster and I don’t care who comes back in return.
I know that would leave Bayless as the starting point guard and a rookie as his back up, but at least we’d have a team full of good guys that deserve cheers and happiness. That would screw up playoff hopes, so hopefully Cho could combine Rudy and Miller for a starting point guard. But then I doubt that too. Cho’s greatest accomplishment is signing a 2nd round draft pick.
I don’t care about roster balance. I just want Oden healthy, a starting point guard who can get out of the first round, Roy, LA, and Batum as the starters. I’d like to keep Joel and Camby and I don’t care about the backups.
Basically, if Miller gets traded, I’ll go back to being a homer and will start liking Cho. Right now, it’s really hard for me to be excited about a season that I know will end in the first round of the playoffs.
If I wanted to know your opinion, I would have read your comment.
the power of positive thinking
I agree with (almost) everything in this post. Scary. However, I do think backups play a significant role in the regular season – and those contributions do matter.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Aug 3, 2010 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh I agree
I want good backups, I just don’t care enough to work out trades and whatnot for backups. And ideally there is 3 guys in every position and the 3rd guy never plays. But then I also don’t mind a guy who can play more than one position so the 3 guys per position has wiggle room.
If I wanted to know your opinion, I would have read your comment.
It will be so nice after Cho completes the Tony Parker deal
we’ll have the “optimistic Tom” back, again!
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Brandon Roy and Tony Parker would be an ill-fitting tandem. That's not to say they couldn't ...
make it work, but the two just wouldn’t complement each other and their respective effectiveness would take a hit. It’d be kind of similar to what currently occurs with Roy and Andre Miller, except Miller is at least a pure point guard who enhances the game of certain players around him (e.g., Greg Oden) and, unlike Parker, he’s at least an average defender — even though I’d still prefer a good defender back there like Kirk Hinrich — and is also a durable player.
Also, with regards to Parker, there’s a reason that the San Antonio Spurs liked to keep him and Manu Ginobili on separate units a lot of the time, as they’re both high usage guards who like to have the ball in their hands. Knowing Roy, that’d be an even bigger problem for Parker than it is for him currently with Ginobili.
I know, you've mentioned this before, but when Tom said
I just want …a starting point guard who can get out of the first round
I decided to reset my Parker trade scenario, one more time
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Can't wait!
It’s going to be cool seeing him in his warm ups waving a towel and high fiving all the guys when they come to the bench and maybe, just maybe if it’s a blowout he might actually get to play!
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