3 Takeaways from Phoenix, including why Jamal isn't The Microwave
by DiegoSegui on Jan 7, 2012 4:58 PM PST
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First off, I'm a Blazer Lover, not a hater, and no, the sky certainly isn't falling. But 3 points that have been apparent to me really crystallized in Phoenix.
Secondly, good news: we have some perfect pieces to use on the second unit. Kurt Thomas has been great--a Juwann-plus--but we're going to have to use Chris Johnson more if we want to become a first-tier team. His blocks have the ability to jumpstart the break, and he can run the court, too. Yes, his skill set is limited, but there's an upside, and without a shot blocker, we're not going to run very well. Likewise, Elliot Williams is a legitimate A-list NBA athlete who is quick and can cause some havoc defensively (maybe for us as well as the other team, but the man is only going to get better with experience). I have seen enough to know that the man can get into some passing lanes. Much as I like the sight of Craig Smith's giant torso, I don't think pairing him with Kurt does us much good, particularly since his torso is on a 6' 6" body. Once the two of them are on the court, we're not likely to do much running. The bottom line is a running team needs to have athletes and legs.
Thirdly, we need a passable point guard for the second team. Jamal Crawford is not a point guard, but rather a 2 with a good handle. Nolan Smith...well, I know it's premature, but I don't think he's ever going to be an effective NBA player, as he's not quite quick enough to shake a good defender, isn't a gifted passer, and is not quite accurate enough from outside.
Now granted, Jamal has had some exceptional stretches. The guy is completely unafraid and is a handful to guard. But when he's at point in the half court, everything...slows..down. Crawford probes, examines, and eventually usually hoists a shot, which he's making at a very poor clip for someone who isn't connecting on 3s. He's below his usual efficiency (35% FG v. 41% career), but his career rate isn't great, either, and given the compressed schedule I'd take a Vegas bet that he won't equal his career percentage. Now, I still really, really want this guy on my team--we'd be a .500 team without him right now. The man has cojones. But his offense is coming somewhat at the expense of any kind of rhythm/movement on the second team, which isn't helping Batum at all.
Crawford reminds me a bit, role-wise, of Vinnie Johnson, The Microwave, of the Bad Boy Pistons teams. Their styles aren't terribly similar, but they both were confident, attack oriented players. The main difference is that The Microwave was never a point--he always played aside Isaiah or Joe Dumars. That way, his instant offense was always tappable, but someone other than him had some control over choosing when to turn on/off that particular tap.
My solution would be to start looking for a serviceable backup point guard who could be had for a number one pick. Jose Calderon, for example. Defensive liability but he could keep the tempo up, improve the spacing. Maybe Luke Ridnour, since Minnesota's got 3 point guards and just signed Barea to a longish deal. I'd love to have DJ Augustin but I don't think that the Bobcats are selling. I don't really know who we could reasonably get, but if we did come up with someone, we'd have a second unit that could put the pedal to the metal. Jamal would still be a huge part of the offense, but instead of him having the ball for 80% of the possession, we could always throw the ball to him with 8 seconds left and he'll get just as good of a shot as he usually does.
Thanks for reading--really enjoying the season so far, just wishing as always that I was the GM.
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Ridnour would be good. Another possibility is longtime Blazer target Ramon Sessions, who is being squeezed out by Kyrie Irving.
He seems to have (finally) acquired a three point shot, too. But his defense is supposed to be very bad – just like Ridnour.
Yes
Sessions popped into my mind shortly after I posted. He’s somewhat of a combo guy, too, but can certainly penetrate.
Yea I agree with Crawford not being a PG. If we want to take full advantage of his ability he needs to not be runing the half court sets. Felton needs to have a better back up to give him breaks. Nolan in my eyes at this point is no better than Armon. Which is at best an ok D-league point guard. The thought of having Ridnour or Augistin would be a great pick up and a great back up point guard.
I am not sure why Chris Johnson hasnt seen more minutes or like you said in the PHX game if we look super flat and nothing is falling lets look at the bench. He is similar to LA in which he can block and board but he is a fast 4 or 5 and can out run most 4 and 5’s. I wish we would use him more instead of using KT and C. Smith.
All in all I know that we are not going to win every game. But the PHX game we should have ran right over them. I think that once the season progresses we will see theses type of games less and less. It is still really early in a short season with lots of games in a short time.
Good points
I agree with almost all of this. Crawford needs to be reined in — his inefficiency is rough.
the problem with Crawford at point is him not understanding or seeing Batum when he is
open many times I see Nico in a sweet spot to shot a 3 oe attack the baseline yet Crawford sits up top and takes a contested shot instead of dishes. Useing Batum like GW is stuipid get him touches. As what we need is a second unit of Nolan at point E Will 2 Batum as leader, Rhino and CJ which comes in very early on nights that the starters are flat (Suns) platoon change over coach needs to let this team play together tell them they will get time as the energy uint.
Clarify
Not clear on what you mean by using Batum “like GW”. Can you explain? I definitely agree that there are times that Batum is open but not hit with the pass by Jamal.
The Blazers this year seem to NOT be using GW as a spot up shooter
They’re trying to use Crash more to roam his way into the paint however he sees fit. At least that’s what I’m remembering. Batum though… he’s just sitting there in the corner at his sweet spot wide open holding his hands out ready for a catch… ready for a catch… still open… nope! Crawford dribbles into a triple team and hoists up the 15-18 foot contest jumper! I like Crawford too and watching him play makes it obvious that nobody else on the team can create a shot like he can.
He’s just doing it at the exclusion of his teammates and he’s not THAT good.
I see this too.
I’ve seen him make some pretty good passes so I know he can do it. He just needs to dish a little more. I’m not asking for a lot more passing, just some passing.
by JeffePortland on Jan 10, 2012 12:38 PM PST up reply actions
ah, got ya
it’s good for Nic to spot up, but not exclusively—definitely agree. Would like to see him end up near the rim more often, and certainly to post up some smaller players.
I didnt read
Past felton is still carrying extra weight. He just said this week he beat his goal of getting in shape and losing weight. Have you seen him being slow? Nope.
Formally known as: My_name_a_rudy
by Blaze_that_trail on Jan 7, 2012 6:53 PM PST via mobile reply actions
So Felton agrees with me, and yes I think he's slower than his optimum speed
I don’t think that Felton can sustain his quickness for terribly long, which is key to a running team. Additionally, we’re in a division where we face Westbrook and Lawson a bunch, so there’s not a lot of room for error. It’s not a rant against Felton (that’s a pretty small part of the post, really), though one would think that a multi-million dollar point guard who’s on a team that wants to run might do some of this work in the off-season. Nothing to be done about that. But the weakness of his defense against Nash and the season-long underperformance in outside shooting certainly isn’t helped by the weight. Additionally, basketball is a particularly cruel game on the knees for people who are overweight. Again, given the compression of the season, it’s all more the reason for a competent backup
Playing devil's advocate
Portland was mostly a half court team until Felton arrived. With the lockout I’m not sure how much was communicated to him about expectations before the very short training camp.
I think Felton has been our best point guard in years so far, particularly if this is a team that insists on running (although I’ve never been sold on a always running team but prefer a balanced team).
I’ve been pleased and surprised with Felton’s performance so far. Then again my expectations weren’t that high so it’s all relative.
"The game was delayed for over 15 minutes with 5:07 left in the second quarter after France's Nicolas Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, dunked and twisted the rim. Volunteers and officials scrambled to put a new rim on the basket and reattach a net."
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=5509394
Felton clearly needs to refine his goals.
He’s not at optimal weight…he may think he is at optimal weight, but he is wrong.
His max vertical and ability to finish at the rim is compromised because of the extra 15+ lbs he’s carrying; to say nothing of his overall quickness, explosiveness and endurance.
The weight is fine if all he wants to be is a mid-level point guard in this league, but if he wants to take the next step, the rest of that body fat has to come off.
Blunts and cupcakes...Bumble Bee's secret weapon.
by Wotan on Jan 8, 2012 3:47 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Felton has never been a vertical threat
He’s a lot like Andre Miller in that regard. He doesn’t depend on jumping and leaping, he depends on clever penetration, and manipulation of the defense. He is quick though, and he has been pushing the team up the court quickly. The Blazers are currently one of the fastest paced teams in the NBA. Felton might be able to shed a few more pounds and gain a small degree of lateral quickness, but he’s near top playing shape, nearer than LaMarcus, and I don’t see posts here criticizing him for being out of shape. Players who play big minutes will look a little bit sluggish for a while until their body has completely adjusted to the schedule.
How do you know this?
but he’s near top playing shape, nearer than LaMarcus,
No one is criticizing LA because he didn’t show up with rolls. Felton deserves extra scrutiny because of his actions. When LA starts showing up to training camp with some extra rolls he will face the same scrutiny.
I don’t see posts here criticizing him for being out of shape
Weight isn't a verticality issue
It’s more of an endurance issue, which then gets linked to quickness, as well as overall health issue for the knees. Felton is very unlike Andre, I think, in that Andre long ago started using change of pace rather than pure quickness to beat people. It would be great for Felton to develop some of Andre’s moves, and indeed he has a few of his own, but I want the maximum quickness for the maximum time.
Heh.
Weight isn’t a verticality issue
It’s more of an endurance issue
See Charles Barkley. The guy could fly. And he has always looked round.
Barkley was a freak of nature
and thus not comparable. For fun, youtube young Charles, back when he could really run and elevate. I remember seeing him dunk over Sam Bowie and then reject Mel Dinner Bell Turpin in successive plays while he was at Auburn. Stunning.
I've trained athletes for over 18 years, and no matter what you want to believe, those extra
15+ lbs will effect his quickness, leaping ability, endurance and even his balance. And, yes, that will have an impact on his game.
I’m not saying his weight is a deal-breaker, or that he can’t be a functional point guard in this league; I’m saying they need him to up his game, by changing the things that are well within his ability to control: skill work, performance training and body composition.
He’s not skilled enough to have a weight liability; quickness is a big part of his game
Blunts and cupcakes...Bumble Bee's secret weapon.
notice it most in feltons being unable to finish at the rim which occurs often
seems that has to be legs related, and likely stamina.
I would think that physics play a role here too, though.
When you’re flying through the lane, that extra 15lbs also give you more inertia and lessen the effect of a 280lb PF knocking you on your butt. Also provides a bit of an advantage when posting up and backing down a smaller player.
If he were doing a lot of posting up, that might help
but I don’t think he is, or really ever has.
The ridnour idea is very intriguing.
He was top 5 in 3p% last year too, and has played under Nate. Let’s pull the trigger!
A displaced Sonics fan that has somehow emerged as a Blazers fan (and loves it).
by anitachampionship on Jan 7, 2012 10:27 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Hinrich instead of Ridnour, please.
He has experience playing in a backcourt with Crawford, when the unit wants to run Jamal can run it up the court, Hinrich has always been a solid shooter too.
Paul Allen, the 2011 Trail Blazers Owner/GM
Yes, Hinrich would be appealing
He hasn’t had a healthy season in quite a while, but he’s certainly a better defender than Ridnour. Atlanta’s pretty thin on their second team, and with Joe Johnson not getting any younger, I suspect that they’re more or less looking to strengthen for this year rather than prepare for the future.
I can't figure out why we never went after a more experienced backup PG!
We have a history of drafting bad PGs but yet we still think its good enough for us. Prediction: Felton will have to play major minutes for us to win. Nate has no idea how to develop a PG which is weird as he was a PG but both Jack and Bayless have done better after leaving us. Nolan might yet have a future but I don’t think it will be with us, not under Nate anyways. Surely management knows this and should have signed a veteran backup PG instead of going into the season with 2 basically rookie PGs.
So yes Ridnour would be great but the Wolves ain’t just giving him to us but right now I’d trade Nolan for Luke, easy. Even a Ronnie Price or a Earl Watson would have been nice. Not Hinrich as he isn’t a pass first pass PG more a combo PG, besides where is he now?
I don't think that PGs are developed
Generally, they either have what it takes, and need a little time getting used to things, or they just don’t have the fairly rare combination of skills to be that guy. I think big men are much more capable of being developed, and some players’ outside shot really improves over their tenure.
PGs, however, have pretty much been playing that position all of their lives. They aren’t going to get that much better at ballhandling. They’re not going to get quicker, and they’re not going to learn to see the game that much better than they already do. It’s just a matter of being able to adjust to the speed/power/height of the pro game. The NBA is littered with PGs who were great in college but just not _____________ (fill in the blank) enough to make it in the pros. Kyle Macy, Khaled al-Amin, Mateen Cleaves, Tommy Amaker, Jason Gardner, Scott Skiles.
I thought Jack was pretty good when he was here, but he was surrounded by a fairly lame cast. Essentially, we traded him for the Bayless draft pick. Bayless’s problem, as I see it, is that his physical talents were enough, up to a certain point (that point being the NBA). He could blow by anyone going to his right, and he could finish over HS and college big men. Once he got to the NBA, his single move didn’t work anymore. No left hand, no jump shot, and always a 7-footer there to challenge his shot. It’s a shame, because he does have the speed and quickness, but from day one it seemed clear that he wasn’t a point guard at all.
Very, very few PGs have emerged later in their careers to become highly effective. Chauncey Billups is really the only one that comes to mind, and he’s certainly a bit unconventional in that regard, though if you look at the stats the actual uptick per minute is somewhat small. Kyle Lowry got his chance a little late, and certainly improved his shot, but he was always a very nasty defender. I’d love to hear other examples of PGs who blossomed late, but I don’t think that there are too many.
No, I think one is generally born with the skills, though of course you have to work very hard to realize them. I hope Nolan proves me wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on the edge of a NBA roster for most of his career.
also
felton, rondo, aaron brooks, kyle lowry, ty lawson, mike conley all made big strides in their 3rd or 4th year. Most effective backup PGs don’t come into the league as assist machines. They learn from the vets in front of them.
List doesn't contradict my point
I didn’t say that people didn’t get better, but that most points clearly had the goods to be effective from the beginning.
Felton—NBA starter from the beginning
Rondo—ditto, and clearly quite good (though certainly improved)
Brooks—played well as soon as he was given time. Downside is not offense but whether he’s big enough to defend.
Lowry—a better case. Was a plus-defender right away, big thing is that he really improved his shot.
Lawson—really, really, really quick/fast, as he was in his first year.
Conley—improvement of his shot the key, but always very quick and a pretty good passer.
Basically, everyone on this list could penetrate into the lane as rookies, with perhaps the exception of Lowry, who has developed some unique skills and is a hell of a tough-nosed defender. He’s the closest to making the Billups list. The rest of them developed into good enough shooters to keep defenders honest, except Rondo who’s been able to shine without that skill. If Nolan Smith gets to be a better shooter, I don’t think he’s going to be a lot better at getting into the lane. A little better, but not a lot.
Nash was always a point guard
He just was playing behind Kevin Johnson, if I recall correctly. He never looked like he didn’t know what he was doing, or that he was without the key tools.
I agree with all 3 points.
Nate has obviously incorporated some new thinking into his repertoire, but one thing he still does not do well is make use of more of his available roster in games like the Phoenix game. He needs to realize that an 8 man rotation isn’t going to get it done all the way through this season. Please get CJ, Nolan and Elliot more minutes, they need time to develop. Save Kurt Thomas for the playoffs.
LET THE LAMONSTER ERA BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a hard time questioning nate in his rotation
I say this because people who have left received more playing time and showed that Nate was likely managing them correctly based on most dropping their output.
I do agree we need more than an 8 man rotation if we’re running in a shortened season. I’m not sure the answer is currently on the roster.
"The game was delayed for over 15 minutes with 5:07 left in the second quarter after France's Nicolas Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, dunked and twisted the rim. Volunteers and officials scrambled to put a new rim on the basket and reattach a net."
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=5509394
Great post.
I want to forward this to Chad Buchanan…he has an email. Rich Cho did and his was his name with a dot between @ trailblazers.com. You make some very good points. Never hurts to have input..he may be working on these things already but hey…fan encouragement is a good thing!
Let me know if this is ok with you!
I will check back!
I sent an email to chad.buchanan@trailblazers.com and it didn't come back as
not delivered, so that is probably his email. Let me know and I can send this on to him. Or you can. Like I said…really good suggestions..at least from what I know!!!
I agree, especially about Crawford/Batum. Rec for you.
"Say his NAME, Portland. Gerald Wallace is...awesome." -Dave, 4/9/11
Yep.
The only issue I have hear is that we don’t really have anything to trade for better players right now. Most everyone in the current 8-man rotation that sees the majority minutes is pretty much indespensible. The other guys (Johnson, Babbit, Smith, Johnson, Williams) are either not good enough, or don’t make enough money to use in a trade for a larger-salary player. Even going after a 4mil PG like Ridnour is a stretch. Minnesota won’t want what we’re willing to give. And we’re over the cap, so we can’t take a player off a team just looking to dump salary. Maybe we could swing something with a team looking to dump salary, but most teams are sitting pretty good this year. Maybe we could get Derek Fisher or something, but who wants that? Same goes for the PF position.
No, I think any improvement on the bench this year is going to have to come from development within. Nate needs to suck it up and play some of these young guys, and live with the immediate consequences in exchange for the long-term benefit of having a more productive bench down the stretch after the guys grow a little bit. If Norris Cole can come in and ball, then I don’t see what Nolan Smith can’t get 15 minutes a game.
Ultimately I think our bench is kind of stuck until we can go after Freeland and a better backup PG this offseason.
"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez
Easy. We needed shooting and he looked like a shooter.
Lots (most?) of the 1st round picks taken below #8 just don’t work out.
ignacio
by ignacio on Jan 9, 2012 8:26 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Good point
Nobody drafted below Babbitt has made a meaningful impact yet, though it would have been sorta cool if we’d drafted Magnum Rolle, just for the name.
To be fair ...
We traded Martell for Babbit after he was drafted. Not a bad move altogether since we know Batum was a better player and needed Martell’s minutes.
I guess what I don’t remember is if Minnesota drafted for us, or if we were just looking for a place to stick Martell and his 5 million salary. If the former, then I wish we had drafted someone else.
"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez
the Blazers were able to dump some $ in the trade..they got someone else along with
Babbs and immediately dropped him …Gomes I think.
Yep…I wish they had picked someone else also.
I really don't see what's been so bad about Nolan Smith, anyways.
Not saying he’s been great, but he’s been far from terrible.
fair enough
I’m being a bit harsh, but I just don’t see much upside.
Maybe?
There just aren’t many teams over the tax line this season who will be looking to dump salary. But the teams that are over the tax are the perennial contenders who don’t mind paying, so I don’t think they’re going to want to do us any favors. They’ll just keep their players and pay the tax. But a guy like Keyon Dooling from Boston would be perfect. Low salary, one year, used to a backup role, and Boston would save a bunch of tax money by trading him. They could send him to us, and we could send a small contract to a team under the cap. It’s conceivable, I just don’t see Boston doing that to save 2 or 3 million.
Really what should have happened here is we should have just flat out cut one of our players—probably Babbit or Armon—and then signed a better backup PG to the minimum. TJ Ford would have been perfect, and I even heard some rumblings from him in the offseason as an Aldridge buddy from Texas. We just didn’t play our cards right I guess.
Other possibilities could have been NateRob or Delonte West, though character issues abound with both those guys.
"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez
I think Williams and Johnson deserve more time.
Williams has shown flashes of potential, even a nice three-point touch which the Blazers could reeeaaaallllllyyyyyy use. I’d try to see what he can do. Johnson is at least longer and faster than Smith, and fits into the team’s pace better. I don’t really know what to do about the PG thing, though. I honestly don’t have any issues with Crawford’s play at all. Would like to see his shooting improve, sure, but he’s still an incredible upgrade from Rudy Fernandez.
Very well put,
I am a huge Jamal Crawford fan. He has proven he can be a successful in all four quarters. The only problem is that Nate has him coming in a the 1 spot! He doesn’t have the court vision for that kind of play. Nothing against Jamal, but a tangerine will never be an orange. It’s close…but not quite.
You lost me at Calderon
then Ridnour and Augustin? Crawford will be just fine..
Calderon might be a stretch
but we’re talking backup point guard, basic competency, some shooting. It’s not going to be a top-flight PG.
Crawford may be too talented for his own good
I never realised he has such good handles. He can break down anyone when he wants to – very Roy like. Also, when he shots in rythm, is a very good shooter. He seems like a well spoken, intelligent guy…but you can kind of see him struggle when he is supposed to facilitate. He passes up GOOD shots to force bad passes or shots. Just lacking the decision making to be a major, stable, contributor. He has a lot of talent. If we could find a way to use it efficiently…
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