FINAL: Portland Trail Blazers 117, Denver Nuggets 97
by Timmay! on Feb 4, 2012 9:13 PM PST
in News
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PrintThe Portland Trail Blazers controlled the tired Denver Nuggets for almost all 48 minutes, eventually pulling away for a 20 point victory. The returning Nicolas Batum was the story of the night, scoring a career-high 33 points off 9 three-pointers. Meanwhile, Raymond Felton went down with a left foot sprain in the third quarter. The Blazers state that X-rays were negative, but his status is unknown. We'll have updates as they arrive.
Besides the amazing Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge finished with a pedestrian 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews contributed 17 and 11 points, respectively. Marcus Camby only scored 4 points, but Hoovered down 20 rebounds. Jamal Crawford's team-high 8 assists made a huge difference.
The game opened with one team looking energetic, and one team tired. The Blazers jumped to a quick lead, based off a fast pace, some good defense, and a bunch of jumpers. However, the jumpers stopped falling, and the game slowed down. Denver kept the game close, with a last-second block preserving a 7 point deficit.
The second quarter started right where the first left off. Batum and Matthews hit threes, then the defense prevented any easy Denver shots. Then Nic caught fire. Harnessing the strength of his bruised knee, he nailed three 3's in quick succession, followed by a driving layup, causing the lead to reach 15. However, Denver wouldn't go away, as Lawson and Nene fought back. Unfortunately, Portland helped, as the Keystone Cops theme reappeared. The Blazers only led by 6 at halftime.
The Blazers immediately give up 4 points in a few seconds to nearly cough up the lead, but Wesley Matthews stops the run with a three. I'd like to say the Blazers dominated from there, but honestly Denver seemed to run out of steam, as Portland upped the D and regained a double-digit lead. Felton left due to injury, and Jamal Crawford didn't miss a step. Soon, Batum and Aldridge helped push the lead to 18, but Denver scores the last 4 points of the quarter to stay within 14.
Denver makes their last push to start the fourth quarter, quickly cutting the lead to 12 within 90 seconds. But Batum (again) and Wesley increase the lead to 17, including a layup on a badly broken play. Denver begins a last-ditch run, but Jamal Crawford, who had been deferring to Batum all night, took over to close out the Nuggets. Nic wasn't finished though, swishing two more three-pointers as the crowd chanted his name. Down by 25, George Karl simply shrugged and tossed the white towel.
Check out the box score, then stay tuned for Dave's recap and Ben's media row report. The next game is Monday, hosting OKC. -- Tim
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How did you score a career high?
“I don’t know.”
by Oden Mad, Oden Smash! on Feb 4, 2012 9:14 PM PST via mobile reply actions
good answer for a meaningless question
PHILLY!
by CleBlazer on Feb 4, 2012 9:14 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
"Well I tried to put the orange thingy in that hoop looking dealie.
It seemed to work out okay."
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
by Doctor Worm on Feb 4, 2012 9:31 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Batum is so friggin awesome
Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Williams, Duckworth. The greatest starting 5 ever.
easy to forget games where he has disappeared
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:15 PM PST up reply actions
this will unfortunately raise Nic's stock
if he wasn’t on teams radars before, he certainly will be now
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:15 PM PST reply actions
They know who Nic Batum is.
He scored 31 last season, and had a high three point percentage for a while before.
He’ll really get on their radar if he does this nightly.
If he does THIS nightly
He’ll be the MVP
by Jonathan Wright on Feb 4, 2012 9:17 PM PST up reply actions
it's laughable that he'll do this nightly
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:17 PM PST up reply actions
Exactly
Teams know who Nic is already. This is just a nice night.
If he gains consistency, his value increases. And if so, this is a GOOD THING! We’ll have a better player.
true
but we’ll likely have a better player for this season only, then he waives “auvoia” or whatever the French sauy
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:21 PM PST up reply actions
How? Is he going back to France?
Because he’s RFA. The Blazers can match any offer. I don’t get why folks think he’s magically leaving in the offseason.
well, this "folk" thinks that he's going to continue asking $9-10 mil a season
and I’d be sad if the Bazers generously overpaid him. I’d rather trade him then overpay him
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:27 PM PST up reply actions
If he earns the 9-10 million, they'll be happy to pay it
If not, they won’t. They may have a tough decision with Nic. I think they’ll go as high as 9 or 10 on a match. I’m not really worried about it. Worst case scenario is he leaves, and we have more cap space.
I simply see no scenario where I'm unhappy that Nic is playing well for us.
I’d rather he play well then not. I’m not going to sit here after a game and be upset that he had a good night, because it might cost the Blazers more. If he earns it, more power to him.
I just think this is more of a spontaneous outburst than anything representative of his game
I mean, how awful were the Nuggs to give up 15 3pt attempts to a guy on fire. His shots that barely touched the rim and missed are more representative.
Yes, I’ll be happy in Nic improves, but he probably won’t, yet his salary likely will.
If we had to match $7-8 mil, thats fine. $10mil, no thanks…
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:32 PM PST up reply actions
What?
Nic’s career 3pt% is 36.9. For each year he’s been in the league, his % has been 36.9, 40.9, 34.5, and 41.4% so far this year. The league as a whole is shooting 34.4% this year, so I think you characterization is a bit off there. He’s no Ray Allen but he’s doing fine beyond the arc.
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they're not.
by conspirator5 on Feb 4, 2012 10:14 PM PST up reply actions
so him making 9 three-pointers is more representative than him missing a 3?
lol
you’re absolutely right, he’s no Ray Allen.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:55 PM PST up reply actions
The kid is 23 years old and obviously still developing
Think about that – this is rookie age for 4-year college players.
Batum is showing that he still has a way to go before hitting his ceiling.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
possibly
but doubtful this his ceiling is much of a drastic improvement, and likely just a refinining of his current skills, which does not drop my jaw, even tonight.
BTW, I can hit open shots from the NBA 3pt line too…
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:33 PM PST up reply actions
Probably not after running up and down the court during an NBA game
Not to mention the energy used to get wide open, and the pressure of a pro game.
yes, but I can hit a wide open 3 too.
lol. I could barely run the court once, let alone for 25 mins.
even with the knee, he did an excellent job of getting open running off picks
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:37 PM PST up reply actions
I don't expect this game nightly
Flashes of brilliance will get you paid in the NBA, but consistent play with flashes of performance will get you more if you’re a 23 year old.
yup yup
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:48 PM PST up reply actions
He looks like a black version of my brother
It kinda creeps me out. They even have the same smile.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
Ummm I have no idea what Batum said at the end of the interview. I think that's French for "9 threes K thx bai"
by BRoyInThe4th on Feb 4, 2012 9:16 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Heh, was more like
I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t pass, but I was wide open from deep and it was just my night I guess.
With League Pass I never get to hear the post-game interviews
But Batum’s English is so much better than I remember it
Aut disce, aut discede; manet sors tertia, caedi
Testimony to Aldridge's status
that this kind of game is almost routine.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
ridiculous 70%+ shooting
even watched him destroy a double team a couple times. His numbers will go up because of tonight and even the Kings game.
A guy with 20 rebounds, and a guy with 9 threes ...
Wonder if/how many times that’s happened.
Sorry I missed the game - sounds like it was a great win!!!!!!!!!!!
I spent the day working on repainting my motorcycle’s gas tank – I Looks Great!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET THE LAMONSTER ERA BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for thew tip of the hat... ;-)
LET THE LAMONSTER ERA BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back in the day of refreshing sigs, this one would have made it
13-18, 29 points, 9 RBs, 5 Assists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And just really good and in control
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Feb 4, 2012 9:27 PM PST up reply actions
I guess some one should ask.
What’s the report on Felton?
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
MRI next. Did the sprain look bad? I couldn't even tell. Must have stepped on Nene's foot.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
I thought it looked like he hit his tail bone
He didn’t even limp off the court.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
No, he was carried off the court by a couple of team mates. It was his ankle.
#52--------I believe in Greg Oden
Everytime I see that, I think of the Office episode where Kevin thinks he has skin cancer
Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Williams, Duckworth. The greatest starting 5 ever.
Great game!
Everybody played well and within themselves. Love the home record, now let’s get some wins on the road.
I tried to justify but can't
I thought that Love’s feet were tangled up in Scola’s arms, but they really weren’t. He just stomped.
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Feb 4, 2012 9:24 PM PST up reply actions
5 in a normal season? Even Bynums 5 game suspension got scaled back.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
Bynum was stopping a drive to the hoop (like a thug, but still)
Love was openly and egregiously assaulting Scola.
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
5 in a normal season? Even Bynums 5 game suspension got scaled back.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
Hmmm fair point, I was thinking of a normal season.
I couldn’t go below 4 in a short season though. Give him a week’s suspension, basically. That was one ugly incident.
I'd honestly be ok with TEN for what he did.
The NBA has to take this seriously.
by Timmay! on Feb 4, 2012 9:35 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
yep. a suspension and a nice fine is more than reasonable.
to the tune of 2 games and $15k
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:09 PM PST up reply actions
i think more money
kobe got 100k for just something he said(not that i think it wasnt wrong). a physical thing like this should get at least that
The suspension will cost Love $56K per game. I'd say 2 games.
"You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man." - Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Feb 4, 2012 10:21 PM PST up reply actions
A player is often fined more for using a slur.
Kobe Bryant getting fined $100,000 and Joakim Noah getting fined $50,000 for using derogatory slurs hits harder on the pocketbook than an on-court incident like Kevin Love stomping Luis Scola.
http://www.eskimo.com/~pbender/fines.html#11-12
My guess is Kevin Love is fined somewhere between $25,000 and $35,000 for stomping Luis Scola.
And yes, fines are separate from suspensions.
"I Am Mine"
he was just trying to
separate himself from the situation and was not intentional at all!
by Jam Master Jay on Feb 4, 2012 10:00 PM PST up reply actions
lol, i have to disagree
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:09 PM PST up reply actions
sure didn't look good
he was looking right at him and could have just stepped over.
lol I was just
repeating the same line ndamukong suh used after his stomping incident. Because this def looked intentional :)
by Jam Master Jay on Feb 4, 2012 10:25 PM PST up reply actions
Announcer's said it best. The refs, were just letting it get out of hand.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
Dirty.
It was clearly intentional. Saw his foot placement and then lifted his head. Kicked and walked away without a flinch. Most players would assume the player on the ground is grabbing their foot and look back them but this wasn’t the case.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
Yeah, Kevin will almost certainly be out for a few games.
Wonder what the closest precedent for this might be. Bynum is the one that comes to mind.
yep hes toast suspension for sure
I wish he loses his all star spot and they put in LMA
by cavejunctionblazer on Feb 4, 2012 9:34 PM PST up reply actions
in this day and age, yes
you may remember Dennis Rodman kicking a camera man in the groin. Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis. Maurice Lucas punching Dawkins in the back of the head
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Feb 4, 2012 9:36 PM PST up reply actions
Latrell Sprewell choaking his own coach!
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
in fairness, I wanting to choke PJ
while he coached and especially when he was behind the mike
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Feb 4, 2012 9:39 PM PST up reply actions
thats deserved
maybe a $15k fine too
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:56 PM PST up reply actions
Two game suspension costs him $112K.
"You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man." - Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Feb 4, 2012 10:23 PM PST up reply actions
Just saying a 2-3 game suspension costs him a lot more than a small fine.
"You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man." - Matty Walker in Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Feb 4, 2012 11:04 PM PST up reply actions
it doesn't look like they even called a foul
on the hack before the stomp.
Of course, we don’t see what Scola did previously.
Scola going for a trip with his face ?
I looked at the box at half time and LMA was 5-10
and he ends 13-18. Nice second half. And 5 assists to boot
scrappy
We got to see a team that had 3 scoring options, all playing effeciently.
A beautiful sight to behold. Nicolas Batum looked like Reggie Miller. Not only that but our starting point guard went down & we still played great. Camby & Kurt Thomas clearly showed they are the glue. Elliot Williams deserves more minutes.
"We gotta get this $#!^ together guys!" - Phil
Jamal deserves credit for looking to assist tonight
nice game. I’m very happy with the Crawford pickup as he seems to have found his place on the team
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:23 PM PST up reply actions
When he actually makes a concerted effort to distribute, he's pretty good at doing it.
I thought tonight he picked his spots very well.
exactly
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:26 PM PST up reply actions
I didn't realize how non-chucky Crawford was being until I heard someone scream
“SHOOT THE BALL” and the Mikes tell us it was Nate.
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
and he should shoot it as hes shooting 49% from the field the last 5 games
by Willie Beamon on Feb 4, 2012 9:50 PM PST up reply actions
I did not know that. nice
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:09 PM PST up reply actions
8 ast and only 2 tos
not to shabby
by cavejunctionblazer on Feb 4, 2012 9:37 PM PST up reply actions
He's assisting a lot more
and taking far fewer bad shots.
His TOs are well under control as well. Can he keep this up once he starts getting scouted for it? Thats the real test.
./////
(((o)))
../////
how much more scouting can a guy who's been in the league for years get?
maybe teams will start scouting Kurt Thomas too.
lol
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:56 PM PST up reply actions
so Timmay, are u doing the recaps from now on? or are these just open threads?
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:22 PM PST reply actions
thanks blazers12! (sarcasm)
the fact is that Timmay has taken over a facet of BEdge that he had previously not been endowed with, and I was interested the reason behind it.
btw, this says “Timmay” ;)
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:24 PM PST up reply actions
I just take care of an immediate mini-recap after the game
Something to give visiting folks an general understanding of the game until Dave (and Ben at home) give lots more detail and analysis.
gotcha
well, I always appreciate it, and sometimes I like your unbiased recap more than what comes later from Dave and Ben.
keep up the good work.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:29 PM PST up reply actions
Thank you!
I really like to keep it to the basics, a quick read to get a feel for what happened, then enjoy the comments. If I post it quickly, everyone gets to read the immediate high in the comments after a good game.
by Timmay! on Feb 4, 2012 9:31 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
wink ;)
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:29 PM PST up reply actions
b/c he plays little Defense, and is a shoot first, team second kind of guy.
i.e. he held the ball for 10 seconds when Babbitt was 5 feet away and wide open for a 3
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:25 PM PST up reply actions
lol, it might be
it might be…
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:34 PM PST up reply actions
Plays little defense?
Hardly.
Shoot first, pass second? Jury’s still way out on that one….
His shot selection is pretty good – he has the talent to break down defenses – and has shown an ability to slow it up when the coach calls for control.
Elliot is just buried on the depth chart with Felton, Crawford and Mathews (and Batum?) in front of him…
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 9:37 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Come on Guys
EW is a Rookie, why can’t we get excited about one of our young guys? I see lots of potential do we need to expect him to be perfect as a rookie?
by PortlandNotMaine on Feb 4, 2012 9:38 PM PST up reply actions
I like to walk the line between excited and realistic
That keeps me grounded on his level of development.
exactly. I'm always excited about young guys
but a realistic approach is the best approach. to me, E.Will looks like a Bayless 1.5
However, Nolan Smith looks like a bad fit for this team, and I’m not sure he’s cut out for the NBA.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:49 PM PST up reply actions
I'm giving Nolan some time... PG can be a hard position to pick up at NBA speeds
I’m not surprised he struggled. I’m not willing to write him off yet or anything.
he seems to be playing more SG and less PG
but his court vision is just lacking more than I thought it would, and his shot selection is twice as bad as Jamal’s can be…
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:10 PM PST up reply actions
Yep I wasn't impressed with Nolan either.
And I’m not even sure he played enough for scouting to catch up with him.
This is one of the issues I find frustrating about Armon
Armon – as a second year player – was in a much better position to play well than Smith.
I would have much rather seen Armon get a chance to fail first before throwing Nolan out there.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:16 PM PST up reply actions
I have a bad feeling Norla is doing plenty of falling in practice
Nate seemed to really like Armon, I mean Taurean Green level of love, but he’s not playing him. I’m currently taking that as a sign that Armon hit a wall.
That was supposed to be "Armon"
Wow, I was thinking Nolan and Armon together, and it all went boom for one word.
Yes - I think Nolan beat Armon out in practice
But that is just a logical assumption. Unfortunately, Nolan came in and played almost exactly like Armon did last year – only worse.
I think Armon – as a second year man – would have handled the NBA game better this year than Armon did.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:24 PM PST up reply actions
I'd also be very curious how Armon plays in real minutes
To see if there’s any improvement. But if Nolan is beating him out in practice, I can’t argue the decision…
agreed. Would like to see Armon get another shot
He may have turned the ball over a lot but he had some pretty solid minutes at PG and some pretty smart passes.
I think you can question how he's playing defense
Cos he’s looked a little frenetic and over-excited at time. Nevertheless, he’s certainly been active and the results so far have been pretty good.
| 23.1 | .647 | .605 | 15.6 | 28.3 | 21.9 | 6.7 | 0.9 | 7.7 | 17.8 | 20.7 | 118 | 100 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.2 | .214 |
Usually
Takes Nate a month to catch on, unless an injury speeds up process.
Watch his defense. It may explain a lot
and whose minutes does he take tonight?
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Feb 4, 2012 9:31 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah his defense isn't fun to watch
I suspect that’s not helping his cause. And he’s not even being scouted by other teams yet.
he is also
playing in garbage time…no one plays defense in garbage time…it is rude!
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 9:33 PM PST up reply actions
yeah,
and they were losing badly…
If Elliot gets too defensive minded in a Blazer blowout it starts to look bad for him.
Not saying he has given it his all, but let’s not judge him when he really hasn’t gotten much of a chance from Nate.
And don’t get too caught up in the “Nate is waiting for his defense” thing…Nate has never proven that he demands defense before giving playing time…see Outlaw!
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 9:40 PM PST up reply actions
If Elliot gets too defensive minded in a Blazer blowout it starts to look bad for him.
He’s playing for Nate. Nate would love that.
Nate put Williams in for defense purposes at the end of the 1st half
against Charlotte….
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
I presumed "defensive purposes" meant "we didn't want to waste a foul".
Similar to Sergio’s regular just-before-half arrival.
really...
based on what? the minutes he force feed to Outlaw, Blake, Rudy, even Roy…?
Nate is defensive coach by reputation only…the teams scored low points because of pace…Nate has not rewarded defense in minutes and he has not taught the team to be great a defense
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 9:47 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
In Nate's Defense
(yeah – I went there)
He does appreciate effort. It’s Nate’s scheme that has many frustrated.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
I'm not a big fan of Nate's defensive reputation
But every single NBA coach watches the rookies for how they play in garbage time. Do they care, are they in control, do they actually play defense. Can they shine in short minutes? Elliot definitely shines when dunking, and it was nice to see him hit a three. And if he keeps up the strong play, his minutes will increase. As long as scouting doesn’t catch up to him, which happened with both Bayless and Armon.
But based on his play right now, he’s very athletic, and has hit a few three’s. But it doesn’t make me think he deserves more minutes, just based on that. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing how he plays against other teams’ starters, but I’m in no rush.
a few threes
and some step backs, some rebounds and blocks.
I certainly hope Nate asks for more from his players than just hitting 3s
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 9:52 PM PST up reply actions
I don't get the defense criticism
Perhaps I’m not seeing what others are seeing – but bad defense is what I saw Felton playing against Lawson….
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
EW was having some trouble against them in garbage time
I’m not sure he’s ready to take on Lawson based on his garbage time D.
Brewer went to the basket on Williams - but missed the shot
Williams was active – rebounding/challenging shots. I think any criticism of Williams’ defense is way premature.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 9:46 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
+1
few guys understand the speed of the NBA based on sitting on the bench…even the best players need game time to catch up.
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 9:48 PM PST up reply actions
It's
Very simple. If he is part of you future, you find him playing time. His D is no worse then CrawfordIs or Felton’s. Shame the kid wasn’t born in Seattle or in the 70s. Then he might get some playing time. From an outside view is that the reason for playing time? Because there doesn’t seem to be any other clear patterns. Maybe injuries?
Nate loves
vets and apparently free agents. he is very reluctant to play the players the blazers have drafted.
Nate was also a big part of bringing Crawford over and I imagine Matthews as well…Those are his boys, EW is not.
I think this is the only reason behind it.
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 9:50 PM PST up reply actions
Well, besides Brandon, LaMarcus, Rudy, Greg, Bayless, Dante, Pendergraph, and Jack
He doesn’t really play many rookies.
let's agree that Elliott and Nolan should be getting 25 mins a game,
and Armon, CJ, and Babbitt deserve 15 or so.
Sure, we have to cut LA’s min, Wes’s mins, Batum’s mins, Crawford’s mins, Camby’s mins, KT’s mins….
lol
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:52 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
No no
He doesn’t develop rookies. Key difference, he doesn’t utilize their strength and use those strengths to fill a role on the team. If you are flat and need a scoring burst put Eliot in and let him go wild….
lol, everyone in the NBA can score.
Elliott is one of many, and unfortunately his overall game lacks that of 8 other guys on the team.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:54 PM PST up reply actions
Actually
You seriously believe Crawford deserved playing time for that first month? Talk about a ball hog who couldn’t hit a shot. Nate didn’t budge with him. Investing confidence in a 30ish player with no upside or future. Its just a difference in philosophy. I’d rather burn time on a guy who can get better and fill a role for this team for the long term, not as a quick purchase.
as has been mentioned many times
Nate must decide if he wants wins or to play rookies for significant time and risk losing.
So far, he has decided he wants to win. Think if he put in the rooks and admitted defeat in certain games. The fans would go apecrap.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:59 PM PST up reply actions
But
He stuck with a guy like Crawford who was absolutely no better the what a rookie would have been. It’s simple long term thinking versus win now at any and all expense. 1 and done. Actually it makes me believe Nate was given an ultimatum, win with the team you want or your gone. It’s the only thing that explains why Nate waits so long to use any players.
You mean he stuck with a late free agent signing who missed most of training camp ? Are you serious ?
Crawfords actually been playing better much better for a while it wouldve been ridiculous to bench him lol . 5 weeks into the season and Nate shouldve benched Crawford after one week? lol seriously ????
by Willie Beamon on Feb 4, 2012 10:06 PM PST up reply actions
A
Free agent who has had 1 solid year. Nate got him going to the rafters when he arrives. Crawford caused much of the mess with batum as well. The entire team bent over for an average over 30 6 man. Seriously doubling down on Crawford? Seriously what is the long term up shot?
by Cabbol on Feb 4, 2012 10:13 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
One solid year?
I’m not even a Crawford fan, but I’ve got to bow out of the discussion at this point.
That link shows Crawford with exactly one season above average
By definition, a sub .100 WS/48 is below average.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:17 PM PST up reply actions
We're currently judging him against the alternative
Again, I’m not a Crawford fan. But I’m not convinced the alternatives are better.
I also can’t believe everyone’s so cranky after a 20 point win over a rival.
maybe cause the goal
is championships. Wins like this are nice, but they don’t mean much at the end of the season.
The question becomes, is an investment in Crawford (for the future years) worth delaying the development of an alternative that will be cheaper (if not better in some way).
by ripcitymilehigh on Feb 4, 2012 10:23 PM PST up reply actions
"maybe cause the goal is championships."
The “NBA Draft Toolbox: Andre Drummond Is The 0.1%” article by Jonathan Tjarks now comes to mind.
"I Am Mine"
Cool article.
Did you read the Black Swan article that was contained therein? Very intriguing; think I’ll fanshot it.
Blunts and cupcakes...Bumble Bee's secret weapon.
He's
Stifling the growth of your future starter. This is a old 6th man on the downside of his career.
He's
In the way of batum first and foremost. Elliot is not even in the picture yet.
Batum is a SF hes not in his way . Although I guess I diod see him trying to knock Batums shots out of the rim tonight
Only person who is taking Batums minutes is Wallace .
Also dont think I havent noticed how youve tried to switch it from the rooks to Batum .
First you say Nolan and Elliot shouldve played over Crawford now its Batum even though Crawfords only been playing 24 minutes
by Willie Beamon on Feb 4, 2012 11:14 PM PST up reply actions
Crawford is still a known commodity
and Williams an unknown commodity.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:25 PM PST up reply actions
lol sub.100 WS/48 in no ways means you are a below average basketball players thats the most ridiculous thing Ive ever read
by Willie Beamon on Feb 4, 2012 11:00 PM PST up reply actions
You need to expand your library
League average WS/48 is defined as .100
Highlight the WS/48 column to get the definition.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Yes
And? Guy couldn’t hack it as a starter. Moved to a sixth man and gets to ISP for 25 min a game for 6 years. Oh yeah, look at all that championship experience he brings. That is now in front of a player who could be your starting sf for years to come. ?? Short term thinking at its worse.
What are you talking about ? Now you are just ranting without even fact checking . jamal came off the bench but still played 31 mpg I believe he couldve started if he wanted to he still could he chooses to do whatever asked to win the game
unproven hype at its best
by Willie Beamon on Feb 4, 2012 11:03 PM PST up reply actions
While I agree elliot should get more PT
He doesnt deserve alot. Matthews isnt playing well, so dont start him. Start crawford then see how matthews is and give elliot like ten a game elliot has sloppy ball handling skills and bad defense. You guys are whining about how you want to win more games for a championship? Its not going to come through ewill. Although I like him he doesnt derserve a ton of minutes. Crawford is playing much better. Tonight he got what 7 assists? sharing instead of shooting.
Formally known as: My_name_a_rudy
by Blaze_that_trail on Feb 4, 2012 11:44 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
You mean have Williams develop into a Crawford?
No thanks.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
As much as I would like to see more of Williams
There is no question that there was no time available – not this early. It would take an injury or a total meltdown by one of Felton/Mathews/Crawford.
Unfortunately – those three have had rough enough starts that discussing when Williams might be a viable option was inevitable and justified.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 9:53 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Unfortunately – those three have had rough enough starts that discussing when Williams might be a viable option was inevitable and justified.
good point
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:55 PM PST up reply actions
Sadly true. But then I'm not sure what Nate's seen in practice.
I’m legitimately unsure of how EW is doing behind the scenes.
McMillan gave Williams some credit for good practices
It was in one of Ben’s post game wraps recently.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:20 PM PST up reply actions
It was in an Oregonlive article too I believe
It’s related to why he’s getting some court minutes. I presume he showed some practice improvement. Of course for a rookie, “good practices” could mean “is no longer lost”. Kind of ambiguous. But it sounds like he improved, which is great.
I've openly wondered at what point the Crawford experiment should be terminated
but when Crawford is seeing the floor, taking good shots, etc. etc. – he reminds that playing the game takes more than skills. Fortunately, Crawford’s recent play has tempered my own frustration a bit.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:31 PM PST up reply actions
It's been nice to see Jamal adjust to the team a little bit
It was very weird to hear about Nate yelling at Crawford to shoot, while Jamal has 8 assists. I’m not sure what to think of that. Crawford did nice work out there tonight.
I think Crawford's play tonight is more sustainable
than his shooting guard role. He is so streaky as a shooter than when he isn’t distributing – he is either a liability or carrying the team.
We just can’t count on Crawford to be a consistent scoring machine with a high volume of shots.
We have seen that when he is selective with his shots and distributing the ball – he makes fewer mistakes and shoots better.
Ironically – the play where he dribbled into traffic without a plan – jumped up, twisted and tried to dump the ball off was a case in point. He started as a shooting guard looking for his shot – didn’t have a plan, and turned it over. However, when he played under control – he looked real good – and that has been a trend lately.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:38 PM PST up reply actions
definitely agree
I thought though Jamal passed up a couple open shots, but he was doing that in lew of even better shots for his teammates.
He is definitely figuring out his role on this team to a greater extent. Shoot when we need it, get the other guys involved when u can. When the other guys are hot, get it to them.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 11:37 PM PST up reply actions
Most coaches do.
He’s got some exciting skillset, but not what I’d call a regular bench guy yet due to shoot first and second mindset. But then, most of his minutes are garbage time minutes so not exactly good fundamental basketball going on there.
If he is half as good as what half of BE thinks he is, he’ll eventually earn minutes.
The cake was a lie.
Yep. I can say plenty about Nate
But if he thinks a guy on that bench will win him games, that guy will be on the court.
I’m not quite a believer in “players only develop if they get regular non-garbage time in NBA games”. Plenty of players need a lot of coaching upon arrival, and that’s what practice and assistant coaches are for.
Batum
Played 25 min tonight. Again, poor kid should have been born in Seattle.
Nate played a dude with a knee bruise for 25 minutes.
He said he’s hurting with every step.
I’m not always happy with Batum’s minutes on nights when he’s hot, but tonight’s minutes were perfectly appropriate.
Timmy
Needs to get over Nate crush. 7million a year I expect a coach to manage a team for both long term and short term results. We’re getting win now at the expense of growth.
Hmmmm.
I’ve been requesting Nate’s removal since before Brandon Roy’s arrival.
I’m being logical about what Nate’s trying to do here.
Yeah
No disrespect. It’s difficult when I completely disagree with Nates short term thinking…lespecially in this small market. You don’t recover quickly by not developing internally. We are missing out on years for players. I’m not convinced there is a plan. What I’m worried about is they believe they can make a run this year lose a bunch of assets but some how pay a big shot player to come her. It’s not going to happen. …then again I hear Allen’s boat is pretty amazing.
I had to break out the ol' rec stick for this one.
Timmay needs to get over the Nate crush and see his flaws.
by Cablinasian on Feb 4, 2012 11:00 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I should have known you'd show up!
Next we’ll discuss how much you like seeing Jamal Crawford take 15 shots a night. If the first 14 don’t go in, you gotta keep shootin’.
29, 9 and 5 by LMA, guys...
Batum was OUTSTANDING, but let’s not forget our All Star either.
And Crash and Wes played solid, Crawford played well, Camby rebounded like the beast he is… Great work by everyone.
eh, I thought Felton was lackluster
he was a +1 tonight, whereas Wes was a +29
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:35 PM PST up reply actions
*Obligatory reminder of how pointless single game +/- is*
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
by Doctor Worm on Feb 4, 2012 9:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
*obligatory disregard and wink ;)
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:11 PM PST up reply actions
Good to see
Wes have a good game not huge production but he made the most of his opportunities and his +/- was great
agreed
he needs to work on a nice consistency and he’ll be fine for us. right now, he disappears too often
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:35 PM PST up reply actions
"George Karl simply shrugged and threw in the white towel"
In the NBA, does throwing in the white towel mean allowing your white players to get in the game?
by tevisthe4th on Feb 4, 2012 9:36 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
is anyone else completely over Wallace?
he had a decent game tonight but its actually fools gold cause most of his point were on 3’s and jump shots and that is not what we want from him. He seems completely inept on offense to me and is a total liability with the ball in his hands. This shortened season is exposing him. without full energy and health he is usless.
I know
We need to wait on a few home games back to back and then see if we can unload him for some talent. He does look great and I can see a team thinking he would be helpful for a playoff run. Problem is Allen seems to have a man crush. Might not get any return on him.
eh?
Wallace hit one 3.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
yup, 1 for 6
he’s not cutting nearly as much as he has in the past.
clearly, at the moment Batum is the better prospect for this team than Wallace.
in all honesty, one of them has to go
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 9:53 PM PST up reply actions
Perhaps extended minutes with Wallace at the 4 and LMA at the 5
would be good – Wallace’s weaknesses aren’t so glaring as a PF. Plus, it gets Batum on the floor at the same time – giving the Blazers 2 or 3 shooters to complement the inside play.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
Batum
Is in the middle of a break out season and yet we seem to be expecting something more. Just imagine what this kid would be doing with a consistent starting role? For all the talk of inconsistent play, the fact is batum being pushed all over the place by inconsistent coaching has been far more consistent then our starting pg, SG and sf. The kid should be the starting sf on this team next to Aldridge for years to come. He’s been junked around all year. It’s his time. Allow him the same leeway all the others get, all the others who don’t come close to his upside. Start batum!
Here! Here!
It will be interesting to see if Nate gives Batum more that 25 minutes in the next couple games.
by spencerbutte on Feb 4, 2012 10:24 PM PST up reply actions
While I love GW, I cannot remember seeing someone blow that many layups while consistently going to the hoop.
I was not in favor of re-signing him after this year, as I’d rather have cap flexibility, but I find myself leaning more towards keeping Batum instead of Wallace (and package GW instead for a trade)
The cake was a lie.
Crash is still awesome
Gerald is like a shark. He needs open spaces and movement to be at his best. He had 17/5/4. Not sure what there is to complain about.
When his finger heals up a little the couple of missed layups will be dunks.
not well
we’ll most likely give fringe NBA-er Nate Robinson a chance to win his 9th Slam Dunk “competition”.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:04 PM PST up reply actions
Speaking of which
Batum for the 3-point contest!!
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
by blacknoiseNW on Feb 4, 2012 10:00 PM PST up reply actions
Right
I was thinking the same thing. This was back to back games of incredible shooting for Batum. We need a consistent shooter on this team and I would love for it to be Batum
by PortlandNotMaine on Feb 4, 2012 10:03 PM PST up reply actions
When will the full recap be available?
“Soon enough.”
THAT’S NOT SOON ENOUGH!
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:04 PM PST reply actions
I couldn't resist inserting a Fry/ Futurama joke
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Feb 4, 2012 10:12 PM PST up reply actions
What?
aldridge on twitter
Got into a car accident before the game but still played ok. Good team win. Congrads to my lil bro @nicolas88batum new career high.
get a new car,
donate the old one to the jersey contest.
by Berkeley on Feb 4, 2012 10:17 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Or the dunk contest?
His car is probably nicer than a random Kia…
I am so sad I missed this game due to work...
All I have to say is BATUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!!!!!!
The smarter you are, the more likely you are to be tripping balls at any given moment.
/keep Batum/ /trade for Bogut/
Lot of irate fans
Fire Nate, trade Crawford, bench Wes, crown Nico. I don’t disagree with it all it’s just weird to see people so worked up after a blowout win against a division rival.
by poorwebguy on Feb 4, 2012 10:32 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Ditto. It was a nice game. Nic played amazing while limiting minutes on his hurting leg.
We got actual garbage time. It was a good night. Not sure the deal with the crankiness.
Did Anyone else feel kinda weird
About the constant boo’s for Rudy? I know that we went through some drama with Rudy when he was here but it really wasn’t that bad. I just don’t like the boo’s for former players. I am much more proud when we give cheers to our former players.
by PortlandNotMaine on Feb 4, 2012 10:34 PM PST reply actions
Yeah it was kind of weird but he did really irk a lot of fans
Lots of people forgave him after his whole ongoing drama but he burned his bridges with quite a few. I’m not really much of a fan myself. I wouldn’t expend the energy to boo him because it doesn’t really seem worth it.
The first Denver game it seemed appropriate.
Applaud Andre, boo Rudy. I think it needs to die now.
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
I worry about Future Greg Oden.
Johnson, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Thomas, Williams, and Babbitt: the Blazer's law firm.
Right or wrong, I assume he'd get booed stepping foot in the Rose Garden with another team.
"I Am Mine"
He got booed tonight when he was shown on the screen picking his Superbowl favorite.
And before you think they were booing his pick, they weren’t, they booed as soon as he was shown. It was a small minority of people though, truly disrespectful and undeserving.
Some deserve it, some don't
With the way Rudy made things public about his situation, the city didn’t like it. Andre is a true professional, never making public complaints. He deserves the cheers.
"We gotta get this $#!^ together guys!" - Phil
Did Rudy ever say anything publicly?
It was always his overseas agent, right? I’ve often wondered if the overseas agents don’t realize that kind of behavior isn’t really seen as proper on this side of the pond. A cultural issue, if you will.
But I may be forgetting a Rudy incident.
Typically
athletes have control of what they want their agents to say for them. Though you may be right about over seas, I don’t know.
"We gotta get this $#!^ together guys!" - Phil
Yep. He has an American agent too I believe, and I don't think he spoke publicly
But his Euro agent seemed to have loose lips. I really wondered if we were seeing a cultural issue when this came up. They did the same with Sergio, who seemed legitimately upset when his internal gripes were released publicly.
I’m ok that the fans want to get the boo-birds in, but I’d hope they subside over time. Time heals wounds for all but some Blazer fans.
during the game i thought it was okay
rudy was the least likeable blazer from the last few years and he said a bunch of stuff that annoyed fans, but now that i’ve thought about it. this wasn’t his first game back, move on. one boo would have been more than enough and he never said anything bad about the fans. he sulked on the bench and was a non-factor for a couple of years, but doesn’t deserve the boos. like rudy even cares. he is highly irrelevant now.
Beat OKC and steal one next time we're in Denver
gives us some nifty leverage on the top 2 in the NW division. Pretty sure we’ll pass Utah up eventually…if we can win some road games.
Not if you buy into Hollinger's reasoning
Blazers lose close on the road and by large amounts at home. Technically, one is sustainable and the other isn’t.
Losing close on the road would technically be more difficult than sustaining wins at home – based on margins of victory.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
if only the wins were 'weighted' by opponents standing or something.
We’ll beat OC, then get stomped by Golden State.
Probably start a rivalry with Minny.
by Berkeley on Feb 4, 2012 10:55 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
We're catching up with Denver and the Spurs
We could make a play for the top 4 if we can find a way to win on the road. It’s really weird that we can still reach the top with as bad as we’ve played. If the stupid Lakers had beaten Utah tonight we’d be passed them.
Great win for our Blazers and I hope Ray comes back soon because Nolan Smith is not ready.
Felton is the weak link in our starting 5. Defenses dare him to shootwhile they run his man at LA and Crash. With Crawford teams will get punished for this. We need Felton but Crawford. is the better fit.
Kenneth Lewis Moore
by lightskin350 on Feb 4, 2012 11:06 PM PST up reply actions
we really need a 9/10 game win streak heading into the all star break . If we could get that type of roll going with LA going to the all star game it would be great
It would be some nice media coverage and a great early recruiting tool for LA to use.
by Willie Beamon on Feb 4, 2012 11:23 PM PST up reply actions
a streak like that might put us really close to the top
That would be really awesome. Got to win some road games!
Gerald played a sloppy game
The last few minutes as he sat on the bench, the camera panned over to him and he was really unhappy, muttering to himself and shaking his head. He did that several times during the game. That’s a proud man who is unhappy with his play.
Nic and Matthews were chatting...
Wesley was giving Nic props about his dominant night. Wallace was not impressed.
"We gotta get this $#!^ together guys!" - Phil
He's gotta know that it makes no sense for the Blazers to keep both him and Nic, and in fact, if either
of them gt the kind o money they want, one of them has to go for financial reasons if not basketball reasons.
He’s got to be getting the feeling that he’s the one on the way out.
Worth noting that LaMarcus Aldridge may have an effect on our ability to draw FAs
Kurt and Jamal are one thing but his cred is going sky high and will take another jump in his first All-Star game. He’s also rubbing elbows with the potential USA team.
We’re still a small market but it’s a factor to consider. He may be a top 5 scorer in the league right now and his efficiency in the last few games has been completely ridiculous.
i like the sound of that
right now we’re kinda stuck in the middle where our draft picks are not great and we have very little FA draw
His defense has taken a big step up too.
He still isn’t an aggressive defender, especially his help D but he’s contesting shots well without fouling and just playing positional and individual D.
yeah much improved defense this season
LMA could have a defensive highlight reel
should clarify that he's a fraction away from top 5 scorer
meant by the end of the season. 25+ ppg looks easy for him.
Luke Babbitt is 2 of 4 from 3pt this season
50% lol. Guy is actually making shots if he’s given a chance. Might want to test him a bit more.
LOL Nate taking a tape measure to the court
telling the team the dimensions are the same as the court in the upcoming NO road game. Apparently trying to get them out of their weird mental state on the road.
Respect lol
Interesting that Denver doubled us in FTAs
They were going inside a lot but annoying that LMA still isn’t getting calls. He’s being treated a bit like Dwight instead of other elite stars. 3 of 3 from the line.
He’s being treated a bit like Dwight instead of other elite stars.
Stan Van Gundy’s marketing campaign has been successful. So far in the 2011-2012 season, Dwight Howard has attempted 284 free throws, by far the most in the NBA. The next closest is LeBron James with 214. [Source] Even taking Dwight’s poor FT shooting into account (sheesh Dwight, you can’t even reach 50%?), he’s getting lots of calls.
I think SVG is lobbying the refs through the media. Dwight is powerful, so it takes powerful fouls to stop him without giving up three point plays. It’s the nature of the beast in that position. If he played less physical, he’d get less physical fouls, but then he wouldn’t be as dominant. It’s a catch-22, but since he’s already led a mediocre team to the Finals, he seems to handle it alright.
by Timmay! on Feb 4, 2012 11:56 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
hack a Dwight is in style this year
and the GS game probably helped get it there.
When LMA plays with his back to the basket, he reminds me a lot of Al Jefferson in the way he posts up.
He doesn’t back down very strong and has a lot of finesse with his moves, as well as rarely leans in to draw contact when going up with the shot.
That style doesn’t lead to a lot of foul calls, as it’s based more on smooth footwork and squaring up with the basket rather than muscling for position inside.
"I Am Mine"
yeah agreed
he’s also not very good at “emphasizing” the foul I guess. That yell he does is about his only “give me foul shots!” thing.
LMA doesn't play off contact like a true bruiser
I wasn’t sure – early on – if that would keep him from being a dominant post player. I’d say he still isn’t dominant down there – but his length and quickness means he can be effective against anyone and doesn’t have to go through anyone. Over or around – he seems to be getting more comfortable doing that on a nightly basis.
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
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