He didn't get the rebounds. That is what he was drafted for along with his "game-changing" presence in the paint. Look, I think Greg will be a very good and possibly great NBA player. But I have a hard time watching poster after poster criticize everybody else on the team, along with the coach, in order to make excuses for a guy who is not blocking shots or defending. I'll give him a small pass on the rebounds because he has some bursts (when he's on the floor w/out foul trouble) where he dominates the glass. I just want, nope, I NEED to see that as the season goes on in a more consisten manner.
A few more "efforts" like tonight, and you have to start asking if this team has quit on Nate. Normally, I find the attacks on Nate overblown. IMHO, they are largely the result of people having an exagerated sense of how good our roster is. OTOH, if Nate has lost the team - there isn't much you can do except replace him.
Because 4 guys were crowding him and he still almost got it. His teammates need to help him and not leave him in the dust, which is what they have been doing.
I'm right there with you mas . . . you wait all day for the game. get pumped, figure Blazers take care of business and win this and increase that winning percentage. Instead they come out lethargic, embarrassed themselves (the thunder players were joking around during net repair) and drop in winning percentage. It's the NBA, there will be another game before we know it . . .
Well, that's something I hadn't seen posted or had considered myself. I keep reading how the mantra is "throw it inside to Oden" every practice, yet the games come and it just doesn't happen. You may be on to something, old man.
What's funny is Mike and Mike are talking possible coach of the year honors and some on this board are saying he should be fired.
i highly doubt these players quit on nate. isnt that normally something a veteran group of players do?
I've been saying this since the Dallas Christmas day game. Everyone was bitching about how JJ Barrea and every other person under 6'5 on the Mavericks roster outrebounded Greg and even Joel I believe. Yet if people could go rewatch the game they'd see that Greg was getting boxed out and hung on by two guys (Bass, Dampier, sometimes Howard, sometimes Dirk) and he was still managing to tip it up into a place where our guys could get the rebound. Yet Blake, Travis and even Roy just stood there flat-footed as Barrea and others just zoomed by them and jumped up and got it while the three previous mentioned players just kinda stood there like they were watching Clark Kent in the fucking sky and couldn't notice the ball above their head coming right to them. As for blocking shots it is a little hard to block shots when you spend half the game on the perimeter because the team switches on picks. (also doesn't help that he gets called for fouls that on the other end are called legit blocks on him please see his hand getting just mauled on a shot attempt and them not calling a thing this game it was pretty hilarious only because it was so different on the other end). I'm fine with getting on Greg for making dumb fouls (like earlier in the year when he constantly brought his arms down instead of keeping them up) and other various legit things. But he is being shafted on the offensive end when he's wide open and when he's getting good position so we can pass it around for a contested jumper while he's being deliberately hung out to dry on defense by Nate because Nate doesn't "want him to drop back like Shaq did and develop bad habits on defense (because switching is a good habit when done 90% of the game).
Now that I get. Personally the idea of Nate not understanding defense or not feeding Oden enough doesn't really sit with me . . . but if players aren't responding to Nate, that is a different sitaution that would need to be changed. I think that is actually Nate's best attribute. So I'm not too worried that is happening. But good point . . . they lacked effort tonght, and maybe some of that is on Nate?
Jerry Sloan he is not. Nate has the worst offensive sets I've seen in a long time. Mo Cheeks' offense was seriously better.
Do you think Team U.S.A. has ever won a Gold Medal with a coach on staff that isn't good? Give me a straight up answer.
Not my arguing point. I just watched a game where they had a segment praising Nate and then came on here and saw Nate was getting flamed and pointed it out. I didn't even comment on Nate before that. You want arguing points . . . how about the fact that Nate is one of the most respected coaches in the league, has won more games every year since coming to Ptd and that somehow posters think the game is so simple they can say Oden needs the ball more down low and Nate is abad coach for not doing it. Apparently a professional coaching staff doesn't know as much about Oden's need for the ball or the pick and roll defense than a bunch of internet posters.
People use this argument all the time, but Nate was one of four coaches, and the other coaches are clearly better than Nate. Plus, Team USA > Team (Insert random country) based on talent alone so all the coaches have to do is be slightly organized.
team usa doesn't need good coaching to win a gold medal, so i'm not sure how that's really relevant to anything.
