Too bad for Webster, but I'm not sure what his role would have been, if any, at this point after missing the entire season. I do hope he travels with the team, however, because they seem to have a chip on their shoulder in the past few weeks with Martell around, for whatever reason.
Yeah, Webster wouldn't have had any role. As it is, Batum starts and brings defense and little contributions across the board, and Outlaw is a great scoring weapon off the bench who can create his own shot and make really tough, defended shots. Portland really doesn't need a dedicated spot-up shooter who doesn't do much of anything else. They already have Blake for that and Blake has a little passing skill that Webster doesn't. Especially in the playoffs, when the rotation will be shortened...Webster is superfluous. Maybe next year he can find a place. If he isn't traded in the off-season.
I don't know Minstrel, I thought Webster was attacking the basket really well, especially in the preseason. I was really looking forward to seeing how he progressed this season, but the injuries kept him on the bench. It's really too bad.
I was curious to see if he might break out, but I certainly didn't assume he was going to. Pre-season games are fun, but not that indicative. Until he shows that he can create his own shot on a regular basis in meaningful games, I can't credit that as a skill for him. I'm certainly not glad he got hurt...I wanted to see if he could transform his game and now, after a lost season for him, the questions remain. But at least Portland got an emerging Batum out of it.
Certainly, not that I'm glad Martell got hurt? But, my lands, what serendipitous results for Batum.....and us Blazer fans as a whole.
I think Martell had raised his game in the preseason. It's too bad he had the broken foot. I don't think he would have been able to help us in the playoffs though as he would need to get his legs back and get a rhythmn.
If Web had been healthy, Batum would have never gotten on the court. Now, we are going to have a battle next year to see who the starter is. One thing, I don't think the Blazers can carry a healthy Webster, Batum and Outlaw without causing some lockerroom problems. Too much young talent at one spot without a clear victor.
and Rudy. But, Rudy plays SG so he gets most minutes Roy is out, and also plays with Roy sometimes when ROy plays point. But all three of the others listed will see zero minutes (unless something goes wrong) at SG. Sure, Outlaw and Batum may see some PF minutes, but there aren't too many of those either. As I said, One of Web, Trout, Boom Boom will need to go. I think Boom Boom Batum is here to stay, so once again we will be revisiting the never-ending debate, Webster or Outlaw.
I don't think it'll be that difficult to decide. Outlaw can play some backup PF, allowing us to slide Aldridge to center, or run Fernandez and Roy at the swing positions. Plus, in a pinch you can even start Outlaw at PF if Aldridge gets injured. Webster really doesn't give you much flexibility in creating mismatches, and realistically he's only going to ever back up the SF position (unless both Roy and Rudy are injured). On top of that, Webster has proven he disappears as a bench player, while Outlaw has proven to excel in the microwave role. Lastly, I still think Outlaw has more upside than Webster. Better hops, better length, even a slightly better shooter. And when you look at where he started from to where he is now, Outlaw has clearly demonstrated the ability to improve. He started as a shot blocker with no other skills or intelligence. He transitioned to pure jump shooter. He then became a clutch jump shooter. He's now added a slashing game and at least a little bit of a handle, and the ability to consistently dunk in traffic. He's still a below-average defender, but for a bench guy with all those other skills, I think you live with that. Webster just hasn't shown me that kind of growth. He's a better defender than when he started (and now better than Outlaw) but he still seems to be a spot up shooter. I know Webster is two years younger, but Outlaw's logged 7800 career NBA minutes to Webster's 5000. It's not like they are complete apples and oranges.
He played 26 minutes with 15 points in one game against the Kings, shot 1-4 from 3 pt, and he played in the dunk contest that was the second half of that game. Sergio had 11 points and 7 assists in that game. Clearly he was on the way to a starting job as well.
