http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wi...6/top_prospects_decline_workouts_in_portland/ I don't really care. We aren't going to get any of them anyways.
Hell, they've probably seen the splinters Jerryd was pulling out of his butt as a highly touted prospect in a great draft and figured if he can't get on the court what the hell can they do to get any PT.
Headline story in today's Oregonian for the Sports section. Nice to see RealGM give the credit at the end of the story, though.
I really wish Jerryd would have got more playing time. It really sucks to see him just rot on the bench. I hate McMillian's rotation. Always have. So I totally understand why the agents would feel that way.
Well, they do have a point. I'm not convinced Bayless is our PG of the future, but we're pretty much set at every position. Now, we're just looking to build our bench. We have young prospects at every position. PG: ?/Bayless/Koponen SG: Roy/Rudy SF: Batum/Webster PF: Aldridge/Freeland C: Oden/Przybilla
The guy is 19 years old. Hardly rotting away. If players choose to leave college after one year that is certainly understandable. The money is huge. I can't blame them for that. But most are not NBA ready. Why should a coach have to kiss some kid's ass and let him learn on the job when that coaches own ass is on the line to win as many games as possible. These young kids can pay their dues and earn their minutes in practice. I love Bayless' game as much as the next guy, but he did not deserve any more minutes than he got. He got beat out. To Jerryd's credit he didn't pout. Instead he worked his butt off. Hopefully it pays off this year. If not, he can wait another year until he is an old veteran of 20. Itt just pisses me off watching a guy like Roy do it the right way by staying in school and learning the game, while others want everything handed to them. Thankfully Bayless is not that type. He will earn it. But last year he was not quite ready. As a coach you have to be fair and play the guys who earn the minutes. It was hardly Nate's fault. 54 wins is the bottom line.
There are three reasons I can see why a young player should play: 1. He is better than the alternatives, 2. He is being judged in the long run based on his short term production, or 3. He can only "develop" if he gets playing time. I think that ONLY the first reason is legitimate. I don't think that franchises can or should judge players, especially young ones, on production in limited minutes (although it's natural for fans to do so). I also don't ascribe to the theory that players (especially young ones) can only improve by playing in actual games. In my opinion, players CAN improve through practicing against teammates, working with assistant coaches, and working hard to develop physical capabilities (lifting weights). At some point, playing and getting to learn more tricks is important, but basics and physical maturation can take place even if a guy is the 12th man. Bayless last year showed flashes, but Nate was responsible for winning games... not developing Bayless. Nate presumable felt that Sergio at the backup 1 gave his team the best chance to win. That doesn't mean that it was necessarily the RIGHT choice (see: my opinion on Frye v. Ike) but it doesn't mean that Bayless is forever cast aside as a failure or that Nate will never play him irrespective of how much he improves. Jerryd is young. He has to have a good attitude if he's going to succeed as a Blazer, and I think he will. On the other hand... potential draft picks? I can see why a 6-14 guy in the draft would not want to be the next Bayless. A top 5 pick might be able to step right into the rotation even on this solid Blazers team (presumably depleted a bit by trading up that high) but a late lottery pick would "collect dust" from a production perspective and perhaps cost himself money after his rookie contract ends. Ed O.
This will sound holier-than-thou, but if these players don't share an interest in what Portland's developed, then I don't want them on the team. Championship teams have one thing in common (well probably more than one thing, but whatever), the individuals sacrifice their own possibly personal gains for the betterment of the team. We want guys that want to be a part of this resurrection.
I don't actually think this is true. I agree that championship teams don't depend on selfish players, but that's different from having players who sacrifice their own well-being for the team. For example, very few elite players take less than their worth in order to help their team win. The Spurs have been a great team, but Duncan and Parker haven't been asking for less money in order to help the team. Nor should they. That's the same issue for these prospects. They don't want to be buried on a roster. Not playing and not contributing can hurt their chances to be maximize their value on the market.
In response to Ed's post, and speaking only for myself, I'm not keen on Nate's rotation judgment right now. I know many are, and think that with 54 wins we have to overlook perceived faults and praise him for the job he's done (which I do). However... Nate's shown multiple times that (I) can't personally trust his opinion on . Choosing Taurean Green over Ramon Sessions. Starting Jack over Blake for 3 games, then yanking him. Putting Sergio at shooting guard because Jack wanted to prove he was a "pure point". Starting Travis over Batum the first few games this year. Moving Sergio to starter when Blake went down, even though the entire year Bayless had been working with the starters, and Sergio with the White Team. (To both of their credit, they made it work). There are more (pettier) ones, like the aforementioned block on Diogu PT in favor of Frye, but I think that's enough for now. KP's said that he won't dictate how Nate runs the team on the floor, or the rotations. But I think he makes sure that he has the right ingredients in the kitchen for Nate to cook with, which is why Dixon and Jack have been traded the last couple of years, and why Blake and Outlaw may be traded before the month is out.
Not really what I was meaning to say. The sort of sacrifice I was referring to wasn't a monetary one, but more a willingness to accept a role so that a team can become successful. Whether that's an elite-level scorer shouldering an offensive load in a pressure-packed moment; a young player not making public waves about a diminished role even if he's on the cusp of signing his first non-rookie contract; or, a high-level rookie that looks mold himself into whatever role his current team requires, these types of players are what I call we-types and not me-types (I just freaking coined that!). I suppose elite players wanting to be fairly compensated can, indirectly, hinder a team's success, but that wasn't the direct effect I was thinking of.
Oh, and I completely get this. But, I can't help but think that guys such as Joel, Rudy, Brandon, Nic, Channing, Steve and Martell, if they were in this particular draft, may place a higher value on Portland's "culture" and approach to winning than others that are primarily concerned with immediate playing time/perfect role. Again I can't blame these draftees. But again if it were me, I'd be both flattered and tantalized at the idea that Portland's brain trust is honing in on me to be a Portland Trail Blazer.
That quote makes it sound like they may be attempting to bring in some guys that are higher up on people boards at this point, and they don't think it's worth their time to workout for a team picking late in the first round. With so many workouts going on for these guys, it's not worth going to showcase your talent for nothing, wearing yourself out for a possible audition with a team that might realistically pick you.
The facts are, with 15 man rosters, that 1/2 of the team sits around and "rots" on the bench. Even if you play 10 deep 5 never see a peep of playing time.
So I was wondering if KP let something slip here: You know what? The real truth is that if we haven't done most of the work by now, then we're behind the curve," Pritchard said. "Chad and our scouts have done such a good job of getting us prepared for this timeframe. These workouts are just the icing (on the cake)." Notice how he said that "These workouts are the icing." My money is now that he is staying in the draft, and moving up. The question is...who?
I am not sure I have ever agreed on a coaches rotation 100 % of the time. I am not sure that it is even possible. I doubt even the head coach agrees with all their own decisions after the fact. Somtimes you don't know until you try it. The key is learning from your mistakes and making the right adjustments. Starting JJ a whole 3 games over Blake? Starting a vet over a 19 year old rookie in his first NBA game? (on the road, against the best team in the NBA, on national TV) These are hardly big deals in the scope of a season. I am sure you have legitimate examples of where Nate fucked up. We all do. Nate does. I don't think a coach should get a free pass on his decisions because that is part of the fun. But it happens with every coach on every team. I work with both Laker and Jazz fans and it is constant. We are talking Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson! So my point is that to bitch about a coaches rotation is both inevitable and useless.
+1 And to add to the 54 wins bottom line - Nate played the guys that DOMINATED at the Rose Garden, creating possibly the best atmoshphere in the NBA and SELLING TICKETS in the worst economic crisis of most residents lives. Shit - David Stern had to stop by for a game to see what the hell was going on in this corner of the country. If there is one thing Stern respects - that is a packed house. Nate did his part to complete the turn-around of what was a "broken financial model". Sure, he played guys like Joel, Blake and Travis more minutes than if they had subbed out Oden, Bayless and Batum for more "development" time. Do not underestimate how huge the big season is for the team. Do not take for granted that it would have all worked out the same way if the team was still focused giving playing time to prospects - and had dropped a bunch of home games. The team is in a great place right now and there is a lot of buzz - and that come from winning games. If our young would-be studs want to join the party they need to beat out the average-at-best vets standing in their way. If they can't jump that low bar - keep working. I don't want it handed to them.
