Just because you write dissertations about BLANKY that are filled with lies does not make them valid. It's "crap", but it's written as "crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap".
I wondered about the same thing ... It's funny how people being paid for their production will try to make sure they get theirs before worrying about everyone else and in this case the difference between sacrificing and not is millions of dollars, not some 50 dollar spiff the washing machine salesmen fight over at Sears.
Roy and LMA are still on their rookie deals this year. Production, in terms of next year's signed extension, means literally ZERO. BLANKY!
We don't know that, and there's no rule saying it couldn't be so. There could be a balloon payment coming for the 1st year if Roy makes the All Star Game this year and next. Or Roy gets $10,000 for every triple-double he posts between contract signing and end of contract. We simply don't know. Fuck, I regret saying anything now because this will very likely devolve into an argument. It was just idle speculation. I'm done defending it. Feel free to nitpick and tear it apart to your heart's content. I'm not going to get into another bullshit argument with you.
Any production on the extension can't be applied to this season. That's against the CBA. If debating facts is a "bullshit" argument, so be it. I'm not criticizing you; I'm merely pointing out the inaccuracy in your speculation regarding the driving force behind Roy's/LMA's play this year. No biggie, right?
Why didn't you say that in the first place? That's so much nicer (and more informative) than the "literally ZERO" post. No biggie.
I have an instinctive defense mechanism on this board. It is my first reaction. Nate, there is my "victim" post.
Thanks for the recap - I thought it was insightful. The one thing it doesn't address is that when Brandon DOES have the ball, he's not as effective as he was last season. Actually, MB touched on it, but Quick didn't respond to the point. His handles have been sloppy at times, he looks slower and less explosive most nights, and even when he has tried to take over he doesn't seem to have that extra gear. It's hard to believe that it's all attributable to this lack of team ying/yang offensive cohesiveness. When the team's offense stalled in the past, it was Brandon to the rescue - he looked unstoppable at times. Haven't seen that this year. Is he nicked up? Did taking the whole summer off hurt his game? I don't think he'd have to be making sacrifices if his game was where it was at last season. His teammates are going to defer to him when he's "in the zone". A lot of times, he's passing up shots and I don't think it's 100% unselfishness - the confidence just isn't there. Why? I have no clue. I'd love to hear Brandon comment on this. Where's your handles? Where's your explosion? How come every night I hear MR & MB say "____ is doing a great job defending Brandon tonight." (fill in the blank with Monta Ellis, Trenton Hassell, or a number of other guys who have succeeded in making Brandon look, well, fairly easy to check) I have a hunch (and I could be wrong) that taking the summer off hurt him. When he came to camp, it looked like he hadn't touched a weight all summer. His body looked thin - some said he wanted to "lean up" for quickness. Really? Because he looks SLOWER. He had a bad pre-season, and it just hasn't gotten better. I've sort of thought this all year, but I also thought that by game 19 he would be back to last seasons form.
Yeah, Roy sitting around waiting for his extension may have hurt him... but I expect that he'll be able to work himself into game shape over the course of November and December. Lots of players do this, so it's not unusual. It's just... not the ridiculous exuberance of last season.
What Brandon doesn't seem to understand and his peers, coaches and managment is doing a horrible job to get him to understand is THIS ISN'T ONLY ABOUT NOW AND THIS YEAR. This is about the long term as much as it is about now. For this team to be as successful as they can be and for them to reach the heights they can reach. They are going to need him, LaMarcus and maybe even more so Greg Oden. Do I dare say that Greg and his development is more important for this team than Brandon getting his touches right now? It might hurt, but it's the truth. The Portland Trail Blazers is about more than Brandon Roy and I don't think he has moved outside his box to see that. Nor has his head coach done enough to get him to see this. Bottom line Brandon needs to wake up and understand that it's about more than just him. His coaches and management need to help him see that.
So, if it's about the long term, why sign an aging, yet established (somewhat), Andre Miller to what is basically a two-year contract? Because Miller is jacking up shots at his career rate, while assisting at a much lower rate.
Thanks for the recap! I agree it's kind of dumb for Roy not to touch the ball for long stretches, especially if he has any kind of green light to create if something presents itself -- which may not be possible with Nate at the helm I admit. It sounds like there are two good options to give Brandon what he wants. First, the coach could design and run some plays so Roy gets to touch the ball and be involved in getting the ball to the post players. That may not be realistic since Nate has one set system, and no matter what players he has at his disposal, it seems they have to mold into his system. Which sucks. Second, would be for Roy to play PG, with Rudy at SG. Bottom line is, it's on the coach to develop a system to take advantage of the players at his disposal. Meanwhile, Nate insists on the round and octagonal players being stuffed into square holes. And what is perhaps worse, Nate insists that it's up to the players themselves to figure out how to maximize their effectiveness on the court.
Because really it is about both. Believe it or not, there is a median. You want to have success now but it's even more important to plan for the future.
Nah. I think he actually gets it more than most ... it's just tough to be patient and change. Especially when that change means playing worse in the short run (both as an individual and as a team) on nothing more than the hope that the new way will eventually be more productive than the old way. I think of this situation being a bit like trying to solve a rubiks cube. Doing it the old way Brandon was able to solve two sides (pretty good!), now somebody has come along and tells him that he needs to solve the whole thing ... but the only way to solve the whole thing is to scramble the two completed sides first. The hope is that the new way works and in a similar way right now Brandon is operating on faith that what's good for Oden (and Lamarcus) will eventually be good for him.
Or, Roy just needs a Shaq to come in and solve the other four sides by himself. Hello, GO? This is why you were drafted. I'm still wondering where a ball-dominating PG fits into this equation.
