The Blazers got owned at home tonight by a team that just put up a better effort. After the first quarter, the Hornets were faster to loose balls, moved the ball faster, and just in general, were faster in all parts of the game than the Blazers. This team is in trouble if they can't put a better effort out at home than that. Being outrebounded by 15+ on your home court is an embarassment.
I think the next thing is for the offense to evolve into something that best suits both Brandon's strengthes and the rest of the team's. Tonight, there was a very positive return by Brandon but the rest of the team fell asleep. early in the year the entire team played well but Brandon was asleep. Now if we can reach a point where Brandon is playing like he did tonight but as part of a team effort, we'll be hard to stop. The 2nd best player on the team tonight was probably Sean Marks. Kudos to him for having his best game as a Blazer but no matter what - you don't win when Sean Marks is your 2nd most productive player. I understand what yuyuza is saying about Mathewss. It seems like he doesn't try as hard when he is not getting the starting-role and that's something he either changes or that could be a good enough reason for a trade. Mathewss, potentialy, isn't as good as Brandon or Nicolas, my opinion is that he isn't as good as Rudy, but if he doesn't try hard in the 2nd unit (Lets say, alongside Rudy as the backup wingmen) then my opinion changes to he isn't as good as Babbitt, and I wouldn't even put him there. We can't trade him until Mid. December, but if he doesn't prove capable of coming of the bench and produce until then, I would trade him based on the two good games he had as a starter. He's not starting here if Brandon plays well, that is just not going to happen, even if he did have nice games. But he could be a starter on another team and as a starter, even his contract isn't as terrible. Other than that, just a bad game. Some bad luck in losing Rudy and then even losing Marks hurt us cause Camby was out with foul-trouble and we had no Center. Shots we're not falling, we missed two dunks and were out-rebounded badly. Not a good enough effort but we haven't played in a while and re-inserting Brandon Roy is something that could take time getting used to. Of the next road-trip, I'm hoping we take the 3 non-Celtic-games and who knows, maybe somehow manage to steal that one as well. But the 3 games we should concentrate on are NJ, Phi, Was that should be nothing less than 3 wins. That's not an easy challenge, to "take care of business" like that, so - if the team does it, I'll be pleased.
No Batum stunk it up for sure. We have too many player with motor problems. Sometimes the motor is running. Sometimes it is not. He is that way. Lamarcus is that way. They lack killer instinct.
It's funny how teams that don't move, don't screen, don't cut and shoot with a hand in their face struggle to knock down jumpers.
You don't hit the offensive boards, and that efficient offense everyone keeps telling me we have looks like shit
How did he look on D? I didn't watch the game, but one of the recaps I read said he was loafing pretty bad on that end.
Wow! I love it on here sometimes. The ups are too up and the downs are too down. You guys are bi-polar! We played like complete shit tonight and got our asses handed to us by a team with one of the best records in the league. Get over it. Had we won, people would be going nuts on here about how Roy is back and we are going to the WCF's again. We better not play like that on this road trip or were fucked! I believe we come back 3-1.
So we play 3 teams with losing records, and 1 team with a winning record? I haven't looked at the upcomng schedule, so that is good to know.
I call bullshit on this one HCP. The team's effort was horrible. I can take it when the team loses if they put out a good effort. But last night that was flat out pathetic. We were out rebounded by 21 on our home floor. Let me say that again. Out rebounded by 21 on your home floor. Do you understand how bad of an ass kicking in the effort department that is?
Probably the worst defensive effort I've seen from Roy. I don't care how he says he feels, it's clear he's still not anywhere close to right. He looked like he was running uphill, pulling a sled, when he tried to accelerate from a standstill after a loose ball. Lateral mobility wasn't any better.
It's only one game but the new Brandon looks much like the old Brandon just in a different way. Heavy ISO and now he has Jerryd Bayless-esque blinders on.
