Elliot/Nic/Wes are the guys to focus on. Maybe Nolan. Everyone else was supremely rusty or worthless. Elliot especially, because he has the physical tools to be a good player. Babbitt, that was embarrassing.
Elliot looked like he got about 42-44 inches off the ground on one of those dunks. Almost Vince Carter-ish.
So we passed on Chris Paul to get Martell Webster. We traded Martell Webster for Luke Babbit. I'm actually not sure which was a bigger downgrade.
Can't take much out of a fan fest but something that struck me is the realization that when Camby can't go (condensed schedule hurts), Kurt Thomas is the Blazers starting center. Ouch Edit: I guess they can slide LA to the center spot, but I will being seeing a lot more of Thomas than I originally thought.
Just got home, had fun taking the kids. A few thoughts. First off, amazing crowd! Also, this wasn't a typical summer league type scrimmage. These guys were going at it and you could tell by the lack of offensive flow at the beginning. Defense is always easier to get in the flow, instead of offense. Gerald Wallace is a beast! Him and Felton were playing balls out! The weight thing with Felton is a non-issue. On the defensive end GW and Felton trapped the the other teams PG 3 or 4 times right as he crossed mid court and caused turnovers every time. Kurt Thomas is going to help us. He can't score to save his life, but the way he sets screens and plays D will help. He took 3 charges in a god damned scrimmage. Elliot Williams might be young and a little out of control, but he can ball! His sick dunks didn't impress me as much as his mid-range J, shocked me actually. Armon Johnson will get ZERO PT this season! Neither will Luke Babbitt! Wes still amazes me. I can't really put my finger on it, but there is something about his game that just bugs me, but he gets it done on the court. Nate ran :20 shot clocks which made it a little more fun. The last play of the game Elliot threw it down like Vince in the dunk contest he won, it was very nasty! Greg was there and on the bench and was having fun joking around with everybody. Talked to him pre game and he sounded very positive. Said he will be traveling with the team on road trips. And nobody should ever say anything bad about Larry Miller, he sat with drunk know it all S2-type forum geeks sitting right behind us trying to talk to him all game. He just took it in stride and answered all there questions and critiques. Quality man. Hard to judge the players in basically what was a glorified practice, but I know one thing, it felt good to see my Blazers playing ball again!
I didn't get to watch. Did Babbitt still look like an overwhelmed and overmatched Luke Jackson simulacrum?
Oh ya, Nic looked silky smooth as ever. Took it to the rack a bunch and scored, but could not hit a J! I'm sure he'll be fine.
Lost! Rice said in practice in a catch and shoot drill he'll make 20 in a row. Just is too slow, I think out there.
Agree with your opinion of Larry Miller. If the rumors of him buying the team from Paul are true, I could not be happier. I do not have one bad thing to say about him and there are not too many people I can say that about. Glad we added all the experience and alot of the guys we saw tonight will not be with the team on opening day. Of the ones we keep, we saw who deserves time to develop (Smith, CJ, E Will) and those that could be waived without thinking twice (Armon and Luke).
I am with MM on this one. We should have been trying to work the post. Not for sure which healthy player that would have been tonight, but we definitely should have seen atleast one post up.
Some interesting comments from Nate et al. 1. After watching his game for a season, Nate sees Armon as a two guard. Kinda the nail in the coffin I would think. 2. Nate didn't sugarcoat the play, basically saying they're out of shape and it showed in the lack of movement on O & D. 3. Says Elliot and Nolan Smith the most impressive younger players early in camp. 4. Sees Babbitt as a three. Here's what I saw: 1. Elliot Williams is intriguing. He looks a legit 6'5. Dynamic too. Didnt see him make a tough rebound or defensive stop, but the guy can break people down on offense and probably has a streaky jumper. He cut to the hoop a lot without the ball, which is cool to see. Nate's gonna have to have a long leash with him, because he plays aggressive with the ball and will make a lot of mistakes (tons of turnovers tonight). Might be worth it cause he has big playmaking potential. 2. Armon looks the same. Still doesnt know when to pick his spots and turns the ball over too much. 3. Babbitt looks better, but still not good enough. Wish he could find some other way to contribute if he's not going to shoot well. 4. Wallace and Batum seem comfortable playing with each other and seemed the best players on the floor....by far. 5. Nolan Smith appears to have point guard skills. Might not be a gifted facilitator, but he can take care of the ball. 6. I kind like Barron's game. And Kurt Thomas should be a steady contributor. 7. Not enough action from Felton to get a hint of what his impact will be. 8. The last strike shortened season was marred by really shitty shooting that basically lasted the entire year. Last year's fanfest started with Roy and Matthews going tit-for-tat from three point range to start the season. Tonight, I'm not sure I saw two jumpers made back to back and the misses looked pretty bad. Maybe another good reason to go up-tempo, because Aldridge might find teams won't play our perimeter honestly this year.
