Jaynes: The Blazers' 2nd Best Player Is Batum..If You Use Him

Bonds used HGH? I thought it was steroids.

 

I don't know about Batum being our second best player, but he's certainly at least the third best. And the difference between what he's doing lately and LA and Wallace isn't so much. You have to find 35 minutes for the guy, whether that means play Aldridge a lot at center or benching Crawford and Matthews more.

Probably a mix of both, although I prefer playing Aldridge at C. LMA produces quite well at that position. He's not the string bean he used to be.

 

I love Gerald Wallace. He can certainly bull his way to the rim at will. But once he gets there he misses more than Nico does, including gimmees.

 

This reminds me of everyone saying last year how Kurt Rambis was a horrible coach because of his benching of Kevin Love early in the season. While it may well be that Rambis truly was a bad coach, whether by luck or by brilliance, his handling of Love turned the guy into a monster! Same thing has to be considered here with McMillan and Batum... The guy's playing the best ball of his career, while in a reserve role for the first time. Doesn't seem so far fetched to leave him in that role as long as it's working.

 

What's wrong with being an "ultimate role player"? Every team needs a glue guy like Nico, and that's his floor.

 

I honestly don't mind Nico feasting off the bench (instead of Crawchuck). I do care that he get more minutes to do so.

 

I have a better narrative that makes more sense: Kurt Rambis was an idiot and kept his best player off the floor in favor of Darko-fucking-Milicic ... Maybe Love was a beast all along (backed up by his per36 numbers) and what he needed was a full-time role to show everybody just how good he was?

Keeping Nic in reserve role as some sort of strategy to turn him into a "beast" rings pretty hollow to me. Reserves are reserves because they usually have a lot of limitations and maybe one or two really well defined skills that fit a specific niche. That doesn't really describe Nic to me (Wesley on the other hand ...).

 

I think a comparable player for Nic is Luol Deng. He's consistently the second or third best player on a top team while making a huge defensive impact.

He got 6 years, 71 mil.

 

Unfortunately I think your right on there. Blazers got some tough decisions to make this off-season..

 

The problem is, Wallace hasn't been finishing.

 

Situation 1: You are a below-.500 team. You have a rookie full of potential. Should he take minutes from the more experienced player who is currently better than him, who wouldn't start on a good team?
Answer: Maybe.

Situation 2: You are a below-.500 team. You have a player who is in his 4th year and has started most of that time. His diehard fans say he somehow still has undisplayed potential. (The cause of the undisplayed potential is the coach, not lack of minutes.) Should he take minutes from the more experienced player who is currently better than him, who wouldn't start on a good team?
Answer: Maybe.

Situation 3: You are a below-.500 team. You have a player who is in his 4th year and has started most of that time. His diehard fans say that he somehow still has undisplayed potential. (The cause of the undisplayed potential is the coach, not lack of minutes.) Should he take minutes from the more experienced player who is currently better than him, who is a former all-star and the best player on the team?
Answer: No.

Situation 4: You are a mature, experienced above-.500 team. You have a player who is in his 4th year and has started most of that time. His diehard fans say that he somehow still has undisplayed potential. (The cause of the undisplayed potential is the coach, not lack of minutes.) Should he take minutes from the more experienced player who is currently better than him, who is a former all-star and the best player on the team?
Answer: No, no, Nanette.

 

Actually they benched him for Anthony-fucking-Tolliver.

 

LOL. OK, the point stands.

 

Who's saying start him over Wallace? But I'd sure as hell start him over Matthews and I wouldn't mind seeing Crawful and Felton's minutes take a pinch.

 

He's shooting 50%, and anything outside of 15ft for him is ugly.

I'd say he is finishing.

 

Whats his percentage in the paint?

 

54% according to 82games.com

edit - Read that wrong

64%

 

That's actually eFG% for shots considered inside, but you get the point

 

My point was that maybe both Love and Batum needed some, er, some tough love to ignite a fire. That's what coaching is all about.

 

At the youth level maybe ... not in the pros.