That's what I meant by "doesn't really fuck up". I don't know that I'd go as far as "solid", but he's good enough to not be a hole. But maybe it's just semantics at this point. Either way, he's significantly better than anyone last season, but still quite a disappointment.
I disagree. I don't think Lillard pounds the ball for 15-20 seconds. I think he moves the ball much quicker than that. He does shoot a lot, but I think Nic handles the ball just as much when the starters are in. Lillard plays off the ball more than you'd think.
The last few games maybe, but during the stretch where he had 8, 7, 6, 6 assists he sure seemed to be. He's played 17 games with these guys, hopefully he'll continue to grow. Even more than Mo, I think the inconsistency of Wright so far is to blame. I really thought he'd average over 4.7 ppg. TRob is also very inconsistent on offense and Freeland isn't really in there for his offense. Fortunately there's always at least one starter in the game. Not sure how he'll fit but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing CJ play.
How many bench players are consistently good in the NBA? Most the below average teams have terribly inconsistent starters. If a bench player is consistently good he’ll usually wind up as a starter somewhere in a year or two. Players on the bench are just going to have flaws in their game. Sure it’d be nice if our bench was better, but they’ve had big roles in a number of wins. Freeland has outplayed Lopez at times. TRob basically won the Phoenix game. Mo has given us a a scoring lift on many nights when we need it. Our bench is above average, its not one of the best but its been good this year. When the team is winning 15 of 18 games I think some fans get used to us outplaying the opposition and expect that to be the norm. I don’t like using +/- to form opinions on players value. Sometimes guys off the bench like Mo are paired with other reserves which can bring down their numbers, while starters play together with better teammates. Its an indirect stat dependent on 9 other players on the court. It’s such a random stat that yes can be an interesting anecdote but should never be used to judge a players value to a team. We own our 2017 second round pick. We’ve traded away our 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 second round picks. You make it sound as if he’s leading the team in shots; Mo is shooting less shots per minute than LaMarcus, Lillard or TRob. He often plays without Aldridge or Lillard, and with lower usage rate players on the floor so he needs to be taking shots to keep the offense functioning.
Okay, I agree. But during a broken play Lillard pounds the ball. However, our offense is set up to keep the ball moving - so when we're actually executing, the ball isn't in his hands for long stretches of time. So many of our plays start with a curling Nic receiving a pass and then passing it right back for Lillard to make a second pass, so he doesn't really have the opportunity to pound the ball. But when things aren't going as planned it typically just means Lillard dribbles for a while then shoots a screen-3, or shoots off the dribble after coming off a P/P.
I think what MM is talking about is that if we had an offensive presence in the post on our bench, it would make our whole 2nd unit better. My buddy was talking about trading for Greg Monroe to fill this position and I argued he would be too expensive and wouldn't want that role. He's in a contract year and will want some money next season.
If you are truly looking for a bench post contributor, you need to look a little lower on the totem pole. Players in the caliber of Carl Landry
Other random possibilities, potentially available in some form or another at the 4/5..... Brandon Bass Spencer Hawes Glen Davis Jason Thompson Channing Frye
I don't like Frye and Hawes. If I would pick from your list, I would like Brass the best. He can post up, shoot those elbow jumpers and is a decent defender. But the reality is… Why can't T. Rob be at this caliber? He has all the tools, just needs to slow down a bit. I think by the end of the season, he will be our biggest big man contributor off the bench.
That and the fact that coming off the bench cold makes it that much harder to consistently shoot well. Even superstars are inconsistent with their shots, but they get so many shots they have time to get into a groove. I expect Mo to be inconsistent with his shot.
If the goal is to win this year, as the Blazers have made it, then you need a player who is already at that caliber, not a player who could get there in a year or two.
Wright has definitely been a disappointment. I thought he'd be more consistent from deep, but we haven't really seen it. Robinson is what he is. He's going to have good games and bad games. He's a project.
That's my thinking. Not that I want to dump RObinson by any means. But hoping one becomes, and actually already being that are two different things. Now, Neil would have to decide if giving up on younger players was worth whatever one of those additions could provide. But you never know what sort of luck you might end up with in a season, and to not see what can happen because in a year or so someone might be something is sometimes a bad way to go about it.
I think our starting unit is good enough that we could contend, but our bench is still questionable. Would you guys make a trade at this juncture to hopefully put us over the top?
It's crazy how we as a team went from, just making the playoffs to contention. I agree with you, but I think T Rob will get there by the end of the season. I absolutely don't want to break up what we have going here
Depending on the trade, sure. I wouldn't want to give up CJ for a very marginal upgrade. Kind of a crap answer, I know, but really all depends on the deal.
The biggest indication that our bench is infinitely better than last year? Our starter's minutes are down and we're winning more - LOT more. Yes, there is still room for improvement, but I'm not worried about our starters minutes. Last year we had 3 guys in the top 10 in MPG. This year, we have one (barely). Damian Lillard: 2013-14: 36.6 MPG (16th in the league) 2012-13: 38.6 MPG (3rd in the league) Difference: - 2.0 MPG LaMarcus Aldridge: 2013-14: 37.2 MPG (Tied for 9th in the league) 2012-13: 37.7 MPG (9th in the league) Difference: - 0.5 MPG Nicolas Batum: 2013-14: 34.3 MPG 2012-13: 38.5 MPG (5th in the league) Difference: - 4.2 MPG Wesley Matthews: 2013-14: 34.3MPG 2012-13: 34.8 MPG Difference: - 0.5 MPG So, last year our starters had to play huge minutes just for the team to win 40.2% of their games. This year, our starters are playing less and we're winning 83.3% of our games. Yes, our starters have gotten better (particularly Wes and Lopez is an upgrade over Hickson in many important ways), but our bench is keeping us in games while our starters get more rest - and it's not costing us wins. I think that's huge. No, we don't have a great bench; we have great starters and an adequate bench. And, compared to last year, adequate is immeasurably better than historically bad. BNM
