actually, no he wasn't. How many game winners did he hit? how many clutch shots? here's a hint, his #'s were surprisingly low. He couldn't create for himself, and his clutch #'s weren't anything great. Because the Blazers went to him does not make him a "go to player".
He was still a got to player and our number 1 offensive weapon the last three years he was here. Whether he performed well or not. He was definitely a go to player.
Aldridge was sometimes a go-to player in the first half, but never in the second half. Lillard is no longer clutch in any half. He has become a drag on society. Stotts should not have him take a Hail Mary on almost every possession. That should be a rare event, not an 80% probability event.
he's a player the team went to, he's not a "go to" player in the conventional sense. I guess if you consider a player you (over) rely on as your go to player, you'd be right. But I consider a 'go to player' one who can hit and does hit clutch shots. Those words do not describe LaMarcus.
At the U.S. Team tryouts, Thibodeau had stars in his eyes whenever he talked about Lillard. He would trade us Andrew Wiggins if Olshey offered Lillard.
I told you Lillard is too feast or famine great leader but nowadays he sounds like a fortune cookie. Says awesome inspirational stuff but on the court meh
Part of it is about attitude. Will Barton would not be scared to shoot if he were still on this roster. Luis Montero has a little bit of that in him as well. Certainly they are both raw but Barton improved and doesn't back down to anyone. Too many players right now are 2nd guessing.
Nah. I agree. He isn't a go to in the true sense, but he was our go to. He is a 2nd tier option at best on a contending team in my opinion, probably a 3rd.
Go to doesn't have to mean clutch. It means someone who can score without being assisted, a player that can open it up for the rest of the team. LA was certainly that, just look how Lillard has struggled since.
Part of that is due to how CJ & Dame utilize the screen. They give too much room between them and the screener allowing the defender to jump in (or slide through)
Hence, the exact value of being in the playoffs THIS year. Gives them an opportunity to get experience and gain comfort.
Screens are only as good as the PG who is using it. If you dont know how to use it, then no one can set a good screen.
The biggest difference between LAC and the Blazers is that they have multiple guys that they can go to to get a shot, and they know those guys will deliver. Paul Redick Griffin Crawford Right now I'd say most of our team is in the same category as Jeff Green and Austin Rivers. They might be on one night, and put up 20, or they might be ice cold. That's fine for LAC because they have four other guys who can consistently score. Outside of Dame and CJ, who do we have? The rest of the team is painfully inconsistent. We need AT LEAST one more guy who can consistently hit shots.
I got off the "Trade CJ" wagon in December. With that said, I still come back to the idea of possibly trading him for Butler. I don't know that I'd do it - and I think I'd want CHI to sweeten the deal, because they are having major issues with Butler and CJ is exactly the sort of player they want/need to build for the future. This could be a win/win for both teams, but because Butler is so mercurial, it could also blow up in our faces - which, again, is why they'd need to sweeten the deal, IMO. I'm also NOT in favor of letting players have control over personnel decisions. But this is a rare case where I'd want total buy-in from Dame before making this sort of move.
Been saying this since Neil offered him the MAX ... Yes, his defense is poor but it's not like we have a bunch of defensive monsters down low. He's one of the best young bigs at scoring with his back to the basket and he's a rebounding machine. Dame and CJ need a low-post threat on this team to help take some of the pressure off of them and open up the court.
im really starting to warm to the idea of a Whiteside or cousins, but we cant give up our offense to get them. We need to offer whiteside a max this off season and if we strike out, we need to try to get cousins without giving up the core. ANy ideas on how? I'm at a loss at the moment.
