Game Thread GAME# 13: BLAZERS @ ROCKETS - NOVEMBER 17, 2016 - THURSDAY, 5:00 PM (PDT), CSNNW

We have the Pelicans tomorrow.

 

I think he just doesn't have enough length.

 

That makes sense. Unfortunately, I think all that does is make us basically the Sacramento Kings.

It's going to be interesting to see how Stotts and Olshey address this. I don't see an easy fix, but, again, I thought last year's team was going to win 16 games.

 

Yeah, unless you're tanking or crippled by injuries, you should never get blown out in back to back games in the NBA. That's pretty concerning and indicative that something is pretty wrong.

 

It's not just Stotts. Where is Dame's leadership?

 

WE HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM GUYS

The big problem is Dame and CJ will go off enough to keep us out of the basement, but our defense will keep us out of the top playoff seeds.


So we’re either draft at 12-14 or being a crappy 7th to 8th seed who stands no chance. Welcome to purgatory.

 

I think this team could play better defense, and that's on Stotts...but I don't blame him for all the money the team makes. That's Olshey's doing, and Paul signed off on it. Terry is the best coach we've had since adleman.

 

I've always been critical of him. I don't know what everyone else sees in him. He isn't exactly Pops.

 

Does anyone here see the Blazers winning a playoff series?

 

Yeah, it would make us the Kings if you add Damian Lillard, and that would probably be a pretty good team.

 

Does this purgatory exist? Name another team that gets stuck like you claim?

 

I do

 

Well, you think the season is over one day, and that we're going to win the championship the next.

 

Plumlee is what he is: A power forward playing center who has an unusual skill set.

I think he's kind of forgotten his role this year. And it's bothered me.

But losses this lopsided obviously are more than him. Crabbe's played like just an average NBA player ... seriously, there are dozens of guys I think in the league right now that give you what he does. Turner's looked below-average, but I am giving him a bit of a pass as he adjusts to the personnel around him; I don't remember Aminu being that great right at the start of last year either.

Speaking of Aminu, I never liked the idea of moving him to the 4. To me, you've got a young guy who was doing well in his role and the team was doing well with him in that role. Why change it? He's not Draymond Green. Why try to copy the Warriors when you don't have the personnel to be better than them at it. Forge your own identity and make other teams have to deal with that.

 

Good things always come out of situations like this. We discovered Jake because of a blowout. We traded Crash for a draft pick after a blowout. These blowouts can bring clarity. Big decisions have to be made.

 

Aminu might've sucked early this season but he was our third "star" in the playoffs. And he played well in the playoffs the year before with Dallas too. This team has never had to go an extended time without "Chief" and it shows.

 

Aminu played well at 4 in playoffs.

 

Disagree. The Kings still have Rudy Gay and they had Rondo last year. They might not be Damian, but they were quality perimeter players. It still hasn't gotten them to the playoffs.

I think a CJ for Cousins trade makes the Blazers marginally better.

 

That's a couple of series, not a season. I think it depends on the matchups. And, I mean, the Clippers series, they were gutted by injuries.

 

A lot can change in a couple of months, so I'm not sure I'd get too despondent yet; this team could still get hot and go on a run. That said, it sort of feels like the worst case of the team most expected to see last year. There's been some pretty serious regression defensively and if they don't sort it out soon they could really dig themselves a hole.

Maybe Aminu helps some and if Ezeli ever gets healthy he had have to be improvement over the defensive stiffs we trot out at the 5 spot, so improvement could come there too.