McCollum’s struggles continue It’s nearly halfway through the Blazers season and what was once considered a slow start for CJ McCollum is now turning into a subpar season. The “star” the Blazers are pushing relentlessly for the All-Star Game was absent for large portions of Friday night’s matchup, including a potential game-tying shot in the final seconds to cap a 4-for-15 shooting night. The $25.76 million dollar man is averaging 20.8 points and 2.6 assists, while shooting 32.9 percent from 3-point range and 45.5 percent overall. To his credit, McCollum stood after the game and calmly answered direct questions about his game, which is more than his coach, Terry Stotts, could muster. Stotts became increasingly terse as I asked three consecutive questions about McCollum’s play, before finally ending his 2:46 media session with “I’m not going down this line with you.” The “line” of questioning? Q: What do you make of CJ’s play this season? A: [Scoffs] “I think he is giving good effort. He’s probably not shooting the ball as well as he would like, or we would like, but I think he is competing. He was guarding [Russell] Westbrook who finished with 31 points). Unfortunately for CJ, people are going to tie his play into how he’s shooting the ball. He hasn’t shot the ball as well as we expect, or he expects to … so unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the sole determinant of how he’s playing this year.” Q: So the saying goes, “If scorers aren’t scoring the ball they have to find a way to impact the game in other areas.” Do you feel like he is impacting the game in other areas? A: [Five-second pause] Sure. Q: Which areas do you feel he is making an impact? A: I’m not going down this line with you. Stotts had more to say later, when he called me into his office to protest what he considered “unfair” questions, but it’s telling that he couldn’t come up with examples of how McCollum is making an impact outside of his scoring. Blazers’ fans are well aware of McCollum’s deficiencies on defense, and the past two seasons have seen his willingness to pass decrease, although he did have five assists on Friday, just the fourth time this season he has amassed five or more assists. McCollum was as professional as one could hope on Friday. When asked if he was discouraged by his shooting, he shrugged his shoulders as his hands rested in his pockets. “I’m not happy about it,” McCollum said. “I gotta do better. I have to figure out ways to help contribute. Nights like tonight, when the defense is loading up, you just try to make the right plays, and when the opportunity presents itself, you gotta be able to knock down the shot.” On Friday, McCollum went 1-for-5 in the first quarter, didn’t attempt a shot in the second quarter and went 2-for-5 in the third quarter. In the fourth, he went 1-for-5, hitting a pull up jumper with 1:07 left that brought Portland within 109-105, but his 22 footer that could have tied the game with 8.4 seconds was off. McCollum and I have talked about his struggles sporadically throughout the season, and he is always quick to point out that on nights when his shot is off he has to find a way to contribute. I asked him Friday if he feels like he is impacting the game in other ways. “It’s hard,” McCollum said. “I try to defend better, guarding Russell [Westbrook], guarding some of those guys … but there’s not a lot of rebounds, Nurk is getting most of the rebounds, so … just try to be in the right spots, make the right plays, make the right passes when it presents itself and go from there. But when you have opportunities to be aggressive on offense, you take advantage. And when there is nothing there try to make something else happen for somebody else.” The unease in all of this for the Blazers is how much they need McCollum to be a star. Because the team has been handcuffed in free agency because of the spending of 2016, improvement was going to have to come from within. Damian Lillard has done it every season in Portland, and now that McCollum is 27 — often considered the prime of a NBA player’s career — it figured that much of the Blazers’ success would rely on McCollum’s ability to elevate his game. If anything, it appears he has regressed. To the Blazers’ credit, they are 22-17 and are still a contender in the tight Western Conference race, thanks mostly to Lillard’s excellence, a surge from Jusuf Nurkic, recent spikes in play from Maurice Harkless and Seth Curry, and an occasional outburst in scoring from McCollum. I asked McCollum on Friday about a season that still has time, but is also in danger of slipping away, and about how this was supposed to be when he is entering his prime. “What else can I do, Jason? There’s nothing else I can do, man,” he said. “I can shoot 1,000 shots. I can go into the gym and get an hour and half in by myself like I always do … it has to translate. And it will.” Evan Turner and his “jelly” legs A common scene for the Blazers after a game is Evan Turner leaving the locker room half-dressed and walking across the hall to the trainer’s room. What goes on in there (it’s off limits to media) is unknown because Turner is an old-school type who doesn’t broadcast his injuries or complain about what ails him. But for the past week, Turner has looked a little creaky, as if it takes some time getting his body moving fluently. I asked him Friday how his body felt. “Achy,” he said. After being pressed, Turner revealed he is dealing with issues in his calf, his Achilles, a hamstring and his hip. He said his legs feel like “jelly.” “I just try to push it out of my head,” Turner said. “At the end of the day, nobody really pays attention to excuses. It is what it is. It could be worse.” Clearly, his ailments are taking away from his game. In the past five games before Friday, Turner had a combined nine assists and 11 turnovers. It has led to a drop in his minutes, which dipped all the way to 14 on Tuesday against Sacramento. “I have to get back to attacking more,” Turner said. “I have to assert myself more and get more shots.” But his body is making it more difficult. Turner says his various ailments are a reflection of the Blazers’ schedule. “We’ve been on a crazy streak … overtimes, playing every other day, and when do get off traveling from the holidays we come back to a back-to-back,” Turner said. “You put [the injuries] in small, tidy windows and think of the mission at hand. I think everybody is tired, not only our team, but teams in general. I just have to work through it.”
My thoughts - Stotts is soft as shit. The questions Quick asked were completely fair, and I say that as someone who thinks Quick tends to exaggerate a lot of things. - That quote from CJ about not getting rebounds because “Nurk gets most of the rebounds” is hilarious. And by hilarious I mean shut the fuckkkk up. - If Turner is hurting why hasn’t anyone else, Baldwin for example, gotten a chance? (Don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical)
My first thought with the rebound comment was, I havent heard a single person say man I wish CJ rebounded better. No if his shot isnt falling, find a way to create openings for others, get assists... He said he was going to better at that and so far he isnt...
How about this one? But when you have opportunities to be aggressive on offense, you take advantage. And when there is nothing there try to make something else happen for somebody else.” To me that translates to “I’m not passing unless I have to.”
Can you imagine Stotts coaching in Philly or NY? Or how about CJ using his excellent ball handling to create for others instead of only caring to make someone his next victim of a crossover?
I'm not a big fan of Quick, but he's not that bad either. Do you think his questions to Stotts about CJ were fair?
Quick was easily digging for controversy to do one of his typical hack stories and why Stotts dismissed him as it was obvious where Quick was going.
So what kind of questions should Quick ask him? Sure you could say we knew where those questions were going but his job is to ask Stotts questions and to write stories about it.
and Stotts didn't want to go there either which is his prerogative. Quicks history of his stories preceded himself. You know, the peaking through the blinds and looking over the grassy knoll trying to lip read Pritchard?
I don't care what other People think about Jason Quick, i like him. He is more a fan of the Blazers than just a Reporter. He's the only Reporter i know who has the balls to Call someone out in the Organisation, and He's 100% right about Stotts and CJ
Stotts definitely has the choice not to answer, I'm not criticizing Stotts for his decision to not answer. I just think whatever you said to Scalma seems a bit strange, because those all seemed like perfectly legitimate questions to ask a NBA coach about his player.
It was very obvious to Stotts and obvious to myself that Quick is simply trying to create animosity and a controversy. No team needs that thus Stotts cut him off. Stotts is not going to publicly humiliate a player as that's the way it should be in my opinion. If there are issues to be addressed, that should be done behind closed doors and within the team, not in the press. Pretty much everyone understands CJ has struggled this year, but a body of work of less than half a season shouldn;t override the good things that he has done for this team. The constant bashing of Blazer players by fans gets old and by doing what Quick did and what many of the fans have been doing can affect a team and create way more problems than this team has and a team can quickly go downhill. I saw it with Rasheed, ZBO, Bonzi (now I know much of their issues were off court but fans were also constantly dogging on their game. I even started to see it with many fans and Brandon Roy as people were criticizing him for his shot choices and calling him selfish. It just gets old and no amount of whining is going to improve the team. I am confident that McCollum can regain his form and help this team for the future.
What's wrong with the question "How has he impacted the game in other ways" ... that's an easy answer if he in fact is. I know Quick's history and that question is an easy and appropriate question to ask.. if you can't answer it, then he (Stotts) is not seeing any other impact. AND that is telling. Quick is who he is, but I thought the questioning was way more than fair, and NEEDED to be asked.
While you're right, at least someone is asking a resemblance of a tough question. CJ needs to be a creator, and Stotts needs to be harder on him. The guy can breakdown any defense, there's no excuse for not racking up more asissts, sans a lack of pure shooters around him. Overall, I think CJs struggles/contract would be less of a big deal if it wasn't for "jelly legs."
I never said the question was unfair. I said the questions were leading down a path trying to get Stotts to speak negatively of McCollum. Stotts wasn't going to go there and for good reason as that's a good way to tear apart a locker room. I know some coaches like to use the press as a way to chew out their team, but I have never been one that thinks that's appropriate behaviour as one, it could easily lower a value of a player and two it can tear apart a locker room. That ain't what we need.
its ok ladies, youre both pretty. Stotts knows he out there making some shit tier decisions - nobody wants to be called on that. still, at least someone that has access to him is asking, be it quick or not.
You can voice your opinion all you want. I just find it interesting that seemingly every thread you comment in ends up with you and someone else personally attacking each other.
@Scalma thanks as always for posting articles from behind that paywall. We need more pressure from the media. Joe Freeman doesn't give a shit about his job-- he's been a beat writer for 10+ yrs and still makes the stupidest mistakes while not taking advantage of the access he has. Casey works for the team. NBC doesn't have anyone covering the team anymore and the radio dudes all are hacks. I'm glad Quick finally asked something. Been a long time coming, and Stotts' response is typical of him. He is so scared of saying anything negative about his players. How about some accountability for change?
