Funny, when I watched the Blazers late last year when they were on full-tank mode - I saw exactly what you say, lots of motion. I don't see that this year. Interestingly enough, the offense seems amazingly Stotts-esque. Guys going to the corners but not a lot of movement or passing (in general). It seems we get the most ball, and player, movement when both Dame and Ant are out of the game. Perhaps that is a statement on the players but it is also a statement on the coach. Either we go with movement or we don't. Right now it seems a lot more don't than do.
There are two main reasons for the Blazers' poor record. 1. The awful teal and black alternate jerseys. 2. That guy who posts that we all have blocked.
I selected other. It's lack of talent. But not because it's poorly constructed. It's still in the process of being constructed. We need to add a better-than-Nurk-level PF to this team (move Grant to the 3, or bring in a great 3), move Ant to the bench, and then fill out the roster with players who fit better.
I have always agreed with this. Defense is absolutely contingent on the team aspect of the game. A really good defender like Nurk could have way better stats on a team that plays better team defense. The better mix of players will make everyone better. Just so hard to pull up defensive stats and think they are not tied to the players any one player might be playing with.
Im disappointed @Rastapopoulos !! No “All of the above”option? id be sure that would have been your choice?
The grass is always greener. I remember when we had Plumlee just being exasperated that he seemed to be a non-entity on defense. I mean, he's tall and he jumps high, why can't he block a few shots? But Sabonis isn't exactly known for his defense, and our defense sucks anyway... And besides, even if we had Plumlee, would Billups plug him in as the focus of our offense? Highly doubtful. Besides, he'll be available in the off-season as a FA, in all likelihood.
Not having too much fun in Brooklyn these days. It's pretty much feast or famine for him: when he's given minutes, he's a great scorer and a good +/- guy, but coaches just seem allergic to giving him minutes, probably because he's a traffic cone on D.
Exactly: Chauncey's a great coach of the scrubs because he can get them to play his way. The reason we sucked ass before the two big trades (Clips and Pelicans) last year is because a solid core of veterans really didn't want to do that. Also: remember who wasn't playing in the second half of last year? Dame ain't going to change now. Why should he? When he's on, he's a top 5 player in the league. You're telling him to change that? Get the ball OUT of his hands? Good luck with that, Mr. Rookie coach.
A month from now we’ll all be talking about how good this team is. Part of the problem has been injury and guys just playing more than they should. With our full roster back we’ll be average to good team. Good enough no unless you swing big at deadline
Roster and coach. Billups is probably a fine coach but to think he is "the guy" to help Dame get a title was a bit misguided. Combine that with very very limited assets to actually make deals and you have a team exactly where pundits thought they would be: hovering around the play in but really a completely ignorable team like Washington and the Hornets. The Blazers are as interesting as the Wizards and Hornets. It is a shame but all we can say is "maybe next season". Only assets that could yield draft captial are Grant, Ant and Shae. Such capital is needed to prise stars away from teams. I hate to always come back to this but Oshley is still rearing his ugly head. I just doubt Portland will be out of that shadow while Dame is still Dame.
I'm the only one who selected effort, so I assume this will be an unpopular opinion. I feel like they are, on the whole, passive. Early in the season, they attacked the rim consistently, they pressed up defensively on the perimeter, they pushed the ball up the court, and that has mostly disappeared. Perhaps there's a confidence issue; perhaps it's a function of injuries limiting their depth; perhaps it's an effort to limit turnovers... whatever it is, it just feels like the aggressiveness is gone.
