What constitutes being a "Fan"? A Jerry McGuire Moment........

I'm not bi-polar.

I'm a realist.

 

I'm bi-polar and I love it . . . I am rarely held accountable for my actions and I have access to the best drugs.

 

I seriously do think Nate has helped this team overachieve. I have my gripes with some of the things Nate does... but I do think that he has done an amazing job getting this group to win. They play hard just about every game. How many NBA teams can you say that about? That alone is worth gold.

 

You really need the breakdown?

(last year)
Paul 3 years pro, point guard, MVP level season, probably one of the best point guards in the last twenty years.
Chandler 6 years pro, 8 pts 9 rebounds career average.
West 4 years pro, power forward, 27 years old (4 years of college), 20 pts, 9 rebounds per game.
Peja 9 years pro, career 40% from three, put up 16 points per game and pulled down 4 1/2 boards per game.

So put a once in a generation point guard with a very solid 7'1" center, a nearly 20/10 power forward with an inside and outside game, and a dead eye veteran wing and you have the potential for a helluva run. They key is that Paul had/has a couple of "safety valves" in Peja and West, a luxury Roy doesn't have (although Blake and LaMarcus sometimes fill this role, just not consistently).

 

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi301072665/

 

This is honestly one of the most frustrating teams we've ever had. We have the talent to be great, but we're so up and down. At least when we sucked it was easier to write it off, but now that we have seen what we're capable of, it's much harder to feel "okay" after a loss. It would be one thing if people were on here complaining after a 20-40 point win, but a lot of posters have had complaints (for a while now) about Nate, Travis, and Sergio. It's not like these complaints have manifested in the last couple games or so. They have been consistent since last season, and I suspect they will continue until all three either improve or leave the team.

With that said, I know how you feel HCP. I have been in your position in a way, and I know what it's like to be a part of the "inner circle." I used to get shit from posters for saying that Travis would be a good player his rookie season. I still think he's a good player, but I see his limitations and I don't think he fits in with the future of this team. I'm just trying to give my honest assessment of what Outlaw can do.

Over the last five or six games I've felt a need to take a little breather from being a fan though. I can feel it negatively effecting my mood and I don't like it. One of the reasons why I quit covering the Blazers was because I got so burned out on sports. I was in sports journalism for seven years. I got to the point where I just couldn't watch anything anymore. I was soured on it. I realized what was happening and I quit. I didn't want to be another Jason Quick or John Canzano. Jaded and sour on the game. Sports used to be my passion. I used to watch the NFL and NBA religiously. Not just the Blazers, but other games too. Now I'm pretty much exclusively a Blazer fan, and that's it. It took me a couple years to be able to come back to the Blazers. I don't want to get burned out again.

I think I've just been frustrated because I know what this team is capable of. I just want them to be great. I want to see them reach their full potential.

 

You have to keep in mind that they aren't "supposed" to be great this year. They're integrating four rookies (well, integrating three rookies...Bayless is being integrated into the bench). If they were a surprise title contender, that would be great. But this year's most important function is to develop Oden, Batum and Fernandez (and hopefully Bayless), let all the players discover their roles together and figure out the optimal combinations of players.

Plus, there's still the money LaFrentz (and Frye and Diogu) represent that can be invested in another useful player, either by the trade deadline or in the off-season.

This shouldn't be a season of frustration. You should sets your sights low (the players shouldn't, but we should) and just enjoy watching the players develop. This is an exciting part of the process...knowing its still all ahead. Stress-free since the team isn't supposed to accomplish anything major yet. If they do...bonus.

 

uh, no...believe it or not joel and oden are 2 different people. Chandler got those stats by himself and then ANOTHER player came in and added even more...that entire post is screaming blind homerism but i dont feel like dissecting the entire thing but this was a major one

 

link

not bragging...but SOME of you should really heed my advice...you would be more sane

 

The higher the opinion on our talent, the lower the opinion on our coach.

I don't consider Nate to be a "great" coach by any means....but IMHO, the folks ripping on him have a badly inflated view of our players. For years, people banged on TBob for not being a chemistry major - but in terms of ON COURT chemistry, this team is as bad as any Whittsitt roster!

To stick with the popular "cake" analogy, you can't bake a cake by collecting dozens of eggs. You need OTHER ingredients.

 

That was the major one? Oden is getting 8/7 by himself. Not much off from Chandler's 8/9.

Przybilla is adding another 6/8. In addition, they provide stouter interior defense than Chandler, IMO.

I'd much rather have Oden/Przybilla than Chandler/Ely/Armstrong.

 

i agree with your overall sentiment HCP, and i think that it's a small minority here that have the mood swings or aconsistently negative vibe.

but for me, i think it's clear that this team is probably not playing up to its potential. or even worse, maybe it is. i know we are young, but almost every star/very good player in the NBA was a star/very good by their 2rd year. roy obviously is a star, but i don't expect LMA, blake, joel, travis, martell, frye, or sergio to be getting any better. they've had enough time to show what they can do. and this is it. and that's the majority of our rotation. what you see is what you will be getting. so we need to ask ourselves, can this team get it done eventually? if you are one of those that believes the answer is "no" unless changes are made, you'll probably making some frustrated posts after a loss. doesn't mean you are a bad fan, though.

 

ok...maybe not the biggest but the first one I saw

 

The best way to combat the negativity on here is to ignore it...who's with me?

 

I'm down!

 

You best RECOGNIZE!

 

Only you and I truly understand the beauty of this photo! I actually cried when I first saw this! Well done!