Hmm what has the Brain Trust learned?

Portland has a bright future. It's unusual for a team so young to be so good. They need better PG play, but other than that this team is pretty stacked. Oden needs to be featured more in his second year, because he's going to be a star if he's developed the right way. Definitely don't give up on Batum.

The team needs to get better defensively, but that will come with more experience. Young teams are rarely good on the defensive side. Offensively, Portland was already one of the most efficient in the league. With a better PG, you should look to take advantage in transition more often.

 

This "Rocket" fan makes more sense then 80% of you "Blazer" fans!

 

I think the brain trust laid a brain fart.

This is perhaps the only correct of your assumptions, but even so, he is a bench player and we are basing this on only 3 games.

This is just stupid. Roy and LMA are both better, Oden has a year of healing and experience. Rudy and Batum are new additions who are showing they should be very valuable in the future.

We likely do need an upgrade at PG but I think Blake should do fine for another year while we see if Bayless or Koponen has the tools to take over in the future. An upgrade would also means that one needs to be available to get, and for a price worth paying. Specifics need to be discussed. As far as SF, I think Batum is the future at that spot. The best defending rookie I think I have ever seen in a Blazers uni, and his offense is just very raw but should be good in the future since he has a nice stroke and a bit of a mean streak. Webster will also be back next year. An upgrade at SF is not on the top of my list.

Add Batum and perhaps Bayless and Webster, time will tell. And thats a pretty deep core. Most cores are 2-4 players deep. We have a lot of talent, we are just extremely young.

Like most every team, some tweeks will be made, but overall this is a very healthy bunch of kids to have as our core. And considering we have a 1st and 4 2nd rounders, Koponen and Freeland, and ~7mil cap space, and lots of well priced contracts, we should be able to find some more pieces without giving up on our core.

I don't agree at all. I think Bayless with his excellent athleticism and great speed and attention to defense, is exactly what this team needs. A PG who can chase around all the Parkers,Pauls,Brooks and other speedy players. Get his shooting stroke going and he should be excellent with Roy. And if Bayless ever does get better at distributing, then he can also play alongside others without Roy handling those duties. Bayless is young and needs experience. But I think he and Batum are gems in the rough.

 

Exactly whose brain are you trusting?

If you're referring to the Blazers management, I'm pretty sure they're level headed enough not to jump to rash conclusions after a sample size of 3 playoff games (or 1 game totaling less than 9 minutes in the case of Bayless).

A lot of fans bashed Pritchard in this forum when he didn't make a trade at the deadline. Turns out, he was right. The team finished much stronger than anyone thought they would, won 9 of their last 10, had blow out wins over the Lakers, the Spurs (twice), the Nuggets, etc. and secured a top 4 seed and HCA in the first round of the playoffs. They exceeded expectations.

Now those expectations have risen overnight. Now they are expected to dominate a much more experienced team in the post season. Other than the game 1 blowout, they've done fine. They are learning as they go. They played MUCH better in game 2 than game 1. They played much better in the 2nd half of game 3 than in the 1st half. The playoffs are all about matchups and adjustments. This is on-the-job-training for these young Blazers. The problem is some fans expect them to pass the test before they've had a chance to learn the lessons.

Sure, there will be roster tweaks, and KP will do everything he can to improve the team, but what they need more than anything is time - they need to gain experience, and fans with unrealistic expectations need to gain some patience.

BNM

 

problem is 6 years and he is what he is.....

 

I think the lessons from this post-season are pretty clear- we need a defensive upgrade at the point guard position. WE may end up beating Houston in this series, but Blake has confirmed many of our feelings about him. He can't defend speedy point guards and can't create his own offense on a consistent basis or run a fast break.

I'm less concerned about the 3 spot- though I would jump at a chance to get a star like Butler or a good player like Wallace- Webster, Batum, Outlaw and Rudy should be sufficient to cover us here.

I think Outlaw is a keeper at his cheap salary- even if he hasn't come through thus far in this series.

 

Amazing what a little distance does for your perspective.

Durvasa I think you pretty much nailed it.

 

outlaw's defense wont get any better.....

 

Outlaw has more value than he's given credit for here. He pulls a good defender away from Roy when he's in the game. That partly explains his +/- of +9 for the series. Only Oden at +10 is better and he can't stay on the floor. Roy is -23, Pryz -35, LA -13, Batum -32, Blake -17 and Rudy -3.

But I expected the same crap to be posted here now that they are down to the team we all thought was a bad matchup.

I expect a win today. Go blazers.

 

I don't think there are any character issues (that I've heard anyways) I saw an interview a few weeks ago where Mo said that playing next to Labron James has been the most fun he's had in his career. He gave the highest praise for James as a team player and said he wants to spend the rest of his career playing with him (whether James stays in Cleveland, or bolts in 2010 in which case Mo suggested he would follow LBJ wherever)

That was impressive to me. Seems like Mo gets it.

 

I don't think the Brain Trust is going to come to any kind of conclusion until the first round series is over. The whole team is adjusting to playing in the post-season. After game one, they largely learned the kind of defense they have to play, and they've pretty much kept the pressure up. Give the Rockets credit - they are a very good defensive team - but the Blazers are still learning what kind of offensive execution they need to manage to win games in the playoffs.

I agree that Outlaw has been pretty bad during these playoffs - but I'd wait until the series is over to declare him a poor playoff player. He took years to turn into a consistent regular season player. I'll give him an entire series to become a playoff threat.

Oh and Bayless? McMillan's just scared to play a rookie at PG in the playoffs. I think he's worth giving a shot (the only PT he's gotten, as far as I recall, was in garbage time in Game One, wasn't it?).

 

I have maintained from day 1 that he is an excellent 3rd or 4th SG off the bench behind Roy, Rudy, and maybe Martell at that position.

I have also maintained he will never be useful as a PG on this team.

He has done nothing to change either opinion.

I believe in carrying 15 useful players on a team, and he certainly falls in the top dozen we have.

 

If true, then KP fucked up royally with his last lottery pick for the next decade.

 

series is over....big enough sample size yet.....

 

No.

 

I've learned that I'm waaayyyyy too emotionally invested in a team of great character guys making (deservedly)millions of dollars a year but with which I have no connection with other than they happen to play for a city I live in.

I think that I've elevated my fandom to a rabid fanaticism and based on my mood this evening it can't be good for my health.

 

outlaw proved that is a bonehead and that we need a pg and sf....pretty clear to me,.

 

Hopefully KP will get in touch with you, so he can be informed of this...

 

I might find someone's supposed inside view of the "Brain Trust" if he/she could write a semi-literate post.

Fortunately the Blazers "Brain Trust" is pretty brainy.

And they don't jump to conclusions like a mountain goat on methamphetamines.

The biggest conclusion I am drawing, and I have zero official standing, is that yes, playoff experience does count. Look how many booboos the Blazers made in the final 3 minutes last night; each time they had a chance to tie/win. I omit the "offensive foul" on Roy, which was a pretty close call that (surprise!) went against Portland. I think that management, after a cooling off period, needs to meet and talk seriously with Nate and the coaching staff and evaluate whose problems were the result of inexperience and whose problems are more fundamental. Then make personnel changes accordingly. I still say that Roy, Aldridge, Oden are untouchable and probably Rudy as well.

 

What I have seen\learned so far in this series?

1) Scola is outplaying LA IMO...plain and simple....Even the most optimistic...but realistic fan could surely see that he is at least nuetralizing him (playing him equal)....

1a) LA is playing too soft...like him or not....Doug Collins (and the TNT gang) made some points that were spot on tonight....Who else besides Roy was putting ANY pressure on the Rocket defenders? LA is the 2nd wheel to this team currently, and he has settled for FAR TOO MANY jumpshots and seems hesitant to force the ball inside...and that is hurting this team's chances to win, you cannot expect Roy to be the only player to put pressure on HOU defensively....

2) Travis Outlaw has been horrible this series....and quite honestly Nate does deserve criticism for why he insists on playing Outlaw more minutes than Rudy.....32 minutes tonight to for Outlaw and 24 (31 to 24 on Friday night) for Rudy...and Travis gets\takes the last 3pt shot over Roy or Rudy...that is unforgiveable IMO.....Travis at least showed up tonight, but his play in the 1st 3 games came nowhere NEAR to justifying the near 30min per he saw in those 3 games....Even tonight Travis yet again made some really poor decisions down the stretch.....I don't think Outlaw is the answer at SF nor do I see this team having playoff success with him being counted on to be a "key" scorer off the bench.....His play has been way to inconistent, and that is being generous...

3) Blake is showing that he is not a starting caliber PG for a team that aspires to be an NBA champion....I give Blake credit for his moxie, but in both of these games in HOU he made some BIG mistakes down the stretch....getting the ball stipped from behind tonight, that 3pt shot with 10 seconds to go on Friday...We have to play him b\c Sergio and Bayless (at least not yet) are not better options, but if POR wants to push farther in the playoffs in years to come then Blake needs to be the guy coming off the bench not starting\finishing the game....

4) No one else can consistently be counted on to score besides Roy....this is a real problem...LA is supposed to be that 2nd guy, but he has struggled with consistency, in part IMO b\c he has settled for too many jumpshots and allowed himself at times to be flustered (and passified) by HOU defenders...We need another few players to step up if POR wants to be a successful playoff team...Rudy could be that guy but he is not getting enough shot attempts (just 5 shot attempts tonight), nor is he getting enough minutes....Oden could be that guy down the road, but again his shot attempts are really limited....quite frankly now is not the time to try and feed the ball into Oden and let him learn on the job anyway,...that should have been done in the season but for whatever reason wasn't...and it is costing us a little now....

5) A veteran would have been very helpful right about now....How would having Vince Carter have helped this team right about now? Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have dealt Rudy or Batum for a vet, but the failure of Prithcard to land a vet for LaFrentz's contract is costing us in this series....this team needs a veteran presence and another scorer to relieve some of the immense pressure on Roy right now and down the road....If this series has revealed anything it is that the "let it bake" mentality is not the answer...all the right pieces are NOT on this team yet.....

6) This team needs some inside toughness...a low post rebound\banger b\u PF could have really helped this series....

7) Yao and the Rockets are getting away with thier physical play and POR bigs (Oden & Pryzbilla) are getting called for fouls on Yao for breathing on him....at least 2 of Oden's fouls were literally Yao banging into ODen and Oden getting called for the foul...very ticky tack fouls and ridiculous given the physicality of the playoffs and this series in general...and any HOU fan who says they weren't is a serious homer....I do think HOU is getting away with thier physical play and when POR tries to play physical back they are getting hit with fouls...part of this though, IMO is that this is the way HOU plays throughout the year, whereas POR has been a much more finesse team throughout the year...HOU more physical nature is allowing them to get away with some calls and POR seems out of character when they try and imitiate that sort of physical style of play...Well that and the "Don't touch Yao" memo that the refs this series apparently have been given......sarcasm aside, Yao is being called VERY inconsistently.....and Artest (and Battier) have gotten away with over physical play on Roy...but this is the time of year where a player's reputation has an effect....