Assuming the Blazers lose tommorow, and their season ends: (I'm doing this to reverse-jinx the team) What is the one off-season assignment you'd give to each of the Blazers? Here's my list: The big men: Oden: Work on your post moves. Joel: Work on your hands LaMarcus: Strengthen your core and legs and work on being a tougher defender/rebounder Frye: Work on your resume. Small Forwards: Outlaw: Work on your post moves and dribble penetration. Batum: Work on a little bit of everything Webster: You've been injured all year, so work at everything Guards: Roy: Get some rest Blake: Work at being able to lead the fast break (however you practice that) Fernandez: Work on your mid-range jump shot...28% in that category this year. Sergio: Work on your jumpshot (again) Bayless: Exhale. Learn to play under control.
I agree for the most part. I'd like to see Batum make himself more of a weapon. He's a stud on defense, and plays very smart on offense, but he's too passive at times.
a lot of the things id like to see oden work on he really cant unless he is playing in a game. like picking up stupid silly fouls. i suppose he can watch video and just learn it, but thats more of a mental mistake to me then a technique flaw.
Really? I think Greg has great hands, that's one of his assets. Joel on the other hand, I think we can give up hope that he'll suddenly develop into an offensive weapon at this stage of his career. It's kinda funny, because the few jump shots he's actually taken in his career, he's made. If Greg and Joel could develop a short jumper, that would be a nice addition to the offense.
I think he can work out with a coach and a partner. Have the guy penetrate and Oden practice coming over from a spot to block the shot.
KP: Stop using the word culture in every sentence and get this team an elite point guard/small forward STAT! Nate: line out the word "scrappy" from your vocabulary Brandon: It's OK to dunk the ball Oden: Go to a big man camp -- footwork is everything. LMA: Keep refining those post moves, get stronger Blake: You had a career year, just keep it up. Joel: Just throw one punch next year, that would be pretty sweet (Tyson Chandler would be a good candidate) Batum: Get a money jump shot and add 10 pounds of muscle Webster: Play? Travis: Take it to the hole! Bayless: What the hell happened to your jumpshot? And it is OK to dish to the big man in the paint. Sergio: Develop a stop and pop shot from 10-15 feet, stop taking threes -- seriously. Rudy: Bro, you need ten pounds of muscle in the worst way and your handle needs some serious attention Stud Ruffin: More bicep curls ... Shavlik: A new suit or two would be nice Channing: Radio play-by-play or color commentator might suit you in a few years. Otherwise, sorry it didn't work out. Raef: It's like we barely knew you.
oden:come into camp lean! and work on post moves pryz:rest up big man aldridge:work on upper body strength and low post moves outlaw:work on dribble penetration batum:work on your jump shot webster:i dont know roy:rest, and 3 point shot blake:uh, well his game is pretty limited in terms of getting better bayless:work on jumper sergio:same as bayless
KP: Get a starting PG, hire a better big-man coach (or healthy, whatever the true reason is). Sorry Luke.
OK, working on hands from the standpoint of holding onto the freakin' ball. Invariably, he goes into his move, then the ball somehow gets poked away. I want to see more "power" moves from the strongest guy on the court in most cases. He should flat-out be in a land-mover mode when he gets the rock down low in a position to score (which lends itself to your post moves advice.)
Greg: Get in shape period... do lots of cardio drills, and anything and everything that makes you quicker and moves your feet. reactionary fouls must go away... move your feet and guard the rim. Its ok to get a foul with your body, but do not reach because you are beat or too lazy to move your feet to get in position to play D. and read the book on hustling. I want you to hustle liek Rudy and dive after balls like Sergio... BUT please wear knee pads ok? Hakeen did! I do not want to see you sluffing your feet and looking tired going back to the huddle in a time out. I want to see you run to the huddle! Show us you were deserving of the #1 pick
KP: bring us a real PG Nate: be a coach and take some T's for the team when they need you. standing on the bench scowling isn't helping anybody. if getting on the refs is the only way for roy, LA, and oden will get any calls, then by all means, jump on some refs, throw a chair, do something to let the refs know that you're players are getting killed out there. Centers Oden: start running, get in game shape (OSU shape, not portland shape), learn how to not get stripped by pg's in the post, and finish all your dunks. Joel: do what you're doing, may have been the most important player on portland's roster this year. reaf: donate that 14 million you made this year to charity because you didn't deserve a penny of it. PF's Lamarcus: work on ball handling. if he could take the ball to the hoop after a pump fake more effectively, he could be unstopable. Frye: shop for a new team. ruffin: see frye SF's: webster: work on ball handling and come back healthy. outlaw: pack your bags and find a new team. if disapearing in the playoffs was an olympic event, you'd be going for the gold. batum: ball handling, consistency on his jump shot SG's: Roy: defense needs real work. what artest said about him is very true, great offense, very very suspect defense. roy is super lazy on d, doesn't fight through picks which causes switches on pick and roll defense. he can shut down players when he wants, but he doesn't want to enough to be considered anything but a below average defender at this point. rudy: defense and taking it to the hoop more PG's: blake: same as outlaw. a little more useful than outlaw in the playoffs, but not nearly good enough for a team that wants to win a playoff series. but needs to be waived before nate decides he should be starting again next year. sergio: work on the jumper again, for the 3rd summer in a row bayless: what happened to the jumper from college? work on playing under control, become a pg that can drive and find the open man.
