So, 'Dre Knows More About The Blazers Than The Blazers, Themselves?

I dunno. I just find it a bit hard to believe that KP and Nate were seemingly so blown away while Miller sat there at dinner describing how he knew virtually all the Blazers sets, how to play/defend(??) the Blazers, how to get LMA and Oden 4 to 5 more points apiece per game, et al.

I wouldn't think what Miller said would be revolutionary in any way. I wonder why the Blazers braintrust were so mesmerized by all this?

Interesting, at least, to me.

 

It's strange to me too.

 

I took it as him being very familar with the Blazer players. If he could see by video or by playing against these guys how to make them better I think it shows where his basketball IQ is. I look atthis as the opposite as to when they interview rookies at the draft and hey don't know very many of their new teammates. If these rookies are die hard baskletball fans they should know more of their new teammates. I am not in the field of basketball but I can name a whole bunch of players off specific teams. I know any of us who spend too much time on this board are the same way.

 

What will be more critical to me is that he knows when to defer to Roy. At the end of the game when it's big shot time, I sure hope I don't ever see Miller jacking a 3, or deciding he's the man and not giving Roy the ball.

 

My guess is that Miller did say these things, but that most PG's say those things and that KP was just looking for good things to say. Will Miller get LMA and Oden 4-5 more points, likely not, but 2-3 points seems reasonable. Miller has a couple abilities that Blake does not that will allow him to help the Bigs better than Blake. He can pass in traffic, drive and dish and post up and dish off. On the other hand, one thing that Blake can do that Miller can't is shoot the long ball, which provides space for the Bigs.

As far as knowing all our sets, that is the roll of a good PG in the NBA, to know how each team plays and how to take advantage of them. The Blazers only have about 4 common sets so I could see Miller being able to know what they are. And my guess is that several of the smarter PG's in the league would also know these.

 

Philly has owned us the last 2-3 years. So signing Dre should be good for at least 2 more wins(against Philly) and probably more. And Portland's "sets" aren't very complicated to begin with, so of course he knows them inside and out.

And I don't doubt that he will get Oden and LA more points! He'll hit Oden on Pick n' rolls, and he'll be able to run and get LA easy transition points. He was #2 in the league in assists for dunks last year, averaging almost 2 a game.

 

He's been deferring to Iguadala at crunch time for a while now, but will take advantage when an opportunity presents itself. I like that this gives Portland another guy who can take his man off the dribble and put pressure/draw fouls on the opponent's Bigs. Being able to draw and dish to Greg and LA should also draw fouls on the opponent's Bigs too... having 1st line opposing Bigs saddled with foul trouble is a good thing. His addition makes Roy more of a jump shooter for most of the game though I'm sure he'll still be the guy with the ball at the top of the key when the game is winding down. I expect Rudy in there instead of Miller when the game is down to a last shot. His addition should diversify Portland's attack and lessen some of the pounding that Brandon takes keeping him fresh for winning time.

STOMP

 

I'm getting tired of KP's doublespeak. I don't take anything he says at face value anymore.

 

KP, as being played by Meg Ryan --> [video=youtube;5nNhOH4Y0bI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nNhOH4Y0bI[/video]

 

I have said his like 1000 times, but Portland has a very simplistic offensive set, and it is easy to defend. Our wonderful EFF was all about offensive rebounding, and not about our incredibly complex offensive sets.

 

I actually agree. Thats why i don't listen or read KP interviews. It means nothing to me, and if you've read/heard one, you've read/heard them all.

 

What are you exactly referring to with the doublespeak comment? He's guarded, sure, but it's part of the job to not blast your own players or tip your cards on big moves your planning, so I don't really see the way he's conducting himself in interviews as problematic. Conversely, the way Nash openly handled his business did give me concern... to me it was an extention of his poor overall decision making.

STOMP

 

At the same time, Jerry Sloan has been running pick and roll for 30 years.......

 

I suggest you stop listening to interviews by sports executives, players, scouts, agents, and, for that matter, politicians, business leaders, celebrities, etc.

 

Why would you ever take anything any GM said at face value? If a GM tells the media the truth then he needs to be fired. This is all one big poker game. I am sure they would all prefer not to have to answer any questions by the media, but they have to. So they spin. Players all have huge egos. You can't say what you really feel about them. And you can't let other GM's know either. This is not different that any other business.

 

Power to efficiency statistics not counting an offensive rebound as a new possession to mask our woefulness. Alas.

 

All the original statement boils down to, is that Miller is old-school. He still takes the time to study the opposition.

What's bad about that?

 

Well what did folks expect KP to say? "Well Andre is kind of questionable for a fit, but we had the cash, and no other deals went through, so what the hell?". Comon folks. All they are going to do is try to get this thing off to a positive start.

 

Link?



Sorry AVM, couldn't resist!

It doesn't seem odd to me. If Miller displayed a superior knowledge of the Blazers' offense and players, and KP and Nate agreed with Miller's analysis and assessment of how to maximize the efficiency of the players on the team, that's a good thing. It not only assures them he will be a productive PG for us, but that he probably does the same home work on every team in the league. What's not to like about that? I would be very surprised if every player in the league could display the same level of interest and knowledge of other teams' sets and players. It shows Andre is a hard worker, a student of the game, and he takes it all very seriously. It's probably part of the reason his last two seasons have been his most productive yet, even at his "advanced age."

 

Miller has the perspective of an intelligent opponent, someone who has thought through how to attack Portland as a Sixer. It makes sense that he'd have insights about Portland, that he can now use in running the offense.

I doubt he was truly spell-binding, just that he showed his intelligence and his willingness to study the game and think. Probably not all that rare in point guards, but some are probably more impressive at it than others. Maybe Dre Miller is more impressive than most. Or maybe it's PR fluff.