How many opinions from homers thinking he should start over Miller does it take to make that a qualifier?
I love Blake. Played great last year, knows his role. I do think that Miller has to start though! Steve would probably be the best back-up in the whole league.
http://dberri.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/the-underrated-in-2008-09/ if you read that article and look at the list of underrated players by nba efficiency, blake is tied(with conley and sessions) for the most underrated pg in the league by that measure. that specific list is here http://www.wagesofwins.com/UnderRatedNBA0809.html
Blake is so underrated by fans here that it borders on ridiculous as well. Based on win% - Blake at 65% was just behind Roy and LMA on the squad last year. That's pretty stout. Sure, he is not a star - but he is a very nice role player that knows his role and does not make too many mistakes. Add the fact that he mashes well with our star player and does not break the bank - and what's not to love?
But only James Posey is worse in "Wins Produced Rank" on that list. Conley and Sessions blow him out of the water. So what this is saying is "Blake is pretty mediocre (ed.-and that's being very generous), and we know he's pretty mediocre, but he doesn't suck as horribly as you guys think. Therefore, he's underrated." In NBA efficiency, he was 115th out of 128 qualifiers. In Wins Produced, he was 75th of 128. That difference of 40 is what Berri's using to call him "underrated".
having our Centers get into foul trouble because our perimeter D had so many holes. Oh and Aaron Brooks looking like he was in College again.
under rated is in many situations, just a politically correct way of saying they aren't as good as the rest of the guys out there.
It depends on who you are talking about. Some posters here have mentioned they think he could come off the bench but play more minutes. Some posters have not. They have just mentioned Blake would start, and there is no mention of minutes. So you can only take a guess as to what they mean. What do I mean? I mean that Millers should start and play more minutes than Blake. Flat out. I am by no means a huge Miller fan. But he is better than Blake by quite a ways.
What it all comes down to in Nate's mind is which is better playing with Roy? I think he feels because of his 3 point shooting and willingness to let Roy run the show it's Blake. As well as who would help the bench the most and that's Miller. Eventually though when Portland starts off slow in games I believe there will be a switch and Miller will start.
First - Blake has problem with perimeter defense - no doubt about it. However, Joel, who played in many games with Blake as the starter did not have too many foul problems - Oden had because he was a rookie, out of shape and played a lot behind Sergio Rodriguez who made Blake look like an All-NBA defensive standout in comparison... At the end of the day - this statement about Blake's (obvious) defensive issues has nothing to do with my statement - that Blake is clearly underrated by many. He is not a star - but he is a very nice role player on a fantastic contract that seem to be very good next to our best player. As for who starts - I will repeat my earlier answer - depends on chemistry and how the play together. On paper - Miller seems like a better fit with Rudy/Travis/Martell/Center than with Roy. I would not get my panties in a bunch if Miller does not start the games - but I support and send my heartfelt encouragement to all of those who feel the need to.
underrated simply means that he is rated lower than he should be. using their stat of wins produced, blake is tied for the most underrated pg in the league based on nba efficiency because nba efficiency rates him 40 spots lower than he is "supposed" to be rated. you don't have to be great to be underrated.
andre miller doesn't really provide an upgrade as far as perimeter d is concerned. and aaron brooks really didn't do much in the last 4 games of the rockets/blazers series.
Miller will start over Blake because he's an actual above average point guard who can run the offense. If I was Pritchard, I would trade Blake tomorrow if there was any doubt about this. I would still like to see a trade for Crash/Okafor- maybe Pryzbilla/Outlaw/Rudy/Blake and draft picks would get it done?
