2 things about Howard really stood out for me: the nice outlet passes, and the way he seems to constantly talk to his team-mates on defense. If he can teach those tricks to his younger team-mates, he will have earned his contract!
I think this is a very underrated skill. There are so many times where our bigs get the rebound, then take a backwards pivot, and then start looking for a guard to outlet to. By the time this happens, the defense is already getting back. If we can get our good rebounders to make good, quick outlet passes, I think it will go a long way towards getting us more easy baskets in transition.
I don't want to get too carried away after a scrimmage where not a lot of defense was played (especially in the post) but if that's the kind of game Juwan is going to bring to the team, I'd have zero issue with him spelling LaMarcus for 12-15 minutes a night. His contributions on defense (communication, and directing) alone make me wonder if he won't push Outlaw out of the rotation at times? The passing? That's just pure gravy as far as I'm concerned.
Apparently the video posted didn't do Miller justice? All I saw was a guy walking the ball up the court and jogging in for a few layups. Blake surprised me on the video. I would have guessed he had a horrible scrimmage based on the thread comments prior to the video.
One would also have thought Rudy looked horrible, while I thought he actually looked pretty decent at PG. He's pretty good at finding guys at the right moment and in scoring positions. But all some can say is his 9 assists must be a mistake.
Blake looked good, no question. Miller isn't fully in sync with his new team-mates yet.....which wasn't really a surprise. I will say this - he led the team in floor burns. Seeing a guy dive on the floor after loose balls - in a meaningless scrimmage - is a good sign. He also worked pretty well off-the-ball, and got a couple of easy baskets. I am not worried yet - but he clealry has work to do!
Rudy's passing is not the question, it's his ability to handle the ball in traffic and potentially beat a press. I think it's a disaster waiting to happen if Rudy is given the responsibility of acting like a primary ball-handler in a real game; opposing point guards with even middling steal skills will eat his lunch.
Miller's stats showed he played very well. That video of the highlights really didn't show any of his hustle or energy. PG looks to be a strength this season.
That was exactly what I saw and I watched the whole game. I just read all 9 pages of this thread and the whole time I was going "WTF..." because Miller looked less than mediocre to me. Didn't really see anything I liked. He walked the ball up the court basically every time and even when he wasn't walking it was an incredibly slow jog. I just don't get it.
On getting Rudy more involved as a playmaker: I think it only makes sense when he is paired with Blake or Bayless in the backcourt. Why would we want him doing that when Miller is on the court? Another reason to start Miller (with Oden).
I don't think we'll ever see Rudy as the sole PG for long stretches for exactly that reason. I think he can offer a new look at times and mix things up, alleviate some of the pressure off of the true PG, be another playmaker in the half-court and lead fast-breaks after a miss. To add to what you said, I wouldn't want him guarding most PG's either.
I loved that pass Miller did from the floor to Webster for the jam! I liked Miller's numbers considering the time he's played with the Blazers. 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists reminds me of Roy's all around game in a way. I think the assists will go up as he plays more with the Blazers.
Maybe we need some of those rose-colored glasses some posters were wearing, 'cause that's what I saw too. Even as a critic of Miller coming here I expected him to impress me somewhat with his skills. Didn't come close. Expectedly, Blake was like a well-oiled machine. Hope Miller can handle the backup spot better than he's shown so far.
