It's clear what we're missing

The team is in a funk. I think it's clear what they are missing.

Bring back Rebecca Harlow!!

 

She's been there the whole time.......

Besides, that only helps LMA.

 

Yeah, she probably likes him a lot more with that $65,000,000,000,000,000 check.

She may be more of a distraction, really.

 

I'm telling you. Start Fernandez, Blake and Roy and you got that third option. The best part is both blake and Fernandez are great outside shooters, well maybe their "Scouting Report" claims it.

Then Webster subs for SG/SF duties, Outlaw SF/PF duties, and Miller becomes the #2 option on the second unit.

 

I agree that Rudy and Fernandez are great outside shooters.

 

What we're missing is time to jell. We'll just have to do it on the fly.

 

LMAO! I just caught that. I meant Blake and Fernandez.

 

I don't buy this one bit Maxie. Portland had a month of training camp, and several weeks before that to figure this out.

 

I don't think this team learns particularly quickly nor do the coaches teach particularly quickly. And like it or not, there has been a lot of change foistered on the team this year. Getting used to a ball-dominating PG on the fly, getting used to feeding the post on the fly, getting used to Webs instead of Batum on the fly, etc. isn't something that can happen in practice. It takes time and will likely take through December.

My concern is how we're playing at the end of the year, not how we're playing now.

We'll agree to disagree.

 

The problem is Miller is not as good as everyone was expecting. He can't just come in, take over PG duties and the team not lose a beat.

Not dogging Miller. After watching him play, I came out and said he will help the team. But it would be a mistake to just stick him in the starting line up when he hasn't shown the ability to adapt to Blazer basketball (the one that won them 54 games last year).

I suppose Nate could throw him in there and let the team play an up and down fast pace game. That would allow Miller to come in right away and start (as he would be more effective in that style offense than Blake).

But I like what Nate is doing. Miller hasn't shown much and contracts be damned, he is going to play who he thinks will help this team win. Miller has time to get PT and adjust to the Blazers before being forced to go out there and wing it till you get it. The Blazers are not in a position to be forced to have Miller learn on the fly because Blake looks capable of starting until Miller gets it.

 

Training camp isn't proper games against intense NBA competition. Exhibition season is closer, but McMillan used most of those games to play around with lineups and experiment. In addition, Batum was part of that mix and now he's not. There hasn't been any real opportunity to jell against proper competition until the season began.

 

So what are the other 29 teams using as an excuse? All I hear out of Orlando is about their dominance. They have new players, but their coach chose to use training camp to allow his team to gel. What about Houston? That team belongs in a 6'9" and under league, and has several new starters,but they handled us.

 

very good point. I don't believe for a minute that we need to make any excuses. We aren't a lottery team anymore. The less we try and make excuses and except the good and bad will be the day we start winning championships. I have never seen a "whining or excuses" team ever go far in the playoffs. It's the tough ones that win.

 

Orlando plays the same way they did last year. Pound the ball to D12 and shoot long-range shots. Not too much new there. Sure, they have a new guy to run the pick and roll instead of the old one - but it's the same system - and the primary ball handler is the same one (Nelson) and the focus is the same (D12).

On the other hand, the Cavs are 2-2 after the big adjustment to a new system incorporating Shaq, Dallas were pounded at home by the Wizards, Chicago does not find a system without Ben Gordon as easy as it was, NOH are 1-2 after swapping Chandler for Emeka...

Do I need to go on?

 

I think what he means is that the players Orlando got all fit in with the way they play. Miller? Not so much.

 

Not exactly. We have a new PG that is supposed to push and we are trying to integrate Greg as a bigger part of the offense.

Add the fact that the team's focus seems to have shifted from offense to defense - and I suspect that we have a bigger adjustment than the Magic had.

 

Rudy Gay will be traded by the deadline.