A huge storm brewing for the Blazers... ??? (MERGED)

Love the phrase though, "depth of struggle." Damn.. make it sound like we have to rebuild again and it's all over already with this current core. lol.

 

Re: A huge storm brewing for the Blazers... ???

Philadelphia with Andre Iguodola. Denver with Carmelo. Last place he actually WAS the primary ball handler was probably the Clippers

 

Re: A huge storm brewing for the Blazers... ???

AI2 or 'Melo were never the primary ball handlers. They have been the first option on offense - but they are not the primary ball handlers.

Roy's AST% as a rookie (his lowest year) is higher than 'Melo's best year ever (this year).

Iggy is much more of a creator than Melo - but even he was secondary to Miller last year in AST% - Also look at Iggy's AST% this year - much higher than last year. There is a reason - he has to do it more because the primary ball handler they had last year is not there anymore...

 

Re: A huge storm brewing for the Blazers... ???

When did I say they would not?

I just said it is harder to integrate for them - because Roy is used to be the primary ball handler, Miller is used to as well - and the change is not natural to either of them.

Again, you are jumping to conclusions about what I said. Miller is harder to integrate than people realized - for the obvious reason I mentioned above...

 

Whatever. The weather is much more interesting when a storm is brewing....

We still haven't gotten into a groove. You can blame McMillan for some of it and you can blame the players for the rest. I think we can all agree on something: The Blazers are better than what they've shown so far in this season. We haven't hit our stride and it's better to get this cleared out of the way early in the season than later.

 

You say STILL haven't gotten into a groove as if we are a month into the season, as opposed to 4 games. Are there many teams that are in a groove right now?

 

Sure. The Clippers are into their usual losing groove, as are the Kings. The Celtics are in a groove, as are the Magic.

It is clear that this team is still a work in progress - but I am not that surprised about it.

 

The Magic are without arguably their second best player. How can they be in a groove when they haven't had to integrate everyone into their team. I'll give you the Celtics. And the losers.

 

What a load. It's a rough beginning for a team that has had some significant changes. Big whoop.

I think people (myself included) really underestimated how much was up in the air at the beginning of the season. With Martell back, Miller in the lineup rather than Sergio and Greg healthy we've got a lot more offensive options than we did last season. As a result we're having a hard time figuring out who we wanna go to and who the second and third options should be on the play.

It's gonna take a few more (we've only played 4 games) games for guys to settle into their roles.

But that's boring. Let's just assume there's gonna be big time drama. Who's it gonna be?

The smart money's on Miller.
I could see Rudy cracking if he has a few more games with minutes in the teens and less than 5 shots.
It could be Greg. He's putting a lot of pressure on himself to live up to his first pick in the draft billing. Hard to do with 4 shots a game.
Outlaw and Blake are both good guys, but they're in contract years. It's hard to stick to your role when you don't know how you're gonna pay for your yachts next season.

 

Well, the Magic are winning. So... they are in a groove.

 

The problem is simple. The Blazers are not emotionally into the games right now, and that is my concern. Right now they simply are not playing like they want it. They look like a team that thinks that since they made the playoffs, that they can just coast through it and give the playoffs a run again. Go back and watch the games. How many times was there something to cheer about like somebody getting a floor burn for effort or hustle? Not many. The question remains, why aren't they emotionally into the games right now? Is it concerns over how they fit? Is it unsaid words between players in the locker room, pent up frustration? Have they tuned out Nate?

 

sounds a lot like how SA has played the last 10 or so years.

 

I hate to say it, but I agree with them. The team just doesn't seem like itself. The guys don't seem as happy. There's more competition. More expectations. I can see something brewing. I had hoped something would snap in a good way. Like... the guys would realize how good they are and start dominating. We've seen some very positive things. The team is rebounding very well. Oden is playing well. I just think there needs to be some kind of mutual realization amongst the boys.

 

I think it's funny for someone to say they expected a little trouble but not this much! Sheesh, when there is change usually you get worse before you get better. That's natural. Add to that having injuries during the preseason so we never got much continuity going anyway and then losing a starter there is bound to be some problems getting everyone on the same page. Just give it a little time.

 

I disagree. Many teams have added a player or two into the mix and immediately improved, especially teams that are threatening to compete at the highest level. Most of those teams add a missing piece or two and move into contender status right away. The question is, did the Blazers really add a piece this year, or did they make a move on Miller just for the sake of making a move?

 

I think it's both.

I think there is a reason Miller was the 3rd option on their list, not the first. But - I also think that sooner or later Miller and the Blazers will figure each other out and will work it out.

 

And many teams have added a player or two and have struggled. Cleveland has the same record we do after adding a piece to the team. Toronto is 1-2 after making changes to try to push them past the first round of the playoffs. NO is 1-3 after a big trade for Okafor.

 

I would just like to point out at this time last season we were 1-3, with our three losses coming by an average of nearly 13 points. And it took a miracle three pointer by B-Roy in overtime against the Rockets to keep us from going 1-4.

Everyone needs to calm the fuck down.

I mean, honestly, it seems crazy to me that if Oden hits those free throws at the end of the Nuggets game, we're 3-1, leading our division, and everyone is peachy. Are two missed free throws seriously the difference between being "peachy" and a complete and utter meltdown?

Sometimes I wish people could step outside their bodies and see what they're saying. The level of ridiculousness here confounds me sometimes.

 

This.

Nate needs to go. He is killing this team.