Portland Tribune discusses Andre vs. Blake

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125918372848717000

Stupid quote from the coach

Miller adds:

 

What I don't get is that the expectation that the entire team needs to adjust to Miller rather then the other way around? I understand utilizing your players strengths but when it causes this kind of polarity amongst the team, fans, etc. for a 10 year veteran that arguably was brought in here as a missing piece. The way everyone speaks of Miller, he was our superstar acquisition over the summer that's going to save the team.

 

It's not the entire team that needs to adjust to Miller. It's just Roy. And Nate. Miller unarguably makes Aldridge and Oden better as a PG than Blake does, and his propensity to push the tempo will help this team against better defensive opponents in the playoffs. Starting an inferior player because of Roy's inability to accept change (even if it's good for the team in the long run, no matter how difficult it is now) seems silly to me.

Also, I don't think there's any polarity amongst the fans. Almost all of us want Miller to start and play more minutes over Blake.

 

It does make sense for Roy to learn to move without the ball...Does he think he is above that or something? Andre made Iggy a lot better while he was in Philly. He is a much better leader than Blake and it seems like he handles pressure very well...Blake on the other hand is not a leader and when he gets trapped he loses his cool...I don't see why Miller and Roy shouldn't play together more.

 

Roy is having a tough time playing with a real PG.

Hmm, maybe Ricky Rubio to Portland is a bad idea. It's becoming clear that Roy needs a backcourt mate who can just defend and hit open jumpers. And don't say that's Steve Freaking Blake.

 

tis bayless!

 

The jury is still out on this for me. The last two games Dre' has looked fantastic with the 2nd unit. With Travis out, and Rudy being so hot/cold you need offense off the bench. In the last two games Miller is averaging 13 Pts, 5.5 Assists, 1 t/o, and has gotten to the line 15 times.

I don't think it's a bad idea to start Blake for now, and let Andre run the 2nd unit. I don't want to see Blake playing with Rudy, Cunningham, & Pryz. Not enough offense. I am stuck on who finishes games however. My first thought is to see how the flow of the game is going, who has the hot hand, and the match-up. But I wonder how it will affect the team continuity because Blake and Miller have such totally different games. In order to execute offensively down the stretch when defenses tighten up, you have to know where you want to go with each possession. Obviously with Blake in there, Roy is going to have the ball more times than not. With Miller in there that changes. I've seen a lot of confusion offensively this season late in games. That is a concern.

 

Stupid quote from the coach

Miller > Nate

 

I'm becoming a bigger fan of Andre Miller every day. The guy has tried to say all the right things. Not easy when you're highly introverted by nature--when you are as shy as he seems to be, everything becomes much more magnified because he says so little, and what little is said can be so easily misinterpreted.

How many other 10 year point guards still in their prime and having started their entire career would take this kind of demotion so well? To be playing behind one of the 5 worst starting point guards in the league, in a year where that PG has been in a shooting slump....

After years of playing on talentless or poorly composed rosters, he finally gets his chance to shine on a quality team and Steve Fucking Blake (and Nate McMillan) aren't even giving him one single regular season game to show he should be the starting PG in a traditional lineup.

Imagine if it were Damon Stoudamire and not Andre Miller.

 

The one thing holding him back from that is his jumper. He's mainly just a slashing SG right now. Not exactly an ideal fit next to a drive-n-dish guard like Roy.

 

Has Roy has even had a chance to play, in the backourt, with Miller to see if any adjustment is needed? The 3 guard line-up was stupid as it forced both Roy and Blake to play out of position on offense and Roy and Miller to play out of position on defense. Roy didn't like it, and I don't blame him. It was stupid from the start and just an excuse to keep Blake in the starting line-up.

I get that Nate is loyal to Blake, but at some point, you need to do what's best for the team. At the rate we're going, we may never know if Roy and Miller can co-exist in the starting backcourt. We haven't seen it yet. We know starting Roy at small forward doesn't work well, but that has nothing to do with Andre Miller. Until we actually see a starting backcourt of Roy and Miller, I'd say the jury is still out on whether or not they can coexist.

BNM

 

There is no "second unit." It looks like it on paper, but when do coaches ever pull the entire starting group and put in the entire second unit (outside of garbage time)? And even if it does happen occasionally, no NBA team then subs back in the entire first unit and just rotates between the two "units."

Reserves and starters are mixed and matched throughout the game. There's no "second unit" that plays together as cohesive unit that Miller can "lead" or "run." Starters are generally just the players who play the most minutes, though there's nothing that says that has to be true. Also starters play together as a unit at the start, until the substitutions begin. Miller has been playing with mixes of reserves and starters the last two games...just as he did before that. He's not in some "new role," he's just getting less minutes than he should, as far as I'm concerned.

While it looks strange to have Miller come off the bench when he's the team's best player at that position, "starting" doesn't have a ton of game impact. What has the real game impact is minutes played. Miller and Blake seem to be getting equal minutes, which would be fine if they were equal players...but they aren't. I really don't care if Miller "starts." I want Miller to get 30+ minutes per game.

 

Absolutely true.

It's baffling to me that Nate has yet to try this.

 

If Miller doesn't start, he gets fewer minutes with Oden, who we know for a fact, is more productive WITH Miller, rather than with Blake. I'd say that impacts the game quite a bit.

 

He's perfectly willing to try all kinds of other stupid off-the-wall crap, but steadfastly against even considering trying the most obvious option.

Makes you wonder exactly what dirt or incriminating evidence Steve Blake has on Nate.

BNM

 

Bingo! I'd love to see Miller feeding Oden during first six minutes of the game to get the big guy going early. I like seeing Oden dominate in the 4th quarter, too, but why not both? Get him involved and engaged early.

BNM

 

Question: Which makes more sense?

A. Start Blake and Bench Andre

B. Start Andre and Rudy, bench Blake and Roy

 

C. Try starting Roy with Andre for at least one fucking game before declaring it can't work.

 

Roy looks insane in that pic. LOL.

 

WHOA WHOA, that would make sense. I think you want a different forum/team.