My theory and why the Blazers are playing as bad as they are

My theory as to why the Blazers are playing as badly as they are is because how they are jerked around in the rotation. Players in Nates rotations are jerked in and out of the game so often, and end up playing with mixed lineups of 1st, 2nd and even 3rd unit players coming in for only a few minutes at a time together, there is never any time to get any flow going.

 

I've hated Nate's rotations since early last season.

 

No flow. You are right. It just seems that usually when a player other than Blake or Roy gets hot, he pulls them for his fixed rotations. Its weird.

 

They should only be playing like 8 guys max. Get those guys used to playing together, and then they become interchangeable, and you can start getting some other guys time here and there. But get those guys tight first. Then adding a piece isn't such a big deal.

Just watching last night you could see guys didn't know where they should be when playing with certain players. Guys running their guy into Roy when ISO'd. Players throwing a pass to a player who wasn't there. (like 4 times last night, alone). That is from not playing together. It's like the 1st and 2nd unit never play together in practice. Then when a 3rd unit guy gets in, its like 'Holy shit what do I do?".

 

*Unsure of roles.

*Offensive pace

*DEFENSE

 

I would actually put my money on having half our rotation dressed in street clothes during games.

I think that might have something to do with it.

 

It definitly hurts for sure. I bet Batum's defense would be a breath of fresh air right now.

 

A nice 8 to 9 man rotation is what I agree with as well. Guarantee minutes for the main players: Roy, Aldridge, Oden and Miller and have the others get theirs according to certain situations or foul trouble.

 

Our defense has been stellar this season. Not saying Batum wouldn't help us, but the defense isn't our problem now. It's our offense that is seriously suffering.

 

Our defense was stellar a few games ago. It was terrible last night. And the previous two nights as well. Nothing but open looks and easy baskets. Nothing seemed challenged, except by Oden or Joel.

 

Actually your way wrong on that. The last 3 games the Blazers defense has allowed way over 50% shooting. That is purely unacceptable. It is rare when you win a game and the other team shoots over 50%.

 

But if you can use football as an example. Some of those teams that are all D and no O sometimes get worked because the D can't win the games. You have to still score to win. I think what hasn't been working is our half court offense, like it did last season. If we had the D we have now, with the ability to score in half court like last season, we would be the best team in the NBA now. Unfortunately, the games we have great D, our O is terrible. Even during most the blow-out wins. Just no flow.

 

Portland has a long history of putting the keys to the offense in the wrong hands.

How many years did we let Damon Stoudamire play 38 mpg, committing to Pippen at the point only when the tread on Scottie's tires were bare?

Remember starting Jarret Jack a full season, even though he was no better nor worse than his backups?

Last year the keys were in Roy and Blake's hands, which was fine the way the team was built. We were a team of jump shooters, so give the ball to the guys on the perimeter and let them work, feeding Aldridge 16 footers as needed.

Now, however, we could actually become an inside-out team with Miller and Oden. Two of our four best players actually like to get the ball in the paint, and Aldridge will be happy to come along for the ride too if he can get some baskets in transition.

Instead, the team still runs plays to get jumpshots in a set half court offense. Nate had his best season coaching ever last year, and he did it by running a jumpshot offense. His second best was also that way in his last year in Seattle. So that's what he wants to do again.

Come to think of it, has he ever coached a team that wasn't dominated by jump shooting? Does he know how to coach players to feed the "roll" man on the pick-and-roll? Do his teams even practice fast breaks?

*sigh*

A lack of healthy bodies is also hurting us. But what's really depressing to me is that even with the fewer players, the two guys who can transform us into a points-in-the-paint team aren't getting the spotlight they need. When Outlaw and Batum come back, I don't see how it helps us in that goal.

 

You nailed it. Nate has never played or coached a team that was mainly a movement offense with the one guy that was the playmaker (usually the perimeter player or a 1-2 guard type) and the bigs were just outside shooters or played very reduced inside games. Shawn Kemp would be the only player that you could argue as being the "inside force", but his game was a lot like Amare's game. Outside shots, dunks from movements and never back to the basket.

 

If that's the case, where's the harm?

I think the problem is that Roy thinks (to quote the great Charles Oakley) "if it ain't broke, don't break it" - we should just play the way we did last year, only with the improvement a year brings.

But Nate thinks: the way we played last year got us bounced in the first round, despite good play from Roy.

Nate's right.

What Nate is trying to do is get Oden more touches. Roy thinks: he's still young, he's clumsy, he'll get his in a while. Meanwhile, I'm a fucking All-NBA player, and I'm standing around useless.

Nate thinks: yes, you're standing around useless - BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO! You could be doing more, and you're not. But the trouble is, Brandon does have his limits. He's an amazing offensive force, but he's not a great defender, and probably can't be given certain limitations (short arms, not super-duper athletic).

It's a pisser, is what it is. Roy really is going to have to change his game. We may have seen Roy at his best last year, and it might not be good enough given the kind of player he is.

 

I disagree. If you watched the game last night you'll notice that there were a few new plays involving cutters coming into the paint and being fed by either Oden or Roy. I believe Nate is trying to incorporate movement in that regard and let opposing D's focus on Roy or Oden, allowing the periphery players to make free cuts.

If you want to argue the overall game plan this season then, yes, much more jump shooting than I think anyone including Nate has wanted. But last night there was a definite move towards some cutting. I also think if you'll watch the game again you'll notice many, MANY drives that ended in a missed layup while our guys were getting hacked to pieces. This, compounded by the fact that our outside shooters couldn't hit squat (Webster 4-14, Rudy 1-5) during the first three made it even more difficult to stop the Miami D from collapsing.

 

But this isn't football. The facts are in the NBA that if your opponent shoots over 50% you are screwed 95% of the time.

 

People can put me on blast for harping on this, but this starts at the top for me. As constructed this is an offensive team (by and large) trying to learn defense and hustle as they go. Because of this, their defensive intensity seems to feed off of how well they are playing on offense. Now that the offense is struggling guys are getting back slower, rotating slower, and in all likelihood thinking ahead to their next offensive possession. On the flipside we have a coach who seems to favor players whose offense feeds off their defensive intensity (which is proper IMO). Teams like the Rockets, Celtics and Spurs feast on frustrating their opponents at the defensive end which usually softens them up at the other end, and just plain out working you.

If KP wants a run and gun style team then he needs to fire his coach and install a Mike D'Antoni type who will preach that the best defense is a good offense. Conversely if he believes in Nate's system, then it's well past due that he started looking for trades to get the kind of players to surround his core that will play hard defense, will rotate and will hustle on the court. Right now we're getting the worst of both worlds, players who are mostly crappy defenders (with a couple of exceptions) who can't seem to play offense right now.

Figure it out gentlemen.

 

8 guys is definitely not the maximum number of players they should play. in a competitive game, they should play at least 8 guys but no more than 10(unless injuries of course). with the current roster, 9 is probably the correct number with those 9(not in any order) being roy, oden, aldridge, webster, rudy, joel, dante/howard, and two of blake/miller/bayless. there's plenty of minutes to go around for 9 guys especially when the backup bigs will only be seeing time at one position each.

 

Basically what you just said, was for Nate to keep doing the status quo. Status Quo=Fail.