McMillan still believes http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/12/mcmillan_struggles_as_injury_p.html "I miss them. I hate that I'm not there with my boys at this time," McMillan said. "Because I ... just ... I still think they can do it. I really do. I will try to get back and see what I can do and see if I can get my leg to cooperate with me. But the thing is, the guys have got to stay together. We're going through some tough times, but we have to continue to fight through it until we get some bodies back." Is "it" winning a championship? Look at how much of his heart and soul Nate puts into this team and people still trash him in here. I believe. Go Blazers!
Re: McMillan still believes Well, fundamentally the team is the same as last year, without Travis and with Webster/Miller instead of Batum/Sergio. Comparison: 2008-09 "54-win juggernaut"/2009-10 "???" Majority Starters: PG: Blake/Blake SG: Roy/Roy SF: Batum/Webster PF: LMA/LMA C: Przy/Przy. Bench: Outlaw, Rudy, Sergio, Oden vs. Miller, Cunningham, Bayless, Howard. Yeah, we give up a lot on the bench bigs, but Miller/Bayless = more firepower than Rudy/Sergio for the guards. And Rudy'll be back at some point. If this team is a lottery team, you're not going to like me on this board. There's no way that basically our same team from last year (with a slightly shallower bench) isn't a playoff team. I don't expect more than a first-round exit, but to be completely honest we weren't playing like a playoff winner before Greg went down.
Re: McMillan still believes I don't trash him for his heart and soul. I trash him for his offense, his starters, his substitutions and the results thereof.
Re: McMillan still believes Nate's a nice guy, it seems. He says the right things SOME of the time (not: sCRAPPY). . . But, really, without taking words into account, but judging purely on the performance and professionalism/desire (or lack thereof) shown on the court: Well, hell, if it isn't evident from the putrid sets he runs on the court , to the appaling sub patterns, that he needs to go, well, then . . . God have mercy on your soul.
Re: McMillan still believes Making the playoffs was last year's goal. This year is about taking the next step and winning at least one series. Don't look now but we have a very good chance of getting the third seed in the West and being heavily favored to win in the first round especially since the team will be more experienced this time around.
Re: McMillan still believes I'd say a low seed is certainly still possible, but the team is so thin up front, than even one "minor" injury that knocked either Joel or LMA out for even 5-10 games would probably torpedo that thought. As for advancing, if we get matched up against a top 3 seed, I'd say the odds are long that this team will get past the first round barring a trade and unless Outlaw and Batum can return and provide a lot more than is probably fair to expect for players who haven't played in five or so months. FWIW: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/playoffodds
Re: McMillan still believes Already posted here: http://www.sportstwo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151321
I don't know; I've been very supportive of Nate so far. But I think if you are a secure individual, you hire people you trust, and if you trust them you don't need to call up at halftime to give instructions. At the same time we saw recently where Nate said that it's the players who needed to figure out how to play together with the new elements on the team. And it's interesting that I don't recall him ever saying something like :"We, as a staff need to figure this out", or "I need to do better in that situation". So, one could make an argument that we have a controlling guy who doesn't take responsibility for problems. These are usually characteristics of an person who is insecure about his competence. I'm wondering, since Greg Oden seemed to benefit so much from working with a psychologist, if Nate couldn't benefit similarly. However, I'm thinking that might be too much of a threat to his self image as strong and self-sufficient. On the same theme, I'm not sure if Demopolous is the best choice as interim coach. I read that he is quite high-strung; and I think that right now the Blazers might benefit from just relaxing, not focusing on goals, and just enjoying playing team basketball.
I'm sure it's painful. But I've never heard of not being able to fly due to having had ankle surgery. Why doesn't he just get on a plane? barfo
Again, not a doctor, but on long flights even my healthy legs get restless and swollen...I can't imagine if I just had major trauma/surgery down there.
Re: Quick Story on Nate Here's my snarky comment: I'm thrilled Nate will be watching these games on TV instead of standing on the sidelines. Why? Because now, maybe, from a fresh angle, he'll see the same things every other observer of this team sees. Here's hoping.
