Listen, if you recall... i was the guy all fall and preseason who said Webster should start over batum. I always liked Webster. Now in november and December he did suck balls and thats being nice but the Webster we see now is the guy that we drafted 6 overall in 2005. There were many of you who agreed we should trade for a SF when he was struggling. However Webster is just a more complete player then batum. I think we will at times have them on the floor together wreaking havoc on defense. They are very good defenders but lets be honest here... batum is never scoring 24 points in a quarter ever. Webster when hot is deadly. Infact Webster might be our 2nd best offensive weapon behind Roy when hes hot. Webster i think has 2-3 more years on his deal... and unless hurt... im thinking hes our starting SF. However imagine Roy at PG, Webster at SG, Batum at SF, LA, at PF and ODen at Center. Thats a pretty scary defensive unit IMO.
Batum isn't anywhere near his peak as a player. I am huge Webster fan but I still feel Batum has more potential because of his defense
It's funny, I just bashed Nate in another thread for playing guys out of position (his desire to play Batum at power forward). But... Once we get Nick and Roy back, I'd love to see us occasionally run a big line-up with Roy at PG and Martell/Nic at the 2/3 (take your pick). This would be a great late game defensive unit against a team like the Lakers who also go big at the 2/3 with Kobe/Odom and don't have a lightning quick PG (Fisher). Nic, as a rookie, showed great defensive tendencies, and Martell has really picked up his defense this year. That unit would be pretty good on offense, as well. All we'd need then is a healthy center to guard the paint and dominate the glass. We have two of those. We just need to wait until one, or both, are healthy. My problem with Nate playing guys out of position is he tends to make guys play up a spot (Roy at the 3, Outlaw at the 4, Blake/Miller at the 2, his desire to play Batum at the 4). This results in guys getting the crap beat out of them by bigger, stronger players. If you're going to play guys out of position, I think it's better to go big and play down a spot where you have a size/strength advantage over the guy you are guarding. Heck, if we don't get a banger back-up power forward next season, I wouldn't mid seeing a few minutes a game of the Greg/Joel twin-towers line-up. What do we really need from a back-up 4? Defense and rebounding. Greg and Joel provide plenty of both. Next year assuming everyone is healthy, I'd love to see our rotation tightened to 8 or 9 players (Greg, Joel, LaMarcus, Nic, Martell, Roy, Miller and Bayless + maybe Pendergraph or another banger back-up 4). Need a late game stop, try this line-up: Greg, Joel, Nic, Martell, Roy. One problem I've noticed lately is even when we get a late game stop, we give up WAY to many offensive rebounds. Having both Greg and Joel on the court should eliminate that problem. BNM
Well that's fucking sad, because Martell can't dribble and finish in traffic and struggles to do much more than catch and shoot with his feet set.
Roy/Webster/Batum would be a disaster. The team needs another ball handler on the floor other than Roy. Webster is hot right now but he is still very streaky, and other than draining outside shots he's very limited on offense. Still think Batum is a better 1 on 1 defender.
Supposedly, Nic spent a lot of time working on his ball handling skills over the summer and even got some time playing PG on the French national team during last summer's Eurobasket tournament. I'm not saying he can play PG in the NBA, but perhaps his ball handling skills aren't as bad as they were last year during his rookie season. Also, note that I specifically mentioned using that line-up for brief stretches against other teams who go big and don't have a lightning quick PG. I'm not suggesting that as a starting line-up, or even a line-up that ever gets more than spot minutes. BNM
I just wouldn't count on it much. Not with Miller playing the way he is. No reason to leave him out. If anything go Miller/Roy/Batum/Webster/Aldridge.
Again, I specifically mentioned in the case where the other team goes big (Lakes with Odom at the 3 and Kobe at the 2) and the Blazers need a defensive stop. Nic and Martell are our two best perimeter/wing defenders. In late game situations, you can go with offensive/defensive substitutions. So, it's not like you would be freezing Andre out in the 4th quarter. Swap him in and out with Nic/Martell on offense/defense. BNM
I'm sure Webs is ecstatic to know you are a fan of his...as long as he doesn't hit a rough patch. If you thought Martel was "worthless", and "sucked balls" last month, what does that say about your ability to evaluate talent? We'll see about whether Martel can hold on to his starting spot when Nic returns. I think you underrate Nic's offense, because last year he was a rookie and just a kid. With a healthy(er) roster, of course Nic defered to the established players. This is what you have had to say about your imagined lineup: Roy, who “has been nothing but a complete BITCH since the summer….quite honestly he has sucked this season…” Webster, who a month ago you wanted to trade, but apparently is no longer worthless. Batum, who is a joke as a starter. Aldridge, who you wouldn’t trade popcorn for. Oden, who “stinks”. Good luck getting that scouting job with the Blazers. Go Blazers
The funny thing is that at age 20 Batum sure appears to be the better offensive player than Webster was. http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=bWh8m
Sure I did - and I believe them to be true when the team is matched up against other teams who go big and don't have a lightening quick PG. Nic and Martell are both legitimate 3-point threats who can spread the floor, opening up the middle for Roy to drive, or LaMarcus to knock down his midrange jumpers. Again, it was suggested as line-up for occasional, game specific situations - not as a starting unit or for playing big minutes in a general. BNM
saved me the time... thanks. Batum's rookie year shooting %'s equal or better Martell's career numbers across the board STOMP
I don't think it is that clear cut. Look how many times we have been killed by not being able to defend a quicker 4-5 that could shoot the 3 ball. Look how many times Outlaw has been effective when a bigger PF tried to guard him outside. I agree with what you are saying for extended minutes. But I have always enjoyed waching teams play small. (Porter Ainge, Clyde, Jerome and Buck) You can't totally discount it.
Honestly, I can't recall the last time that happened. The last two teams we played with 3-point shooting 4/5s were the Magic (Rashard Lewis) and Pistons (Charlie V.). In spite of being short handed, we blew out the Magic on their court. Rashard Lewis had 15 points (below his average) and was only 1-5 on 3-pointers. Last night, being even MORE shorthanded, we beat the Pistons on their home court at the end of a 4 game road trip. Charlie V. had 17 points, but shot poorly over all (7-18) and was horrible from beyond the arc (1-9). I suppose you could lump Sheed in their too. He had 14 points, but only shot 2-7 from beyond the arc. So, the last three 3-point shooting bigs we've played have shot a combined 4-21 from downtown against us. I say let them shoot. Seriously, I just don't see this as a problem area for this team. We have MUCH more difficulty against physical power forwards that out muscle Aldridge (and Outlaw, when healthy). Elton Brand didn't kill us as badly this time, He only had 13 points on 6-8 shooting - because we doubled him every time he got the ball. Back on 12/28 he killed us (25 points on 11-16 shooting) as did Dalembert (7-9, 14 points) and Speights (7-8, 14 points). That's 53 points on 25-33 shooting - and not a single 3-pointer. Getting Oden and/or Joel back would help, but they can't guard both the 4 and 5. Because Aldridge isn't a strong physical player, teams with banger power forwards seem to be bigger problem for us than teams with 3-point shooting stretch 4s. BNM
