At least according to this article.. http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/blazerbanter/2010/feb/02/roy-out-blazers-start-run/ If this is gonna be the case, I'd "almost" be tempted to trade Roy. .
There is no reason -- zero, nada, zip, zilch, nyet -- why Brandon can't be the trailer on the break or run a secondary fast break after a stop. It's not like this team is going to be run, run, run anyway, but if you have trouble breaking 10 fast break points a game you are always going to have trouble getting easy buckets and you will always be grinding yourself up in half-court sets. I love me some Brandon, but he's got to find a way to expand his repetoire in this area just a little; too many of his teammates are built to play uptempo (LMA, Nic, Rudy, Jerryd, Miller to name a few) for this not to be a more regular part of the Blazers attack. Maybe this is why Nate was so concerned with having Miller run a, so called, 'second unit' that was more uptempo; he just can't seem to get Brandon to increase his.
BRoy would be great in the open court, he is just so god damned good when things are slow it's tough to change.
I was just about to post the same exact thing, then I read this. The secondary fast break could be very kind to B-Roy. He's got to get tired of having to work so hard for his offense in the half court every night with teams throwing 2 or 3 guys at him. His 52 point game vs the Suns a year ago featured many fast break/secondary break points. Has anybody ever theorized WHY B-Roy doesn't like playing a faster pace? Is he afraid of getting hurt? I guess when you're filling lanes and going hard to the basket you do take some hits. I just don't see why people say he isn't suited for it. Watch the highlights below - looks pretty good to me. [video=youtube;x2ZelgONJOI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZelgONJOI[/video]
I agree, which is why I wouldn't have him lead the break. He could easily be the trailer and with his ups he'd probably get a few layups or dunks out of it. 90% of the time he'd be getting his points out of his half-court pick and rolls
Let's not call him slow. Thorough. He's thorough. That's why he flunked the SAT 5 times. He wanted to do really well so he checked everything 3 times.
He likes all eyes on him, time for tension to build, then the score! It's not so much a "team" thing.
Do you really believe that? A more likely explanation is that he just doesn't feel as comfortable - I just wonder why.
Easy baskets and fastbreak points are great. Honestly though, the more you run, the more you turn the ball over and the more posessions the other team gets. Have the Blazers of the McMillian era ever been a good enough defensive team to handle giving the Lakers, the Jazz, the Nuggets, 15 more posessions a game? I know this isn't the most popular opinion on this board, but putting the ball in Roys hands and limiting the amount of possesions the other team gets is still a solid strategy. Besides, when has Phoenix, Dallas (I know they made a finals run, but how did that end?) or Golden St. won anything else but a few playoff series? I'd rather trend towards the Lakers style of play, occasional fast break but ball dominated by best offensive player, allowing him to control the game.
How ya doing, Hoops. The worry is that to join the elite top 3-4 teams, we need all possible tools, including a fast break, even just one we run a few times per game.
I think he likes a slower pace because that's what he good at. Look at his game. He examines and analyzes the defense, finds the weakness, and dissects it. He's very good at it. It wins us a lot of games. I don't think this is a bad strategy at all. However, it's hard to argue against easy transition baskets. That's a good strategy as well. Ultimately I'm more than comfortable with the team doing whatever the coaches/Brandon/the rest of the team (in that order) think we need to do to win. From a fan's standpoint, it would be fun to see the team run more with Brandon on the floor.
I agree, I see no reason why Roy can't involve himself in a break. On the other hand, I don't even see why he needs to be involved. Fast breaks are rarely run with 5 people. Let Miller push the ball with Batum, Rudy, Bayless, Aldridge, Webster, etc...whichever other personnel is on the floor at the time. Let Roy wander up the court at his own pace. If the break is there and they score, cool...Roy can get back on defense. If the opportunity for a quick basket wasn't there, pull it back and run the half-court set that Roy is willing to be a part of. Let Miller (and everyone else) be a fast break weapon and let Roy be the designated half-court go-to guy. If you score on the break, you don't need Roy. If you don't, Roy can take over.
That's actually why the Blazers would flourish in an up tempo game. Push it when it's there, and if it's not, then let Roy set up and go 1-5 like he likes to do. Have him trail on the break.
Doing well Jlprk, watching you stir the pot as normal! I agree by the way, an occasional break would be nice. The unfortunate reality to me right now is that the Blazers D just can't hold up to letting the other teams "best" player have the ball in his hands more than he does now. Now, with a shot blocker clogging the middle, i'd feel much more comfortable. Maybe a great reason to encourage the Blazers training staff (when he's healthy again) to get Oden back down to his college weight, one in which he'd be much more valuable in an um-tempo game, while still being a defensive force on the inside.
Do people forget that Roy's Jr year at UW he came off the bench running with Nate Robinson, Will Conroy and Bobby Jones et.al.? He's done this before. Maybe he doesn't want to (I don't know his mindset), but I DO know that Rudy, Nic, Bayless and LMA do and that Nate's been professing to for years.
Przy and GO would help with a break, not hinder it. Have either one of those two crash the defensive boards, make the outlet pass and trigger the break.
