I completely agree. I was just trying to illustrate that catch-22 based on the kind of player he is and the role he is being asked to play here in Portland -- and frankly the role he'd be asked to play in probably 90% of the teams in the league. Martell strikes me as the kind of guy who would be a star in the ACB or Euroleagues with his pretty decent athleticism, his decent defense and the fact that he'd be guarded by less physical wings and would be allowed to shoot about a foot or two closer to the rim which would probably raise his percentages
Webster is the classic example of a guy who should have gone to college. He needed to develop an all-around game and some fundamental skills, but he chose the "easy" route and I'm afraid he's never going to amount to much of an NBA player. Back to D League.
Rudy has been bad since he came back from his injury and hasn't made nearly the impact that Martell was making when Roy was out. Martell is obviously in a funk but for most people to bitch and call for his head is just dumb. In January he was very very productive for us. What about Rudy?!
Indeed. He is in a slump and he's still going up and down, but he has improved somewhat. His actual numbers this month are not that far off from the "vastly superior Batum"...batum disappears too, did that last year but people don't call him out because of the man-crush they have on him. A dump of him just to dump is pretty fucking stupid...what...addition by subtraction? Yeah, that really doesn't work. This year is wishy washy anyways.
I'm not convinced Webster has psychological problems. That theory works from the default assumption that he's actually wonderfully talented but his emotional state holds him back. I think the simplest default is that Webster is not, actually, that talented (by NBA standards). Yes, he can sometimes play extremely well. Almost every player who reaches the NBA can sometimes play very well. Every player has variance. The really talented ones have a mean performance level where the less talented ones are playing at their ceiling. I think Webster is simply a mediocre talent, with high variance. Sometimes he looks great, sometimes he looks awful and his average is that of an unexceptional reserve. Why resort to psychological explanations? You may like the way he "looks" shooting the ball and like his athleticism, but that doesn't mean he's a good basketball player (again, by NBA standards).
this. the psychological problem excuse is a common blazer fan fallacy. If we can get spurts of good defense and 3 point shooting from him in a reserve role, that should be sufficient for us if Batum can really be what everyone expects him to be (which may also be a bit unrealistic). But if Batum is as wonderful as everyone says, Webster developing into a multi-dimensional player really isn't that important.... "but what if Batum gets injured and Webster has to step up?". Well, Batum did get injured and Webster did step up nicely. The fact is NONE of the Blazers are playing well right now. Martell is just playing crappier the last 4-5 games.
To address an issue with Webster (that may or may not be fair), that he only plays well as a starter. Well, in some sense, that's not the worst thing in the world even if he's a reserve. You need your reserves most when the starter is injured. If you have a reserve who can step into the starting role and up his level of play, for whatever reason, that's a decent state of affairs. When the starter is not injured, you limit Webster's minutes. He has value as a "starter stand-in."
fueled by him seeing a sports psychologist for his confidence issues a few years back and then (at least for me) coach Nate calling out an unnamed player for their streaky offense being tied to their defensive effort earlier this season. I've observed exactly that with Martell many times. He makes a few shots and he starts pounding his chest/yelling and is expending a lot of energy on D. But miss a few and he's hanging his head and looks like he wants invisibility powers. guys that get too high when things are going right are the same guys prone to getting too tight in a hurry. Though he's a much bigger talent, I see KG as one of those types too. Whatever one choses to label it, Martell's temperament isn't ideal. STOMP
Actually, Batum has played great. Or at least borderline great. In terms of win score per 48 minutes, which is a tremendous stat to track overall play, he's the 3rd best player on our team, after Oden and Roy. He's playing at near all-star level, he just hasn't yet gotten the minutes. Webster is right at the league average, which is his career high. Fernandez slightly below average this year, but was at near all-star level last season. I don't think Webster is playing 'much' better than Fernandez, but he is slightly better this season. But the one thing that nobody can argue with...Webster is mentally fragile as the OP said. Trading Webster would be a good move, not JUST to get some Euro schlub, but to clear more minutes for better players like Batum and Fernandez, assuming Fernandez returns to form. Side note, we've traded most of the players who are below average on the list of win score per 48 minutes over the last 3 seasons. I think it's a number that Pritchard really looks at, or at least a great number to measure the value of a player on the court. Over the last 3 seasons, here are the players who have finished a season with below league average in win score per 48 minutes. Steve Blake Travis Outlaw Martell Webster Jarrett Jack Taurean Green Von Wafer Jerryd Bayless Channing Frye Raef Lafrentz Sergio Rodriguez Ike Diogu Just 2 of those players are still with us. Now this season, Fernadez, Przybilla and Juwan Howard are in danger of finishing below average with Webster a possibility to drop below average if he continues his sucking ways. Not a good sign for your Portland future if you're on that list.
Seriously? You think a guy who is 36 is part of the core? As much as I'd like to see it happen, I'm not even convinced he'll re-sign here this offseason. Consistent? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?playerId=2795 Consistently inconsistent, maybe. January was the only month he was consistently good. Dude has 56 points over the last 9 games, and 28 of those came against the Clippers.
He's had double figures in 17 out of the last 27 games. That's not too bad. and Batum has 64 points over the last 9 games....BORDERLINE ALL STAR!!!!
What! What true Blazer fan would trade Webster for any of those schlubs!?! Webster is a star...or will be....someday....really....
Bingo, bango, bongo! It is much easier to be forgiving of a guy who always plays hard, but with inconsistent results. IMHO, that is what separates Batum and Bayless from Webster and Rudy. For the latter 2, if their shot isn't falling, they go into a shell.
Both Batum and Rudy have only 1 year of experience. Both missed half a season and have rejoined the team in midseason. Both must hit the ground running against players who are in midseason shape. Both are playing below their rookie years. I'm not surprised. Evaluate them at the end of the season. For now, only preliminary evaluations. Oh, and don't be influenced by Rudy's crooked smile. He's trying harder than it appears. He should have a cigarette dangling from that mouth, like a European movie star.
by what measure is Nic playing below his rookie year? Dude has been kicking ass since he returned. Last year his PER was 12.9 this year 15.2... and thats without tonight's career topper factored in. Also, I hope you weren't trying to compare a back injury to a shoulder... those body parts aren't at all equal in how they affect one's overall health. STOMP
