I think Batum is in a fine position, he got to be a starter, what more do you want at this point? Now if only he can give Bayless a longer leash, the kid can't learn much when it is the same as last year, 1 screw up and welcome back to the bench.
No doubt, Blazer fans can have unrealistic expectations and be over-the-top optimistic. OTOH, I don't recall the Blazers discouraging high expectations for this season. If fans are frustrated and disappointed, maybe they have a reason. "Wait till next year!" is getting rather tiresome.
You're right. The team should have been honest and, before the season began, informed fans that the team would be suffering four times more player-games lost to injury than the league average, and that simply making the playoffs would be a win. Instead, they deliberately covered up all the future injuries that hadn't yet happened and pretended to think this would be a good year. Their hype machine knows no shame!
Let's settle this once and for all. We need a game with Nate's team against Mediocre man's team. May the best coach win.
I understand that many people find MM's constant anti-Nate posts annoying; but I think there must be some people (like me) who enjoy having a wide range of viewpoints. So, if we want him to keep posting , maybe it isn't necessary to pile on him so much. Basically, he's just making a point that a lot of people agree with; that Nate might want to appreciate Nic more. I would rather see this thread go in the direction of wondering if a guy with the athleticism and smarts of Nic Batum might be developed as an important offensive option. We seem to have several players on the team who seem to choke up at the ends of games (one of the reasons Roy ends up doing so much); maybe Nic is needed. Anyway, MM, I may not always agree with your strong sentiments, but I'm always happy to see your posts.
The quote provided has no relation to Nate playing or not playing Nic. If Nic played that well every night, he would be our best player, but the reality is that he is still inconsistent. If Bayless played as well as he did at San Antonio (earlier in the year), he would be tough to keep off the court. I see NOTHING alarming about the quote. MM piles on Nate for little or no good reason and I'm sure he doesn't mind that we disagree with him.
Yes, but I don't think that mook is one of those "build them up to tear them down" kind of posters, and I find it weird that he would be lumped in with them. Ed O.
MM could be replaced with a shell script that posted nearly nonsensical Nate hate. Just pick a nickname (McScribbles, McAsshat, McMuffin, etc), mention a stat (start with low-minute, high-efficiency games to show Nate's "robotic" "brittle" subbing patterns), and end with "but I'm just a high school coach. What do I know? " I like a wide variety of viewpoints, but MM provides one, and only one. Over and over and over. Why should I have to wade through tired reruns to find new content in a thread?
