Dude, if you think Oden and Przybilla are soft then I just don't know what to say... I agree that we're going to have trouble with physical teams with our current make-up, but there's not a hell of a lot we can do about it at this point. Nobody is expecting us to win the championship this season. If Greg comes back healthy, and I think he will, most of our problems are solved. I still think we need a good backup PF, ala Millsap, but what you gonna do?
Just like last year, we take care of business against the cream puff teams but crumble in the face of a teams that play solid D. Our March was nice soft schedule of the Kings, Grizz, Pacers, Raptors, Hornets, Wiz and Knicks. We wen't .500 against the good teams, losing to the Nuggs and Suns but beating the Thunder and Mavs. This team isn't getting "outclassed," but it's getting out-coached yet again down the stretch.
We had a somewhat healthy Oden for part of last season and Nate had no idea how to use him. If Oden were to miraculously play a full healthy season at some point, we still have issues shooting too many jumpers and getting high percentage shots for our guards. In Nate's offense, Oden just gives us an edge on the boards and blocks. Last season showed that Oden's presence is no guarantee of any sort of success. Particularly in the playoffs.
jaynes nails it.. People constantly ask me why I have concerns about the Trail Blazer coaching staff. Hey, Nate’s a Coach of the Year candidate, right? And they won all those games in the face of a rash of injuries. Well, I have never thought you judge coaches only on how many games they win. Expectations differ by talent level of the teams. Winning games is one thing, but how a team plays is quite another. All season long, it wasn’t as if the Trail Blazers lacked talent — you judge talent of teams by who is playing, not who is NOT playing. Portland was never totally without talent. This was never a Clippers or Warriors situation. But put that aside, what I saw Thursday night out of the Trail Blazers in Denver is what drives me nuts. And this happens not just in Denver but whenever the Trail Blazers play a good team with a chance to prepare for the game — in other words, teams and situations the franchise is going to face in order to ever get to a championship level. There’s Brandon Roy out there at the top, dribbling the ball around helplessly trying to beat his man one-on-one against a defense stacked against him. This is what the coaching staff thinks is going to carry them to the next level? Seriously? Look, I’m not saying Brandon Roy isn’t an all-star — I’m saying he isn’t Kobe Bryant or LeBron James and he can’t just repeatedly manufacture good scoring chances by himself. Why isn’t there a system in place to help him get good shots? Yes, there’s that pick-and-roll. And by now aren’t we all sick of watching a “big” set a screen for Roy and him not using it? And the big not driving hard to the basket, rather than just drifting a few feet to the side for a long jumper? I just can’t stand the fact that so much of what the Trail Blazers do comes strictly off one-on-one play. That stuff is fine for a possession or two late in a game but you can’t play that way all night. You’ve got to move the ball, move bodies, set picks and make plays for each other. And man, when Charles Barkley on TNT calls you out almost every week for your inability to have any sort of inside or post-up game, don’t you at least listen? I mean, even Chuck knows what’s wrong and nobody is taking this to heart? On so many nights against good teams with a chance to prepare, this is what we see. And oh, don’t even get me started on what the team does on the defensive end. Good grief, you can’t expect to continue to give up uncontested three-point shots and dunks and have a real chance to consistently win big games. It’s so funny to hear TNT commentators who are supposed to know basketball talk about Portland’s defense being solid, based on the archaic “points-against” statistic rather than anything useful. It’s not a good defensive team, particularly in playoff or playoff-like situations (when teams have a chance to get prepared). Portland does not contest enough shots. It does not help well enough inside. And these problems at both ends of the court are institutional. They have to do with how this team is being taught — or not being taught — to play. You can continue to be satisfied with how many games are being won and all that. You can congratulate the team for continuing to play hard in spite of adversity, but really — if it continues to play the way it is, it’s never really going to get anywhere in the post-season. Unless it draws a team in the playoffs that pays less attention to detail than it does. And that’s not too likely.
This just shows how soft you are, Nik. No heart! No killer instinct! Fortunately for all of us, we have some posters here who show no such reservations. Forget every win, dismiss every strong effort by this team -- last night's game defined them, plain and simple. Sorry, but it's the truth.
I would trade LA and Webster for the draft pick of Cousins in a heart beat. This kid can bang, rebound and will be the Boozer type of player the Blazers need without a doubt! Anyone who thinks yesterday was just a bad game might want to watch it again. Utah and Denver own us! They know it, and so do our Blazers. The Blazers have no tough guys, Utah and Denver are built to beat ya up. If our team doesn't get tougher in a hurry this team will be a three or four seed in their own division for years to come! It should also be noted that Roy with his 14 points is not an elite player. Good... Yes, Superstar not even close. Superstars don't score 14 points in must win games on national TV. Think KD, Lebron, Kobe or Carmelo would have been content with 14 points and a shot at a better playoff spot?
Cousins plays both PF and Center. He's listed as both, he's the same size as LA but he's a monster banger inside. He and Oden would be fierce! That would be all the toughness this team needs to quiet Utah and Denver in the paint! Cousins I doubt will play very much center at all on the NBA level.
But the real question is, would he put his head through a backboard for a Championship like Lebron, Dirk, Nash and KD?
They are three teams the Blazers have no chance against in the first round. I would much rather face Dallas or Phoenix mainly because I do agree with you. The Blazers struggle against the teams that D it up and push them around. LA, Utah and Denver are all teams that will go through them in five or six games in the first round. Portland will probably go down to teams like Phoenix and Dallas as well but they will at least push them to 6 or 7 games.
