ROY comments on our offense - is there a problem here?

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

I entirely agree with you. My post is more in response to some fans, the ones that I perceive as saying "That's not his game so let him do what he does," not "to" Brandon Roy (insofar as any of us can "address" a player who doesn't read this forum). I'm not criticizing Roy, because I don't know what he's thinking. I'm just hopeful that he's not closing the door on new frills to the offense because he's comfortable with something and doesn't want to change. I'm not saying that he is doing that...it's just a possibility that I hope is not the case.

And if Roy were doing that, it would be understandable. He's a talented young guy who's largely only tasted success personally and as a team (in comparison to what the team accomplished prior to him). It's understandable if he thought, "Why are we changing? This is working."

However, I think in all team sports, athletes and teams have to evolve to succeed. The only ones who don't are the ones who can't, because their talents aren't capable of it. This is where I think many people missed the boat on Rasheed Wallace: I don't think he had a lack of desire to change his role and style...I don't think he was talented enough to do so. That's why I never bought the claims that he could be as good as Duncan or Garnett if he just cared. Talent shows itself, in part, in how you can adapt and evolve so that the league can never "solve" you and so you can allow your team to do more things.

So if Roy is in a "don't fix what ain't broke" mentality, while it would be understandable, I think it would be a mistake. For him, personally, and for the team to flourish, he'll need to change. As will any teammate capable of doing so.

Of course, if Roy is open to change and trying to expand his range of play, then great. I have no concerns at all and I fully endorse him getting the ball as much as the coaching staff can contrive to keep it in his hands.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Another year of Nates ISO's, CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! Spoiled ROY being spoiled ROY

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Just think how cool it's gonna be seeing them win 50 games and hearing how efficient they are.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

trade Him!! I want to see a team full of role players only! Fuck stars! Who wins with stars in this league? I need a break.

 

I would really like to know what opposing coaches think about our offense. I would love to see one on record as saying, "The Blazers? They have two plays... Brandon Roy iso and Brandon Roy pick and roll. That shit is super easy to stop."

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Dwight Howard
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Vince Carter
Kevin Durant
Lebron James
Chris Bosh
Dirk Nowitzki
Yao Ming
T-Mac
Carmelo Anthony
Danny Granger
Amare Stoudemire
Joe Johnson
Derek Rose
Allen Iverson

Those are all recent or current stars in the NBA that haven't won a title

To answer your question

Teams with 2 stars win....most of the time

K*be and Pau
K*be and Shaq
Shaq and Wade
Pierce, KG, Allen
Duncan, Parker, Ginobili
Jordan, Pippen

With the possible exception of Detroit (Billups, Hamilton), might seriously have to go back to the 77 Blazer team that won it all to find a team with only 1 star to win it......maybe Olajuwan's first ring?

Brandon needs to learn to adjust his game so his teammates can help him. All of the great players have done it, and Brandon shouldn't be any different. Maybe, just maybe, it's the scheme

 

Warning: Turn away Zags, this will only anger you.

A scout friend of mine who works for the Mavs has said multiple times that Portland's offense is easy to game plan against. He always goes on to say "it's keeping them off the boards that kills you"

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Adjust his game? Is Aldridge ranking up with those second stars? Or is Miller? Who is our second star? Maybe he can adjust when Oden actually plays. So it seems like it's more of a roster/management issue, not a Brandon issue.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Maybe if Portland had another player at even close to the same level as B-Roy he would feel differently about it and be more willing to share the load.

Unfortunately Portland doesn't have another player even close.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Two step solution:
1. Trade Andre for Varejao (maybe a three way - Andre ends up in Charlotte)
2. INSTALL THE TRIANGLE. If Ron Harper can be a starting PG, then so can Wesley or even Rudy.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

I agree with most of what Minstrel has said. I see Roy as sort of a Rich Man's Tyreke Evans. And I DON'T see Evans as a PG (or as an All-NBA player ever). I think Roy is more team-oriented than Evans, and definitely a more mature person, though.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

Even the best teams have to make flaming bag shots. The difference between good band bad teams is how many of them they have to take, and how many of those shots they make. How many flaming bag shots has Fisher hit over the years? How about Robert Horry? Hell I remember some games where each of those guys hit multiple flaming bag passes to get the win. When facing top level opponents, you are going to have flaming bag passes, because the defense will shut down opportunities.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

This is not a slam, but I think Nate values ball security too much to run the triangle.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

While it was a small sample set, Roy didn't seem to be happy / willing to adjust his game last year when Oden was playing.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

I agree with you on this, I just don't agree with the idea that a team should be built around expecting lots of flaming bag passes. If that is the case, the offensive scheme needs to change.

 

Re: Fuck Brandon Roy

I don't read that as his attitude at all, that he needs the ball at all times every time down the court. "To make this team successful, just give me the ball and let me figure it out." Really? He didn't say anything like that. It seems from his quotes that he has two main concerns...

One, he wants more structure:

"We really haven't put in the offense we're used to working with. I know the first three games we didn't even have an offensive play. I know I don't like to play loose. I kind of need some plays, some organization there."

And second, last year he deferred too much to Andre Miller, but he's willing to compromise:

"Last year I thought it was different from 2 years before, just with adding 'Dre. I think we're going to continue some of that from last year but try to get back maybe from a couple of years ago, before 'Dre came, where I get the ball a little bit more. I want the basketball a lot more."

So he says 'we're going to continue some of that...but try to get back to the offense of 2 years ago.'

Isn't he describing the compromise you're calling for?

Well, he may not be a generational player, but two years ago, he was damn good. 6th in the league in WS/48 minutes. Last year, he was not nearly as good and we didn't win as many games.

Then again, as he said, he's not looking to exclusively have the ball: "I think we're going to continue some of that from last year but try to get back maybe from a couple of years ago, before 'Dre came, where I get the ball a little bit more."

People seem to be reading a lot into his comments, projecting some sort of super-ball-hog game from Roy this season.

For me, the bottom line is I think teams have got to go to their strengths. Our strength is Brandon Roy creating in the half court. It's too bad that it's among our only strengths, but it is. Until we get some more offensive weapons, I think it has to be what we go to with the most regularity.

(Your Zach Randolph comment is interesting. I'm sure you're right that most fans would have hated that comment, but I would have absolutely LOVED if he got more shots. That ignorant fuck could score!)

Plus, Roy playing the PG, even if he's not a true point guard and even if it's not his best position, allows us to give better defensive players more playing time. The lineup of Roy, Matthews and Batum is our best 1-3 lineup and gives us the best chance to win, even if Roy is running the offense more than some would like.

(then again, as he said...he's not looking for that to be the entirety of the offense, just more of the offense than it was last season.)

Jordan adapted his game, it's true. (though his main adaptation was to go from volume scorer early in his career to a more efficient scorer/distributor under Phil Jackson...which is already the style of Roy's game.) When Jordan adapted his game, he didn't sit in the corner and watch the inferior players play. That happened to Brandon Roy far too much last season. And the results were not great. His numbers suffered, as did our win total.

I don't honestly believe that he's saying 'give me the ball and get out of the way.' I read his comments as 'don't put me in a corner and expect me, or the team, to play as well as we can.'

 

http://twitter.com/statcenter

But one counter to that argument is that Roy said he wanted the ball more, not that he wanted more shots.

 

If there was a position of need, I'd trade Miller, but other than the Center position - that is extremely thin right now but supposed to be stacked if everything goes well - I see no real need.
I do believe, however, that a tighter rotation, with Roy and Rudy in the starting back-court, with Bayless getting minutes behind both, Mathewss also getting some playing time at SG and Armon Johnson for special occasions could make us better. Even without getting anyone for Miller, it would be the famous "addition by substraction".

Our healthy starting lineup would be Roy, Rudy, Batum, LMA and Oden. On the bench we'll have Bayless as a 1/2, Mathewss 2/3, Dante 3/4, Camby 4/5 and Joel (when healthy) inside. Even without Miller, there are many players deserving of minutes, losing him - even for no real compensation - could make things easier, IMO.