Opening night at Madison Square Garden: Blazers Game Thread

We would have won better.

 

Does Nate play a fresh Batum in crunch time? Has he played the last 5 minutes of each game when the Blazers have kicked ass?

 

This seems a lot like saying, "As long as the team is winning, why make any trades that would improve the team talent?"

I know you explicitly disagree with that. Similarly, the idea that as long as the team is winning, it's fine to not optimize the talent does have on hand seems a bit off.

Sure, the team beat the Knicks...barely, with a late rush. It's a game they easily could have lost, and perhaps it would have been more sure victory with Batum, a player playing very well and not precisely out of the blue, getting more minutes.

All's well that ends well, but it may not end well next time. If the team loses with their talent maximized...that's the way it goes. The possibility that they might lose a game or multiple games in the future because they don't play their best players enough is potentially concerning.

 

I can see why Nate is wanting to get Matthews and some others like Rudy a little bit of run, but there really just isn't any legitimate excuse I can think of to only play Nic 28 ish minutes, when he's shooting almost 60% from the field, 50% from three, defends multiple positions, is making really nice passes, rebounds as well as he has.

The only reason I'd accept is if Nic is wearing himself out by chasing around point guards and other wings all night and Nate's trying to keep him fresh for crunch time ... Yeah, I'm not really buying it either.

 

Actually, we finished the Phoenix game on an 18-1 run. Isn't that incredible? In the final 5:23 of the last three games, we are 49-12.

 

Good call, Speed. That's an amazing stat.

 

However, with Roy taking 35+ mpg at SG, and with Matthews and Rudy deserving 14-24 mpg each, someone has to suffer. Unfortunately, Frenchy is the only person who can sacrifice minutes. Our PG's can't much as Roy at PG is a train wreck. And beyond that, Nate is keeping Cunningham pretty much at PF to further accommodate Rudy & Matthews. We simply have too much talent at SG and if it comes to ask a player to step down, it's going to be Frenchy over Roy.

 

And that's why Rudy needs to go.

 

Why are you not suggesting Rudy step down...?

 

If it comes down to minutes between Rudy and Nic, I'm picking Nic. Sorry Rudy my boy, you'll understand.

 

i hope everyone would choose the same

 

Yeah, that was what I was wondering reading that post, too.

 

I don't hate Nate, nor do I think he's a great coach. But, I have a major problem with the amount of minutes he gives Batum.

 

Crazy stuff. Our defense is just lock-down over the last 5 mins or so. I love it when we go with Roy/Batum/Wesley/LA/Camby as a defensive unit. Just no weak links defensively, especially when LA and Roy are motivated to play some D.

 

I just wish he would explain his reasoning. Why does he coddle Batum like a new born baby?

 

The minutes shouldn't come from Batum though. Our team is better when he's on the floor, he should be on the floor for 30+ every game.

 

So when Greg sand Joel are ready to come back we shouldn't let them because we are already winning?

 

I was going to ask that as well. Batum makes us light years better than Rudy

 

Trouble is Roy is already averaging 40 minutes a night and that just isn't going to hold up for a season. And like others have said Rudy is nothing but a 2, Matthews best position is probably at 2, but Nic is the only pure 3 that we have ... and not just a pure 3, but probably our second best player.