Amazing what playing with some of your best players can do, eh? It's a shame we'll never get to see what Roy/Aldridge/Oden would look like after several years of playing together. Fucking shame. Little doubt in my mind they're contenders and a top 5 team every year at the very least. Man...
I really think if dick head cho could man up and make a trade for a scorer off the bench (backup pg or pf).... we would be a pretty dangerous team. health permitting of course!
Patience grasshopper, it's not even December 15th (the first opportunity to trade free agents signed over the summer) but really, we have no idea what direction this team will be heading in a month. I think if I were him (and everybody else in management/ownership) I'd want a pretty good grasp of the way my team was trending. Lately there's been a lot of down with a recent up-tick that may or may not hold. I know you're a big proponent of the Mo Williams, Andy Varejao angle, but it's easier said than done to make trades to improve the bench when so much of your lineup is either hurt (Roy, Oden, Williams), or just flat out unreliable (Marks, Babbitt, Dante, Armon, Patty, etc.) -- he's not playing with an especially strong hand.
thats kinda true nik... BUT he has 2 1st rounders, 2 expiring contracts, a shit load of rookies from the bench to europe and if he really wants to get creative... ODEN. Therefore, a good GM could make a solid move to help us. Any trade he makes should come with stipulation... YOU HAVE TO TAKE SEAN FUCKING MARKS!!!
Ya, it was painful to see Roy go after that loose ball at mid court. He realized he didn't have a chance and just pulled up. That really showed how slow he is now.
I thought the team played great last night, and I thought Nate made a lot of really solid adjustments.
agree, I think the Roy coming off the bench and little or no ISO "process' is well underway, takes time
I dunno if they are trying harder or what, but after the first timeout, 95.5 was perfectly synced up with video (to the point where the pounding of the ball on the court was perfectly synced)... Which surprised me given it was TNT. The game before was also well synced.
I mostly agree with your premise (that a good GM should be able a solid move at some point during the season) but I think immediate relief may not be coming. When you hear all of the chatter surrounding the impending lockout, it makes it sound like a lot of teams are hedging their moves because of the uncertainty surrounding the next CBA, What I mean by that is, I don't think the normal rules of engagement are in play, and it very well could be in the longterm interests of this team to hold onto those first round picks and expiring contracts. And finally we don't even really know how much autonomy he has to make deals given the wonky power structure of Vulcan, hat-guy, Paul Allen, Larry Miller ... I don't envy Cho's job at all.
i just think with our lack of bench at center and pg.... we really cant do much unless that position comes back in trade. Could they trade one of two (joel and camby)? yes but i dont see anyway we trade miller unless we get a quality PG back given the state of our pg situation. I mean nate didnt even play patty 5 minutes vs orlando lol. not to mention miller has quietly emerged as a top player on this team...
You forgot to mention Sean "The Human Handicap" Marks. No team can complain about getting a raw deal as long as Portland continues to have Marks on the bench. He is like everyone on the team having the flu all at the same time.
Yup, you have to give Nate his due. Going to a small lineup with LA at center caused the Magic problems in the second quarter, then going Miller Time in the 4th sealed the deal.
In the section I was sitting were plenty of guys with green and yellow jackets saying "Aussie Basketball " something on them. They were going "Aussie Aussie Aussie - Oye Oye Oye" during the 3th quarter. It was lots of fun!
Yea I could hear them right not too far down from me in 301. They were either really close, or really loud, or both.
For the first time all season long we have somebody on the team that can set a decent pick. I also loved the fact that Joel completely hammered Howard several times with fouls, and was big enough that Howard could not push him out of the paint. I missed Joel. He brings nasty and physical this team desperately needs.
