Portland looking to run more

I know, I know, we have heard this all before. Nate wants to push the ball, but hasn't had the personnel to do it in his 12 years of coaching. The latest excuse apparently is Andre Miller. In this article http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/06/trail_blazers_guard_wesley_mat.html Nate says he has visions of sugar plumbs and Nic, LA and GW filling the lanes on fast breaks. Nothing, and I mean nothing would make me happier than for Nate to get the pace of our team closer to 20th than 30th, and have me look like a bigger ass than I already do. However, I am not ready to say I think that will happen.

Andre Miller has been blamed for causing the slow offense in Portland by both Nate and Brandon, but is he really at fault? Pre Portland Pace numbers for Miller are this (rank out of 30) Philly - 21, 20, 22.....Denver - 2, 2, 4, 1....LAC - 14....CLE - 15, 17, 3. So on the surface it looks like he was just fine at pushing pace everywhere else he has been. His two years in Portland were 30, 30 by the way.

For reference sake, Felton's prior pace numbers are DEN - 2....NY - 3....CHA....26, 27, 14, 13, 3.

If things change, are they forced by upper management, or after 12 years of excuses, will have Nate finally let go of the reigns a bit? I thought Andre Miller's presser was very revealing when he said

 

So presumably they'll actually practice running a fast break for more than a couple of minutes a week (as I remember being reported prior)?

I get the impression Nate believes that he wants to run (waving his arms like a windmill on the sidelines), but because he spends so little time drilling uptempo and has such a quick hook for guys when they turn the ball over, where's the incentive for players to push the pace?

I don't need to see the team playing at some frenetic pace for 48 minutes a game, but I do want to see some offensive creativity instead of the same high screen and roll (complete with lousy picks) and LaMarcus isolation at the elbow and the block and walking the ball up every damn time they come up the court.

We. Shall. See.

 

sorry I just have to laugh at this and shake my head, I won't believe it till a friggin see it, otherwise it's just spewin BS

 

I believe this is the year we finally see a much more up tempo offense. It's gonna be fun! He has more up tempo guys on the roster than he's ever had.
Didnt Nate's Seattle teams run and gun?

 

I think so too. However, I don't think we're going to be flying around, but making the best of our opportunities. Of course, it is fully dependent on how much Roy plays.

 

Hell no.

 

Please tell me who those guys are? Looking at pace numbers I provided, Miller and Felton look to be pretty comparable in pace on their former teams.

As for Nate's Seattle teams "running and gunning", his teams 24, 27, 15, 27. So only 1 year out of Nate's entire head coaching history has he had a team finish better than 24th in the league in pace. And the year he finished 15th, was a freak thing as well because even though he finished 15th, his Seattle team still only paced at 89.9 which was below the league average

 

It must be June since the team is declaring they will increase the tempo next season.

I think the only way the team increases the pace will be via a coaching change.
Otherwise, it's the same old crap.

 

Are you backing off of your mantra?

Remember, A Nate coached team will never run and the Blazers will never get out of the first round with Nate coaching.

You've been preaching it daily . . . don't start backing off because of one article.

 

All Blazers need is some running shorts, and to get back to their roots

 

Andre Miller was well-known as a push-the-tempo fast breaking point guard when he came to the Blazers. It's beyond stupid to blame Miller for lack of pace.

I don't think McMillan necessarily needs to push the pace, but eventually he needs to know himself. His teams don't run because he either won't or doesn't know how to coach a team to run. He's had the personnel if he ever had the inclination.

 

First, nothing is beyond stupid. When you get to stupid, it just keeps on going to infinity. Second, I don't think that it was Miller who dictated the Blazers play at a slower pace. I think that was Nate's method of dealing with a young roster in trying to reduce turnovers while playing to the strengths of his best player. Roy didn't want to run and his conflicts with Miller are well documented. Third, the way I read it, Nate isn't saying that he's looking to turn the Blazers into Showtime. He knows the roster is now built to be able to run and he's just saying that he's likely going to allow a bit more running while emphasizing pick and roll set offenses. I'm expecting to see a modest increase in the number of Blazers possessions.

 

Apologies, I was imprecise but you are, of course, right.

A reasonable theory. My theory has always been that McMillan does want to run...he just doesn't want to run more than he wants to limit turnovers and unforced errors. Since the two are often conflicting goals to an extent, his higher priority manifests itself to his players in his coaching and substitution patterns. If your coach says he wants to run, but you get benched and/or chewed out when you throw a pass away on a break attempt, you'll become risk averse and run less.

So I'd be surprised if the team really does run more, but it's possible. I don't think McMillan is bullshitting when he says he wants to run, but I think he places more importance on avoiding things that tend to be the natural consequence of running.

 

Minstrel hit it right on the head. Nate does not know who he is as a coach and that is the real problem!

Changing the players wont change the result of a coach that has no clue how to put them together on a court and execute an offense. As an X's and O's coach he's awful!

Nate really is a good assistant coach... he's not head coach material. He's been abused in the playoffs by coaches that understand their systems and play within them.

 

Apology accepted, but try to limit this kind of thing in the future.

The bolded part is my take as well. I think that having more mature players who are capable of running without a dramatic increase in turnovers will make a difference. I also think that having Roy take a lesser role (or perhaps no role) will make a difference. I think they'll look to push it more, but I also think that if they can't do it without a significant increase in turnovers, Nate will tighten the reins again.

I'm looking forward to seeing if I'm right. Frickin' lockout.

 

I'm not quite sure how to respond to this post. I pretty much agree that Minstrel hit it right on the head, but everything you say after that isn't consistent with what Minstrel said.

 

Anyone who has actually watched the Blazers play games with and without Brandon Roy cannot think for a minute that anyone but Roy is to blame for our slow pace.

When he plays, we crawl.

When he sits, we fly.

Don't matter if it's Miller, Sergio, Nash, Kidd, or Magic Johnson reincarnated, this team will run when Roy is gone, and not a second earlier.

 

How do you explain the years Nate has coached without Roy?


I agree with you actually as well. Roy slows us down even more