No one (except Jason Terry) picked the Mavs at this time last year.

For some.

For others it's watching the best athletes in the world strive for excellence, it's watching highly competent personnel people scout and identify talent and then develop that talent. It's also knowing that when you see it all come together it's special and kind of a rare thing.

 

Some fans would rather be miserable

 

The bottom line: Don't praise mediocrity or gloss over incompetence. We all deserve better.

 

I'm a fan of the game as well. But, when it comes to the Blazers I always direct my energy with optimism rather than pessimism. Its good for the heart, its good for the mind.

Do I think Nate McMillan sucks? Pretty much.

Do I think Paul Allen is incompetent as an owner? Yes.

But, I still hope for the best. I don't understand those who drown the board with negativity. Like you're trying to persuade us to 'see the light'. But, to each their own.

 

It doesn't have to be championship or bust. There's plenty to enjoy with this current team. They're competitive every night, play hard and are a regular in the playoffs. This isn't the damn Jail Blazers.

Being a miserable fuck because you're favorite team isn't yet on the level of championship teams is pretty lame. The inability to enjoy anything is a sickness.

 

1) Played the champs better than any other team in the playoffs last season.

2) Aldridge still on the rise towards becoming a top 3 power forward in the league this season.

3) Gerald Wallace for a full season to gel with his teammates.

4) Batum worked hard to improve in the off season.

5) Matthews, Aldridge, Wallace, and Batum are four of the best defenders in the league. And oh yea, Camby is a former defensive player of the year.

6) Addition of Raymond Felton who, as a starter last year for the Knicks, was a borderline All Star and will probably continue to improve this year since he's still young.

Go Blazers

 

I have to ask why the hell do you take what I say so personally that you feel the need to resort to name-calling? Is that your go to move in any discussion where you disagree with somebody?

 

dont be a pair of bifocals, stay focused on the top of the washboard before you scrape up your soapy knuckles

 

Has nothing to do with disagreeing

You just come off as miserable. It's clear you ability to enjoy anything is non-existent.

 

i bet he enjoys ice cream

or maybe

"sigh, this ice cream reminds me of dreary drizzle, time to put my head in the wood chipper"

 

I just don't get the point of being so doom and gloom about every little thing

The organization definitely deserves criticism, and there are plenty of reasons to think why the team won't win the championship this year

But should the team not being in position to winning a championship really detour you from watching them(like some have said)?

Yes championships are the goal, but it's not the be-all, end-all. Some great moments have come out of the past 3-4 seasons, with Roy's comeback victory being one of the greatest sports memories I will ever have. And who didn't get goosebumps when the "Marcus Camby!" chant happened.

Some of the most entertaining baseball I've watched was in the late 1990's when the Mariners had a ridiculous roster. They were never really a true threat because their pitching outside of Randy was shit, but it was still great.

Being a fan is more than championship or bust.

 

I haven't enjoyed the Blazer much lately that's true ... But the Blazers are an incredibly small part of my life.

Ask me about my job. Ask me about my family. Ask me about the Green Bay Packers ...

 

There is one legit reason for optimism - Wallace will be here all season. You have to balance that against Camby (who has fallen off a cliff) and Felton (putting him with Nate will be a horror movie).
We also have an absurd lack of depth.

Does pointing that out make me a miserable bastard? Does pointing out that the Blazer front office is paid a lot of money to fix/avoid these problems make me a surly old coot? If so, I plead guilty.

 

To add onto KS's list

7) McMillan has supposedly been tweaking and brainstorming the offense, to incorporate Wallace and Felton. Who knows to what extent he's been doing this over the offseason, potentially a lot.

Time will tell of course, McMillan has an obvious track record of depending on a single player, either Allen, Lewis, or Roy, and now Aldridge, but acknowledgement of the problem is the first step I suppose.

 

I think you guys have a great team.

I'm curious to see how far you'll get too.

 

Last season the team rode the backs of these players:

Aldridge
Andre Miller
Matthews
Batum
Camby

Roy only gave us "moments".
Rudy was frustrating and inconsistent.
Camby only gave us half a season.
Our Big rotation was a joke, with Oden out for the year, Camby hobbling for much of it, Pryz worthless, and the deep bench being exactly that and no more.
Our backup guard situation went from strength in prior seasons to weakness with the Bayless trade and Roy's injuries making us thin.
And, to add insult to injury, our Rookies were a washout.

And yet, as everyone keeps pointing out - we were a few Dirk "fouls" drawn from talking the champs to 7 games.

Why are there optimists?

LaMarcus could actually be better this year, and that isn't a stretch. All he has to do is play like he did last season, and he will be more dominant as he has been annoited one of the up and comers. That affects officiating, and it affects opposing players and coaches.

Our big rotation is still a question mark, but it would be hard for it to be worse than last season.

We are likely to get more lift from our young players than last season.
Spacing could be better for LaMarcus to work the paint with Andre gone he can have 2 shooters on the floor at all times.

Gerald Wallace for an entire season could be huge. He had to 2nd highest WinShare per/48 for the time he was with us.

Batum may be ready for a breakout.

 

This. Not directed at any specific person, but some fans act like anything less than the championship is total abject failure. For me, there are lots of opportunities to derive enjoyment from following and rooting for my favorite team, even when the championship appears unattainable. I consider myself a realist, I am not a myopic rah-rah optimist, but I do prefer hope over despair. At the same time, I appreciate the reality check provided by those who point out the negatives, and the debate it engenders.