Dave from Blazers edge continues hiss negative blazer views...

maybe hes right.... seems to good to be true http://www.blazersedge.com/2012/1/6...ar-successes-weaknesses-and-what-it-all-means

heres a snippet

The issue, obviously, is that as the season progresses the Blazers will face more good and/or prepared teams. The bigger issue is that in the playoffs they'll face one by default....a team that has nothing to do all day but figure out how to prepare for and exploit the team's flaws for seven games. I still don't see the Blazers coming out of that kind of situation intact. Other teams are going to have more enforceable, reliable ways to win that don't depend on the Blazers messing up as much as the Blazers depend on them messing up and that will probably be the end of the story.

Therefore despite the wins and the hot start, the overall forecast for the team hasn't changed: good enough to make the playoffs, probably losing in the first round, the second if they can claim a high seed in the regular season.

The best chance to change that outcome with the current personnel, short of the entire league developing a permanent blind spot to Portland's style, is for the Blazer guards and small forwards--Felton, Matthews, Crawford, Batum, Wallace--to become so practiced and deadly at the open three that the halfcourt floor gets spread wide on every possession. Theoretically that's possible. If a bunch of these guys start shooting .370 and above from distance the middle opens up for Aldridge's moves and the drives of Felton, Crawford, and Batum. At that point the interior scoring issue lessens and the offense starts looking good no matter what the pace. Then you can concentrate on taking good care of the ball yourself and consider those turnovers and fast break points frosting on the cake instead of the main course upon which you depend for your edge.

 

I think this team is still pretty desperate for a true backup point guard and they've got to add another big man who isn't pushing 40 ... We're basically one significant LaMarcus injury or a Felton grade 2 sprained ankle away from being a lottery team. So in that respect, I tend to agree with Dave's assessment -- the margin for error is razor thin right now.

 

The problem is that there are a lot of teams whose success and/or failure is dependent on avoiding an injury to one or two players - so to use that as a weakness against us is silly. You say a significant injury to LMA sinks the Blazers - but a significant injury to Durant does the same to OKC, Nowitzki to Dallas, Kobe to LA, etc.

We've played two of the Western Conference contenders the past two games - and they both seem to be worse off in the depth department than we do.

 

Pretty fair article. Our 3 pt shooting will need to be better, and we don't have a lot of interior scoring.

 

LOL

"OKC is basically one significant Durant injury or a Westbrook grade 2 sprained ankle away from being a lottery team."

"Dallas is basically one significant Nowitzki injury or a Kidd grade 2 sprained ankle away from being a lottery team."

"The Clippers are basically one significant Griffin injury or a Paul grade 2 sprained ankle away from being a lottery team."

Great insight!

 

You disagree I take it?

 

The "Dave from Blazers Edge" articles aren't coming across as very insightful right now. Essentially, the last couple articles could have been posted about any team int he NBA.

 

We actually have a lot of interior scoring - it is just that most of it is not traditional back to the basket post play. We have it in spurts from LMA and a little bit from Wallace - but this teams is 9th in the league in makes at the rim and 4th in attempts - once they start actually converting them layups...

 

Felton getting his legs will add two more made lay-ups/game on its own.

 

That is because of our running.

 

So, what's the problem? This team has one of the more skilled post players in the league in Aldridge, Wallace is very good in mismatches - the team takes a lot less jump-shots than it did before. Where is the issue?

 

I do like having just 1 solid post player; which I think Aldridge is really growing in this department. Then I think we need the slashers and maybe 1 or 2 clutch outside shooters. I think Wallace, Matthews, Felton, Crawford and Batum are all good slashers. I think Matthews, Batum and Felton are good outside shooters and Crawford is the clutch outside shooter.

 

I call BULLSHIT on that notion. First of all, I doubt teams had no idea that Wallace and Aldridge were going to be focal parts in the offense. And even Chad saying that teams haven't scouted us, has more to do with him trying to "downplay" our success so our team stays hungry to keep improving.

If scouts or coaches are not prepared against us, then they are terrible coaches.

 

I said this a week or so ago, so I will continue to go with teams will be better prepared for us later in the year.

 

Wait? So when the team was plodding, yet among the leaders in inside scoring and dunks, that was bad, but now you don't like the way the team is scoring inside.

Weird. Many inconsistencies in your criticisms are becoming more apparent by the day.