Remaining schedule strongly suggests Portland will miss the playoffs

Read it and weep. (Unless you're hoping for a lottery pick.)

 

We're not really a playoff team, so I'm not upset. And I'd like to move up as far in the draft as possible. We're desperate for a center or PG or shooter and the farther up we move the better our chances of filling a need.

 

I can live with missing the playoffs in this clusterfuck of a lockout shortened season ... and especially knowing what kind of talent there is to chose from in this draft. It's sort of like pathfinding in the wilderness; sometimes you walk into a box-canyon and the only way out is back before you can make any progress.

 

Tom Ziller has no idea what he is talking about. First, he has us playing 33 (12+7+2+12) games when in fact we only have 32 left. Of those 33 games he has 12 games that list us as "AAAHH," but out of our 32 remaining games only 14 of them are against above .500 teams. 14 is the lowest for any team in the Top 8 in the west. The Thunder, for example, face 20 teams with above .500 records, the most of any team in the NBA. I'm not saying the Blazers are going to go 25-7 in the second half of the season, but they will make the playoffs.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/matchups

 

Ouch . . . doable, but ouch.

 

Trade the vets, start EWill, tank for the lotto.

 

Yes please

 

I forgot your favorite move.... fire Nate. No point keeping him around when we're tanking. Bring back KP to coach the tankfest

 

I wouldn't mind seeing KP return.

 

our april is very easy... get through march with an above 500 record.... and we at worst get 8th seed

 

Wait . . . is that you "brock?"

 

Nate makes no sense for this team.


I also don't want to use the word tank. Portland has a very good player in Aldridge, and they need to figure out the system they want to play with him playing at an all star level. Find out who on the roster can best play with him, and get rid of everyone else. They need to see if Nolan Smith can be a player, even a back up in the league. They need to see if Elliott Williams can be a real starting caliber 2 guard, or is he just a chucker. Will we lose more games by playing them more minutes? Probably. Will it benefit us in the long run? absolutely

 

You mean - gasp - develop a strategic plan to improve the team going forward, design a system that maximizes the skills of our best player, surround him with complemenary players who fit that system, hire a coach who can coach that system, and evaluate our current players in game situations to determine their value to the team? Are you on crack?

 

Dallas definitely has the toughest remaining schedule. They have 14/18 remaining home/away games and 19 games against +.500 teams.

The good news for the Blazers is of the three teams behind them in the standings, two have tougher schedules and the third a comparable schedule.

Denver's schedule, with 16/15 home/away games and 15 against +.500 teams is pretty comparable to Portland's (15/17 home/away games, 14 against +.500 teams).

After Dallas, Minnesota (13/19 home/away, 18 +.500) and Utah (15/19. 19 +.500) have the toughest remaining schedules in the West.

Given that the Blazers are .5 games ahead of the Nuggets, 1 game ahead of Minnesota and 2 games ahead of Utah, it looks like the 8 seed will come down to the Blazers and Nuggets. How well Denver plays over the second half will depend on how soon they get their injured players back.

Of the teams ahead of the Blazers, Houston and Memphis have been playing well recently (both 7-3 over the last 10 games). Of the teams behind the Blazers, Denver (3-7 over the last 10) and Utah (2-8 last 10) have both been struggling lately. Denver because of the injuries and Utah because they just aren't that good. Utah is also a horrible road team, even worse than the Blazers. Minnesota is the definition of a 0.500 team. Their overall record is 17-17, they are 10-10 at home, 7-7 on the road and 5-5 over the last 10 games.

To capture the 8th seed, the Blazers need to beat the sub-.500 teams on the road and win at home at a decent clip.

BNM

 

So is tomorrow a "MUST WIN"?

 

According to most I must be. I guess we could just keep status quo and make the playoffs and get shit canned in the first round.

 

Does anyone else wonder why we are so excited to make the fucking 8th seed?

 

Jesus, Boston is toast.

 

because everyone says it is a great draft, and a deep draft, that you get lotto picks in the 20s. So if it is lotto talent in the 20s, I think you get lotto talent AND playoffs, instead of just lotto talent.

 

Ay, there's the rub.