How many times are we gonna hear that this season? Could it be Nate that you need to restructure your offensive game plan, so the shots are in better position?
You're joking, right? The Blazers ARE getting good shots--they're just not hitting them. That's not McMillan's fault. Second, what happens on the court is a constantly changing picture, and players simply react to what is happening--not what the coach tells them. What we're seeing 90% of the time is just basic, instinctual basketball, which these guys have been playing all of their lives. Coaches are given way too much credit for victories, and too much blame for losses.
If your jumpers aren't falling, then make a damn game plan to take it to the hole. Our perimeter game is too damn suspect for a ISO system. We need to find something that works. Maybe like Houston or Indiana does. You know player movement and easy lay-ups? It does wonders for confidence.
Of course, but my God, if the Blazer players can't figure out how to take the ball to the hole, I don't know how McMillan can help them. That's such a basic part of basketball that every single one of them knows it. I suspect that the Blazers are a little lazy, and they'd rather settle for the jumpers than take the ball to the hole.
This team isn't lazy, they've quit. They don't want to play for Nate ... and I think Nate has probably grown tired of them too. It's over.
I agree with this take. I just don't think Nate deserves all of the over-the-top hand-wringing that he's receiving. Would it kill the players to have just a little bit of personal pride? Quitting on a coach is one thing, but they've quit on themselves and each other as well, which is the most troubling thing to me.
Rice: "Gotta play defense" Holton: "Gotta set screens" Miller: "Gotta sell tickets" Mags: "Gotta get a new coach"
Um, there's a reason guys like Wallace, Matthews and Felton are getting "good shots." Teams are daring them to take those shots because they can't make them! When have a team that can't shoot, you have find another way to score like an offense that employs player movement. Its a win for the defense when Wallace and Felton are taking perimter shots.
Matthews, Crawford and Failton have missed a ton of wide open shots this year. If they had hit at even a decent clip of ~35-36%, I imagine we'd have at least 7 more victories right now, and we probably would not be talking about blowing it up.
Yes, we are getting open shots - on the perimeter. But, we don't get enough easy baskets. Not enough points in the paint, not enough fast break points. With Nate's ISO heavy milk the shot clock offense, there isn't enough player and ball movement. Too much one player with the ball, four players standing around. The ISO is only effective if you have a superstar who can create for himself, and others. We had that in Roy, when healthy. The offense was basically get the ball to Roy, get the hell out of the way, go stand in the corner and look for Roy to kick out when the help defense comes. But, players like Roy are rare. There are very few in the league. When you don't have one of those players, you need to get back to John Wooden's three pillars of an effective offense: spacing, screening and passing. We need more ball movement and more player movement. Nate has had plenty of time to figure that out, but hasn't. And now, he's lost the team. It's past time for him to go. This team will continue to be disfunctiuonal and spiral downward as long as he is here. I can't think of a single thing he's doing right now that helps this team win now, or will help them build for the future. So, why is he still here? BNM
Portland is 9th in OFF EFF and 13th in Pace. They are also 29th in FB EFF, which is why they aren't running as much. I know, I know. These stats mean nothing, and only your opinion is the truth. The Blazers don't get any easy baskets.
Here's a stat for you: 5 Assists, a new franchise low. It's pretty tough to play this game without teammates assisting.
