Transcript: Blazers GM Neil Olshey Interviewed On KGW

Interesting that he used the "franchise" tag with Lillard already. Team really has high expectations for him.

Don't get me wrong--I think he has franchise-level potential. But man, that's setting the bar pretty high before one game has been played.

 

His comment on Nic, "Having more responsibility on both ends of the ball", has me a bit concerned. Our GM thinks a basketball has ends?

 

HA HA!

 

Damian and Nic are possibly the only reasons why I'm looking forward to the start of the season.

 

Aldridge? More than anything, I'm looking forward to seeing him in his first full post-McMillan season. With Stotts, Lillard and a stockpile of power forwards masquerading as centers, this is the first time in 8 seasons that you can actually start believing the hype that we'll have a more uptempo team.

If you were to design a prototypical power forward to play in a faster tempo offense, you could do a lot worse than just going with LMA. He and McMillan were never really a great fit, but people just didn't notice because there was never anyone to compare him to (and nobody cared because Roy and McMillan were a great fit).

I'm really looking forward to how Aldridge, Batum and Lillard look in a completely rebuilt offense. And for that matter, even Matthews--he's a guy who can't create, but in a faster tempo offense I think others are going to create a lot of really wide open looks for him where he can thrive.

 

Damian is getting the Royal Jelly treatment.

 

The thing I'm most excited about is an offense with much more player and ball movement. With a healthy Brandon Roy, and a healthy Oden, a slower paced, grind it out, milk the shot clock on every possession offense might have made sense, but with this group of young, athletic guys, more movement and a faster pace will help create more open looks and easy baskets. That will help build the confidence of the young guys.

I actually think this team is going to be better than most people here think. Last year was a total disaster. Nothing fit right. The personnel didn't mesh well together, the coach and system was a poor match for the roster. Remember, it was just a couple weeks before the season started that we found out we'd lost both Brandon and Oden forever. Nate never really adjusted. Whenever the game was on the line, he always went back to the Roy ISO - only with Jamaal Crawford masquerading as Brandon Roy. The result was something like 2-11 in close games during the first half of the season. The players quit on the coach and each other. It as painful to watch.

This year the team is very young and inexperienced (at the NBA level). It will take them a while to mesh, which is why I'm glad they are getting together early for these voluntary off season workouts. But, unlike last season, I think the players will fit well together and the roster is definitely a much better match or the coach and the system he plans to run.

I think (hope) this team will surprise a lot of people. They may get off to a slow start and will struggle at times (like any young team), but I think they will compete on most nights. I'm not willing to bet money on it, but I would not be surprised to see them challenge for the 8th seed in the West. Hard to say with so many new, inexperienced guys and so much player movement in the West. My expectations may be a year too soon, but I really look forward watching Lillard and Aldridge play together, the continued improvement of Batum, the development of Leonard, Williams and Barton and how well the Euros adapt to the NBA game.

BNM

 

I wouldn't put too much weight into what Olshey says publically. When it came to coaching, he publically said at one time that "Kaleb was his guy"

Franchise PG today . . . trade bait tomorrow.

 

I must be dreaming. Don't wake me up.

I think Matthews benefits from this big time. And Batum. And the fans.

 

I know one franchise in one sport is different from another franchise in another sport, but the Blazers do bear a lot of resemblance to this year's Oakland A's. Who were expected to be in the cellar and (as of today) are in the playoffs, after a bad start.

 

So the A's have a bunch of tall black guys and Euro's on their team?

 

I'm with you. I think this team is going to surprise some people. Stotts got a very young Milwaukee team with Michael Redd and a bunch of role players to 40 wins. Look it up--their second best player was Bobby Simmons.

Aldridge is an All Star. I think Lillard is about 2-3 years away from being in an All Star game. 40 or 45 wins isn't really that unrealistic for a young team with two guys of that caliber and some decent role players.

 

Actually, some thought that Nate coached as if the ball had ends.

 

Nate out of the wrong end

 

Too many young rotation players to expect .500, but I'm hoping Stotts can make this entertaining. We can thrill to the change in style on the court, and to individual improvement in young players. Stotts was head coach in bad situations, so we'll see what he does on the trifecta. Before that as a Sonic assistant coach, he was invisible, and I was surprised he got head coach jobs.

If he gets us to .500, I'll be hot for Stotts. Great Scott!

 

I predict a more uptempo fun to watch brand of basketball and 30-36 wins and the # 6 pick in the draft next season.

 

Is Nate going to get another head coaching job? If so, when?

 

I swore Charlotte was going to swoop him up right away!

 

I would think many bad teams wouldn't be that interested in him. His brand of slow ball may be effective, but it doesn't put fans in the seats on a team lacking talent.