I don't think he has much of a shot to make the team. Maybe he's kinda sad, knowing this is the end of his career..... I still think he has talent, he could definitely go play in Europe. Just stay away from those Eastern Block teams.
...he also just stands around and watches, like when he dribbled the ball off of his foot and stood there as it nearly rolled out of bounds. I doubt there are any NBA teams left willing to take a flyer on him. JJ Redick wins the bet!
Technically BRoy could pass. He was one of the best passing shooting guards in the league. I think Lillard has better court vision though, and I think he has better instincts.
As much as I liked Roy in his rookie year, I think I'm liking Lillard a bit more so far. Lillard seems like a more deadly three point shooter and a better overall passer. I think those skills translate better to overall team success more than Roy's fantastic ability to create open looks for himself.
Roy was everything you could ask for in a shooting guard. He was clutch, he could shoot from anywhere on the floor, he passed, and he knew when to take over and when to get his teammates involved. Can't ask for much more. He was a superstar. Lillard, conversely, is everything you want in a point guard. So far it seems like he has amazing instincts, he has great court vision, and he tries to get his teammates involved. He can also shoot and drive. He might be the best shooting point guard we've ever had. I guess we'll have to wait and see. What I really love, though, is the calm confidence that he exudes. The dude doesn't come off as cocky, just confident. Who knows where Roy would have ranked in the history of this franchise if he hadn't had his career in Portland cut short. He might have gone down as the greatest Blazer of all time, but we'll never know. Hopefully Lillard will spend many many years in this uniform, and take the place that Roy should have in the history of our team.
This game solidifies what my thoughts were on Hickson before the game. He needs to come off the bench. He seems to raise his level of play when Aldridge is not in the game. I think getting him started on the floor without LA would get more production out of him. He played great last night
I would start Leonard because he doesn't need plays called for him. Bring Freeland and Hickson in for some high low plays. It's not a talent thing because Hickson is more talented right now than either Freeland or Leonard. Simply a fit thing
I approve this message. Didn't Stott's say a while back he likes to have a 'starter' come off the bench? We don't have any extra starters, but we do have Hickson. I think we need to find a way to keep this Karl kid.
[video=youtube;uB-ZxS1vKJs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uB-ZxS1vKJs#![/video]
Was at the game last night - lots of fun to watch. Things I observed: Lillard has an incredibly quick release on his 3-point shot. It totally catches defenders by surprise. He can get off a 3-pointer any time he wants. This kid is the real deal. Coby Karl is better at both guard spots than Nolan Smith. At 6'5", he has SG size, but runs the offense and distributes the ball better than Smith. Use the Elliott Williams Disabled Player Exception to sign Karl to a 1-year contract. Freeland was very active and surprised me with the 3-point range on his jumper. JJ Hickson is the PERFECT back-up big man/fill-in starter. I've been a huge Paul Millsap fan since prior to the 2006 draft. JJ Hickson has finally allowed me to forgive Kevin Pritchard for passing on Millsap FOUR times. Hickson is SO active. He just makes things happen. He is the ultimate garbage man, getting buckets off steals, broken plays, offensive rebounds, etc. He can also pass the ball. Jared Jefferies will be a coach in the NBA some day. I watched him work with Freeland on low post moves throughout the pregame warm-ups. It was great to watch. He is a willing and capable teacher, and while he may not have a huge impact on the court, he is a perfect locker room and practice guy to have around. He will teach our young bigs as much as they are willing to learn from him. Batum can score off the dribble!!!! Man, he had a couple killer pull-up/step-back jumpers. With his length, that shot is unstoppable. I hate to make this comparison, because Batum is a much more complete player, but last night his pull-up jumper reminded me of Travis Outlaw. When he's aggressive, he can get that shot off against anybody, any time he wants. With Aldridge out last night, it was great to see Nic being so assertive on offense. Meyers Leonard is exactly what I expected. He is a work in progress. He shows flashes of brilliance, but also completely loses his man on defense at times. Enes Kanter is a much better player at this point in time. The good news is that at this time last year, Kanter looked every but was raw as Leonard, perhaps worse. One year of limited NBA experience has turned Kanter into a solid NBA center who is averaging 12 pts and 9 reb in 20.7 MPG coming off the bench. Hopefully, Leonard will show similar improvement a year from now. Babbitt and Claver are nothing special at this point. They are marginal NBA talents. Claver is more active and athletic. Babbitt is a better shooter and rebounder. Too bad you can combine them into one player (Baber or Clavitt). The only reason to keep them around is they are young and our bench sucks anyway. Adam Morrison is done and he knows it. His body language last night as horrible. He looked like he didn't even want to be there. Cut him! Justin Holiday has the skinniest legs I have ever seen on an athlete - and that includes 13-year old female gymnasts. Best for last - I loved the player movement and ball movement. The Jazz played their starters for most of the first half, and the Blazers, without Aldridge, dropped 70 points on them in the first half. After too many years of Nate ball, it was a ton of fun to see so much movement on offense with all the players involved. Our bench sucks, but our starters are actually pretty decent. We will probably lose more games than we win, but I think we'll be closer to .500 than most people project. With so many rookies, I think we will hit a wall after the all-star break and fade down the stretch, but win, or lose, this team will be fun to watch. BNM
Hook me up man!!!! Better yet, give me Jason Quick's old job. I couldn't possibly suck worse at it than he did. BNM
That's a pretty good comparison. I would say, however, that Roy was at best a mediocre defender who could be good at it on a night when he cared. But otherwise he was a complete SG. It'll be interesting to see how Lillard does on defense. I was pretty pleased with his work last night, but he wasn't going against an elite PG.
