So while MIN is ready to hit the playoffs with Love and Rubio, and would've been great with Batum as #3, we should have "absolutely let him go" and it will "hurt our team" because he's playing with LMA and Lillard. This seems very lazy commentary (even if from a scout) and we hashed it over a bunch in July, so I won't more here. These guys seem awfully interested in how much we're overpaying our players, but if you don't think Wes would get an MLE from anyone right now, you're high. And, obtw, our cap was so hurt by this that we had room for a max offer this year and we're pretty damn close to having room for one next year. Because if he was with, say, the Knicks or Heat, he wouldn't sniff playing time, right? With LMA out, Jonny Flynn and Nolan Smith splitting PG duties and Joel Pryzbilla and Kurt Thomas as the rest of the frontcourt minutes....who'd have guessed that? So if he's on a good team, he can start and make a difference. On our team, he can't "make a huge contribution (as a 7th- or 8th-man)" because he's a "major offensive liability", but on a good team that doesn't count b/c he brings energy and defense? WTF are you saying here? The other spots are manned by two lottery picks, Wes Matthews (who's been starting for the better part of 2 years) and a guy who's been playing at a high level overseas for two-three years. Yeah, not "established NBA", but WTF, man...we're not worse than CHA or PHX or a number of others. b/c there are only 3 years left on his contract. Guh. I doubt he has any clue what POR fans need to keep showing up, and I'm wondering how he thinks Lillard is going to be "ruined." Was Kyrie Irving ruined? John Wall? Derrick Rose? This article epitomizes why I haven't bought an SI since I was 15. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...s-nba-season-preview/index.html#ixzz2AKrCvtnP
100% accurate....unfortunately.... LA is best as a #2 guy, not a #1 Batum is a rotation player at best, not a #2 guy and grossly overpaid now Matthews is a guy who would be good coming off the bench and not as your starting 2-guard Hickson is overated, looked good when he is the focal point down low (ie no LA) and the team is losing...but needing wins and playing alongside LA...very pedestrian.... Lillard will likely score a fair amount on a bad team.... Leonard should see a lot of time, yeah he has athleticism but his IQ and post game leave a lot to be desired....and he better stop bitching and whining about calls...it will only get worse for him when he pulls that crap....I expect to see a lot of vets like Carl Landry abuse the shit out of him this year.... He gives Babbitt too much credit, yeah he can shoot when no one is guarding him and there is no rpessure to actually make the shot, when those conditions are not met? clank... and the rest...a bunch of veteran leftovers with little worth (Jeffires, Pavlovic and Price, really?) and young players worth marginal (see Barton, Freeland & Claver) or zero (Smith, perma injured E-Will) value.... yeah it really is THAT ugly...
I think its pretty spot on. I think a more positive spin is: LA is a good go to guy right now. But you have to do more to get someone to be "the man". Batum is a role play. Matthews is a great bench player. Hickson would be a great backup PF Lillard has the potential to be that #1 option and control the team Leonard is a project that can probably help out eventually asa fringe starter/bench type I think we're a good 2-guard away. Someone that will push Wes to the bench and be consistent. Then fill the holes in. We have probably good draft position and some cap space next year. I'll enjoy watching the team this year develop, personally.
We're a rebuilding team-- we expect to lose a lot. But the future is not as grim as this article implies.
I think the national media is in for a surprise. I don't expect us to win a lot of games, but Lillard is going to win ROY this year, I have a feeling, and not because he "scored a lot of points on a bad team". I also think Batum will establish himself this year in a new offense and with a new point guard.
I think there's a reason that the guy that they're basing the article on is a scout rather than a GM. The Blazers have enough cap flexibility to finish the rebuild so the individual amounts that Nic and Wes are getting are not very important. Sure, Nic's probably overpaid by a couple of million, but Aldridge is probably underpaid by the same amount. Matthews salary doesn't seem significantly out of line to me. Yeah, the Blazers are likely going to lose this year, but it's about getting the rookies some experience, getting another lottery pick, and then making some decisions on who to keep and who to let go next summer and, hopefully, add another quality FA. This year will go down in the category of "rebuildng sucks", but if Lillard pans out, Nic can elevate his game, and the Blazers get a couple of breaks next summer, the rebuild doesn't have to last long.
What a poorly and confusingly written article. Basically says the same thing as hollinger but in a very screwy and almost hypocritical way. Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
The comments about Batum are based on his role in the old NateBall system (i.e. stand in the corner and shoot an occasional 3). Based on what I saw Monday night, Nic is capable of much more. He now has a deadly pull-up/step-back mid-range jumper off the dribble, and is still an excellent 3-point and FT shooter. "He's long and he defends, but he isn't a great shooter." That's just plain lazy. Sounds like it was written by someone who has never seen Batum play, or looked at his stats. Batum shot .391 3FG% and .836 FT% last season. He as 17th in the league in eFG% and tied for 16 in 3FG, one ahead of Ray Allen. Shooting is NOT a weakness for Batum. "He's better than Bruce Bowen or Thabo Sefolosha, but his role is basically the same as their roles." This is total bullshit. Last season, Nic averaged 13.9 PPG. Thabo Sefolosha averaged 4.8 PPG. Bruce Bowen was a career 6.1 PPG scorer and had a career best 8.5 PPG at the age of 33. He's already twice the scorer Bowen was and 3x the score Sefolosha is. And, he's only 23, still improving and will now be playing in a system that takes advantage of his skills and athleticism. "You can't pay that kind of money for that many years to a player like that." Time will tell if Batum is worth his contract. He's only 23 and has not yet reached his potential or entered his prime. He will only be 27 when his contract is up. It's not outlandish that he will develop into a 19 - 20 PPG scorer by the time his contract is up. That's only an increase of 5 - 6 PPG compared to last season under Nate. There were only 17 player in the entire league that averaged 19 PPG last season - and they all make more than Batum. P.S. I wonder if the "opposing scout" was from an Eastern Conference team that only saw Nic play twice last year. BNM
I thought that article was way, way, waaaaaayyyy too grim. It made Portland sound like a 20 win team. It ain't. Most people paying attention project Lillard to go for 16/6 or so (I personally feel he'll do better) and Aldridge will get his 22/8 (again, I think he'll do better in a more uptempo offense, but whatever). Batum and Matthews will also average double digit scoring with good defense. Hickson can get his 10 or so garbage buckets too. Sure, the bench sucks and it's incredibly young, but this team will put a lot of points on the board this year. If it stays healthy and maybe picks up a bench piece or two through trade, the 8th seed is certainly possible. Considering we basically lost two franchise players in the past two years to career ending injury, that ain't bad.
Turd polishing time. LA and Lillard are the only potential bright spots on this team. On a rookie deal, Batum was a disappointment. On his current contract, he is an albatross. Yes, he *could* be a good player, but it ain't gonna happen. The rest of the roster are generic journeymen or worse. 30 wins would take a minor miracle.
This article is 100% accurate and those who don't agree are need to get their heads out of their asses. This article pleases me in that special area. [/DWIGHTJAYNES]
Wish my head was up my ass so I didn't have any expectations (a la omg). Overall, I'm glad the national media is down on the Blazers, this organization thrives on being the underdog. Last year we were predicted to do well, and we all know how that turned out.
I've seen this happen many times over the years. A national publication will give a disappointing review of the Blazers, and rabid Blazer fans will start screaming about it, as if the writer is a total idiot. Most of the time, of course, the guy is right.
I think he's right about many things, but completely wrong about others. I think that's par for the course. This roster has a LOT of unknowns - starting with 5 rookies and a new head coach. Hard to get everything right with so many variables. BNM
