After 10 games, what have we learned?

Of course it's too early to say anything definitive, but there were many, many questions about the team going into the season and after 10 games, we have a much better idea about the team:

1) DL is the real deal, and may be the best player on the team.
2) LMA is rebounding a bit better (IDK per 48 though).
3) Batum's contract was fine.
4) The Blazer Bench is piss poor/The starters are playing too many minutes. However, the bench really hasn't been given a chance.
5) Stotts offense has started to work, and is intriguing.
6) Stotts defense needs more time.
7) It is very possible we do not get a high draft pick. Forget Shabazz, et. al.
8) It's not dumb to talk about Portland already having a big 3.

There are still several questions that we don't have a good idea about:
1) Leonard is still a mystery. Athletically, he could be a top center, but he may not even get to average.
2) What to do with FA cash. We need depth, however pick#9 or so and spending FA $ should take care of this. The most obvious need is defense, but at what position? Is it a good idea to slide Batum to the 2?
3) We're gambling a bit by playing our starters so many minutes. Will it cause injury problems?

 

A lot of rebounding is coaching style, and where a guy is positioned, and also what he is instructed to do, get back on D, crash, etc. In previous seasons, we always left our main big man to get all the defensive boards. Joel, Camby, etc. And a lot of teams do this. And LMA would crash the offensive glass. This season, LMA is having his worst offensive rebounding year, but his best defensive, percentage wise. Comes from playing high post in the offense, more than likely.

 

Well said.

 

The TimberTrolls have learned Brandon Roy played their team for $10million. That good enough for me.

Of course, we already knew that.

 

Damian is also showing more of his game as of late. I think teams are realizing they can't go under the pick on him, and he's just blowing by them for more midrange shots and layups. 10 games in, he should be scouted by now, and yet he has so many counters that they can't stop him completely. He has yet to score in single digits in any game so far. (watch i just jinxed him).

 

I am very pleased with Lillard and believe he was a great pick. It's slightly annoying that Drummond is looking so good for the Pistons, and as he's so young and centers are so hard to get, we may be wishing we'd taken him in a few years (especially if Lillard's career path is like previous ROYS Damon Stoudamire and Tyreke Evans). It's WAY premature to call Lillard our best player. He's very important but that's more to do with the complete absence of an even adequate backup. Aldridge and Batum are currently clearly superior, especially since they both play defense, which is the one major chink in Lillard's armor. [Full disclosure: I wasn't a big fan of the Lillard pick but at the time I said "at least we didn't take Drummond." I even suggested we should take Royce White.]

One thing I think we've learned is that we're going to be very dependent on the three. It's nice when those long bombs (like Batum and Lillard back to back last night) go down, but they won't always.

I wouldn't want to predict anything about this season yet. I hope we'll be better than the Kings, but will we end up better than teams like Phoenix and Utah? I dunno. Things could easily go south in a hurry, particularly if one of the "big three" goes down.

 

I don't think we are playing our starters too many minutes. I think we are playing LMA too many minutes. For the most part everyone else plays around 38 minutes a game. (36 would be better though)

LMA has too many 40 minute games. JJ on the other hand often gets less than 30. I would like to see LMA get about 2-3 minutes less a a game. But Kobe has played 38 minutes a game for 15 years.

 

Things we've learned about other teams:
* Roy Hibbert is not exactly consistent.
* Royce White's problems are not all cured by driving to the games.
* Yes, Jeremy Lin is not what he appeared to be in Linsanity (Houston's got to be mad that the Lakers didn't take Phil and leave them D'Antoni.)
* Harden's good, but he's not as good as he looked the first two games.
* Anderson Varejao may be the best center in the East.
* Dwyane Wade is getting old prematurely.
* Kobe Bryant isn't (goddamnit).
* Chris Paul can turn your team into a contender.
* The Grizzlies are for real.
* Anybody waiting for the Spurs to collapse will die of old age first.
* Maybe Carmelo was right and D'Antoni was wrong.
* Damian Lillard for Gerald Wallace was daylight robbery.
* Donnie Nelson may be the most underapreciated GM in the business.
* Conversely, why does Geoff Petrie still have a job?
* Danny Granger for MVP (using the method of difference).

 

First time ever last night, he got double teamed him at half court. Surprised him enough to cause a turnover. Expecting to see more of it as the season rolls on.

But yea, our PGOTF has finally arrived.

 

One more:

Sheed can still ball.

 

1. Nate really was a problem

2. Lillard looks like he will go down as one of the top PG's to play in Portland (health)

3. Batum might be the best SF in the western conference (Durant is a PF)

4. Kanales Would have been the worst coaching choice in history

5. Surprisingly, guys seem to like playing with freedom

6. My Syracuse and white American center theories are not wrong

 

You must not have watched the Dallas game?

 

True dat. But (annoyingly) so can Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford.

Others:
* That Nuggets-Sixers-Lakers-Magic trade? Yeah, the Lakers made out like bandits, and the Nuggets didn't.
* Someone at the Lakers really hates Phil Jackson. And I'm guessing his last name is Buss.

 

Oh, and Andrei Kirilenko and Omer Asik join Batum in being much-maligned signings that were totally worth it.

 

You don't like Leonard?

 

gud won

 

I like Leonard a lot. I just don't think he will ever be anything but a journeyman center at best

 

I don't think anyone... with the exception of maybe a couple people, think that Leonard will be an All-Star. I don't think it's unreasonable to think he could average a double double though. I'd say "solid starter" over "journeyman".

 

@ESPNSteinLine: Dunk flap aside, Elias says @Dame_Lillard is the first rook to average 19 ppg & 6 apg through 10 games since Isiah Thomas (21 & 7) in 1981

 

In games where Jared Jeffries plays at least 8 minutes, the Blazers are 5-0. Games in which Jeffries plays fewer than 8 minutes, the Blazers are 0-5.

I'm not saying it's all about how many minutes Jeffries gets - far from it - but I think that Stotts is beginning to figure out which players on the bench actually know what they're doing, and which ones don't. As mediocre as the Blazers' bench is, it's very important that Stotts figure out who contributes positively, and who doesn't.