I think the big "game changers" will be the addition of T. Rob over freeland (giving aldridge some rest), Wright (deadly shooter from the perimeter and stable back-up; giving Batum rest) and CJ (Being a solid 2 guard back up for Matthews). Matthews, Batum and Aldridge had some heavy minutes. Aldridge could take it, but I think the extended minutes hurt Batum and Matthews. lillard will have some help with CJ and Watson; so a 36 mpg for him isn't that bad, IMO.
I also think this bench is a notch better than last year. Hoping that Blazers pull out another pick like Lillard with CJ, but that is asking a lot (Lillard was a score and 4 picks higher). Otherwise, Blazers fans will have to be patient with this bench as they go through some growing pains.
More than anything, I hope Robinson proves he's a starting quality PF in case we need to trade LA. McCollum is almost a luxury at this point.
Sounds good, but you have to admit the bench is a bit of a wild card. We really don't know what T-Rob or CJ will bring. I like Wright the best out of all this because we know he can come in and contribute right away with his shooting. The other players . . . got my fingers crossed.
If the bench flops and the Blazers look like a lottery team again this year, i suspect LA will be shopped. So T-Rob could be the most important new player to this team. Lopez is also a very important new player to the team as he will be a starter. I guess I'm more excited about CJ because . . . well he is a rookie.
Our bench last season couldn't score to save their lives. There were so many wide open opportunities for them and they just couldn't cash in. Most the time we had a lead only to lose it when our bench came in. Wright, trob and cj all can score. I doubt we have a 8 ppg bench next season. I just don't see it happening.
I think Lopez is HUGE to this team. I think Olshey wants a GS Jr. kind of offense. Think about it. With Lillard, Matthews/McCollum, Batum/Wright and Aldridge on the court at the same time, you have four shooters that can all hit mid to long range jumpers. All you need in the middle is someone to bang and rebound.
It seems like everyone is focusing on the young guys and ignoring the bench veterans from both last year (Sasha and Jefferies) and this year (Wright and Watson). To me, adding Wright and Watson instantly upgrades our bench. Plus TRob and CJ will be big upgrades over Babbitt and Nolan. The way I see it, last season, with the worst bench in NBA history, we were 3 games under .500 on March 22, with less than four weeks left in the regular season. Adding Wright, Watson TRob and CJ in place of Sasha, Jefferies, Babbitt and Nolan makes our bench MUCH better and deeper. The new vets are better than the old vets and the new young guys are better than the old young guys. Plus, adding Robin Lopez also addressed the biggest weakness in our starting 5, interior defense. So, if were only 3 games under .500 on March 22 last year, with no interior defense and the worst bench in league history, I don't see it as much of a stretch that we could be 3 games over .500 on March 22 this season. And, with our deeper bench, hopefully our starters will be better rested for the final 4 week stretch run. Honestly, I don't think it's unrealistic, barring significant injuries, to expect this team to finish the season the season with 46 - 47 wins and a 6th or 7th seed in the West. BNM
Remember Rice and his " Babbit hits 25 out of 25 3's at practice, looks really good"; articles about Nolan Smith's dedication in the off season and how he will be a new player. My point is you can say T-Rob and CJ can score, but until they do it consistently in the NBA, we really don't know if they can score. That's why it is a wild card kind of bench. No one but Wright is really a proven scorer.
T rob still averaged at least 5 ppg last season and was buried on the bench. No reason to think he couldn't get at least that on this bench. That's over half of all our bench scoring last season.
Again I say, improvement =/= purgatory. If we were a team full of prime players, and that's all we could muster, then you'd have a point. But a team full of youngsters (Aside from Watson, Aldridge is the OLDEST player on the roster) will have room for more improvement just through development.
No, it's a huge step forward AND a very young core. There is still plenty of room for improvement as our young guys improve as they grow toward the primes of their careers. Aldridge is the oldest player that matters, and he's only 28. Lillard is 23, Batum 24, Lopez 25 and Matthews 26. Plus, McCollum is 21 and Robinson is 22. I know you are eternally pessimistic, but do you not think ANY of these young guys will improve in the coming years. Have they ALL peaked in their early 20s? I don't believe they have. So, to me, if this young team can win 46 - 47 games and capture the 6th - 7th seed this season, I don't see why they can't move up to 50 - 52 wins and possible HCA the season after - and still be young and improving. I think making the playoffs and gaining post season experience will help accelerate the development of our younger players. BNM
I feel much the same. I don't put much stock in wins and losses in Summer League, but for having 3 lotto picks on the floor ... I dunno, it's been a little underwhelming. A few flashes here and there, but I get the feeling the starters are going to be playing a ton of minutes again this year. Lots of question marks.
As long as Batum and Matthews aren't averaging over 30 minutes a game; we will be fine. I think their energy is extremely important to our success. Wright and CJ will be much better than Claver, Price and the others that tried to fill in. Lillard and Aldridge can play 35+ minutes a game if they have to and I'm not too worried about them.
I think the talent level of the bench is significantly better than last year, but the experience level is very low. How fast guys like CJ and Robinson can adapt their games will be the major question marks as far as the bench goes. Wright is a known commodity and will be a major upgrade. Watson is better than Price, but probably not as good as Maynor was at the end of last season, so CJ is going to have to prove he's able to back up at PG or there's a net reduction in talent there. Unless Leonard somehow develops his game a ton by the end of summer, we're still screwed at the backup C position. LMA may have to pull some duty there. I think that Lopez is a huge plus on the defensive end and I think he'll make Aldridge even more productive. Overall, I expect the Blazers to be better, but CJ and Robinson will have to be productive if the team is going to make the playoffs. There's a lot of competition for those last 3 spots in the West.
That is a good point, with no role and limited minutes he averaged 5 ppg. He should at least do that with the Blazers. And I do come out of summer league with the expectations he will be an effective rebounder. Strange how T-Rob reminds me of Hickson (only seen T-Rob for a game and half in summer league so may be off here). Will be interesting to see them match up against each other in the regular season.
