Perhaps it was. I have no idea. That's why I said, "I'm not sure what's going on with Wes, but he seems completely unlike himself."
Well, we know for a fact that he had a scare with his heart, and a procedure on it, quite recently. Perhaps it is having an impact on him, be it physically, mentally, or both. Not sure why he deserves the bashing he's getting, considering he actually played much better than a few of the newer players last night in a game that actually mattered. I absolutely expect Lopez and Williams to be much better players than they showed last night, so I'm not willing to start bashing on them and questioning them. Players have off nights.
It's not bashing. I'm genuinely concerned about the guy. Over his tenure in Portland, he has consistently been one of the most hard working, passionate, and driven players on the team. Ever since the first game of the preseason, he has seemed completely unlike himself. All the numbers that I've listed have merely shown that it's not just one game. People have been bashing every single player on the team since last night, why have you locked onto this one topic? People were bashing on Lillard for not passing enough. They're bashing on Aldridge for not rebounding. They're bashing on Batum for not scoring enough. They're bashing on the bench as a whole. Why does this one topic bother you?
Yeah, I'm right there with you. But after last season AND game 1 there hasn't been any reason for hope that Stotts understands how to implement a decent defense. I certainly don't think our entire season will go the way of the PHX game. I'm just going to be watching carefully for defensive improvement. Given the way the P/R defense is set up, I don't see how it can succeed. I imagine that Stotts will make changes to it after a couple of games (maybe even tonight!). It's just pretty silly that we went through an entire training camp to set up a new P/R defense and THAT'S what we've got to show for it.
Nothing gets fixed in just one training camp. A new system or new identity takes time to form. It's also especially tough when you are talking about a lot of players who have never been known for their defensive chops or hard-nosed play.
