I love Nic-- he's prob my favorite player on the team. I think you're misinterpreting this. I'm highlighting Nic's importance.
The top tier points in the game can beat you inside and out. I have concerns about Damian's inside game and more so his inability to escape his defender and/or defenders.
Basically our offense flows through the playmakers, Batum and Dame. Now, teams are beginning to focus on Dame as you've mentioned since Batum re-injured his finger (and a recent foot injury). Another playmaker will need to step up to the plate and possibly rest Batum.
You suggest tht Nic isn't doing anything offensively and that is hurting Lillard. But Nic is doing things both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, even with a hurt finger. I don't think that Lillard's lack of intesity and production is because Nic's game has slipped. Can't we as easily say that Btum's scoring has slipped because Lillard isn't producing?
Because confidence isn't a tangible thing, and is mental. Unforeseen struggles in one aspect of life can impact every other facet of a person's life.
It's possible in either direction; frankly we'll never know because we have no access to either player's brain. But you can make a case that being hurt has hurt Batum's production (seems to be the Occam's Razor answer) without raising eyebrows. To me that passes the sniff test. The link to Dame's production is definitely more tenuous, even though I kinda threw it out there too.
for others like me: from the Urban Dictionary: 1. went heels to Jesus to wallpaper the closet, to put Percy in the play pan, to lay some pipe, to swing the axe - The last time I laid some pipe? - You know, wallpapered the closet, went heels to Jesus? - You mean make love? - Nah, just sex!
It also completely ignores last season, when Lillard played far better and Nic was also injured and not much of a scoring threat. Scoring has never been Nic's focus. Lillard's troubles are all his own. The only other person who could conceivably shoulder some of the "blame" is Stotts.
Yikes - I was just cruising through ESPN's stats and saw that for January Dame is shooting 2% worse than Kendall "Can't Shoot" Marshall and averaging 6.4 fewer APG. I went down this path after looking at double/doubles for PGs and saw Marshall with 7, in only 17 games played!
D'Antoni could make any point guard look amazing, but I'm still chapped about not trying to sign him when he was a UFA.
What's crazy is being able to get those assist totals on the LAKERS. Who's he passing to that can make shots? I know there's Pau, but after that? I've kinda heard of some of the other names on the roster, but...I'm amazed that they aren't last place in the West, if not the league. Which then begs the question: what's wrong with SAC? Clearly they have far more talent than the Lakers.
Young isn't too bad. They actually have quite a few bargain players that aren't too bad for the money. They're just lacking any real star power that they're used to.
