I have hope bro, but I'm a homer to the bone. Somehow I just feel this is actually the event that lights a fire under our core (Aldridge, Lillard, Batum and Lopez). We can't replace Wes, but those others can step up. They definitely have the talent to be much better than they are currently. I Still Believe!!!!
Gee is having the best year of his career, and Afflalo has seriously underperformed here so far. If Afflalo can return to his career norms once he settles into the starting lineup, and Gee can continue to bring it as he has been, then we are still absolutely contenders. Especially with Nic seeming to be back to his $11M self. Take heart--the league is as wide open as it's ever been, and we still have the pieces to do damage.
Gotta admit, Gee looked like a stud in garbage time last night. I hope Stotts makes him the first man off the bench for the next week. I imagine Gee will feel 'reborn'!
I think Afflalo will do much better being in the starting role. He just seems more comfortable there. It's hard for him to play against scrubs and take them seriously! Haha
Agreed, but the season goes on. Interesting to see how this changes the offense. AA will no doubt step into starting role. He's a more than adequate 3 pt shooter, but Wes was 4th in the league in made 3s, 10th in adjusted FG %. His shooting is a big part of how we try to space the floor. I don't think AA is that type of shooter. But, he's a little better off the bounce than Wes. It's just going to be different. Wes played a big part in almost all of the 10 pt+ comeback wins. Those 3s are huge, and his defense is hard to quantify. He's not a "stopper", but he makes the great ones work for every shot. He's one of the more cerebral defenders in the league - love listening to him talk about guarding a guy like Harden. Can AA slow down the Harden/Thompson type of guys when it matters? While playing starter (32+) min per game? How does the 2nd unit look minus AA? Especially in half court offense. That's actually the most scary part to me. If CJ steps up, we might be alright. Hard to imagine we're as good as we were w/Wes, but there's reason for hope. As a UO football fan, there were many times this season that I thought injuries were going to ruin the season. Star players kept going down. Having Mariota was a big part of why the season didn't fall apart. For the Blazers, we still have LA & we still have Dame. WCF is still possible.
My comment was mainly based on the mental and emotional factor. Talent can be replaced. The heart and mind can't. I would add that Afflalo is a better ball handler, passer and mid range shooter.
I'm trying to keep from jumping off a bridge Mags, you're not helping! I hear what you're saying loud and clear. Wes might be the emotional leader of the team. I'm hoping in his abbsence that others step up and fill the void because the alternative is believing the season is effectively done and we're headed towards 1st round KO in the post season.
Wes will hold people accountable and have faith that this entire team is full of vets that can step up. Our whole starting unit is capable of leadership by example. Aldridge is going to take over I have a feeling. He's not playing on an injured thumb to just roll over and die. Wes will be the best player coach we ever had because he doesnt know how to fail at anything. #win4Wes
I think the only way you can say he nailed is if this injury has no effect on their overall outcome and what that might have been with the moves he has made. No one knows but the team is going to miss Wes.
That's a ridiculous standard to which you want to hold this deal. Especially considering the fact that you're composing reality to "what might have been", which is completely nebulous. We have players on the roster to fill a void that was suddenly and unexpectedly created. You can't ask for anything more than that.
Yeah, you know, if there's anybody on the team to get such a terrible injury, Wes has the best back-up for his position.
