We'd need to groom Meyers as our starting PF - he's the only post player that has shown any ability to pass the ball well.
I think LA would be a better passer if he were always established with his back to the basket. More vision that way.
I know this'll come as a shocker, but I don't. He has no court awareness and can't sense when a double is coming. And so often his passes aren't even close to being on target, which would be essential in the triangle. Last night, with very little pressure and passing to a guy well above the 3-point line he couldn't even put the pass into his teammate's chest - I forget who the recipient was, but he had to move several feet in order to collect the errant pass.
It takes him too long to analyze what's happening on the floor. You see it with both his passing and his shooting - he gets a pass, looks at the floor and rather than taking what's there he holds the ball while thinking about what to do, and then the shot or pass that he does take/make are more difficult than if he had been able to act without the long lag time. Often he receives a pass with a clear lane to the hoop, but he stares at it for about .5 seconds and then by the time he decides to make a move the defense has closed off the lane, so he instead takes one or two dribbles and then forces up a heavily contested jumper. He's slow...mentally.
Is that why we NEVER send cutters to the basket when teams frantically double-team him? Seems like an easier way to halt the double team than hitting threes. I remember him dropping dimes out of the post a couple seasons ago (maybe during his Player of the Month campaign in 2011?), but our wings just stay around the perimeter instead of slashing to the basket for easy buckets.
Right now I kind of feel like we are a second tier team. Firmly behind Atlanta, Memphis and Golden State. That could change but those teams have all handled us pretty well so far this year.
Golden State beat us on a timeout call by a bucket...it was a blown inbounds play so I wouldn't say that was handling us pretty well. Denver blew out Atlanta last night. I think we're as good as those teams
Your right, the GS game was a go either way game. GS has looked much more elite and consistent the rest of the season though. We have a few games lined up against them at the end of the season that will be fun. Atlanta and Memphis have both beat us up though. Still second tier as much as I want to put is in the first group.
the Wes injury hurts that a lot. We seem to be putting things together but everytime I say something like that we lose to the Jazz or Timberwolves. Then when I give up we nail a tough one on the road in SA or Houston. So Im with you, what gives.
Lopez and Freeland were out for both Atlanta games (Freeland was injured in the first matchup). Lopez missed one Grizzlies game and Aldridge missed the other. The Golden State game was a W that got jobbed by the refs. I'd say the Blazers at full strength beat Atlanta easily, which won't matter since both teams would have to make the Finals in order to play again this season. I'd say that the Grizzlies and Blazers are on a par, but Memphis has been playing badly lately so I'd give the nod to the Blazers if a series started next week. The Warriors have been the class of the West all season and, barring injury, will be favored over everyone in the West. I'd love to see the Blazers get the chance to play them in the WCF because I don't think that they have an answer for Aldridge.
All great points. Im looking for reasons to believe. The recent struggles and loss of Wes have me a little down, even with the addition of AA. The only team that really scares me is Memphis though, we just seem to have a terrible time matching up with them and they grind us into the ground. I think we can grind and gun with GS, and your right if we play Atlanta it was a successful season already. LAC/Houston/OKC are all good matchups for us, Dallas doenst have the gas or chemistry and NO doenst have the experience. I like our chances but there are about as good as a half dozen other teams.
To be fair, Utah is 8-2 since the all star break. It's not a bad of a loss as people are claiming it to be. They were just the better team that night.
Too many game by game over reactions... Its a long season. The playoffs are a completely different beast. Every team has there flaws and the things they need to tighten up, Lets just hope the Blazers can get there and other teams don't, lol.
It's not just on Aldridge to make a good pass out of the double team. He can't tell his teammates to cut to the rim when their man leaves them to double... He also can't tell the players at the 3pt line to have proper spacing to prevent him from having to throw a cross court pass. Last night afflalo/blake/lillard all didn't make themselves available for Aldridge when the double team came. They just stood there waiting for the cross court pass a few times which lead to an Aldridge turnover. When the double comes, rotations offensively have to happen or turnovers out of the post occur. If rotations don't happen, turnovers happen. Simple basketball.
