Zombie C.J. is horrible

I thought cj was horrible. Now granted the Lakers are actually horrible. But this crow tastes so good!!

I really want to see the starters have a minutes cap of say 25-30 for the rest of regular season play. Add Kaman and Blake to that list.

 

CJs confidence is increasing at a rapid rate. I've always thought most his trouble was in between his ears. With more confidence, he seems to play with more swagger, which is a huge advantage!

 

I think the took CJ because of his similarities to Damian. On paper, their size and athletic ability is almost identical, they are both good shooters, play under control, went to small schools etc.... It's just that CJ didn't really seem to have confidence till now. He wanted to sit back and shoot 3 pointers.

 

Stotts should go pop and occasionally give Kaman the "DNP-old" tag. He should never play back to back nights again.

 

So the conclusion is young players need consistent minutes in order to improve and gain confidence. And no two players learn at the same rate. Injuries, age, minutes, coaches, all play a part. So why do we as fans keep making the same mistake almost every year?

I think we can debate how young players are coming along while still realizing that it takes a couple of years before they are even close to a finished product. But we don't. We trash them quickly and want them gone. I am not standing on a soap box here because I do it too. But the bottom line is most players coming into the NBA can't get better without playing. Why can't we remember that? Thankfully Neil and the coaching staff are not as impatient as the fans because it only makes sense that the teams who develop their young players will be more successful in the long run.

CJ IMO will still have some games this year where he looks bad. The playoffs will be a whole new experience for him. But the one thing I love about him is his energy. He brings it on both sides of the ball. He is not a easy cover because he never stops running around the court. That must be irritating (and tiring) as a defender to have to chase someone in circles. Nice to have someone like that coming off the bench.

 

The luxury of being a staff member of the Portland Trail Blazers is you get to see these guys every day. Not at just the ball games. But in closed door practices. What they do and how they conduct, how they prepare themselves each and every day. So if they see something they really, really, really like on practice floor or in the classroom setting. It's no wonder why they don't immediately give up on a guy like Jermaine O'Neal and a CJ McCollum. Alan Crabbe get's rave reviews from the practice floor which is what I think made him untouchable during the trade deadline.

Neil and the staff should get credit. But they are also privy to more information than the average fan has access to.

 

Agreed. The guy shot over 80% from the FT line all 4 years in college, and he got there quite a bit. That should translate no matter what level you're at, it's 15 Ft. He shouldn't be at 67% for the 2nd straight year. That's mental.

 

Yea for some odd reason he's a terrible free throw shooter and he's a shooting guard at that.

 

5-5 last night. I think he's found his stroke and his focus.

 

Yeah mixum, that's weird that shooting guards like Corey Brewer types aren't good free throw shooters. I think Houston really are stupid for picking him up don't you?

 

I marvel at him. He has only 105 posts. And it feels more 10000. He is the antithesis of the King. But his schtick is almost as funny. A very, very negative vibe.

 

Do you remember RoyToy?

Same guy.

 

Vaguely Familar. Don't remember him being on the negative side.

 

I think I remember now. He was a real whip during the draft last year wasn't he?

 

I think roytoy disappeared after the Superbowl. Poor fella.

 

Really? He averages 19 mins a game...

 

I agree. Kaman seems to really excel when he's getting about 18 MPG. Back when he was starting, he was getting about 26 - 28 MPG and he struggled at times. It seemed like a combination of age, conditioning and losing focus. I say keep giving him about 18 MPG. It seems to keep him sharp and focused without wearing him down.

I liked the Chris Kaman we saw early in the season, and I REALLY like the Chris Kaman we are seeing now. Just keep him rolling right into the playoffs. Besides, we'll likely only have two playoff games in the 7 days after the end of the regular season. The relaxed post season schedule will give all the guys plenty of time to rest and recover between games - especially a guy who only plays about 18 minutes a night.

BNM

 

Wow. I had forgotten about RoyToy. Hates Batum and Aldridge. Thought we would would lose playoff series to Houston until Dame hit the shot and even then, he was critical. I'm glad he's not around anymore.