Blue moon poster here. I really feel he could open up the floor for Lillard and the rest of the starters. He's a seven footer who can hit perimeter shots consistently and nobody will come out to contest it and when they do start to contest his shot,well that just provides a better shot for someone else. I would have Leonard connected to Lillard's hip so everytime Lillard gets trapped he can pass it out to Leonard to shoot an uncontested three which eventually will stop the trap and force Memphis to defend Leonard which as I said makes it easier for everyone else on the court. So whether its putting Leonard at the 3 and Batum at the two or at the 4 or 5 and taking out Rolo and having LA at center or Leonard he needs to start. Just my two cents.
I was gonna suggest taking Rolo out and starting LA at C, Nic at PF, with Afflalo at SF, but this works as well. We need more spacing and have to get Gasol out of the paint.
Trevor Booker 19 pts in the first quarter, 36 in the game. Do people really think Gasol or Z-Bo wouldn't abuse and get 2 quick fouls on Nards?
I just think throwing Leonard out against Gasol or Randolph on defense would be tough to watch. There was some time he played along side Aldridge that he looked pretty good. At this point it seems a bit extreme to start him but that doesn't mean he should not continue to get some run.
At least Leonard would hedge on the screens and help our guards on defense where we're getting murdered.
I don't about starting but he should definitely get substantial minutes. He was our 2nd best player last night. I'm real proud of him.
He did a good job. His +- was the best on the team. However...I am building my pregame today for tomorrow and i think it will point out some very real aspects of what has happened and will happen this series. This series is absolutely not over. The more i look the more i see and i think you will agree with very much of what i am looking at. Leonard might very well be our breakout player this series and the Blazers could very well win this and move on to the second round. It's not just Kool-aid i am drinking. These are very real points i am coming up with. I hope you are still in Memphis for the game. You may be very happy by the end of game 2 because Stotts most certainly sees what i am seeing.
You might want to read my pregame also tomorrow. I am watching the game for the third time today. Don't lose hope because this team is not done by a long shot.
I wouldn't start Leonard against Memphis but I would give him more minutes when we need to stretch the floor
From the very moment we drafted Meyers Leonard, I said he'd be a solid NBA big man in 3-4 years, with the potential to be even better with continued improvement. When others called him a wasted draft pick, a complete bust, advocated cutting him outright, said he didn't pass the "eye test" (but apparently Thomas Robinson did) and that the things he lacked could not be taught, I countered with my arguments that he had the basic tools to be a solid NBA player, that his combination of size, athleticism and shooting touch were very rare and he just needed some time to put it all together, that he could be taught proper rebounding technique and defensive positioning. In short, you just do give up on a guy this big, this athletic with this much potential after a year or two. I made no pie-in-the-sky GOAT or future Hall-of-Fame predictions. I kept my expectations positive, but reasonable. At this point, Meyers Leonard is exactly what I thought he'd be at this point in his career. Do I feel vindicated? Somewhat, I suppose, but I'm not here to gloat. I always saw the potential in Meyers Leonard, and also saw the continued gradual improvement most others did not (mostly because they made up their mind early and stubbornly refused to look for anything positive in his game). That said, he's not ready to start, not in a playoff series against one of the best front courts in the league. Yes, he's made tremendous strides, but he's still a work in progress. Sure, give him a few more minutes, but were not going to win this series by starting Meyers Leonard and playing him 30+ MPG. He's just not there - yet. On a side note, as confident I was that Meyers would become a solid NBA big man after 3 - 4 years in the league, I never thought I'd see, after both players had been in the league 3 years, two threads running concurrently, one saying Leonard should start and is the key to our playoff chances and Damian Lillard is a worthless bum. But then, knowing the way emotions get the better of people in this forum, I probably should have seen that coming, too. BNM
I really liked his rebounding last night. He was going after every rebound very aggressively. It reminded me of when he was calling for the ball on the low block against Thad Young in the BRK game. He's really starting to use his size and athleticism to his advantage. BNM
This is a good idea because of Myers is leading the shooting percentages (3 point and FT), provides rebounds (especially when in there with LA and Rolo), and provides defensive intensity. With his hands up high to challenge the arc of the shot and have a chance for swat blocks, he makes a formidable defender that overmatches against most guards and forwards. He can open shots for LA, Rolo, Dame, and Nick, but should also shoot more. What he needs is support by the coaches for fair referee calls, as many of the fouls called against him are phantom or at least inconsistent with fouls being called against the Grizzlies. Get the Blazers an evenly called game and enjoy the real test of which team can play better.
Yep. Meyers can score from really everywhere on the court. He has such a soft touch from mid-range to the three point line. The guy shoots 90% from the free throw line, for crying out loud. Where he can and will improve is in his "short game", and in his confidence in his short game. If he works in the off-season the way LaMarcus has, we are going to be in good shape with this kid moving forward. The crow I most enjoy watching the Meyers Naysayers eat though is in regards to his rebounding. Haha. The guy gobbles up a lot of boards for someone who is just "lucky".
BTW: We might want to keep Kaman around if for no other reason than to keep working with Meyers. I really believe Kaman's old man mentorship is helping a ton.
Meyers' defense will improve simply by going straight up with both hands, instead of the flailing and swiping at air that he is kind of known for. I think I've already seen some improvement in this area, but it looks like a tough habit to break. He's getting there. He actually caused a miss last night simply by maintaining position, and using his length going up. And maybe my favorite play last night was when Meyers blanketed, surprised, and frustrated Gasol into a travel. LOL That was GOLD!
