Stotts said that the offense and defense would be pretty much the same as last year. But these guys looked nothing like last year on either end. They were fast breaking, moving the ball around, playing aggressive pressure defense. I always had a hard time beliving it would be the same since these guys are so much different. But I liked the way the starters and bench looked (not so much the 3rd/4th stringers). The Blazers "flow" offense was hardly worth the name many times last year,. I was actually pretty stagnant. Even if this team doesn't make the playoffs, much more enjoyable to watch. They certainly looked better than a 20 win team though.
I thought about that statement many times during the game, and I gotta say, I was really happy to see how active our hands were. Our energy for rebounds was very good, and the ball movement was nice. It's a shame we had some sloppy mistakes, but for not having two of our projected starters, the effort from our starters and first few guys off of the bench was what I hoped for.
I recognized a lot of the same offensive plays and sets; the around the world motion we've done for years. It was neat to see knowing there's so many new players. I was skeptical of Stotts statements before but how can you not like what we saw with the first two units? The activity level from the players was great, and that was something totally new. We have a really deep roster from spots 2-12 so we really do have the personnel to continue that. LaMarcus, Rolo and Nic were so damn exhausted throughout the season they couldn't do it. But if these guys are playing ~25mpg it just might work. Maybe for a few months we can make a run similar to the 1999 Magic team with Darrell Armstrong and Bo Outlaw. Somehow those were their top two players but they played 10 guys big minutes and hustled. They had a young Doc Rivers as coach and somehow won half their games.
What a difference a year makes. At times, the ball movement was even quicker and there were more passes per possession, there was a commitment to pushing the ball up the floor on misses or makes and the overall length and mobility is VASTLY improved over last season. Not that doesn't mean results will be better but there is certainly the potential to disrupt on defense and finish at the rim much stronger on offense. Dame - on cruise control. CJ - no where close to being a PG yet and still chucker but can at least get his own shot which will be needed. Mo - too early to say absolute steal but for the most protected 2nd round pick in history, I like what I saw. Vonleh - ManChild! People bounce off him like they're not even there. Legend - 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in the first 6 minutes. Plums - Very active and challenged shots. Good passer from the high post. Crabbe, Frazier, Pressey, and Davis did okay and Timmy surprised with 3 '3's. Connaugton, Johnson, Montero either MIA or not enough time to make a difference. They likely won't win many games but could at least be entertaining to watch grow.
I think some of the players had that in mind but Stotts kept telling them "Cross-country passes inevitably become turnovers and easy points for the other team". Of course, all bets are off when we play the Spurs. Then again, most everyone is new so for most the habit of giving the ball to LMA is not an issue. Gramps...
