Game Thread GAME# 32: CAVALIERS @ BLAZERS - DECEMBER 26, 2015 - SATURDAY, 7:00 PM (PST), KGW

Watched a couple minutes of some games, but less than 30 minutes total. I would have watched the Warrior game but it was on at a bad time for me.

 

Blazers are just past the 30 game mark and things are even less clear than they were at the beginning of the season. The struggle is real for this team no question. There is both good news and bad when you look at this rebuilding season. The bad news usually is obvious but i'm not so certain that is the case this year? The first thing i must quantify is that i have absolutely no clue about what is actually happening and why things are being handled the way they are. I am simply a fan who watches these games from the comfort of my couch or 30 rows back in the stands. The fact remains I have found myself at complete odds with some of the decisions coming from the coach on rotations and playing time? Questioning why certain players are in the game and why there is not more developmental things going on? There is some attitude that i have picked up from certain players i don't really care for and there are others who obviously are exactly the kind of player this team needs going forward. IMHO it is time to start the shuffle and development of players that have not even seen the floor. I also can't help but feel that had more development happened in the last 2 years the Blazers would be better off today. It's truly a very foggy area but if CJ, Crabbe and Leonard had been given more minutes to excel earlier, the team last year might have been deeper and there might have been a better overall product on the floor? We all watched in horror as Nic Batum continued to play when almost everyone felt it was time for him to sit and heal. We watched Lillard play every game and slowly loose effectiveness on both offense and defense. We watched Mathews play way too many minutes and who knows if that kind of injury happens or not? Not even going to touch the LMA subject. The fact remains if the Blazers had brought in CJ to light it up and pushed AC to become the microwave instead of putting him in the cooler they might have been better off. I also wonder what effect the firing of Kim Huges has had on Meyers Leonard? Do they need to get him back? Leonard seems to have regressed to the point where something needs to happen fast. I question any player losing his starting role due to injury. If Leonard was still hurting when he came back then again i question the decision. The Vonleh minutes are important but the overall product has suffered having him take those minutes and Meyers Leonard missing everything seems to be a direct result of that decision.
Remember what i said at the beginning. I do not have access to what is really going on in the locker room or at practice. This is completely observation.

Now the GOOD part. Obviously the Blazers play as a team. They win and lose as a team. This group almost never quits and even when there is an obvious lack of talent on the floor like there will be tonight they come out and make teams beat them. The Blazers are record wise, about exactly where most had them and now they are coming into a month of home cookin. 12 of the next 18 games are here and the time for players to get some practice and confidence will be there for the taking. If there is one thing that can inspire any player it is Portland Fans and the way we support this team. Watching games they have played on the road in the last month is very telling. Teams that are in the hunt and sitting in playoff contention have empty arenas. This will not be the case here. Lets hope they will come to work and feed off the support. Shots that have been missing will start to fall and the progression that all of us are looking for will start to shine through. I have the Blazers winning possibly 10 of the next 18 putting them at 21-28 going into Feb. That would give them some swagger and make those road games a little more interesting.
Positives for the Blazers? Lillard is as valuable as everyone had hoped. He is doing exactly what he promised he would do at the beginning of the year. He is as selfless as any player i have ever seen. I hope he is a Blazer for life.
Mason Plumlee works as hard as any player i have ever seen. Everything he lacks talent wise he makes up for with work and hustle. Great pick up.
Ed Davis is another bright spot that seems to be continuing to get brighter. His free throw shooting is getting better or at least he seems to be making them when he needs to. Fun to watch.
We all know about CJ and Crabbe. But what i look forward to is what they will do when this team makes it's next move? Something tells me not everyone is going to be happy about the next 8 months but at this point i see some changes coming.

Tonight's game looks like a blowout on paper. But as we all know the Blazers just don't give up. The Cavs played last night and have to come into Portland and get a win. Have to think about the Kevin Love connection? Why not? Not sure i really want Dame playing hurt but let see what happens? If he does play i would hope he is monitored closely.
Go Blazers!
Kjironman is a fan!!!

 

Watched the 4th quarter of the Warriors/Cavs game. Blazers could certainly win quite a few games with as many as they play at Home in the next couple of months but it won't be enough to put them any where near contender status and if they do make the playoff is a weakened West, will be cannon fodder for the Warriors or Spurs in the first round....all while taking away the opportunity they have where they are right not to get a good to very good Draft pick.

I'm not rooting for them to loose but if in 5 months the options is between a Top-6 pick with a shot at Simmons or Ingram....a #7-14 pick.....or lunch meat in the Playoffs, for the long term success of this franchise I know what I would want.

 

I personally think they are in the running for a top 4 pick. When it comes down to it they simply will not compete at the end of the year when teams start playing to get in the playoffs.

 

Hoping to see Meyers back in the starting lineup where he belongs.

Noah will eventually be a pretty solid player, but Love will just walk right over him tonight.

 

WE'RE GONNA KICK THEIR ASSES!

 

I doubt if Dame gets an allstar nod and given his foot problem, it might be a good thing

 

We probably don't win it without Dame but Our best chance is to play CJ at the 2 with Frazier at the 1 for at least a big part of the game

 

CJ at the PG, Crabbe at SG. Frazier subs for CJ, Henderson and Harkless sub at SG and SF . . .

 

Give Montero or Pat C the backup SG minutes just to see what one of them can do. We keep hearing about how good of a shooter and scorer Montero is and how athletic he is in practice. If CJ is at the point, there should be some minutes for them at the '2'.

 

So CJ doesn't play his natural position at all and when we have a natural PG on the floor CJ is on the bench?

 

A full week of rest and still no Dame?

Cause for concern?

 

I watched the 4th quarter of the Cavs game. Cavs could've won but LeBron couldn't make freethrows. He totally choked. Missed an easy hook shot too.

 

Cousins of yours?

 

He sees Dame is out and says this is a perfect rest night. I can see that real clearly.

 

Am I the only one that cringes at those Smoke Free Oregon commercials?