I'm so confused. Last year, most people picked us to win around 25-35 games. This year, with the SAME TEAM plus Evan Turner (a net negative), people are disappointed with 7-5. What the heck? This is a much better start to the season than last year. Why are so many people so upset?
Just because it is a much better start to the season doesn't mean we have issues. We are absolutely abysmal at rebounding this year which has lead to plenty of second chance points for our opponent. Our defense is still not very good, but does seem a tad better than last year in my eyes, but it all goes back to our rebounding and by allowing so many offensive boards, eventually your defense will only make so many stands. We also have an issue of Dame and CJ doing too much, partly because they aren't getting others involved for easy looks but also partly because those others pretty much suck at scoring. This team as is, does not have enough to hang with the big dogs and it has shown in some blown out losses to the good teams like Clippers, Warriors and recently Bulls.
Because we've looked like trash. Whoo! Better record than last year... but at least last year it looked like we gave a shit. THAT'S why people are upset. WE've needed Dame heroics so much so far this year... at least last year when we lost it looked like the team tried. That entire chicago game literally only Ed Davis tried. I don't even think we cut it to below 10 points the entire game once Chicago was up by 10. Then there's the phoenix games we lost and won. Then there's the Clippers games. At least look like you want to play the game of basketball instead of waiting for your game check afterwards.
You're right, before the season started if you were to say the Blazers would start 7-5, most everyone would take it. However, there are some gaping holes in their system right now both on offense and defense. When they can't outscore the other team, they have no chance at all. One of the great things about last years team is that they have very few lapses in effort, I didn't mind losses when they played as hard as they did. This year it feels like their effort only happens in spurts and it's harder to root for a team that doesn't put out maximum effort for 48 minutes. If they don't get on track, I think they'll have a tough time even making it to the playoffs this year. This road trip should tell us a lot about the team.
We're still the 3rd youngest team in the NBA. We play with that level of experience some nights. I am concerned with the lack of effort, toughness, rebounding, and defense. But, I'm not ready to say blow it up. I will say I'm happy with the offseason progress made by Vonleh. He's beginning to play like he gets it. He has some skills near the basket. He's a pretty strong rebounder when he's playing. I could see him paired long-term with Noah from 76ers. If there was a way to get him without the cost being DL or CJ.
It's not about the record for me, i knew we had a 3rd tier team from the get go. It's about so many players looking so bad: Meyers,Davis,Turny,Vonleh,Crabbe and Aminu (when he played). I guess it's just annoying to watch Lillard and CJ carry a bunch of scrubs. I'm sorry to use that word but that's how they look.
We didn't come in with the same momentum and continuity we showed toward the end of last season. Taking the record we had in the second half of last year should dictate more or less how we should do this year. Plus, it's the way we've been playing, not just the record.
Not for me. CJ and Dame are both out due to injuries and I'm still winning by about 50-60 points per game.
You said it. It's not the record, it's the feel of things. Remember 14-15 the year after the Spurs beat us pretty handily in the second year? Something was amiss that year. It really looked like and felt like an atmosphere that didn't care. Early on, that's what this season is feeling like. Look this is a team that should be gearing for a long season and playing in a way that shows that intent. They can take a lesson from GS in this regard. They play every game 100% and HATE to lose. Last night, this team was down 20 puts early and never recovered. It's either motivational issues or there is a chemistry problem. I'm afraid if they don't get this figured out we are going to be left scratching our heads much in the same way we were after the Memphis series in 15. I think from a defensive standpoint they can be really good. Good enough to offset some of the offensive output there competition will pour out against them. But they need to come together and get it going.
It's not that we have a bad record. It's the WAY teams are losing. When we lose to a good team they kick the shit out of us. I don't want to think of last year as an outlier but I have to wonder if going forward we are really going to be that competitive. The guys we have on this team are hard working players but their talent ceilings are limited. We have 2 high scoring options and a bunch of role players who are playing like crap. Last year it worked out better because we found ways to cover our defensive problems and the rebounding was a lot better. Hopefully, Stotts finds a player combination like that works again. But I gotta say, I think a trade may be the only way to change things up.
