Game Thread GAME# 25: BLAZERS @ PACERS - DECEMBER 10, 2016 - SATURDAY, 4:00 PM (PDT), CSNNW

I really want to post a Dave Chappelle/Rick James meme right now but afraid I'll get banned. I'll just say that the post in question was weeks ago.

 

Only Ford could come up with such a torturous storyline.

 

I just looked this up and 5 of our last 6 losses the team we lost to shot a lot better from 3 then there season avg. We have a lot we need to work on defensively. a LOT.

 

I'm pretty sure he deleted it, and it was a few weeks ago. He said something like "That stupid n***** ref..."

 

Not sure if the decisions are that tough. I just ask myself this: Is there anyone on this team aside from Dame and CJ who would be hard to replace? Not guys that you want to keep because you like them, but guys whose contributions would be difficult to replace? I don't see any. I go back to what I wrote the other night -- it seems like a bunch of average guys who worked hard last offseason, gelled and overcame their lack of exceptional individual talent with chemistry and teamwork.

The team that came back this season looks very much like one that didn't grasp what made it successful. It's a bunch of average guys playing their own game with two stars. I think Olshey's approach in the offseason was a mistake. I don't think the roster we have really fits what Stotts likes to do. The team is small and soft, which is a bad combination, and it really doesn't have a lot of guys who can knock down open shots or have a niche skill that you can't afford to overlook.

It's an average team playing like an average team for a number of reasons, and it looks worse because they "got it" last year and played above their heads.

 

Don't be suprise if Neil stand still on trade deadline. As I said before this don't like to be wrong on his picks and who he picks up on FA. Stotts will take the full heat on how there playing and Neil will just throw his hands up and throw the blame on the coach.

 

Why does Stotts continue to play Meyers over Vonleh? The only logical answer is that Neil's trying to showcase him. Otherwise, it makes no sense.

For all the narrative that's out there about Meyers "being a shooter", it's simply untrue. He passed up a WIDE OPEN look late in the 4th from 3 because he was so ice cold. He's also not really that good defending bigger centers. He got that rep for playing Boogie Cousins tough one game last year in Portland, but nearly every other time since, he hasn't been that stopper in the low post.

Vonleh is a better perimeter defender, rebounder, and he can finish around the rim.

 

He did play very solid defense on Jefferson today, that went unnoticed. If he was shooting like he did a couple years ago or near the end of last year, he would've been huge in helping us win this game.

I don't know what Olshey is showcasing right now though. Meyers' shot is broke as fuck right now and he needs some time in the D-League. Vonleh made big improvements this summer, and if Vonleh has confidence he's a very good player, but he can't get that confidence unless he consistently plays.

 

We have the worst closeouts in the league, which is a big reason why. We were stopping 3 feet short of Young on our closeouts, which left him wide open. We don't close all the way out to shooters. It was the same problem with Kevin Love when he lit us up.

 

I could've sworn it was him. Oh well. My bad.

 

Just got back home from that debacle. 2 five second violations out of timeouts?? i saw so many heads hanging. body language from Dame was as down as ive ever seen him.

Shakeup needed. ASAp

 

First blazer loss ive seen in person in yrs

 

Wow people were talking mad shit about Meyers. His head is fucked up right now. I want him gone

 

I kind of miss the off-season to be honest.

 

For all the talk about his mentality being better, it's not. He needs to go to the D-League.

 

The thing that bothers me is that this near exact same team showed what they were capable of last season. Is it an unreasonable expectation to have the team continue with the same momentum from last season's success? Not saying we should be better because we made it to the second round, but because of how well we played after last December.

If they were still showing all that progress, then yes, they all deserve to get paid what they did. We can talk about youth and experience to an extent, but this was largely the same team from last year that showed positive signs of growth as the year progressed. Why not now?

 

He just is what he is at this point. The most you can ever hope from him is a hot shooting streak. If he's going to play like a pansy and even pass up open shots, there is no reason to have him out there. He just has very little understanding of how to play basketball and it's too late to try to teach him how to play it at a professional level. I'm done waiting on him to get his shit together. He can't even somewhat consistently do what he's best at. I'd rather pass that torch on to Vonleh.

 

Well if they keep show casing him they better keep him because there not GM will take him.