The roster simply isn't good. This is the same crew most expected to win 20 games. They over-achieved last year.
We need to get into a big fistfight with another team and go crazy. Opposing players' eyes light up when they see us on the schedule and the likes of Ian Clark and Kelly Oubre know they can get whatever they want. Teams need to not come in with that added mindset.
I've been a fan of Ed Davis since before we got him. The drop off from his previous seasons to this one is quite unexpected. I'm not sure if he's upset at not starting (he probably could/should at PF), he's lost his drive (tough to be one of few trying to play defense), or he's playing hurt. Watching him play, my bet would be he's playing hurt. Sore feet or something like that.
I would imagine it is difficult for some players to watch Dame/CJ take ~40% of the shots on a nightly basis but play very little of the 'D'. It's also tough to get an offensive rhythm when you get maybe 1-2 shots a quarter. If you don't have offensive rhythm, it's tougher to get into a groove offensively. Much of this roster is being asked to play defense without an offensive set/play being run for them the entire game. That is just a tough proposition to ask for on a nightly basis.
Just out of curiosity, looking at the boxscore from last night, who do you want to see get more shots? http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400900050
This is why I don't even buy into Stotts being a good offensive coach. We have Dame & CJ who are very good offensive players, so they mask the issues with our overly simplistic offense. But a good offense would utilize more than two players. I don't think much of Dame's PG skills, but I would really like to see him play in an offense that had more than two sets and that used all five players on the court to create several different scoring options on any given set.
Plumlee. Harkless. Aminu, as long as they're not outside jumpers. Turner, with the same caveat. Crabbe, with precisely the opposite condition.
Not that it's fair to compare any team to the Warriors, but... I love watching them pass the ball, because you never know who's going to get the shot on any given play. It seems like with the Blazers, it's "receive the ball, look to see if you have a shot, look to see if you can pump fake or drive to get your own shot, find out that you're stopped, give it up reluctantly", whereas with the Warriors, it's simply "Shoot if you're wide open or give it up and move; rinse and repeat until someone gets a great look."
And it's not necessarily that Aminu or Harkless needed more shots (certainly not Aminu!). But they type of shots they're given. Aminu should NEVER shoot a 3 unless it's from the corner and he's wide open...and even then he probably should drive (no more than TWO dribbles, please!) & dish. Harkless is at his best when he's catching a pass on a cut towards the hoop. I don't know what to say about Vonleh - I like that he took 10 shots, but cringe at his conversion rate. But given that he's not being developed at all what can you expect? I'm cool with Dame/CJ each taking 18 shots. But Harkless, Crabbe, and Turner should all be in the 9-12 range. Plumlee 8-10. Aminu/Vonleh/Ed/Meyers should be in the 4-6 range. And 90%+ of these shots should be taken from an area of strength for each player. Fuck having Aminu/Turner shooting 3s - that's some stupid Tater Totts bullshit.
I think they are all getting enough shots. If you look at almost all teams you have 1-3 players who get the majority of shots, and the rest get around 7-10 shots....more if they are hot. No different from the Blazers. Last night Harkless got his 10 shots, Aminu 7 (5 of which were 3's- THAT HAS TO STOP) Turner 8 shots, Crabbe 7. 18 for Dame and CJ is not too much. The more we run the more shots the other players get. Easier said than done but we need to run more. But other than Crabbe all those guys you mentioned are not good outside shooters. The offense Terry is running is on him not Dame and CJ.
I agree that some of the options don't make you jump up and down with expectation of grandeur. But any player is better when they get into a rhythm which is tough when you are mostly setting screens and being asked to play defense. Harkless, Crabbe, Layman...even Vonleh can get on a roll when they get some confidence and a flow. No one really has a chance to get in a flow because of how many shots Dame/CJ take and how ball dominant they are. Watch a possession when CJ gets the ball. It is dribble.....dribble.....step-back.....change direction....dribble....dribble and often ends in a made shot. That's great that he gets the bucket but does nothing to make his teammates better or help get them involved.
Somewhat reminds me of dominant pitchers who will strike out 15 batters, but get no run support because his defense basically isn't involved in the game during the 45 minutes between each individual player's at-bats. Induce a few ground balls and you might be better off overall.
This is exactly why I think the dynamic duo has to be broken up. They're both on the "good to really good" level, but the team seems to suffer when they are taking 50% of the shots. I don't even really blame them. It's only human nature to call your own number when you don't trust the guys around you, but it's also only human nature to get disinterested or have trouble getting engaged when you are a bystander on offense and then have to cover for their defensive deficiencies on the other end.
...and I think that is very much what is happening. Also, when you are losing with that approach, resentment can start to build.
So we don't want a big 2 or big 3? Teams with multiple stars taking most of the shots does not work? I guess we better not trade for Cousins. Westbrook and Durant looked pretty good last year taking most of the shots on their way to the Conference finals.
But very few teams do that. ET gets plenty of shots when he comes in. So does Crabbe when he is feeling it. Harkless is not a scorer but still got 10 shots last night. I think you guys are embellishing how much Dame and CJ shoot. Aminu gets too many shots for my liking....
