Going into this season, the hope (and many fans' expectations) was that the Blazers would finally get off to a fast start compared to the last 2 years where they struggled out of the gate. The schedule was soft and there were massive amounts of home games against the teams that were even decent. 3 of the next 4 games are still at home but with how Portland is playing, is there much confidence they come out of that much better than 2-2? Even in their wins, you can tell they aren't playing well. They struggled to beat the pathetic Suns and Lakers....at home. So far, this is what the schedule consists of only 3 games (Toronto, Memphis and New Orleans) against teams that would be a Playoff team right now. Of course it is ridiculously early but when 9 of your first 12 games are against non-playoff/under .500 teams, and 8 of your 12 games have been at home, to be 6-6 is a MASSIVE underachievement. Between ball dominant offensive players who just don't pass that much except to each other, very little ability to adjust to another team's strategy (even when they stink), no fast break points with one of the younger teams in the league that can run, very few easy baskets...I just don't like the overall philosophy. W - Phx (#13 in the WC) W - Ind (#9 in the EC) L - Mil (#10 in the EC) W - NOP (#8 in the WC) L - LAC (#9 in the WC) W - PHX (#13 in the WC) L - TOR (#4 in the EC) L - Uta (#10 in the WC) W - LAL (#11 in the WC) W - OKC (#12 in the WC) L - MEM (#4 in the WC) L - BRK (#11 in the EC) That is an average standing of #9.5 through 12 games...8 of which were at home. 6-6? That would be around 3-9 if they had played many teams much tougher. And it's not just that they aren't playing well and the coaching is more than suspect. Remember the Toronto game at home with both their starting Center and Power Forward out of the lineup? Remember how the team basically quit in that game? I haven't seen anything like that in years but it was on full display that evening. As the schedule starts to get tougher after next week, this could get worse before it gets better. There are signs of this cracking for a number of reasons. I'm interested to hear what you all think.
Well I give Stotts until these next 4 games to right the ship with this team. If I haven't seen any improvement with this team then I think Olshey will have to fire this coach. Especially if we don't win any of them.
Our team is broken. Our game is: Cj and dame, SCREENS, pick and roll. Is this. And 1-1 hero ball. I Dont care with we win next 4, we need to fire stotts. I Cant even look at him. Terrible coach.
I've never been on the fire-Stotts bandwagon and I know a coach can only do so much with their personnel, but we are dead last in fastbreak points and 29th in assists per game, and we're consistently making the same mistakes to close out games every night. That's just inexcusable, even if we had an older and shittier roster. Compound that with it taking Stotts about 10 games to even try to play Napier, and his weird reluctance to dictate matchups and trust Nurkic, and I'm starting to see the FIRE-Y light with Stotts.
Why would you give him even 1 more game?! We just lost at home to the Brooklyn Nets!!! He left our starting center having his best game of season on the bench the entire 4th! He has to go now!!!
The Blazers are lost. The chemistry that allowed them to go on a run after the trade deadline, last season, has flatlined. There is no commraderie. Nurkic is not having the same effect he was last year. Is this because teams have figured him out, or is it because he has had to adapt to Stotts system and it has taken away the things that made him special. Harkless isn't even trying. I could go on. The Blazers aren't a team right now. They aren't playing together. I can only hope they figure it out.
Always a spark and lift after a trade. Not great opponents, team gets a new player, they win some games.
Well yes I thought he bad decisions at crunch time the last 2 game but I want see if he can right the ship with 4 winnable games in the next 4 games. 2 of them are against the kings and if they loose against the kings B2B then they need let him go. It like this last 2 games the loose went are his neck now I am going to see if he going hang him self and loose his job.
I am not completely sure Dame and CJ can be in the same backcourt on a winning team. However, I am in the fire Stotts bandwagon after he benched Nurkic last night. Love the guy but he has to go.
To be fair the bad losses we have are Toronto and Brooklyn. Most of the others were close games but our teams shitty mistakes cost them, mostly turnovers. I mean like others have said, we aren't winning a title this year but I would like to see improvement and not a team that is regressing. At this point, Dame has every right to be mad this summer and demand moves be made because this shit is getting old. Relying on the same role players that just aren't good and can't be consistent and get it done mixed with that summer of huge contracts. I still can't even believe Turner is paid what he is paid. Same with Meyers. I mean that huge bet Olshey made on those guys is just gonna bite us in the ass as it has with giving up Crabbe for nothing. Neil talks assets when in reality our assets aren't worth anything. Then we draft two more bigs who wont be developed properly because we already have a log jam of bigs. Tired of these close games, some of the defense I have been seeing. Switching all the fucking time bigger guys onto our small ass guards. Just shitty decision making. It's even easier for teams to focus on Dame and CJ on defense because it's not like Turner is hitting from three or harkless, aminu. All I know is they need to find a fix to this situation fast before it gets worse
That's a whole other issue that I've believed for a couple of years now. To have two players who dominate the ball that much and only combine for 9 assists per game means they are not including/setting up teammates as much as they should....and many of those assists are too each other. Then throw in the defensive issues and I just don't think they are a starting backcourt on a championship contending team.
Anyone else notice that for the first time, Stotts put out a lineup with neither Dame OR CJ. The whole benefit of having both is that you can always have one of them on the floor. But Stotts threw a bone to Napier and he ran with it. This is a new development to watch.
Man we can play better than this! Coach problems. 1-1 and Pick and roll that's the only thing we do. Low assist per game. He's systems is broken man, he's been outcoach by every coach in the league, wtf. He put Nurkic in the 4QR in the bench, if we lose and Nurkic was there playing you pretty have a point, but by now the problem is clearly the coach
