1. Jake did progress....but it almost seemed completely against Stotts' will. Few minutes, DNP's, even when he was playing well. Then he started to get minutes when it was all but impossible to keep him out but certainly not held to the same standards as other players when they may have an 'off' game. Now with Kanter buried in the lane, the back-cuts, lobs, almost any movement that Jake excelled at are almost entirely gone. 2. This is a season long view....and goes back even farther than that. Kanter being integrated uses the 'long' view that he has been terrible defensively all of his career....that is not likely to change, especially with a Coach who isn't exactly defensive minded. 3. The Pelicans' narrative doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is a symptom of larger issues that haven't changed. So to repeat the same things with the same coach, same philosophy and same players doesn't seem like 'moving on'. 4. Tanking was never part of this discussion so not sure what that is referring to. Better how? Offensively....maybe. Certainly not defensively with what Kanter has brought and that is easily provable. As for Hood, he's had 2 good games and quite a few 'meh' games along with a couple of stinkers. His style doesn't really fit with how Dame/CJ play nor does it fit with Kanter well either.
I simply disagree with this...my tanking statement was in reference to wasted seasons....which I think is the only real wasted season move. That you see this season as wasted is hard for me to understand but hey....I get that a lot...I like Stotts as well which always puts me in this conversation
We'll have to just agree to disagree. Being buried in purgatory during a season during Dame's prime is a waste to me.
To me the Suns or Knicks are that team...we're right in the hunt in the toughest neighborhood in the league
Guess I should say, potentially significantly better. They didn't play well last night. They are both capable of playing significantly better. The bench in general played poorly last night. They'll have to be better.
Purgatory to me is being stuck in the middle going no where. The Suns and Knicks are no where near the middle. They will get top Lottery picks with the chance at Zion or Barrett. Also, the Knicks have a TON of cap room so they can make changes. It doesn't guarantee anything but at least they have the opportunity to change/grow/make major impact. One area they are the same is that the Blazers, Suns and Knicks have all won the same amount of playoff games in the last couple of years. Certainly not the company you want to keep.
The point differential is probably a better indicator for our performance in the playoffs than win loss records. We haven't really been blown out much. A few calls and bounces going our way would have changed the whole premise. GSW: - 29 +1 -10 +22 Net: -16 for 4 games. DEN: -1 -3 Net: -4 for 2 games. OKC: -2 -9 -9 -8 Net: -28 for 4 games HOU: +19 -7 +9 Net: + 21 for 3 games UTA: -11 -30 +21 +5 Net: -15 for 4 games SAS: +13 -13 +9 Net: + 9 for 3 games LAC (we are 2-1, not 1-1): +11 -4 +4 Net: +11 for 3 games And most of the blowout losses came earlier in the season. I think we're fine as long as we keep our expectations in check. We are nothing more than a team that might win its first round series if the matchup is favorable.
As I said in the Thunder game thread, last night's game really was the playoff litmus test for the team. Every top tier team in the West has at least two Superstars and a Star-level 3rd option that you have to deal with. OKC has Westbrook and George, and Steven Adams as their 3rd. The Blazers failed the test last night. In a lot of ways, I am MOST disheartened by Lillard's performance. 51/5/9 and a loss. I don't care what he says, he is not going to stand for this for very long. I don't care how tight he is with his boys, how much loyalty he feels towards Portland and the Blazers... the sound of a ticking clock on his career is getting louder and one day ha's gonna wake up and realize that he's incomplete without that ring, and that he's not going to win it in Portland... not with the surrounding cast he has. CJ with zero assists? That should never happen. Aminu and Harkless are bench guys masquing as starters. Hard workers, to be sure and to give them credit, but when you are trying to get out of the first round in this conference? Not enough. I don't know how the team re-invents itself after this loss. CJ can't suddenly become more than he is, which needs to be that 2nd Superstar to compliment Dame. Nurk isn't there yet, either, but he seems to have more potential to drive himself higher. I think we are at CJ's ceiling. Stotts, for all the hate he gets in here is a decent coach, but he's polished the turd to about it's shiniest right now.
I like that they have been in a lot of games. Not a fan of them not being able to finish a lot of those games. So we were close but couldn't quite pull it off. Again, that goes in the category of the 'hope' I was referencing. Things could get better and I 'hope' they do but the season long examples haven't shown that is likely to happen.
As I added to that post above, we just need to keep our expectations in control. We are not a finals team, and are not a contender for the WCF. We may win our first round-- that's the absolute ceiling.
Exactly. regular season win-loss record is fairly meaningless. Have to consider more how we won/lost, and that too is not a perfect predictor. Even that year we beat HOU on Dame's shot, I believe HOU won that regular season series fairly handily. All has to do with matchups.
Let's also not forget that the other first round win that the Blazers have had recently came when both CP3 and Griffin got injured in the Clippers series.
I get that you and a lot of other folks around here are down on the team after these past two losses. Understandable, but not necessarily reflective of what the team can/will do going forward. Both Hood and Kanter have played significantly better in the past for other teams. I think it's certainly a reasonable argument that they can be expected to play better going forward, but it remains to be proven.
But it was an examination of the ENTIRE season, not just the last couple of games. And Kanter and Hood have been good in other places but Kanter has almost always been terrible defensively and Hood had some decent seasons in Utah yet never shot over 43% there so 'good' is somewhat relative. I like some of what both bring but there are downsides as well, certainly with Kanter. This is actually a much bigger picture look than just two games.
Yes, it was an examination of the entire season, but the team is not playing the same second unit that was on the court in the first part of the season. I'm not 100% sold on Kanter, but I think Hood is an upgrade over Stauskas by any stretch of the imagination.
I have low hopes of the 2nd round. Systemic problems abound with this team that Kanters porous defense and Hoods' erratic shooting are not going to solve.
I don’t think Dame agrees with that! If winning 50 games a chance to redeem a bad performance in last years 1st round is purgatory then bring it on. See being a competiive baseball and fast pitch softball player for years you learn that what it’s all about is getting another shot to win and prove people wrong.
Completely agreed Hood is an improvement over Stauskas. But Sauce wasn't even playing when Hood arrived. A chance? Yes...and if they actually do something with it, great. But recent history, this year's history, etc tells us that seems unlikely at this point. As for the competitive baseball/softball, do multiple state, regional and national titles count for anything? Of course you want another shot.....but how long do we go when those shots keep coming up empty while wasting Dame's prime? There is nothing to be done about it now, but at some point, when do we deter from the the 'doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result' mantra?
