Honest question for Stotts supporters

It is horrible, I agree.

So is the cause of that horrible record that has never happened the past 7 year due to the constants (Dame, CJ, Stotts) or the changes (Injuries, additions, subtractions)? `

It would be like having a dish that is pretty good six times, made by the same chef, the same prime cut of meat, and the same secondary ingredient. Then the 7th time you make it, the chef and the two main ingredients stay the same, but you remove some other ingredients, replace others with a different quality, and change out all the spices. If the 7th meal tasted like crap, would you first thought be that the chef forgot how to cook and you don't like that prime cut of meat, or that all the other changes made the meal worse?

 

But for myself (and some others), we've had issues with the "meal" on previous visits so it's not just a one time bad experience.

The flaws are magnified by the injuries.

 

That's totally fair. If you were disgruntled about the experience on the way to the WCF, then I totally understand why this year you've had enough. This year has been painful, we all agree on that!

 

I just want to note that it is indeed possible to be happy and enjoy the Blazers winning and making the WCF while also believing that the coaching was subpar.

 

Sorry, I phrased that wrong... I was assuming that even during the WCF run, you felt this team could've done even better and therefore were unhappy about that aspect. I have zero doubt you enjoy the wins!

 

So you think they had bad coaching and made the WCF, because they had just more talent than everybody else?

 

I'm sure @hoopsjock will respond, but I can tell you I've asked this question to multiple people. The common response I get is that they feel the team could have done even better.

Like this year, when Vegas and many national experts picked them around 12th in the NBA (this is before the Collins/Hood injuries), a lot of people here thought this was a top 5 NBA team. And because this team over-achieved based off their talent under Stotts multiple times (13-14, 18-19), some reset their expectations to an unrealistic point. Even this year, we're 8th in the West despite missing 3 starters and a handful of awful transactions by the front office.

 

Round 1: Billy Donovan is one of the few coaches that is actually a worse playoff coach than Stotts is. They barely trapped Dame at all and Dame made them pay.

Round 2: Pretty evenly matched teams talent wise. Portland was the more experienced team. I felt it was pretty obvious Hood and Collins should be starting early on in that series. Stotts only put Hood in the 4OT game when Harkless got cramps and had to come out even though he was abusing Murray.

So that's getting to the WCF where Stotts basically shit himself by having the worst game plan of all-time in the history of sports in game one (not an exaggeration) by allowing a great shooter to get open looks. After multiple series of Dame being trapped there is still no answer for it and in fact the plays and sets being run are ones that direct Dame right into the traps.

 

I think we made the WCF because we had the easiest path of any team in the playoffs. That's why.

 

This makes 0 sense. Was it easier than OKC's, Denver, or San Antonio's?

 

I personally think that if Stotts was a terrible coach, that not only Dame but others would express their desire for a change. I don't totally buy that they say zip because of money and not wanting to rock the boat. Its possible they have already? or, it still may happen, but I think as long they are missing three starters that buys Stott's some time.

 

Are you surprised OKC is having so much success under Donovan this year?

 

..........

No...... it was not easier for OKC because they sucked. That's why OUR path was easier.

And Denver was inexperienced. They had more overall talent than us and home court but they're young. They got taken to 7 games by a really shitty Spurs team. What happened when we ran into Golden State? We got face rolled. The cards dropped the right way for us. It had nothing to do with Stotts. Hell, we just happened to run into the one coach in OKC that is dumber than Stotts and never trapped Dame even once.

Denver would decimate us this year. I think they would decimate the team we had in the playoffs as well. They just have more talent overall and now they have some experience.

 

Nah. That would be the number #1 seed.

 

This season is fucking me up...actually the aforementioned WCF sweep was the first chapter in this fucking up process. If you recall, I was having the time of my life in Portugal and waking up at 230am to watch the games, so they were all a bit surreal, but the deer in headlights look, as if we were a team of rookies, I will never forget. And I know, I know, it was GS. But we looked lost and scared. And that is one of the drawbacks of Stotts. He is never ahead of the game; his counters, if they happen, are after he watches film or whatever...except of course what to do about traps, ffs. I can close my eyes and see them.

This season is just an extension of that series...

 

I’m not too disappointed this season. Too many injuries.

 

Ok. So OKC sucks and won 48 games. Denver was just inexperienced but beat San Antonio with a great coach. They just couldn't figure out how to beat Portland with a bad coach but basically no one healthy in the front court, Dame didn't play all that spectacular in that series.

The west is tough man, I don't think it matters what bracket you get in, if you make it to the WCF's you did something right.

 

This... Why don't we just say every 1 seed that made it to the WCF's or finals just had an easy path so really they weren't that good, I mean they did get to play an 8 seed... I've got my issues with Stotts but the lengths people take this is so extreme it's like ok... I guess Portland should be looking for the 8th seed because then the WCF's would actually be an accomplishment because they don't get HCA and have to play higher-seeded teams...

 

Poor excuse as Blazers won the Champion their very first year in the playoffs. It gets really old how posters always make excuses for our success.

 

I mean Giannis loved Jason Kidd and was pissed at the Bucks when they fired him, but that doesn't change the fact that Kidd sucked as a coach for them. Stotts just got an extension, so I agree he's not getting fired.

I mean they're basically a .500 team so I'm not sure what "so much" success means. They have the talent to be around a 40 win team if they don't trade off pieces.