Look at this. The Blazers have this starting lineup: Lillard CJ Whiteside Ariza Mello You have to admit...that is pretty darn good...right? They have been doing well and a lot better without Bazemore or Mario or even Hood at the staring positions. Now imagine IF...Nurk comes back and Collins comes back......well? You have to admit they have been playing good basketball lately. Some might say Lillard has carried the team...and while true be that....when he has been doubled, the Blazers have been making the plays out of that. Very impressive. But yes...Dame has been a monster force lately and why he is the best Blazer of all time. Anyone who disagrees can pound sand. That man is pure talent...better the B-Roy, better the Petrie, better then Wicks, and ...here it comes...better then Drexler. I won't say Walton because that is a whole different position. But the man carries this team and they live or die without him. Last year we had Kanter step in.....and I will admit he was pretty darn good. The man gave it all even playing hurt in the playoffs. However can you imagine an Nurk-Whiteside combo? Good grief...a pure center in Nurk mixed with a shot blocking machine and potential 15+ point a game scorer in Whiteside? What a dynamic duel? That is a huge hope for the future of this team and guarding the paint!!!!!! As for Simon's and Trent...well, no mystery here. Simon has laid a HUGE EGG this season while Trent has been very successful over the last 3 weeks and knocking down 3's like clockwork. Simon shot looks rushed and out of rhythm. He only makes shots when wide open...not with a defender in his face. To me...he has lost credibility. Trent has now taken Simon's job...period!!!! I am just as surprised as you all are...but it is true! Biggie has shown some improvement (which I always thought he had some talent) and Ariza was just the perfect replacement for Baze. To me it is not even close......Ariza kills Baze in every department especially defense...which is why we are winning games now!!!!! Defense leads to Offence.....look at the stats. Winning against the Lakers without Melo was huge...it shows growth. BUT...I still believe Melo will be and is a huge part of this team. I love having a low post player...if even only one.....every team needs one to keep the game honest, and who better for us then an all star who demands attention. I hope everyone enjoys my assessment and if not....then you now what FO. been here since 70' and I do know my basketball. Peace out, daddylogan
In theory it sounds to great to have Whiteside and Nurk at center but in reality it won't work. This isn't an all star game where you can have two starting caliber players at the same position.
Hmmm, not necessarily. The 1966-67 76ers were one of the three most dominant teams in NBA history teaming Wilt and Nate Thurmond, not just two starting centers but two all-star centers. I remember the Celtics with Robert Parish and Bill Walton, although injuries diminished Walton from a starting role at that point. And that's the thing here ... Nurk is coming off an injury. He's not going to step in and play 30 minutes per. So I think this could work. Honestly, a lot of it comes down to the chemistry and the unselfishness of the players.
all the "Blazers have turned it around" high is based upon Dame going supenova. He's the reason they have been winning lately. A normal Dame and the Blazers lose several of the games they recently won. Dame isn't going to have this cheat code for the rest of the year. And he's averaged 38 minutes in January; 39 minutes over the last 10; and 40 minutes over the last 5 games. I love Dame and think he's great, but he simply can't sustain 48-8-9 and 50% shooting on three's for the remaining 33 games, especially not with those heavy minutes. And we haven't seen anybody else on Portland, except for Whiteside, be consistent in what they bring to the floor all that said, Portland's schedule after the break is real easy, so they might not need Dame in a superman suit every game to get lots of wins
If you're going to go with the "Dame can't sustain 48-8-9", I concur, but you should probably also mention that CJ's not going to spend the rest of the year as he has the last 12, where he misses 33% of the games completely and averages 16 when he does play...Regression works both ways, and whatever you think of how CJ's playing, his track record is pretty established as a guy who can get buckets just about when he wants within the flow of an offense.
It may not be humanly possible for me to disagree more with you on this. Melo goes 2-11 the other night, but like all great pros, he finds ither ways to contribute, like two big defensive plays and 13 rebounds! His cache presence cannot be measured with a team so young.
CJ's efficiency numbers in January are about the same as for the season, which is about the same for his last 3 seasons. He's only down in FT% and his average minutes but that's because Trent has been playing so well that Stotts has an alternative to CJ's ball-stopping offense CJ has never shown he has shoulders broad enough to carry the team for a stretch of games like Dame can. I don't see any reason to count on CJ to carry the team if and when Dame comes back to earth. Fortunately, after the break Portland's schedule gets really easy
lol...i'm rejuvenated, like the old decrepit Eagle when he perches on the highest rock he can find, and looks directly into the SUNSHINE before you know it the process of rejuvenation takes place, and that sucker will fly off and live another 20 years longer.
Great post but I disagree on this. He's only 20 and is just going through a slump. There's no denying his ability, I think he's going to be pretty good.
