Notice Monday, 11/23: Blazers Press Conference @ 11am

95%

 

I didn't realize Neil was in charge of the lineup lol

 

I also thought he was going to say we can only afford a chair as our backup PG at this time.

 

I'm not saying I want to see him start. I'm saying that Terry doesn't always do what is the most logical thing.

 

Also possible benefit of DJJ starting, I think this dude is going to feast off Nurk backdoor passes. Nurk really developed that chemistry with Mo before he got hurt and I think he can do the same with DJJ. So maximizing the time DJJ spends on the floor with Nurk will help him not be as much of a liability on offense.

 

I have a real issue with playing Giles over assets that could potentially be here long term. We only signed the guy one year, so we have zero bird rights for him. What is the incentive to play him and boost his value if he's just going to leave at the end of the year? I totally understand playing him if people are injured or foul trouble, etc, but I'm really not seeing the point of developing someone that won't be here long term.

 

I'm surprise......then again, I'm not surprised, how when Neil quotes a stat like, "Dame and CJ played 95% of our plays at PG" and "Ant is our backup PG", that someone doesn't follow up with something like, "but to be fair, that didn't go so well".

 

I got it. That word is the first thing I always think of when Olshey is gonna have a presser. Lots of politicians use that word to start a sentence when deflecting a question. It actually occured to me to make the same joke, but I never got around to it.

 

The incentive is to friggin WIN! We are in WIN now mode, IF Giles helps us win more than Collins so be it, if Collins can't beat Giles out IMO he's likely a short timer as well

 

Agreed, this Jones starting idea is one that I never even entertained. Opens up a ton of opportunities. And our bench might be the highest scoring in the league with Trent/Hood/Melo coming off it.

 

Development doesn't work like that. Giles might look better immediately, but Collins might be better come playoff time if he gets the reps.

GTJ is the perfect example. He didn't hit his stride until the bubble. If we had played one of those scrubs that we brought in over him, long term it would not have been in the best interest of the team. I think we need to know what we have in Collins. I really don't want to see us make the same mistake that we made with Leonard.

 

...to be fair, he said a lot more than that regarding CJ2

 

Looks like the analytics guys working for the blazers LOVED Elleby, especially defensively.

 

I’m actually ok with rolling with Simons, for now. Give him until the trade deadline, and then move for a vet if he fails again.

but if Batum hits the market now, Olshey better be all over that.

 

Agree. This was always a minor frustration for me when they would try to force-feed Aminu and Harkless early to get them going. Why? A couple of shots for both was not going to make a difference. Not saying they should not shoot, but if someone is going to force a shot, let it be our best shooters.

 

So if we’re not adding a 15th guy the only hope of keeping Wenyen is on a two way. Seems he’s better than that but there aren’t many roster spots left around the league, so maybe we get lucky.

 

Just worried we don't have enough playmaking off the bench. Melo, Hood and Kanter are all isolation scorers, and Trent plays well off playmaking, so we'll see. CJ is going to be leading that second unit.

I have a theory about why CJ always seems to be a better playmaker when he starts at PG and Dame is out. CJ is not a natural playmaker like Dame, and doesn't function well as the secondary playmaker because he is a very cerebral player and needs a lot of time before making decisions. Having to dribble a bunch to break down the defense is not ideal when he's receiving the ball with 14 seconds on the shot clock. So instead of the right play, usually he just hunts his own shot.

But when he's starting at PG and Dame is out, he gets to use the 24-second shot clock on every possession, which gives him more time to set guys up. And when Dame is out, he's playing point guard with the first unit instead of the second unit. It's just much easier to make plays for other starters than it is when he's usually leading the second unit with guys like Evan Turner, Mario Hezonja, Anthony Tolliver etc.

No stats to back this up, but just my hypothesis. So hopefully having a more talented second unit is going to help him out a bit.

 

Prolly not a popular opinion but I want Dame playing no more than 34 mpg. Save him for the playoffs. Hard to believe hes in yr 9.

 

Not seeing much of a difference. Nic is a good ball-handler/facilitator for a SF. But he is still below average as a PG.
Maybe with our offense, the goal is to just get it across half court, and from there the need for a PG diminishes greatly.
I mean we all criticize guards who dribble too much.