Game Thread PRESEASON GAME# 3: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - DECEMBER 16, 2020 - WEDNESDAY, 6:00, NBCSNW

No, I don't think you can with high confidence draw strong conclusions from tonight. I tried to qualify my comments in that it was concerning. It was a preseason game, but one that exposed some concerns. I think it's fair to be concerned about what happened tonight and keep an eye on it going forward. It also could just be one of those nights, but there were some nagging problems that we've seen from this team over the last few years that were again evident tonight. When a problem area is a consistent problem area, it's not out of line to be worried about it.

 

Kind of my take also. I really hate the "If the shots would have fallen" narrative but sometimes it's true. They were absolutely cold shooting and they didn't ever really get hot. Could be the elevation? Could be the new players and new defensive type assignments? Not sure but one thing is for certain. If a few threes would have fallen that game would have been a bunch closer.

 

Following you around? Get over yourself. You are not worth my time. See ya.

 

I had concerns about the make up 2 weeks ago that you and others maybe thought had be fixed by the roster moves.

I understand what you're saying better and I appreciate your willingness to hash it out w/out making it personal. I want this to be a place where ideas can be challenged, argued, and discussed; sorry if you felt my strong tone or small quotes was an attack on you, it was not intended to.

 

This is the first time I’m not really seeing the chemistry from our team. Really hoping things turn around when the season starts.

 

While in Mexico, I saw better team basketball played by drunk old Mexican fishermen that probably never played 10 games in their lives. They had never been coached. They learned the game from watching it on tv.

But they understood the power of playing team ball.


I could only watch about 20 minutes of this disaster. Not one of the Blazers was looking to play team ball, on either end of the floor.

So much wasted talent made me too sick to watch the entire game.

 

Not a problem. It's easy for things to get heated or misunderstood on a message board, particularly when the team doesn't do well.

I just see patterns that concern me and wanted to express them. Living in the northeast with a bunch of cats, it's hard to find anyone else around to talk about the Blazers. If it was one preseason game and Dame played 14 minutes and Bol Bol scored 37 points, I wouldn't have thought anything of losing by 20.

 

Man, that would be brutal... I hate us getting spanked as well, even if it is a game that doesn't count. I would take a 3-3 start to the year, anywhere between 2-4 and 4-2 would make me think we're right on schedule.

 

I said it before and I will say it again. At least if we suck this year we will finally be rid of Stotts.

 

Oh def. this would be the year to suck if you hate Stotts. The hype this team has gotten this offseason will finally get rid of Stotts if we fail

 

Too much overreaction to a preseason game IMO

 

I'm doing my best not to overreact after a pre-season game, but it's tough not to. Last year, Phoenix came to the Rose City for a pre-season content and mopped the floor with us and drilled 28 3's in the process. I remember being livid after that one, yet most chalked it up to being a meaningless pre-season matchup.

Right now, it's valid to be concerned with what we're seeing on the defensive end of the floor, given this is a Terry Stotts coached team. It is also valid to play the patience game and understand we're incorporating new schemes and rotational players into the fold. I wish this were a "regular" regular season and the team had a month to gel during training camp, but every aspect of this season is being expedited. The players have talked about getting off to a hot start ... well, it starts in a week.

With that said, here are some thoughts through the first three pre-season games ...
- RoCo and DJJ were incredible acquisitions. Jones Jr is as advertised filling the lane, active in the passing lanes, and even shown an improved jump shot. RoCo's 3pt shot looks immaculate and is incredibly intelligent, especially on the defensive side of the floor.
- Aside from tipped passes from those two, the defense looks much the same. Teams are hoisting over 48 3's per game (up from 34.5 last season) and they are clean looks. We're slow, sometimes non-existent, on rotations. It's still incredibly difficult for this team to string together multiple stops.
- What's up with Nurkic? I get tonight was really his first action after sitting out Friday's game and playing just the first-half on Sunday, but he doesn't look particularly quick or agile. He was moving much more gracefully in the Bubble. For Portland to take the leap into contention, we need Nurk to not only anchor the defense but become a focal part of the offense.
- Opponents are seeking out the Kanter-Melo frontcourt and making us pay on the defensive end.

Most important takeover so far ...
- I think we have too many good players. We really haven't seen Simons, Little, or Collins and it's pretty evident the rotation is packed. Our starters are going to need to play the lion's share of minutes, especially when our two best defenders are in that group of five. It doesn't leave a lot of time left over for players like Trent, Hood, and Giles to get into a rhythm. Depth will be a blessing over the course of this unique 72-game season, but we won't need to play 10-11 guys per night in the playoffs. It won't be any time soon, but a consolidation trade to add in one more top-end talent to complete the rotation might be necessary.

 

Supposedly assists don't factor so much into winning....but to see one team get 39 assists, move the ball, move players, cut, and get open look after open look, compared to...

Dribble, dribble, dribble, pound the rock, jab step, crossover, fadeaway jumper.

One seems like it would be more successful and certainly is more enjoyable to watch.

As for it 'just being pre-season', it's also 'just pre-season for the Nuggets.

Which would you rather look like? And it's not like they had roster changes as well.

 

Are you guys not tired enough seeing our offense so predictable. Set screen, if Dame or CJ open take the shot. If Nurk rolls pass him the ball and the other two just wait on the corner for 3.

And on Defense, nothing new. Still can’t defend 3’s

 

At least he seemed to recognize they have problems and have a lot to work on. I would have liked to hear him say that the offense needs work also, but he didn't.

 

Great, now let's see if he actually does something about it.

 

Watching the Nuggets get easy basket after easy basket, and our team take tough shot after tough shot, it really hits home that our style of offense is not sustainable in the playoffs.

There's a reason why we only seem to win when Dame goes Super Saiyan. We get hardly any easy buckets. And when the Nuggets find something that we're not stopping, they do it over and over and over because it continues to work.

Stotts is trash.

 

Lots of new pieces and a new defensive scheme.

I’ll give stotts a half season before I think he should be canned.