Game Thread GAME# 7: BULLS @ BLAZERS - JANUARY 5, 2021 - TUESDAY, 7:30, NBATV & NBCSNW

No due that's he is supposed be the one handling the defense the last 2 years.

 

I did read the Thread and as expected total meltdowns everywhere. Many of the complaints are justified. But there were reasons from what i watched.

Blazers came out cookin from 3. I personally would have rode that early and just blasted the Bulls if possible but Stotts/Dame tried to get everyone involved look at the first 4 threes. RoCo/Jones/CJ/Dame. Then they tried to start working Nurk. This is a positive move in most games. The next 3 possessions were trying to get Nurk a good look. The Bulls hung around. Blazers went back to 3's and extended the lead again. Back to Nurk with little success again. Then Dame started to try to drive as well as CJ even tried a dunk. DJJ started missing and he also started working the backdoor which was covered.
Brought in Melo for DJJ. This was questioned but Melo added offense and when Kanter came in the Blazers extended their lead.
There was a period they had Dame/Trent/Roco/Melo/Kanter and that group flourished. Four guys that could hit a three and two good defenders with two good rebounders.

To me the problem right now is not so much Melo or Kanter playing it's more that Nurk and DJJ were not getting it done. Dame going 2-10 until 8 seconds left doesn't help. Nurk simply is not playing strong enough to handle the kind of pressure defenses are putting on him. Teams know his handles are bad in traffic. The minute he gets the ball in the paint they collapse on him. There was a couple scores where you watched CJ dunk. DJJ dunk but Nurk with a wide open stroll to the basket opts for the finger roll layin. We all watched Giles get absolutely worked over out there also.

Right now Kanter is playing the best ball of the three guys they have playing the center position hands down. Melo did not play a bad game but we all know his limitations. Playing him with Trent and Roco is a pretty good way to mitigate those problems. Feel free to tell me what you would do differently if you have a night where Nurk is not scoring or defending well and DJJ is missing everything like last night with this roster? DJJ is supposed to be our best on ball defender and he sat there and watched Lavine shoot that last three to pretty much ice the game. It's why he was on Lavine. Go watch that last three Jones got caught sleeping on him.

 

I guess if you don't consider defense I could see that.

 

Portland is probably the best example of an NBA team that lives by the 3 and dies by the 3.

While we are the worst team defensively, we are also tied for next to last in assists. There is just not a lot of ball movement.

It just is what it is. I love Stotts the guy, and think he’s a decent coach, but the offense is dependent upon Dame and CJ, or some other rando, being on.

Defense is never going to be great with CJ on this team. Dame at least tries to use some defensive principles. And we all knew what Melo brought defensively.

At some point Dame will start to go off, and Nurk too. We will once again make the playoffs, but waste another year of Dame’s career

 

Roco and Trent were there for defense and they did pretty well?
Answer the question.

Nurk was not defending well at all. DJJ was totally ineffective on offense and was literally the defensive lapse on the clinching three point shot. Not a knock on him really because he did play well for stretches. But he obviously was caught out of position a number of times and the last time hurt bad.
Giles was a complete waste of space while on the floor. What ya got? Lets hear it.

 

so what you are saying is we should just move the whole game thread to the meltdown thread?

 

Btw we need to stop to think that Nurkic is a good defender, he absolutely isn't. He like Kanter get's killed night after night by Pick and Rolls. Nurk legit looks like a Statue on defense just standing there in the middle

 

I prefer #FreeMelo

 

Got to say I'm not sorry to be living in East Coast time so far this season. When I went to bed we were comfortably ahead.

 

I wish I would have done the same. I went to bed pissed off at 1am.

 

Not too upset with the lost last night, it happens. Honestly I was watching the Senate Race in GA. Exciting than the Blazers game. What a comeback!

 

organized by worst first:





re-signing Melo was fucking stupid

 

people talked a lot about the empty stats of Whiteside. I think Melo's stats are emptier

 

That's crazy! Here's another way to look at it:

Melo:
4-6 from 3 and 4-9 overall, with 12pts, 4 boards and a steal:
+/-: -9 (worst on team)

Kanter:
1-3, 2 pts, 2 assists, and 10 boards
+/-: -5 (3 worse on team, which would be 2nd worse on team if it wasn't for Ant)

Last year, people complained about Whiteside's "empty" stats. Seems to me like it's "Kan't Play Kanter" and "Miserable Melo" are the ones providing the empty stats.

 

ack, beat me by literally 1 minute!

#greatmindsthinkalike

 

Except Melos stats aren’t even good. At least Whiteside had gaudy counting stats. One look at Melos stats makes me want to puke.

 

as good, or bad as they are, his impact is worse

 

Of course not every issue of Portlands exists for every other team, as each team is different. On the flip side, Portland does not have issues that some other teams might.

You are correct that I don't have the alarmist attitude for some of the issues people harp one over and over. I focus on the things that I feel move the needle, as do you; we just don't always agree one what those things are, which is ok.

 

I was a little indifferent about signing Melo because I thought coming off the bench would work for him, but his selfish play and complete lack of defense, combined with trying to pair him with CJ and Kanter is just a mess.

 

I also noticed the complete lack of ball movement. Not surprised we're in the bottom of the league in assists, the ball simply doesn't move.