Game Thread Blazers VS Warriors OCT 4th, 7:00 PM

Better than who was there last year. Also they have Russ to pick up the slack.

 

just fyi, the calendar says 2021, not 2011.

 

CJ played in more games than Lebron; and Nurkic played in more games than AD

and of course, the impact of Lebron and AD is much greater than that of CJ and Nurkic, yet the Lakers posted the same record as Portland

the only Portland advantage there is that CJ's pretty durable...the other 3 guys aren't

 

You really went out on a limb there

 

I totally get and understand why people bring up the age situation. It will obviously play its part. But they have so many guys who’ve been there to step up in limited action to help. I think it’s going to work.

 

.... until they go 12-18 after 30 games. GM Lebron is gonna take a sabbatical and start wheeling and dealing again. i think his buddy Melo is gonna be off that team come March.

 

I think Melo will accept his role. Dude has changed. Knows his career is coming to an end. I think it’s time in Portland really helped him out.

 

You need players on the bench who can score, and players who can defend. Bench players who can do both are in fairly short supply.

Lumping Kanter and Melo together is, IMHO, a mistake. Both are poor defenders, but one is a both a much better rebounder and a more efficient scorer. My prediction is that Kanter will do just fine in Boston, while Melo plays more minutes than he possibly deserves in LA and is a net negative for them. I also think we will miss Kanter before all is said and done.

 

You know what would make our bench shine? CJ coming off it.

 

I think it might be too much asking Simons to be two guys.

 

I really didn't see any change. I know it is one game, and a preseason game at that, but if it weren't for them showing Billups a hundred times on the bench I would have swore it was the same system. A lot of one-on-one, a lot of sloppy passes, and very few fast breaks.

As far as players go:

Little was so hyped which I knew was a bad sign. That usually is meant to give a guy confidence like saying he is in the best shape of his life. It is always words and Little looked exactly like the same guy unfortunately. I mean there is a reason he wasn't a Top 15 Pick. The game is too fast for him right now and may always be.

McLemore looked lost and wasn't comfortable handling the ball to setup the offense. They need to limit him to his role which will give him the most value.

Zeller is what he has always been. Solid backup, limited offensively.

Nance Jr. looked like Kevin Love to me and that isn't a compliment. He looked older and slower. It is early though.

Chriss intrigues me as a big with athleticism. Same with Smith. Elleby I have yet to understand. Simons will be hot and cold all season. Didn't look any different.

Again, it is one reason game and conditioning could have been a factor, but the lack of change in team play both offensively and defensively worries me the most. Not sure what I was expecting, but it didn't happen whatever that was.

 

After watching last nights pre-season loss to GSW, I checked out the 2021-22 NBA regular season standings, and yep,
(Optimist) We're in first place!
(Pessimist) We're dead last.

 

Although overall it was a pretty ugly game, the Brown III dunk was almost worth the price of admission.



Wow!

 

His role is watching the NBA on his TV at home at this point.

 

Have a feeling we'll be saying that a lot this year. Brown will only play in blowouts, but I have a feeling we'll be on the wrong end of a few.

 

said it all along…

 

100% think we are playoff team. I could see us 2nd round but probably not much better without some significant trade. Still one player away bench is better though

 

I think it's sustainable when the system engages other players and when Nurkic isn't tasked with covering his teammates who aren't held accountable defensively while he gets chewed out and has play in a bogus defensive scheme that obviously doesn't work on a permanent basis.