Is Chauncey a good coach?

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by Rastapopoulos, Nov 14, 2021.

  1. Buffalo Custard

    Buffalo Custard Well-Known Member

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    First, I must offer the bitter observation that something is badly wrong when straight talk is decried and gaslighting is applauded.

    That said, it is probably premature to judge Billups a failure as a coach. Conversely, he has done nothing to convince anyone he is a good coach.
     
  2. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    The main evidence that Chauncey has promise is the blowout home wins @KSF-ERIC keeps reminding us of. Those are starting to look like flukes, or side-effects of the other teams not yet jelling (gelling?)
     
  3. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

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    Hello darkness, my old friend
    Yes, people who are prone to throwing their co-workers under the bus usually say they're just "straight talkers." People usually see all the problems being in people who aren't them, then get surprised when their straight talk in blaming others is seen poorly. Human communication and relationships are more complex than buzzwords like "straight talk." Especially when you're talking about something unknowable (like what's in another person's head or "heart").
     
  4. PDXFonz

    PDXFonz I’m listening

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  5. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    Pretty sure I have a boss right now who would be very quick to decry the lack of pride of their subordinates, when in fact that boss is the one that saps all the joy out of the job.

    And let's remember, Chauncey was Olshey's guy from the word go. Olshey compared Dame to Chauncey when Dame was drafted. If you hate Olshey, you have to wonder about his judgment.
     
  6. Buffalo Custard

    Buffalo Custard Well-Known Member

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    Thank you Rasta, for a moment of clarity. In the real world, a boss has the power. They are punching down. In the NBA, with a few exceptions, the coach is more court jester than boss. Their role is too make excuses and shield the players from consequences. Billups' honesty is unacceptable because he is punching up. He is speaking truth to power, and that is a crime. Even the fans believe this, as any coach caught making a truthful observation is "throwing his players under the bus."

    You know what - I'm just fucking done.
     
  7. B-Roy

    B-Roy If it takes months

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    Dunno, but here is one instance: https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-ne...d-by-michael-malone-after-blowout-vs-blazers/, and another: https://sports.yahoo.com/nuggets-sp...ublic-criticism-i-felt-we-quit-154459330.html

    Here are some Nuggets players who don't respond well to Malone's style of coaching: https://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/01/0...eadership-criticism-nuggets-coach-apologizes/

    I actually tend towards your line of thinking, in that it's a bit weird hearing a coach calling out their team in public, but maybe some players respond to it better than others. Malone has had some success in the NBA, so it's not like it's completely baffling. Chauncey has also praised the guys in wins, so he's not just trashing them when they're down. I don't think his criticism has been that harsh until the last few games, for obvious reasons.
     
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  8. B-Roy

    B-Roy If it takes months

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    The stubborn scheme and rotations are something I can’t get by head around. I don’t know if Billups is a bad coach, but he’s definitely not shown he’s a good one….yet.
     
  9. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

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    Hello darkness, my old friend
    Yeah, as I alluded to in my original post, it's not like I've made up my mind of Billups...this could go multiple ways. This just seems like a red flag, considering it's not he's their long-time coach with firmly established relationships, but maybe it's just what most of them needed. Certainly, philosophically, it's not my ideal for how to manage people and personalities, but I recognize that it works for some people.
     
  10. riverman

    riverman Writing Team

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    Players who don't execute make any coach look bad..Chauncey said a great team has to do the simple basics perfectly on defense and until they learn that they're not ready to expand the playbook...my take is he's frustrated with the lack of discipline on defense and the lack of ball movement and turnovers...he's clearly not happy with the team right now especially the starters...I think the Nurk, Roco frontcourt is not clicking and it's mostly on Roco ..then CJ is an issue...he is just wired to be an ISO guy at any cost
     
  11. brooklynballer

    brooklynballer Well-Known Member

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    Who, I would ask, instituted the fucking stupid-ass iso heavy offense and never ever in six years held the two “leaders” of this team to account for their abhorrent and non-existent defense? Oh, that’s right, one Mr Terry Stotts, who is as much to blame for this mess as Olshey was.

    It’s gonna take more than 20 games for Billups to undo the 6+ years of damage Stotts inflicted on this team.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2021
  12. Propagandist

    Propagandist Well-Known Member

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    Where are the bodies?
     
  13. brooklynballer

    brooklynballer Well-Known Member

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    I don’t know about the bodies, but there sure are a lot of missing brains and spines on this team.
     
  14. Propagandist

    Propagandist Well-Known Member

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    I was just noting your intensity. But it is true that the team looks like they give no shits, which is weird for these guys. That being said, I don’t think Chauncey can reach them. Roco is odd almost aloof, CJ is begging to be traded, Nurk is behaviorally bipolar, etc etc. We need changes in a big way…
     
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  15. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    So it wasn't the roster and it was the coaching. You must be really mad that Olshey was fired.
     
  16. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    Both guys needed to go and now they're gone. Stotts didn't put enough emphasis on defense and basically told everyone to go out and do what they do best. He also made them all feel really great about themselves. That's not a bad coaching style but unless you win big, any coaching style goes stale. Stotts had gone stale a while before he was fired but Olshey should have been fired first because he never put complementary pieces around Dame and operated under the delusion that Dame and CJ were the perfect first and second options to win a title with.

    So it was the roster first and foremost but the coaching after 9 years, had run it's course. Like most coaches Stotts wasn't making more out of what he had than what they were and because of roster construction they weren't and aren't even as good as the sum of their parts. The idea that because it was more Olshey's fault that Stotts should have gotten a tenth try is not at all logical but they both should have been fired and Olshey never should have put the onus all on Stotts, that was some slimy bullshit.
     
  17. brooklynballer

    brooklynballer Well-Known Member

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    Can you read? Plenty of blame to go around for both Olshey and Stotts. It’s not an either/or situation. I’m elated that both have been canned - five years too late imo. The players are also not blameless, in particular the core of Nurkic, Lillard and McCollum. No excuse for their lack of focus and energy. You can already see how the guard’s play (ie no defense hero ball) is rubbing off on guys like Ant.
     
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  18. royo

    royo Well-Known Member

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    Wonder what he supposed to say. Any coach will lose this bunch as soon as he (or Becky) ask them to work.
    Stotts was soft and he manage to put pressure on them for three weeks (new def scheme learning fail). Billups is trying to teach them and the team is to blame, not him. They just want to play. Any kids will turn your house into mess if you let them and Stotts just wasn't good babysitter.
    Half of the team is pushing Billups under the bus. He can either go Stotts way or straight talk.
     
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  19. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

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    Hello darkness, my old friend
    Yes, yes, I know. The Big Bad Stotts. It'll always be his fault...even when it's the other guy, it's really Stotts.

    Plus the players are selfish, lazy, horrible players. Billups is quite a victim. It's a shame he couldn't have known what awful people Stotts turned these players into before he took the job.
     
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  20. royo

    royo Well-Known Member

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    Must be your wife writing here recently:)

    Just tell me, if 9 years is time long enough to shape young player, especially when he had one coach only. Who is to blame for their happy hero ball and lack of presence in defence. Could it be the coach, that let them do that for 9 years? I mean, is it even possible? Is it?
     
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