OFFICIAL AROUND THE NBA: MARCH 2023

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by SlyPokerDog, Feb 28, 2023.

  1. handiman

    handiman Well-Known Member

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    NBA Central vs TheNBACantrel should be a dead giveaway.
     
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  2. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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    LOL...no it isn't. Collins was always worse as a PF than as a C. According to BBREF, he's playing 98% of his minutes this season at C. When he was with Portland, his foul trouble came when he was out on the perimeter trying to guard quicker NBA PF's. And just about every NBA PF is quicker than Zach. You don't want him trying to cover Kawhi, or Tatum, or Giannis. He'll be on the bench in a hurry, saddled with fouls

    Eubanks is just as good as Collins in many ways, better in quite a few, and is paid 1/4 as much

    upload_2023-3-20_9-46-57.png
     
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  3. Labinot41

    Labinot41 Well-Known Member

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    but don't you think that it's no coincidence that the Blazers had their two worst seasons with Eubanks getting major minutes?

    I'm just saying, with Collins, we made the Playoffs every year and we had a good record.

    In 17/18 we were 49-32, that would probably be the 2nd seed this year in the West.

    In 18/19 we were 53-29, that would maybe be the 1st seed this year in the West.
     
  4. KingSpeed

    KingSpeed Veteran

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    That’s how I figured it out
     
  5. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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    LOL...c'mon man

    if you look at that 53 win team, Zach was 9th among rotation players in winshares/48, and 10th in BPM. He had very little to do with Portland's 53 wins. He was a decent rotation player, but he was an 8th-10th man type, not a first off the bench type

    it's just crazy that people try to say Zach was the reason for Portland's successes 5-6 years ago. Dame was, Nurkic was, Ed Davis was, CJ was, Aminu, Harkless, Turner, Curry...they were all more important and more responsible. Even guys like Meyers, Hood, and Layman were just as important as Zach

    and like it or not, the NBA has changed dramatically, even in the last 4-5 years. Maybe the PF position has changed the most of all. Zach would be at a real disadvantage trying to guard guys like Grant, Michael Porter, Andrew Wiggins, not to mention guys like Durant, Tatum, Giannis or Kawhi. He's a C, with an injury history, who doesn't have the talent to be a starting C on a good team. Nostalgia for past Blazer mid-level role players is kind of funny
     
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  6. andalusian

    andalusian Season - Restarted

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    I can assure you that if Chauncy was using Zach to run around the perimeter, we would have miserable results there as well. Terry used him at C as he used Nurk, in drop-coverage. Chauncy is using Drew as he uses Nurk in switching defense.

    I am 100% certain that Zach at drop-coverage would be better than Drew, but with Portland's current system - Drew is as effective for a fraction of the price.
     
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  7. GrandpaBlaze

    GrandpaBlaze Predictions Game Master

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    Hmmm, you don't think it is a coincidence that those "two worst seasons" potentially correspond to a rookie head coach who seemingly, can't really coach?

    I think that would have a much bigger impact that a guy who was a bench player, was often in foul trouble and seemingly constantly hurt in some way, shape or form.

    No. You're right.

    If we had Zach we'd be top dog in the west.
     
  8. HailBlazers

    HailBlazers RipCity

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    No stats to back it up but I think this team could sure use Zachs rim protection, toughness and rebounding.
     
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  9. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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    Eubanks is a much better rim protector, at least he is if you use blocked shots as a gauge. Zach blocks 1.5 shots/100-possessions; Eubanks blocks 2.9 shots/100-possessions. Zach's blocked shot rate is 2.6%; Eubanks 5.1%

    as far as rebounding, Zach is slightly better. His rebound rate is 15.4%; Eubanks at 15%. That's pretty insignificant, especially compared to blocked shots.

    defense? Eubanks leads in defensive win shares, 1.4 vs 0.9. Eubanks is better in DBPM 0.9 vs 0.3. And, Eubanks is better in defensive rating 115 vs 117. Obviously, defensive stats can be pretty noisy, especially the ratings stats. But, Eubanks has a defensive rating 3.1 points better than his team; Zach's is 2.6 points better than his team, so, there is a trend that favors Eubanks. Does that mean I think Eubanks is a better overall defender? No, I don't. But I don't think there's really much of a gap between them, and nether is good operating defensively on the perimeter. Zach is a much bigger foul machine though

    there isn't a 'starter vs backup' imbalance either; Zach has started 21 games; Eubanks 20

    toughness? I'm not even sure what that means. Seems way too subjective a gauge. Is durability a sign of toughness? If it is Zach isn't very tough. Neither player backs down it seems; both can get under an opponent's skin. But I'm not sure if that's a sign of tough or obnoxious

    Zach does some things at a decent level; so does Eubanks. And so do dozens of other NBA bigs. Seems like there is a lot of nostalgia for some past Blazer players around here. I think in the Eubanks vs Zach debate there's a real 'familiarity-breeds-contempt/absence-makes-heart-fonder/grass-is-greener' dynamic at work. Neither player is going to alter Portland's trajectory in any significant way. Might as well go with the one who costs 1/4 as much as the other
     
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  10. tykendo

    tykendo Don't Tread On PDX

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    I'm really happy for Zach. He has really come into his own in the last month. I think Nurk needs to wake the bleep up, and know that he needs to bring it every game like he did against the Clips. But if he can't, i'd be fine with trying to acquire Zach, and back him up with Drew. I wish Nurk had the motor that burns in Zach. Arrrrgh , Nurk. Nurk a true Blazer conundrum.
     
  11. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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  12. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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  13. UKRAINEFAN

    UKRAINEFAN Well-Known Member

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    Surprising that Eubanks advanced defensive stats better than Collins.
     
  14. tykendo

    tykendo Don't Tread On PDX

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    SlamBall is ridiculousness at it's highest. That being said, it does look kinda entertaining. It also looks like someone could get seriously injured, if not worse.
     
  15. THE HCP

    THE HCP NorthEastPortland'sFinest

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    On it's initial run, my son had just been born. I used to tape the games on a VHS tape and watch them at like 3am feeding the boy if he woke up. Those games were a blast to watch,
     
  16. THE HCP

    THE HCP NorthEastPortland'sFinest

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    I'd rather have Zach.
     
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  17. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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  18. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    This is so much better than the free chicken mcnuggets we get when the Blazers score 100 points.

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. handiman

    handiman Well-Known Member

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    Speaks volumes to how useless the stats are if they can't grasp context.
     
  20. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    Every non-boxscore stat says otherwise and has said the same every year of their careers if somebody wants to make the 1 year sample noise for these +/- based metrics.

    Zach's defense is not where it was even during his second year in the league though. He's ok, but injuries and how his body responded to added weight has hurt his mobility and impact around the rim. Better defensive rebounder now, but that's about it
     
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