44-38. Isn't Roy going to miss a bunch of the early games? It'll take him a while to get all the rust off.
Perhaps, but, in the insightful words of David Aldridge, the Blazers have "an embarrassment of riches."
44-50 wins and in the playoffs I don't see the West needing 50 wins to make the playoffs again. Last seasons was a fluke.
I see 47-35, likely snagging anywhere from the 6-8th seed. And I agree with cpawfan, I don't foresee 50 wins being a necessity to get in the playoffs again this year, but I could be wrong.
If Roy can't go, our offense will probably start with Blake throwing the ball in to Aldridge, maybe we'll also see what Oden, Bayless and Fernandez can do on offense.
Blake is OK, but he's hardly an "embarrassment of riches" kind of guy. This could be a real opportunity for Webster to step into a much bigger role.
Blake is an effective NBA PG who can run the pick and roll. He is a better at setting up his teammates than anyone the Bulls had since the championship team got blown up. Webster's role has nothing to do with Roy. His job is to make shots, not create for others.
I didn't realize Blake is Chris Paul in disguise. Is he really the guy you want to have the ball in his hands most of the time? If so, the Blazers made a huge mistake putting the ball in Roy's hands all season last year.
Nothing I said even comes close the ridiculous use of Chris Paul in your response. Blake is simply a better passer than Hinrich and Duhon. Please try again.
Is that your way of deflecting from the actual comparison that should be Blake vs. Roy? Last time I looked, Hinrich and Duhon don't play for the Blazers, and being better than they are at anything doesn't translate into wins or anything else. The Blazers have this "embarrassment of riches" which I take to mean their great luck in the drafts. Blake is so good he's been traded 4 times in his 5 seasons.
There is no need to compare Blake and Roy. You are making a ridiculous strawman. The question is what will the Blazers do when Roy is out. Most of the team is already use to playing with Blake after last season and in the Blazers' pick up games, Blake is reportedly always on Oden's team so that they can build up chemistry. In addition to Blake being a competent PG, the Blazers also have the dynamic duo of Bayless and Rudy that can create their own offense and open up opportunities for others. They are the "embarrassment of riches." Also, Steve Blake was signed as a Free Agent by KP. Not many players can say that. The point of comparing him to Hinrich and Duhon is to show how relatively good he is at creating for others.
I don't see Blake being effective with the ball in his hands as the shot clock runs down at the end of quarters, which would be Roy's role. This is maybe where Webster can step up. I don't see an Oden or Aldridge getting the pass in the post and holding the ball for 20 out of 24 seconds on the shot clock in those situations. Blake's not a very good defensive player, either. The dropoff from Roy being the primary ball handler to Blake is going to win a lot less games. Period.
