Game Thread 2023-24 GAME #52 - BLAZERS VS PELICANS - FEBRUARY 10, 2024 - SATURDAY - 7:00 PM PST - ROOT

Is this player even on our team?

 

Jody Allen's payroll receipts say $850,000 dead cap Skylar Mays, therefore he must still be employed by the Blazers.

 

Rupert has to dominate the NBA to earn playing time?

Hitting 3-pointers and playing good defense should be plenty enough for the youngest member of the roster to be on the court.

None of the young forwards have proven that they can hit 3-pointers consistently.

You can't be 3-and-D if there is no 3.

 

Looks like he is a Laker now.

https://www.nba.com/player/1630219/skylar-mays/

 

I didn't say he had to dominate the NBA to earn playing time, I simply said he hasn't done that, so it's not like we know he's a really good player not getting playing time. I'm guessing the front office and coaching staff has seen him put in a lot more reps than we have and they appear to think that he's less worthy of playing than the guys in front of him.

There continues to be some narrative the young players don't get a chance in this organization, but that just isn't true. In fact, rookies are getting more of a chance in Portland this year than any team in the league. So maybe the reason he's not playing is simple and logical.

 

Are we really using Rayan Rupert's 7/17 on 3s on the season as some sort of argument? LOL

 

I did some research and the fact is that these are made up terms without hard definitions but just google "stat stuffing". Many sources and journalists consider stat stuffing to be the same thing as stat padding. Tons of regional and national broadcasters ask the question if a player is just stat stuffing when they are scoring points, getting rebounds, getting assists, etc. after the game has been decided.

 

What are they SUPPOSED to do when the game has been decided? If there were more “stat stuffers” whatever that means on their roster maybe they’d be WINNING those games.

 

Oh I'm not trying to debate if it's wrong to compete every minute that you play like the game is on the line, even if it's decided. I actually have no problem with guys who get labeled as stat stuffers/padders and unless it's some bullshit like Ricky Davis pulled back in the day to get a questionable triple double, it's all good with me. I just think that when someone uses either of those terms they're quite often using them in a negative way.

 

Man that Ricky Davis play was the worst!