Elliott Williams

[blazedanugz]

Why not give this guy a shot? Our gaurd play is awful ... Elliott comes out with swagger every time yea on the court. When he's played he's played well. Although it was preseason, he was 3 for 3 from 3 against Utah. He hit one against Sacramento, and we all know te kid can finish at te rim with his crazy athleticism. LET ELLIOTT DUNK!

[Nikolokolus]

I wouldn't look at such small samples and conclude that he's ready to play ... on the other hand, if he's worth even half a damn he couldn't be much worse than some of our other guards.

Have no fear though, Nate is going to ride Jamal and Felton until the bitter end.

[Mediocre Man]

Why not give this guy a shot? Our gaurd play is awful ... Elliott comes out with swagger every time yea on the court. When he's played he's played well. Although it was preseason, he was 3 for 3 from 3 against Utah. He hit one against Sacramento, and we all know te kid can finish at te rim with his crazy athleticism. LET ELLIOTT DUNK!

You know who our coach is, right? Nate's is fine with young players if there aren't any other options available. They are both garbage, but both Felton and Crawford will play a lot before Williams gets a shot

[blazedanugz]

I'm not declaring he's ready to play... But I think it's worth goin him a shot... 5 minutes in the first half wouldn't kill us

[Nikolokolus]

I'm not declaring he's ready to play... But I think it's worth goin him a shot... 5 minutes in the first half wouldn't kill us

You're not going to get arguments (well many anyway) but it's just not going to happen.

[Blazer4ever]

We need another backcourt player.

[Mediocre Man]

I'm not declaring he's ready to play... But I think it's worth goin him a shot... 5 minutes in the first half wouldn't kill us

No rational person will dispute what you say. It's simply not going to happen unless it is forced

[blue32]

I would love to see Elliot out there. Crawford killed us last night

[WillG]

"It's not like we're going to play the young guys"

:facepalm:

[Rastapopoulos]

Have you seen what happens when we do play the young guys? The other team goes on 10-0 runs. In, like 2 minutes. It's ugly.

There will be injuries, don't worry. And next year there actually will be Summer League!

[WillG]

I've seen what happens when we play our starters. Therefore I'd like to see, at least, a couple of minutes a game thrown to the rooks.

[Rastapopoulos]

I've seen what happens when we play our starters. Therefore I'd like to see, at least, a couple of minutes a game thrown to the rooks.

I think a couple of minutes is pretty useless. They get that and they suck with it. They need to get an extended run to get comfortable and that's not going to happen without injuries. If you doubt me, see what they're doing with those few minutes.

[WillG]

Agreed, they may suck, but they are non- lottery rookies. You cant expect them to light it up immediately, if at all.

Some court time has to better than none in the long run, in terms of their development as a player. Let them adjust to the NBA, get their feet wet.
Let them build that comfort level over time instead of being cheerleaders on the bench.

And in the least we get a better look at what we actually have. Who knows, one of the rooks may surprise us. . .

[blue32]

Agreed, they may suck, but they are non- lottery rookies. You cant expect them to light it up immediately, if at all.

Some court time has to better than none in the long run, in terms of their development as a player. Let them adjust to the NBA, get their feet wet.
Let them build that comfort level over time instead of being cheerleaders on the bench.

And in the least we get a better look at what we actually have. Who knows, one of the rooks may surprise us. . .

I dont know if i've seen another coach consistently bury his new players as much as he does.

[Treaty_of_Batum]

There was a chant to give Nolan Smith a little PT a short while back and cursing Nate. Smith is now getting some run and showing he isn't close to ready.

So now the chant is give Williams a little PT and blame it on Nate.

We are less than 20 games into the season, I think the Blazers should see if the vets can figure this out before they start thinking of developing the youth.

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Give him 8 min a game and let him start to show what he can do.

[Mediocre Man]

Give him 8 min a game and let him start to show what he can do.

Or can't do. Either way, this is the only way to truly evaluate the kid. With all the BS out of Aldridge and others about Williams being someone to watch out for, they should let him play

[PtldPlatypus]

What bothers me most is the fact that Nate so often insists on playing 3-5 bench players at a time. Why can't we stagger the starters' breaks better so that we have at least three of them on the floor all the time? Let Elliott play with Felton, LMA and Camby instead of just running him out there with four other reserves.

[Mediocre Man]

What bothers me most is the fact that Nate so often insists on playing 3-5 bench players at a time. Why can't we stagger the starters' breaks better so that we have at least three of them on the floor all the time? Let Elliott play with Felton, LMA and Camby instead of just running him out there with four other reserves.

It's just his philosophy. Some of us have been saying how stupid it is for many years now. Some people think it's a great idea. It is what it is.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

You know who our coach is, right? Nate's is fine with young players if there aren't any other options available. They are both garbage, but both Felton and Crawford will play a lot before Williams gets a shot

When Crawford is playing PG, let Williams have some time at SG.

[Mediocre Man]

When Crawford is playing PG, let Williams have some time at SG.

That won't really show what Elliott can do though because if Crawford is playing PG, no one else is getting shots

[BLAZER PROPHET]

That won't really show what Elliott can do though because if Crawford is playing PG, no one else is getting shots

That's a good point.

But if nothing else it'll get him some floor time. I'd like to see him play more myself.

[Draco]

No thanks. Same arguments people have been making for years with Outlaw, Martell, Sergio, Bayless, Babbitt.

These young players need to prove they deserve minutes, not get them handed to them irrespective of their play in practice and games. Roy, Rudy, Batum all got big minutes as rookies because their performances warranted it. I'd rather take my chance with Felton or Crawford coming back to their career norms during the rest of the season then throw out some long shot prayer that Elliot miracuously discovers the sceptre of skill.

[BBert]

What bothers me most is the fact that Nate so often insists on playing 3-5 bench players at a time. Why can't we stagger the starters' breaks better so that we have at least three of them on the floor all the time? Let Elliott play with Felton, LMA and Camby instead of just running him out there with four other reserves.

Exactly. IMO, part of the coach's job is to develop players. Nate doesn't. When he throws them all out together, I wonder if he's doing it to prove he's right, that they aren't ready. Of course they aren't ready. But our starters need rest. Just put in one scrub at a time so they can learn, be evaluated, and have their weaknesses covered a bit. Most nights, they can't possibly do worse than Failton and Crawful, anyway. And for God's sake, someone please tell Nolan to NOT emulate those two!

[Nikolokolus]

No thanks. Same arguments people have been making for years with Outlaw, Martell, Sergio, Bayless, Babbitt.

These young players need to prove they deserve minutes, not get them handed to them irrespective of their play in practice and games. Roy, Rudy, Batum all got big minutes as rookies because their performances warranted it. I'd rather take my chance with Felton or Crawford coming back to their career norms during the rest of the season then throw out some long shot prayer that Elliot miracuously discovers the sceptre of skill.

I don't think the argument is that he "deserves" to play or have PT handed to him, it's that Felton and Crawford (and Wesley at times) have been so awful, that the team would have almost nothing to lose by putting him out there for 10 minutes or so per game ... and that's tough to argue with.