I dont think disagreeing with you is trashing your thread. For that matter, ive barely commented in there. What I dont get abou the thread is its not a good comparison because thuogh Noah is our starter hs is not our primary PF. Minutes prove that. So the comparison is a wash. I agree with Nate that Plums has been solid and that its the combo that weakens them. But what I also get is Noahs age and his upside. Do we have the worst PF/C this year STARTING games... maybe.. but do we have the worst PF/C combo? Hell no, because Ed must be in this conversation. He plays more than VOnleh.... So when comparing, I think you should compare Plums and Davis... and those numbers should prove to be MUCH better overall and land us in the middle of the pack.
I will add that making that thread seemed silly and just another way to try to bash the team when it isnt a realistic comparison.
This is such a weird season in the NBA. The Thunder didn't make the playoffs last year with a record of 45-37. We're currently in 6th place and only one game over .500. Last year we would have probably been 10th in the west.
Well damn. My 2nd half of the statement still stands. And it's Kingspeed... don't you have to cut out the outlier to get a better, more accurate result?
If anyone looked back to the posts at the beginning of the year when were discussing expectations with this team, no one claimed that the Blazers were going to win a championship this year. Hell, few said we would make the playoffs. ( I did mostly because I'm a Homer). Why is it not enough that Blazers make the playoffs this year. Why are some of you butt hurt ( coughtunchicough) that we are probably going to lose in the first round...so what if we do. The Blazers have worked hard to be where they are at. This young energetic team that everyone doubted, that many said would be the worst in the league. They have proved the naysayers wrong, and have turned into a team with far better chemistry then most teams, and put in every ounce of themselves, competing night after night. Give your team some props, be proud of their achievements, because they have done far more that most have hoped for this season. Making the playoffs is an achievement in itself. If we get there and get blown out, we do learn something from it, humility... humility is the building block of character and chemistry for a young team...if we win a series great! Get further great! We mostly likely wont. But, it takes winning one away game to win a series...we just have to steal one, and even in the face of overwhelming odds, I'll take those chances... And, if we lose, get blown out, I will still applaud the effort this young team put in all the same. This year is just the beginning. This team has a bright future, and I for one am excited. So if all we get is a first round exit this year, extatic! So put away your ignorance and arrogance and revel in what the Blazers have accomplished. Who cares about the last three games...look at the season...we are doing fine
I was on board with the Lottery pick when Portland was 1/2 a game out of the #4 Lottery spot. It made sense to me because they were not playing well and obviously needed as much talent as they could get and at #4/5, would have a chance at a pretty good player. Now that they have at least reached .500 and some players have developed, that is no longer the case. I think next years pick would be much worse than if they were to keep this years pick but if you lose it, you are losing around #16 instead of #5....big difference. What I DID NOT want to happen was to loose the pick, barely make the Playoffs and then not be competitive. Losing isn't so much the issue has HOW they loose if that is the case. My fear is that exactly what I didn't want to happen....will. Last year the Thunder MISSED the Playoffs with 45 wins. This year, POR, HOU and DAL are on pace to make the Playoffs with 42/43 wins. The #6.7 and 8 teams have AVERAGED 50 wins. At this point I hope they make the Playoffs and can give whoever they play a competitive series. Otherwise, they made the Playoffs, gave up the ~#16 pick to keep a likely #20+ pick next season, got blown out and really didn't develop the young players as much as we'd hoped. CJ is better but he was going to be better regardless. Crabbe showed signs but then regressed. Vonleh plays but gets very few opportunities on most nights. Aminu still can't dribble, Harkless had a good stretch and then got sat back down, and Meyers has regressed. The Superhuman efforts of Dame and CJ have carried this team but I haven't seen the development I'd hoped for and if they get blown out in the Playoffs, it will seem a bit like a very empty season.
We are on a forum. When a team goes on a losing streak, or just in general as fans, we are supposed to dissect why and think of ways to get back on the winning track to eventually win the ultimate goal, a championship. The rhetoric that it's idiotic to think of ways to improve the team, or even talk about why we may be going through a rough patch is laughable. If that's what your looking for, I don't know how some of you have managed to be on the Internet for as long as you have.
No one said we shouldnt discuss how to improve.. but were not. Were discussing how much they suck for the most part. There are ways to discuss future positivism within a current negative theme, but I just don't see it happening, so I go full on homer on those types of posts... I see comments on how Dame needs to stop chucking to be efficient, but little talk on WHY he is chucking or the answers to get him to stop chucking... Want him to stop chucking? Okay, lets have our lesser skilled players take more shots ( chucks)...was about the extent of it.... I think what gets me the most is if it weren't for Kingspeed and one or two others, there would never be a positive thread when we are winning, but when we are losing there's ten threads a day about what we do wrong and how we suck, but within those there isnt alot of talk about how we can actually improve... REALISTICALLY.. It seems all most people do is dissect the negatives and dismiss the positives....so yeah... some of us who see this happening bend the other way more than we normally would....
I get you and completely agree at times it can be annoying. But sometimes you see what you want to see regarding the team too (not saying you specifically, just in general) For instance, if someone is in full Homer mode, they might take a little comment that's an offhanded dig more than what it actually is. Same with someone that is being negative, might see the same coming from a homer. I see it all the time when I look at another's teams forum. If I go to houstons forum, they ban people In a minute if you say anything that is reasonable because they have major Homer goggles on. @maxiep was banned from that forum for trying to have a legitimate conversation with them about the series because they just assumed troll.
How is it silly? Do you want to see the team improve? Do you think they can realistically find an up-grade for Dame/CJ? Then how can the team improve without an up-grade on the front line? What's silly is putting loyalty to individual players above loyalty to the team. I have nothing personal against Noah or Plums - but I would throw either or both of them into a tank full of starving wolf eels if it would help the team win a ring.
I explained why in the post right above. Did you read it? It seems silly because Vonleh is not our primary PF. He may start, but Davis is our primary PF.. gets more minutes, etc. Like I said, if you want to compare legitimately then you need to use minutes and compare a Plums/Davis duo and I think they would land in the middle somewhere... Using Vonleh is silly because he isnt our true PF. I never said I have loyalty to Noah... you did. Im simply saying its silly to compare these two as our primary due... because they arent.
Also, a team can improve without changing its players.. like has been said sooooooooo many times already...... NOah is young... what makes you think he has reached his peak and wont make a jump or improve next year? Why does the position need to be replaced in order to improve? Again... any other team, I would agree, but we still have more gelling to do and more improvement through experience. This might turn out to be just what the doctor ordered??? Further more... It has been shown several times and history proves that just because your trying to improve a position by bringing a better player in, it doesnt mean it will work out. Sometimes it can be the opposite. Ask LA when they got Howard and Nash. These YOUNG guys have more experience and growing pains yet. Why do they need to be REPLACEd in order to improve the team???? Answer me that one please....
