The year he didn't make the allstar team after Roy went down; he was a freaking beast. He had the two great playoff games against Houston but once they took Terrance Jones out of the game it was mostly just sinking a bunch of crazy lucky jump shots. He cooled off in games 3-6 and was average against the Spurs and Memphis. I will give LaMarcus props for his fourth quarter defense one on one against Dwight Howard though; that was really good. Rolo was worthless defending Dwight. But LaMarcus' Blazer history feels a bit unfulfilled. If LMA had Wes' determination we might have a title. Could say that about many all-stars though; I'll always be a Wes fan.
No, they only remember the first two games of the Rockets' series...not the last 4 games where he averaged 22.5ppg on 33-83 (39.7%) shooting. Amazingly enough, those first two games he was 2-2 from 3, 16-31 (51%) mid-range and 17-26 (65%) in the paint, taking roughly one jumper for every paint shot. After that, he was 19-55 (34%) from mid-range and 14-28 (50%) in the paint, taking 2 jumpers for every paint shot. "Aggressive" LMA showed up for about 3 of the 11 games that postseason.
So, I bet LaMarcus is glad he finally opened up a bit and was prepared to admit uncertainty and that he still feels like a Blazer. Once again, we sure show how classy we are.
Once again, it was a preseason game. They were also starting West and LA. I do not see that working. Might have success with that pairing against a second unit. We know he delayed surgery on his thumb to finish out last season. The recovery was supposed to take longer.
You don't even have to game plan for him, just let him be himself. Teams scheme to get guys to take mid-range jumpers, and LA is happy to do that. That is what drove me nuts.
Doesn't the fact that you have to reach back that far defeat the point (I think) you're trying to make?
I like the points per shot stat, because it's an easy way to take into account 2s,3s, and getting to the FT line. The best offenses in the nba last year generated 1.25+ points per shot, with the best being the Clippers at 1.28. Last year, LaMarcus pps = 1.17. That is equivalent to the Indiana Pacers team output, and they were not one of the better offensive teams last year. As a contrast, Damian Lillard, who had a bad shooting year, was at 1.27, which would be a tad better than the 2nd place team in that stat, the Warriors. And he created a lot of his own shots, more so than LA. Just goes to show you that we'd have been much better off with someone else chucking up those shots.
Its not that he still feels like a Blazer, its that he is used to having people "look out for him" and have things "tailored for him." Truth is he is a spoiled princess, who doesn't know how to play ball in a system that is not centered around him. He is going to crash and burn.
