Thanks for responding to Ed O. I agree with some of what Ed said, but for the most part its a reflection how pessimistic and down Blazers fans are right now. Calling Bogut and Jennings better off than Aldridge and Batum? Aldridge, who on RealGM was voted the best PF in the league currently being called a player with less upside than Monroe? Monroe's doing great but he'll never be called the best at his position. There's a lot of negativity right now, and understandably so, but let's step away from the cliff a bit. This is what we have right now Aldridge- Top 10-15 player in the league, and unanimously top 3 PF, if not number 1. Batum- A great 2nd or 3rd option who obviously needs more touches. Camby- One of the best rebounders in the league, but can only play so many minutes. Wallace- A good player who is playing way more injured than most people realize and is one of the worst people who could play in a condensed season given his playing style. If he stays, next year he'll be solid (beginning of the year people were calling him an all-star and he's played at near all-star level for years!), but that's a big if. If you don't buy into that, then at worst he's an expiring contract. Mathews- A rhythm shooter from distance who's also above average on D. In a slump currently. Thomas- An awesome backup big who is comfortable in his role. Very long in the tooth of course, but plays his role well. C. Smith- A great backup PF that everyone has been longing for for as long as I've been around. Crawford- A perennial 6MotY candidate who is in a large slump. Very clutch, but slumping and inhibiting Batum's game. Felton- An above average PG having the worst season of his life. If nothing else he's an expiring contract. E. Williams- I'm not as high on him as most, but due to his age and the dreaded "P" word, he does have some value. Babbitt, N. Smith, C. Johnson, A. Johnson haven't shown anything, and Oden is of course Oden. That's not a bad roster at all. The bottom line is if you have Batum, Mathews, Crawford, and Felton, at least two of them need to be having an average or an above average game for the team to succeed. On any given night, the odds of having that SHOULDN'T be too bad, but unfortunately they have been. Throw in Wallace's injury and fatigue in general, and you've got 1/3 of your roster dictating your success. Aldridge-Batum is a good combo that will hopefully continue to grow with more chances for Batum. You have a great mix of role players around them, and hopefully Nate will be willing to play players in their roles (which includes not playing them when they're sucking). This is not a bad situation at all. It may be dreary at the moment, but it's not as bad as people are making it out to be.
Felton was NEVER an above average point guard save for his short stint in New York. He was always average at best. Look at all the starting point guards in the league and tell me who you would take Felton over? Even assuming he was playing at his career averages.
This forum sucks. No new posters. A bunch of whiney, several thousand post posters. Bitch bitch bitch. Its just a game. Watch it and enjoy it. If you can't cheer your team during loses don't watch. Bunch of pussies.
Don't forget about the couple hundred post posters bitching about the several thousand post posters. I read this somewhere, and while I think it;s garbage it applies here. If you can't enjoy the forum during losses don't post. Stupid assholes. Or something like that
