All are role players, outside of Wade, who wasn't drafted as a PG but as a SG and started his career as a SG. So ... are you saying that Andre Miller should be moved to a new position to help the team get over the hump? Unless I'm missing the All-Stars on your list who were asked to play out of position, of course.
I agree with this 100%. In addition to the "Roy out of position" issue, I just don't see what Blake brings that Webster does not. Using Roy at the SF occasionally--to get Rudy or Bayless minutes--makes sense, but relying on him to guard small forwards every night is going to wear him down. Ed O.
Even more sad that Oden couldn't stay out of foul trouble, isn't it? I'm not blaming any player, btw. If Blake is too blame, then so are the rest of them. That's my point.
My argument was he didn't play major minutes. Doesn't matter why Blake was a good option when the team was rebuilding. Not so much anymore.
Exactly. If Miller is going to be the primary ball-handler, at least have Roy play next to him. Webster, if he gets into a flow, will be the spot-up shooter. Plus, I'd rather have Miller try to cover the opposing PG than Roy chase around SFs all game.
Well, LeBron James seems like a more natural wing, but gets played at power forward a fair amount. While he's rugged enough to handle it, I wouldn't say power forward is his natural position. As to whether Roy can handle small forward, I'm undecided. He wouldn't be terribly undersized and not many small forwards are post-up nightmares. But he will give up some weight to most of them, so I'm not sure.
I think Blake is great off of the bench for now. If Bayless develops as the season progresses, then he should get Blake's minutes. At this point, Bayless isn't there.
I absolutely don't agree that Roy is to blame for anything. In my opinion, he may be a little confused on what direction the team is going for, but I would never compare him to anyone like Statbo, Sheed or others that were given huge contracts and stopped caring about the team. Personally, I think Roy cares deeply about this team. I think he cares enough to sacrifice his scoring and other intangibles that the "outside fans" enjoy watching, as long as his team is winning. What I feel he did in the first 5 games, was try and force the issue. Trying to justify his contract. But in all honesty, the reason why he got paid max wasn't on his scoring. It was his ability to do everything necessary for his team to win. Could starting at 3 be one of them? I think so. If the Blazers go on to a 20 game win streak, I doubt you will hear Roy ever complain. He's a winner. He wants to win. I have no doubt that as long as we are winning, he will accept the role. P.S. Sorry about generalizing you. I must of read it wrong.
Blake is a gamer . . . he has averaged more minutes the last two games than any other Blazer. Not saying he is the best Blazer player, but I think he has been under valued by Blazer fans ever since he has been here (x2). I love a gym rat player . . . Blake isn't fancy, but he is the kind of player other like to play with because he isn't into stats but strictly about helping the team win. As far as Quick's comments: maybe he doesn't know anything, but he has a lot more access to the Blazer players than we do and has probably had a lengthy conversation with Roy on multiple occasions. Who on this board feels they know more about Roy personally? If I read what psoters are thinking about Brondon's psyche, I definetly want to know someone's opinion about Roy's who has access to him. I hope Quick continues to give us his takes on the Blazer team and particular players.
LeBron James isn't exactly a fair point of comparision. He plays PG down the stretch. Perhaps the Cavs should have brought in a guy like Andre Miller since it has been proven that having James as the primary ballhandler at the end of games doesn't lead to championships?
No worries. I have that effect on people. Some of us were having this discussion in the OT forum. How what comes out seems confrontational, when what is typed isn't meant to be so. I'm too direct at times, it seems.
Re: Jason Quick stirs the shit again I'm really beginning to get to that point too. I remember a couple years ago, Jarrett Jack complained because he wasn't really sure of his role. Rudy's basically said the same thing a couple of times now. Bayless' role has never really been defined in his time here. And now that we get a real PG, Roy is uncertain of his role. I think that Roy's "unique skill set" is a primary cause of all this uncertainty. At this point, I think Roy needs to just figure out what the hell he wants to be. If he wants to have the ball in his hands all the time, then fine--be the damn point guard and actually run the offense instead of playing with a pseudo-PG who walks the ball up the floor and hands it off to you the majority of the time. I'm sure there are plenty of players in this league--Bayless included--who would love to play beside him as a 2 on offense and a 1 on defense; we just need to make a fucking decision and stick with it. If he doesn't want to be the point guard, then he needs to figure out how to co-exist with one. Rondo runs the offense in Boston. Williams does it in Cleveland. Fisher in LA. Billups in Denver. Chalmers in Miami. In all of those situations, the best player on the team is a 2 or a 3 who is very effective with the ball in their hands, but they let the damn point guard run the offense. Why can't Roy do the same? I'd like to think that he can if he chooses to--if not, then he's not the max player that we think he is.
Hmm... I'm not sure that I buy that. You think Oden enjoys playing with him, after more than a year's worth of missed entry passes? Even if players "like playing with him", it doesn't mean he's a good player. Blake only does one thing well at the NBA level: shoot three pointers. He doesn't create his own shot and he doesn't create for other players. He is not a particularly good defender and he doesn't create turnovers. As a bench player behind Miller I think he becomes an asset for a contending-level team. As a starter he's an albatross. Ed O.
Evdently Quick peaked through the blinds and saw Roy crying when he learned Marc Iavaroni is going to be our next coach. Can't say I blame the guy, that would make me sad, too. BNM
The Cavs have tried to bring in play-makers to allow James not to have be the primary and only play-maker for the team throughout the game. And James has, over the years, played off the ball more and more. Obviously, he gets the ball a lot and so does, and should, Roy. Roy seemed to get the ball quite a bit over the past two games. Against San Antonio, he scored a lot. Against Minnesota, his scoring wasn't needed so he passed and rebounded more. It seems like too small a sample size to determine whether Roy is being used optimally or not. Blow-out wins aren't good representations of how the team will typically play.
I like that people remember one specific play rather than the multiple ones that led to that specific play.
Blake's career AST% of 25,9% seems to negate this. He is a PG - just not a fancy one, nor an elite one - but he is a role player that plays like a role player. This year, playing as a 2nd (or 3rd) PG on the team - he assists at 20% while his usage percent is a low 13.6. For all of you that think that Rudy is better at creating for others - Rudy's Ast% is 16% this year with a much higher usage% of 18 - and Rudy's TOV% is higher than Blake's as well. The idea that Blake does not create for others is a myth. It is not fancy, it is not world-beating - but it is not trivial.
I think the biggest reason to start Miller and Blake alongside eachother is to have essentially a transition period. Ease Roy and Miller into playing off of eachother. Really, they should have been thrown together in the preaseason the entire time. But whatever. That's past. What would happen if Nate started Miller alongside Roy, with Webster in there, and they were just terrible together? And we lost 3 or 4 in a row, and there was no chemistry from the starting unit? Does he make another change? How many fickle fans would flip the fuck out about a 3rd change then? Or flip out about the lack of chemistry, etc. His easing the transition, at least for these last two games, has seemed to work out alright for us. As for stars playing out of position, I would argue that Amare is a natural PF, but has been asked to play C for Phoenix, because of their style of play. Should he have pouted about being an undersized C? Rashard Lewis was mentioned as well. Shawn Marion is a 4 time all star. I don't consider any of them on Roy's level but, again, I don't see this switch lasting all that long, so I'm not going to fret about it.
