He's right. What more needs to be said? I don't think they are playing that well. They are winning inspite of it. That is due to the coach's in game managment in opinion. He's a really good game manager. The good news is after friday, they will have several days of practice to tune their game up on both end.
These kinda losses happen once in a while. Remember when we went into San Antonio last year and beat them by like 40? Can't make too much out of one loss when we're 22-5. The key is to look at the big picture and identifying correctable mistakes. I loved Wessy and LA questioning the D. Great timing too considering we have a few days to practice. It was trending in the right direction for a while, but it has recently gotten back to being in the bottom third of the league. Has to change.
One thing that occurred to me while reading this. I know that Olshey accumulated assets to obtain Chris Paul and then it seems the plan was to do the same here in hoping a superstar would become available. But in light of the progress of Aldridge and the continuing clutch play by Lillard; this doesn't seem to be the optimal strategy right now. we already have the superstars; we just need better supporting cast. So we should use some of those assets if an opportunity arises to add quality bench players. Right now. There is really no reason to wait.
I don't see the point in being critical of Blazer players, or the team, till they've had a half season or more playing together. (Fatty Felton would be the exception obviously, coming to training camp looking like a stuffed eclair.) It takes time to grow as a team and work out the kinks. 22-5 says a lot about how fast this team has bonded/meshed and I wouldn't be critical if they were at .500 at this point. I'm open to a few players joining the Blazers (Haws for instance), but at what expense? That's when these discussions get pretty silly.
And why would you or I know better than Olshey what that opportunity (and opportunity cost) is? I don't think we do. The opinion you expressed sets up a giant straw man, as though there is a trade that could be made that would make sense for Portland and would actually happen. Olshey isn't making any moves at 22-5 that is going to disrupt what this team has accomplished. Even the guys that have played below expectations played a role at some point in the 22 wins. I also think Blazer fans had unreasonable expectations of what a room exception PG, or a 3 mil vet SF, is suppose to provide, but that's another story. And to speak nothing of the affect 22 wins has on adding to those expectations, making them even more unreasonable.
I'm going to disagree with you here, simply because I think most Blazers fans' expectations were based on past performance. Wright has basically been a 15 PER player in his career; this year he's at 12. Mo is putting up his worst stats since his rookie year. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect FA acquisitions to produce at a level comparable to their past five seasons' production, regardless of the salary they commanded. Based on the available data, what Williams and Wright have given us so far this year has been a bit of a disappointment.
And was that past performance under the same coach, within the same system, with the same teammates, playing the same number of minutes? Mo started every game he played for Utah, and averaged 6 more minutes per game. PER is not a great stat for guards. His AST/TO ratio is a better stat and it's above 2.00 (it was lower when he played with LAC), even though he looks to shoot more than a typical PG, which is kind of his role off the bench with the lack anyone off the bench in a groove yet. His shooting averages are only slightly lower (1% from both 2pt and 3pt). This is his 12th year in the NBA, and he missed 40 games last season with an injury. What it sound like you're saying is that fans had a perception that Mo was REALLY good and now he is TERRIBLE. I would say that is grounds to say some fans had unreasonable expectations. I also think it's not accurate to read into the stats and come up with hyperbolic interpretations of what they are saying. Mo is an upgrade to Maynor. He is a serviceable back up PG. And, he's good for Dame's growth in practice and in the locker room. I gotta get the kiddo ready for school, but quickly: Wright is averaging 9 fewer minutes than last season. He's in his 10th NBA season. His shooting averages are similar to last season. Again, new coach, new system, new teammates, reduced role. There's an adjustment period. And I think it's unreasonable to allow our eyes, which only see what we want them to see, to convince us that Mo and Wright should be doing much more than they already are. Granted, we can disagree, and I want them to perform better too, but I do not have such high expectations at this juncture given what I've already spelled out.
Wow, talk about hyperbolic interpretations. I neither said, nor even suggested, that people thought Mo or Wright would be REALLY good, or that they're TERRIBLE. If I were to say something of that nature, I would say people thought they would be on the level of an average starter, and instead they're performing on the level of a below-average bench player. Let's not exaggerate, OK? And that's great, that your expectations were lower, given all the variables. That doesn't mean that others' expectations were unreasonable. Ask Wright and Williams if they're satisfied with their individual performances to date. I'm willing to bet that their expectations were more in line with those of the "unreasonable" fans than with yours.
This statement is not accurate. I don't think it's inaccurate for me to say that your statement is representative of someone that percieves Mo as playing TERRIBLE. And, it's inconsistent with your later statement, "a bit of a disappointment." This statement is not so hyperbolic. So, which is it? Are you a fan that thinks, "Mo was REALLY good and now he is TERRIBLE", or are you of the opinion that he's been "a bit of a disappointment"? I'll allow you to put yourself in whichever box you prefer, or even come up with a different box that reflects your opinion. If you’re basing your opinion on “Mo is averaging career worst numbers”, then how can you say you have reasonable expectations? That opinion lacks a great deal of context and thus, is not accurate. What were YOUR expectations? Should Mo and Wright be having career years in their 13th and 9th years (respectively) in the NBA, with a new coach, new system, reduced role/minutes, and new teammates? What is reasonable? 15 PER? Is your expectation based off a manufactured stat devoid of the reality that these guys are past their prime? Mo’s assist to turnover ratio is better than it was with the Clippers. His shooting has been a 1-2% lower. It sounds like you’re looking at one or two advanced/manufactured stats in a vacuum (PER) devoid of the context of his reduced role, age, and new team circumstances, 27 games in. I don’t understand what people expect from a Room Exception PG. The Mo criticisms just seem like fans didn’t know, or chose to be incredulous about, what Mo brought to the table. Which leads to unreasonable expectations. Rather than drone on, EL PRESIDENTE and JfizzleRaider nailed it exactly in this thread (link) , and HailBlazers nailed the rim shot. The opinions they expressed are exactly how I feel about Mo, which means we may have to agree to disagree.
Mo has been pretty much what he has always been a streaky player he can do real well or real bad on any given night. His FG% needs to improve and his TO rate is not good. Also his defense has been suspect. For the money we are paying him he has been fine.
BigGame That sounds exactly like the way Blazer fans seem to feel about all the Blazers. Unfortunately the only one it is true of would be LA.
Who here thinks Batum is the best SF? Who here thinks Wes is the best SG? People are selective with what they read. one of the best doesn't mean the best. But, if it fits into the angle they are going for.....
Ya know whats funny is that I remember in the O-Live forums when Mo was playing for the Cavs Blazers fans really that he'd be a real good pick up for the Blazers, Now they are posting trades with him and talking bad about him.
4-5 years ago he might've been great. Now I'm talking bad about him when he plays poorly. Since he does that more than not, I can see how you may be getting tired of it.
Mo can miss shots all day long if those shots come in the flow of the offense. I just want him to not be the only guy to touch the frickin' ball in more than one, maybe two possessions per game...
Brilliant! - We could have used these when McMillan was in town. I'll get my people to contact your people to get this thing on the production line.
