Credit to @jlprk for linking this in another thread, but this is so hilarious that I really think it needed it's own call out. http://www.si.com/nba/2017/02/12/po...ver-nuggets-mason-plumlee-jusuf-nurkic-grades He gave us a C+ for the trade and he gave Denver a B+. Nice one Benny
What a fucking dumbass. You can tell he's trying to shed that former BlazersEdge writer rep. So then he'll say dumb shit like that just to be accepted
And they ARE the biggest bunch of dumbasses ever to grace a blog. I've never seen such stupidity in my life than what's typed up on BlazersEdge. And God forbid anyone there criticize Stotts for anything.
What's funny is he called Nurkic's game "floor cramping". Hello? Plumlee wasn't even being defended half the time, allowing his defender to roam and to help extend the defense well beyond the 3 point line. THAT'S floor cramping. Nurkic has opened the floor because defenses have to account for him anywhere inside the 3 point line. No one cares to defend Plumlee unless he's about to get a dunk.
Blazers could acquire Lebron for Connaughton and they would still find a way to tell us how in reality we shouldn't get excited.
1) It was easy to get the trade analysis wrong. Nurkic is acting like a completely different player on the blazers that he was on the Nugs. 2) Sometimes, though, I think sports writers watch a game every other week, and get their news from other sources (like I do). 3) Whether board members like it or not, Ben is doing very well for himself. That being said, I generally think the criticism he receives is warranted.
"Blazers C+, Cavs A-" Blazers gave CLE a huge boost, taking on a past-his-prime veteran with a cap-bloating salary among the highest in the league, in exchange for a floor-spacing guard on a rookie minimum contract. Not only did POR give CLE luxury tax relief, they didn't even get a 1st-round pick for doing so, and giving up a promising youth with impressive raw athleticism for a wing who can't defend smaller guards and has only shot >36% from 3 twice in his 14 years is a recipe for staying in the dreaded middle of the pack. Blazers get a C+, though, for only having to have 1 more year on the contract after this one. Even though they'll be in luxury tax hell for it, if LeBron can recover a bit of the athleticism that helped him to multiple titles in MIA, then maybe he'll be more than just another coach-on-the-floor taking minutes from Crabbe, Aminu and Harkless. And CLE? Turning a wing whose ballhandling is getting worse (TO% is at the highest of his career), and whose defense is getting to be on par with his long-range shooting (block and steal rates are among the lowest of his career), into a promising athletic guard whose 4 years in school gave him a good BBIQ and who's on a rookie deal is a masterstroke of both cap maneuvering and reloading for future playoff runs."
I kid, but I've never really had a problem with Ben's analysis (other than the "-by Ben Golliver" snafu). Even when I disagree, I generally get where he's coming from. Dave was the one I vehemently disagreed with about 95% of the time, with seemingly no logic other than "I'm a fan and they're dumb, and you're dumb if you disagree"
Nurkic reminds be of a bowling ball when he heads to the basket on a pick and roll. I think that gets defender's attention and draws them towards him. Pick and Roll > Pick and Pop
Doesn't Ben Goliver suck? Or is that only when he's critical? It's hard to keep up. Hope this didn't offend anyone
An ironic thing I noticed in comparing Nurkic's stats this year between his time in Denver and Portland, is that it's almost identical. He's averaging a couple more assists and one more block her per 36, but scoring, shooting percentage, and rebounding is the same. So I am wondering why they would give him up for so little?
Almost identical? Per 36 his FT% is up 18%, Steals up 1.1 to 1.7, Assists up 2.6 to 4.2, Blocks up 1.6 to 2.6... I'd consider all of those shifts to be significant. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nurkiju01.html STOMP
So, do you agree with Golliver that DEN got the best of this trade? Or, maybe he deserved to get "blasted". You trot out the same tired act every time anyone criticizes a journalist for dissing the Blazers, but guess what, sometimes journalists are wrong, and when they are, it's fair game to call them out on it. Seriously, we got the better player who is younger, cheaper AND Denver threw in a 1st round pick. Golliver gave POR a C+ and DEN a B+ for a possible 3 month rental of Plumlee. This summer, they either overpay to keep him, or lose him and have nothing to show for giving up Nurkic and a 1st round pick. Yeah, I'd say old Benny boy deserves all the blasting he's getting for this one. BNM
Nurk plays like I always hoped Aldridge would. Crushing screens, hard rolls, rim defense, nastiness. Taking open perimeter shots when the defense gives him it is an afterthought, not a core strategy. I wish Meyers Leonard had spent his formative years learning from Nurk instead of LMA.
