Chad Ford: Blazers best team in the West

Hadn't seen this posted, so sorry if it's a repeat. I thought it was worth mentioning.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview2010/news/story?page=Predictions1011-TrailBlazers

 

I like how Brian Windhorst said, "No matter what, they still have one of the best pick-and-roll combos in Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge".


Oh really now?

 

It's interpretive. If you consider the pick and pop a pick and roll then he's actually correct.

 

You and them newfangled words.

 

Blazers COULD be the best team in the west is a far cry from "Blazers are the best team in the west." :devilgrin:

 

I should use a spell checker more often.

 

He picked them 3rd....misleading title.

 

Very misleading title.

 

Not really. The fact that Ford thinks we could be the best team in the west is noteworthy. It indicates that he thinks we are one of the premiere teams in the league.

 

Ya, but the title doesn't say could be which is the misleading part.

 

Huh?

 

Come on, Shooter, no offense, but you are not that dense. He didn't say they are the best team in the west, he said could be the best team in the west. Your title implies the former. Misleading.

 

Why didn't you make THIS the title then?

 

I understand that, but I couldn't understand your one-sentence post. It made no sense to me.

 

I could have, but I honestly don't see a lot of difference between the two statements.

 

You don't?

I could be the best basketball player in the world (if I grew about five inches, lifted weights, and played hoops all day every day).

is a lot different from

I am the best basketball player in the world (even though I'm only 6'1, I haven't hit the weights in months, and I haven't played ball in almost a year).

 

Really?

It's good you are not a judge, then.

1. He is a murderer

2. He could be a murderer

#1 gets you jail or the chair
#2 gets you nothing unless #1 is proven...

 

If you think Ford means the same thing, you better think again.

What he is saying is that there's a good chance the Blazers will be the best team in the West this season as they are now constituted. The Blazers don't need to add another player, or get in better physical condition--they may actually be the best team in the west right now, but it's hard to say until we see how things pan out.

 

Okay, scroll up and look at your title. Do you see it? Blazers best team in the west. That's a clear statement. Black and white. They ARE the best team in the west. There are no caveats or asterisks. That's not what he said at all. Ford never said that they ARE the best team in the west. He said they COULD be the best team in the west. That's a far cry from what you're saying. Hell, even YOU said "there's a good chance" and "they may actually be". I don't see how you can say words like "chance" and "may" and still think that you're supporting the same argument.

 

If Chad Ford were talking about murder, I'm sure he would have phrased it differently. Who wouldn't? In the context of a basketball discussion, however, his meaning is perfectly clear.

Try it this way. An art teacher, glancing over her pupils' shoulders on the first day of class, spies an especially good drawing in the process of being completed. "You could be the best student in my class!" she exclaims.

This doesn't mean the student needs to work harder, learn more about colors, or develop a more refined touch. What it means is that the student MAY be the best artist in her class already, but she just isn't sure. She needs to see more from him over the coming months to determine if he really is the best.

That's exactly what Ford is saying. The Blazers bear watching, because they "could be" the best team in the West.