PG should never be an All Star over CJ again. I know they play different positions, but does not really matter. Media needs to stop disrespecting our boys.
A deep run helps every player on the roster. If CJ continues to play like this I'm sure he will get more respect for sure.
Most players want to be loved and appreciated by their fans. CJ IMO gets too much abuse on social media and message boards. Not saying he does not deserve to be criticized at times, all players do, but CJ is one of those players who gets more than they deserve. I think the vibe you feel is the uneasiness he has in Portland knowing so many fans view him mostly as trade bait. It takes a toll.
Media influence coaches too. Media hypes crap ... because they are "marketable". anyone who has watched CJ knows ... he balls more than some of the fools out there.
Piggybacking on this ... whether you like the style he plays or not, the fact is he has proven consistently he can get it done in the playoffs, and he does it in ways that are more than scoring. And the fact that a guy who can break down a defense and get a quality shot for themselves almost whenever the ball is in their hands is one of the most valuable if not the most valuable skill in high-level basketball. He makes plays. But some fans get caught up in who he isn't or what he isn't instead of realizing there really aren't a lot of players clearly better than him in the NBA. Just the attention he commands from other teams makes the players around him better.
CJ IS THE MAN! THIS is exactly why you don't trade CJ. You NEED guys who can create their own shot in the POs, and CJ is one of the best in the league. Also, that play where he ripped the ball from Paul, went 3/4 length of the court and drilled the 3 was NAAAASTY. That steal alone was one of the best steals I've ever seen. Then to cap it off with the pull-up 3 with a defender on your back? GTFO, man - it's too good!
That was a phenomenal play. One of my favorites from him last night was really early in the second half, he got the ball near the top of the key, started right, dribbled through the paint, back out the left side, back up top, back down the right side again, and hit a floater. Had the Thunder defense in a tizzy as he dribbled around and through all of them--literally running circles around the opposition.
I think Kenny pointed out last night in the post-game, "That was a terrible shot; it just happened to go in."
Coulda been--I was half-asleep by that point. I just assumed it was Kenny because Charles has been told (by Kenny) that he's not allowed to comment on guards.
I low-key thought he was trying to get Grant to run up his backside for three (or one) free throws. But, the dude was just feeling it most of the night, so maybe he was just like "fuck it - this is going in".
OKC is a great matchup for CJ because we can hide him on defense by guarding Ferguson. If we play a team that posts CJ up or has a player that can get his shot off over the top of him then some of the reasons people want to trade him will come back up again. I'm happy to have CJ right now though.
CJ is showing up when it counts.....he's playing better defense and being more of a team player...good to see! He's always been an impressive, articulate guy. Easy to cheer for!
And yet, I've seen CJ make PG really work hard the couple of times he was trying to post him up. CJ's pretty strong and physical. He's not little. He's short of the ideal for a 2 guard by an inch or two. I guess I disagree with what seems to be the approach of most of the board that CJ is this huge defensive liability. He seems to block a lot of shots for a guard and many of the steals he comes up with are clutch. And he wears the opposition out on the other end because to defend him you have to be extremely disciplined and move your feet.
