So taking bad shots early in the shot clock when you could be involving your new teammates doesn't figure into overall contributions that are more than a shooting percentage? Where are you even getting this?
Man, take it down a notch. I am defending him because I know he can play better but he still played well. We are wanting the same thing, don't bark at me.
11 assists is only 2 away from single digits, single digits is one word away from single. So Lillard really only got a single assist. #Math
So do you expect him to head to the press conference and dwell on his poor performance in the 4th? Like you said he is a vet. He knows he played well, overall, but I'm also sure he knows he forced some stuff late that he wont need to do as often as the season progresses. He is also new to being a leader with a bunch of new guys around him. Its the FIRST game. He probably wanted to close it out in superstar style and forced a few shots. Its been said all summer everything is on him now and he is feeling that. But as he comes to trust his teammates in crunch time more, he will settle down himself and make better decisions. He is smart and works at his game and has improved every year. I think he is already improved from last year. If his 3 takes a hit, but he can drive into the lane and finish against anyone? That's a trade off I take any day of the week. Now before we start bashing Dame for a few bad decisions in the fourth, lets not forget that last year many were bitching about him not having enough assists. Dude had 11. Now lets take this a bit further... IF I have to I will dig up references to the likes of an LBJ and an MJ and a Durant and a Kobe, ALL forcing shots up in a fourth quoter and having a rough time. Dame is a scorer. Shooters need to shoot through their funks. Not stop shooting. I am personally at peace with what he did all four quarters because I know Dame expects perfection of himself and will continue to work on himself until he meets it... and he never will.
Let's be honest. This team has very little margin for error. For one night, CJ was burning down the nets - and with good defense and rebounding that was enough to win. How often is CJ going to be that hot? Most nights, this team will not win unless Dame is carrying the offense. That's why the poor %/forcing shots issue is drawing so much attention. It isn't scapegoating - it is an acknowledgement of just how critical Dame is to this team. It is part of the burden of being a star/team leader.
Meh... I think it was proven that we have more than just those two. I don't mean as scorers, but I mean as a force. AMino and Davis played lights out overall. I have realized that Dame, as critical as he is, isnt AS critical as I once thought. Also, CJ cooled way off in the second half, he wasnt hot all game. Maybe the D collapsed on him. But we have two bonafied playmakers who cna score. Thats one more than most marginal teams out there. This year is a year for learning. Let Dame learn from his mistakes and how to play with his new TEAMates. Dame will be just fine. He may not become that LBJ/MJ type MVP some think he could become, but he will be a star for many years and will be part of the big picture. He knows it and he is doing all the right things to help himself to be as prepared and ready as possible. Further more, Njot becuase of any regression from Dame, but I do think that CJ might end up being the leading point scorer on this team. I think he will become much more consistent than some ( HCP) think.
Good call. SG is the thinest position there is. He has played at a fantastic level for a stretch, if it continues, I could see him moving up in the SG rankings.
Of course he will be our new scape goat. He's getting paid like a superstar. Well deserved, I might add. The best player on the team will get the most scrutiny. Drexler had it, Sheed had it, Statbo had it, Roy had it and Aldridge had it. The good thing is Dame likes the scrutiny and will overcome like he's overcome everything else
People aren't bashing him. They are calling him out on his bad shot selection....because that's what it is, BAD. Pull up threes with 20 seconds on the shot clock are not good shots. Stepback threes with a man in your face are not good shots. I don't care if you're Stephen Curry or Ray Allen, these types of shots should be kept at a minimum and Dame has been shooting handfuls of these shots so far in pre-season and last night. I get that this is "his" shot, but he should be smart enough to realize that even if enough of these shots go in, he's shutting his teammates out on each of these possessions. Hero ball threes are fun when they go in, but not conducive to winning. Dame is being paid like a mega star and he's going to have the carry the burden that comes with it. No one is saying he's a bad player (well almost no one). No one wants to trade him. People are simply pointing out things that could make him better.
I completely disagree with MAGS! I believe the best player on the team, deserves NO criticism. They carry the team on their shoulders and are under ALL the pressure! The scapegoats should be the guys making MILLIONS of dollars and STILL not helping us win!
Given that the Blazers have such a low payroll (by NBA standards) isn't that kind of like yelling at the dishwasher when Gordon Ramsey burns his souffle?
5 of Lillard's assists were to Leonard. 2 were to McCollum. So Lillard's assist total was inflated by those 2 players, not deflated.
I agree with you. I am saying of course they will because they do all the time. Look around the league throughout history. The players that take the most heat for wins and losses are the best player on the team. Melo gets tons of heat in New York. Kobe got it when he was the best on the Lakers. The list goes on.
This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. They're under the most pressure, so they should be immune from criticism? Really? That's idiotic. Let's carry this idea forward: The US president is under the most pressure of any politician, so he shouldn't be criticized for military gaffes or economic failures; A CEO of a corporation is under the most pressure of any employee, so they shouldn't be held accountable for financial losses; Or if you insist on sports examples: the quarterback has the most pressure of any player on a football team, so he should never be criticized for poor play; A pitcher has the ball in his hand all game long--tons of pressure!!--so they should never be criticized. Any player, any position, any person is subject to criticism if they fall short of reasonable expectations, or perform in a way that is insufficient to accomplish the goal with which they have been tasked. Dame is no different. If the pressure upon him causes him to make poor choices that end up detrimental to the team, he will be criticized, and rightly so. And knowing him, he will take that criticism and turn it into something that will make him better.
I agree with your assessment, and bolded the part that seems to be the most subjective. Reasonable expectations is highly subjective, in that there are common goals, but the nuances, semantics are the ones most argued about ("He's got a good overall game, keeps upgrading his game, helps us win, but his 3 pt shot sucks! He's the worst! What a bum! Can't he do everything?") Dame is meeting these reasonable expectations. However, people -expect- him to be great at everything because he is Dame. Which, to me, sounds crazy. I'm not going to buy a car that's shiny and new and bitch about how the air freshner isn't the old school tree scent.
Remember when we were all pleased with winning 30 games as long as the team tried hard? One win and folks are talking margin of error like we should be winning 45.
The competitveness of sports exponentially increased with the inclusion of social media and other instantaneous outlets for fans.
