While I am glad the Blazers got the win over the Nets, it was ugly and dependable upon luck and hero ball. Portland got some stops, but I'm not sure if that was more because of defense or because the Nets just simply missed. Dinwiddie had a great shot to take the lead from the three point line. It was a line drive that luckily missed. The Blazers went on to win by 2. The truth is the Blazers should have destroyed this team without its best player, without a center, a team that is lottery level even with those guys. The Blazers are 11-8, they should be 15-4 if not better. There is a disfunction here on this team, a disscord that is hurting the Blazers. I know we have discussed the parts if it in several threads. I wanted to bring it all together to form a full picture. We have talked about how Dame and CJ two offensive centric players, though one of the most exciting backcourts in the NBA, cannot thrive together. So what can we get in a trade for CJ? Because he's the obvious one between the rwo out the door. Right? We talked about how Evan Turner has been a wash, a very expensive wash. How Maurice Harkless has yet to show up this year. How Nurkic has transformed from the beast he was last year to a flopping, unbalanced freight train, who is becoming more and more content to shoot jumpers. (Though I was certainly glad to see him play well this morning, the nets had no center to stop him, so I will take it with a grain of salt) We have talked about the holes at PF and back up 2 guard left vacant by the exodus of Allen Crabbe. Stotts is still trying to mold Pat Connaughton and is reluctant to keep with a three guard lineup that includes napier. He finally resorted to starting Pat at the 3, giving Layman some PT. He didn't have much a choice. For as much crap as many of us give Stotts, myself included( and I will give him dome later in this post) his job right now is not an easy one. Besides Dame, CJ, and Nurk...there isn't a whole lot to work with. Evan Turner: A wash, and an expensive one. He is still struggling to find a place in Stotts system. He strives backing down players in the post and hitting impossible shots over them. He has been pushed outside, and unlike in Boston where he was used to touching the ball a whole lot and running the offense from the bench, his attempts to do so here have not panned out so far, and have hurt the Blazers more than helped. He has worked on bettering his three point shot which is still very inconsistent. I don't completely blame him for that. Stotts isn't taking the strengths of Turners game and using them constructively. He is trying to force Turner what does not come natural. Maurice Harkless: Ever since the summer, when it seemed he would be traded to New York, and then wasn't, he has not showed up to play, and has had a miserable season to say the least. Is he pouting? Is his worse than lackluster play a protest? Did he decide not to care about the game, now that he got paid. It seems to beca repeat of last years Crabbe delimna. Whatever it is, Harkless needs to realize he is here in Portland till he's not and he needs to play with some care. He used to be a huge energy source for the Blazers, igniting the fast break. He has since puttered out. He leaves a big hole in the Blazers offense. I think he will get traded before the seasons over. Al Farouq Aminu: The Blazer's best defensive player is sitting on the injured list. Though he has shot better from the 3 this year, he still can't dribble without tripping over himself. He is a liability on the offensive end. Shabazz Napier: Bazz is a light for the Blazers. A steal from Orlando, he brings instant offense off the bench and is the closest thing to a third shooter. But, he is undersized and Stotts doesn't like to play him as much because he values matchups over viable offense. Noah Vonleh: Vonleh has shown some spark this season, continuing off what he showed last year next to Nurk. He eorks hard on the boards and isn't afraid to throw doen some dunks. Though he gets hesitant when he is surrounded in the paint. A little more confidence and this guy will shine. Some people were considering him a bust, I disagree. Ed Davis: The Blazers back up center who is actually a PF, but hey. Gotta love a guy that gets phsyical in the paint. That said dude is a little to wild sometimes and is stuck playing undersized against bigger centers and mismamages the ball on the offensive end quite often losing it. I think he will be traded by the end of the season. Pat Connaughton: Pat has stepped up to try and fill the whole at the the backup wing, but is indubitably inconsistent. When he is on he can hit threes from deep and catapult us ibto the lead and lemd energy to the game. But, when he is off he is ice cold and its contagious. I only wish he had a bit more gall, a bit more confidence. He doesn't attack the rim enough and works best off the pass. Still too one dimensional, but he is young. Jake "The Snake" Layman: Jake doesn't get a lot of playing time, but when he does you can see the desire is there. Layman is an energetic player who plays well off the pass. He is still learning how to play at the NBA level. He definately has potential. Caleb Swanigan: Caleb has shown some metal in his first season so far. His minutes are far and few between, but he has the makings of something special. He even got to start, with Vonleh out, and Stotts trying to find workable lineups. Caleb is a hungry, energetic guy with an emphasis on going for every board and put back he can manage. His footwork and hands get the better of him, but this guy has what it takes. Zach Collins: The least played player this year. Collins is still very young and likely needs a few years to mold and colesce, but you got to like a defensive minded big man. I'd like to see him play more, but he has become victim to a clogged frontcourt. There are alot of issues with player performance, and I think most it has to do with Stotts System. There are coaches who build an plan around the players, their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and then there are coaches who have a system and stuff players into it, regardless of ill fit. Stotts unfortunately is the ladder. I'm not saying he is a terrible coach. I know his job to find a workable scheme for this rag tag roster is perhaps not easy, but he is making it harder on himself. Instead of stuffing players into his scheme, he needs to figure out a system that implements all of their strengths and guards against their weakness. That flexability could mean a whole spate of difference. Instead its shoot a bunch of threes and give it to Nurk sometimes in the paint. Give it to Dame amd CJ and screen for more threes. As we have seen its not working great for us. Conclusions: Stotts needs to have some flexabilty in his system and be willing to change it, make it better. The Blazers need some help. Harkless, Davis and another player ot two will likely be gone this year before the deadline... Olshey needs to use the exception to bring in a wing who take pressure off of Dame and CJ and add some scoring power. Consider trading McCollum for the right deal. The team needs a player only retreat where they can work their shit out Players should form a fight club
Dysfunction to me means they are playing way below their potential and are fighting amongst themselves. Aren't they kind of right on course for where we picked them? The roster has holes. It lacks another scorer. Something we have been saying since July. Trading CJ will not bring us more talent, it will just bring us different talent. And there is no way that talent will be as good of a shooter. Who would give us more than we give them. Because that is what we need.
I tend to look at the spark in their play in determining whether they should stay or go. Harkless has NONE. Ed Davis is loaded with it and Vonleh too seems excited to be out there and make an impact. I think Lenard should be traded too, but really, it's all about chemistry and playing as a unit. That doesn't come easy, but it won't come at all with players who are not interested in finding it.
The Blazers are 11-8 with their best defensive player injured. Yep, definitely dysfunctional. Does anyone in this forum enjoy the team?
We seem to get better as the year goes on, so being above .500 in the crowded west isn't the end of the world. They've dropped a few they probably should have had but so has every other team in the west. I thought Brooklyn was really good this morning on offense and we were able to answer and get a road win. There's a reason they play the games, every team has NBA talent. At this point in the season we were under .500 the last two season.
I think we are about where we are supposed to be. Slightly above average... what you think core has a champuomship ceiling? Nobody is that delusional.
Tbh the time to trade CJ for a legit SF was last year. Could have gotten a great SF for CJ and moved Crabbe into the starting two. Now if we trade CJ it'd have to include a SG in the deal since I don't see Pat or ET being our long term starting two.
