I hope so. But this will be Nurk's 3rd Playoffs with the Blazers albeit he was injured for most of one of them. Kanter has been shown to be easily taken out of Playoff matchups when there is more time for teams to scheme and make adjustments and now that Hood/Kanter have arrived, Jakes shot attempts have plummeted. It hasn't mattered so far who those complimentary players were before. I HOPE things are different this year, but if the Playoffs were to start today, the Blazers would be matched up against Houston. If they are still decimated by injuries, Portland should win. But if Paul and Capela are back, do you think Portland wins that series? I think they have a better shot this year because the Rockets lost a lot of wing defender ability with Mbah a Moute and Ariza gone....but I'm not sure Vegas would have them as a favorite if the Rockets are healthy. ....and Yes, Stotts is a big part of it. He has enabled Dame/CJ to play the way they do and does not seem to make adjustments well. At 60+ years old, I'm not full of confidence that he suddenly turns over a new leaf.
I don't think we've seen this Nurk before. I've stated elsewhere that I think he's the best defensive big in the league now. I'm amazed at how effective he is patrolling the paint.
He is better than last year but IMO, not quite the the level of the Nurk Fever version when he first came here. And as well as he is playing, the style Dame/CJ play will still often limit his touches even when he is having a very good game. I would really like to see them use him more consistently but it still comes in random spurts. Stotts is part of that as well.
I don't know about being "much better", I think that's a stretch. But they could be a little better equipped, and tiny edges can make a big difference in a game, and one game can turn a series. Not every playoff team will have a Holiday and Rondo to shut down Dame while AD jumps every screen and pick. That's a start right there. Nurkic has been quite a bit better this season. if he can carry that thru to the playoffs, that changes things for Portland. But that's not guaranteed last year, Harkless was hurt. If he's healthy, there's a little edge. Layman can be a wild-card for Portland. Kanter might help maintain bench scoring but I worry about his playoff defense; historically, his minutes have been cut way back in the playoffs but I just don't think Hood-Curry-Turner can change the trajectory of a playoff series
The world has gone haywire. I'm usually the positive outlook guy to the overall pessimism of the boards. However, this time I'm agreeing with the OP. Sure, the negative +/- against Boston isn't a big deal. However, in aggregate, it's huge: we've had a bench negative +/- in ALL FOUR GAMES that Kanter has played. I'm not blaming Kanter, but this "deep team" that supposedly got deeper has a bench that is getting routinely outscored. That's troublesome. Lillard and Nurk are having to work too hard. It does not bode well for the playoffs. #OptimisticButStillConcerned
Don’t entirely disagree. I think they’ve both made strides as defenders... and I think it’s unlikely they are a “winning combo”, but... I’d rather give them a chance with a decent coach that can, ya know, get them open looks and buy them a least a bit of breathing room in the playoffs. Or make adjustments. Or change rotations. Or slightly change schemes to add a little unexpected flavor. I’d rather cast aside Stotts than break up Dame and CJ before knowing what they’re capable of under different guidance. Now, if we had Greg Popovich... yeah, I’d be alllll for the sample size argument.
EXACTLY. I fully understand the concerns people have with a Dame/CJ pairing. I have those concerns too. But I absolutely would not want to toss CJ aside until we see them play together under a better coach. Personally I no longer see Dame as a negative defender. So that just leaves CJ and surely we can hide one poor defender. Tony Parker wasn't exactly known for his defense and yet he won Finals MVP. Blaming our issues on CJ is idiotic, IMO. We have MUCH bigger problems - namely coaching and PF. Start there, and if CJ is the weak link after those fixes then make a move.
Will you shut the fuck up already with this? 2 threads is enough for your Woah as me bullshit about Kanter when we have yet to lose with him
Sorry... but three threads all with the same bs that can be put in a game thread or his “Kanter is garbage” thread Can we get a merge at least? The only thing suffering is the board. The only thing that’s garbage are b4e takes
@SlyPokerDog would you be willing to merge the garbage thread, and this one? It's talking about the same player just one has a more appropriate title.
