Game Thread GAME# 1: JAZZ @ BLAZERS - OCTOBER 25, 2016 - TUESDAY, 7:00 (PDT), KGW

As a male dog it makes sense that you enjoy the company of bitches!

Just joking, don't mod me bro.

 

I wouldn't make him mad. He may attack....

 

Apparently Favors is injured and could be limited tonight. He's missed the last few practices with a knee injury.

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=41956941&nid=304

 

Huh? Are you for real? You are here for some back and forth no?
Curious. I can't stand the Lakers, Houston the Clippers and in the last three years, we have played two of these teams in the playoffs. I have never once felt compelled to spend my time on one of these teams forums. Curious. What spawned you to come here?

(Edited because I was insulting and thought I was just playing the part of the back and forth.)

 

Mic drop. He won't be around to defend himself after tonight.

 

I just figured a guy trolling so hard is looking for some heat is all. Honestly I could think of a hundred better things to do with my time, but to each their own.
Al;so, I figured since he is insulting our team or roster he could take it in return. I kinda thought that's what these guys are looking for when they come here to begin with? A fight? An argument? They are here to ruffle feathers? I was just playing along...
Ill edit.

 

Exactly. A thrift store version of the 2015-2016 Grizzlies. It must really hurt that the blazers lost 4/5 starters and still beat you 3/4 times and made the playoffs last year. And guess what, you guys were picked to have a better record and go farther in the playoffs, by all the season previews last year as well.

 

That makes sense though. You can't blame experts for underrating the Blazers. Your team's quick come-up (or rebound I guess) was quite remarkable. I had high hopes for McCollum when he was drafted as a NBA fan, but he was buried for 2 years. I thought he would have a good 3rd year with minutes, but no one really expected him to blowup like he did. That along with the ridiculous uptick in Aminu's 3pt ability just made for a perfect storm. Not to mention the near perfect bill of health among your top players (knock on wood, don't want anyone getting hurt).

Blazers took the NBA by surprise last year but it won't happen this year. I know it upsets fans to hear their team will be worse than the previous, but I don't see much internal improvement from your team, sorry. More than anything I see opportunity for regression unless Lillard really has a ridiculous season. The team I like to compare teh Blazers to are the Suns of a few years back when they surpassed expectations to have a great year only to come back the next year much worse. The Blazers, unlike the Suns, have a much stronger foundation and won't blow up internally though, so they won't fall off that much (if at all). I just don't see the improvement many here think and in a conference where others are rapidly improving that will leave the Blazers fighting for their playoff lives with the Wolves/Rockets/Thunder.

 

I think the NBA is a league where there's a tendency to get overly infatuated with names. The Jazz brought in a couple of "name" guys in Diaw and Johnson and there's this assumption that they, along with hopefully better health, will lift the Jazz into the upper ranks of the West. Never mind that they're both long in the tooth, the name recognition is there. The Blazers retained their young core and brought in Evan Turner who, while known around the league as a mid-level talent, is hardly the "name" that Diaw or Johnson is. The Blazers, however, signed him with a purpose because of his playmaking abilities. Last year, whenever Lillard or CJ went the the bench, the Blazers became one-dimensional because there was only one playmaker on the court at that time. Turner gives them the flexibility to run multiple lineups and always maintain two good playmakers on the court at all times. It remains to be seen which roster adjustments will have the bigger impact, but I'll take youth and additional playmaking over aging stars.

 

I AM SO ESSSSSSSSSIIIITE

 

I think we're overdue for a big scoring game....like to see 6-7 guys score in double figures tonight

 

now if he were a Lakers fan....that'd be different

 

I'm thrilled the season starts tonight! I don't hate the Jazz and wouldn't underestimate them...let's sweep the division!

 

It's a solid take but one from someone who is not intimately familiar with this team or its players.

POR "surprised" the experts for one reason last year - we have a leader in Damian Lillrd who is driven to be the best he can be and to inspire and lift up those around him to be their best as well. Who is UTA's leader?

UTA had to bring in veterans like George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw because, as talented as their young guys are, they had stagnated and not shown any significant improvement - missing the playoffs four years in a row and being stuck at around 40 wins. Unfortunately, for all their experience, none of those guys are leaders. They are all followers.

Not sure why you think our young guys will regress, but yours won't. That seems to be a common theme around the league, that everybody else's young guys will improve and take them to the next level, but our young guys, who played at a 53-win pace over the last 2/3 of the season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, while being the youngest team to make the post season, have somehow maxed out and will all begin to decline.

Other than a few games to get back into the flow, do you think Gordon Hayward has reached his peak and it's all down hill for him from here on out? He's 18 days younger than our oldest starter. Here's the ages of our starters vs. your starters:

Damian Lillard = 26-102d
George Hill = 30-174d

C.J. McCollum = 25-036d
Rodney Hood = 24-005d

Maurice Harkless = 23-167d
Gordon Hayward = 26-216d

Al-Farouq Aminu = 26-034d
Derrick Favors = 25-102d

Mason Pumlee = 26-234d
Rudy Gobert = 24-121d

So, other than Hill, all starters for both teams are between 23 and 26. Most NBA players peak between 27 and 29. There is no precedence or logical reason to assume our young players are going to regress. Quite the opposite, they should all continue to improve for the next 3 or 4 years. So should yours, with the exception of George Hill.

I know you also have a couple promising young guys on your bench in Trey Lyles and Dante Exum. But today, your two best bench players are Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw (35-118d) and Boris Diaw (34-192d). You're basically depending on a couple of 35-year olds to anchor your bench. Our two oldest rotation players are Evan Turner (27-364d) and Ed Davis (27-142d). The rest of our rotation players are all between 21 and 24, and still improving.

And that improvement is also something that may go unnoticed by an outsider who doesn't follow the team closely. Mason Plumlee, our oldest starter, is most effective running the floor and playing the high post in the half court, due to his unique passing ability for a big man. The problem is, until last year, any shot that wasn't a dunk was an adventure, and that included FTs. He worked on improving his FT shooting during the season and upped it from .495 to an almost respectable .642. Now, he has a midrange jump shot. That was the biggest hole in his game, and what he worked on improving during the offseason. He's been showing it off in the preseason. No one will mistake his form for Ray Allen, but it's going in and that's going to draw the opposing center away from the basket, which opens up the passing lanes for Plumlee to hit cutters like Aminu and Harkless diving the basket, like he did when he averaged 5.7 apg in the LAC series. This is a contract year for Plumlee, his first chance at big bucks coming off his rookie contract. I don't expect any regression here. I expect continued improvement.

The player that has shown the most improvement is Noah Vonleh. Vonleh is just 21 (right between Exum and Lyles in age) and came into the league at 19. Other than some very solid defense, he hadn't shown much improvement in his first two seasons, one in CHO and one in POR. Well, look for Vonleh to break out, if not this year, than next. Yeah, it's just preseason, but Vonleh has looked like an absolute stud both on the glass and in the post. He's an incredibly hard worker and a physically unique specimen with huge hands, long arms and a low center of gravity. No regression here., He can only continue to improve.

And, don't sleep on Damian Lillard. Outside of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, I have never seen a basketball player so determined to be the best he can be. I don't expect a huge leap in his raw numbers this year. The team is just too deep and Lillard too unselfish to pull a Harden or a Westbrook. But, I do expect much more efficient production from Lillard. The addition of Evan Turner will allow Lillard to play off the ball more, which will result in more, higher percentage catch and shoot opportunities.

Anyone who thinks this young team has peaked, or will somehow become complacent after a small taste of post season success, is mistaken. It will just drive them to want more. A leader like Lillard will always push himself to be the best, but his leadership also lifts up those around him to also strive to be their best. If you expect regression, you will be disappointed. If you're depending on it to pass us in the standings, you will be wrong, on both counts.

BNM

 

1) OK, I'll bite. Who are these relevant basketball minds you're talking about?
2) I only checked box scores, but Gobert played pretty lackluster this summer.

 

I don't hate them either, but they are a division rival (and highly overrated), so I want to beat them tonight and every time we play them. Bummer that Hayward and Favors are out. I'd much rather beat them at full strength. Hayward is their best offensive player and Favors is their best two-way player.

Trey Lyles is going to be good, but right now, he's not nearly the stud Favors is on defense, or on the offensive glass. Plus, by moving Lyles and Joe Jonson into the starting line up, it doesn't leave them with much in the way of scoring coming off the bench. I know some experts picked UTA as having the best bench in the league, but I actually think bench play should go in our favor tonight and could be the difference in the game.

BNM