Game Thread GAME# 1: NUGGETS @ BLAZERS - OCTOBER 23, 2019 - WEDNESDAY, 7:00 (PDT), ESPN & NBCSNW

Odd that you chose to cut off my question half way through and just ignore the part I was asking about.

 

Same on a random article I read on O-Live. People shitting themselves. Crazy. They should read the article Shaboid just posted. One game. That's all it was....

http://www.sportstwo.com/threads/rip-city-cj-mccollum-the-players-tribune.349830/

 

The guards got plenty of open looks. Were they getting better looks off screens against Denver in the playoffs last year? The answer to that is no.

I don't know how much more obvious it can be that we need to have more of an actual offense to go to when teams take away the pick and roll. It's fine against most teams in the regular season but against a team like Denver who is now super familiar with us we can't expect to get separation the way they are defending it.

 

how is my opinion cutting off your question? and why do you assume I'm ignoring part of your post? I don't need to be right about this...it's all speculation from me watching the game once...no replay, just a response. I'm not real big on dissecting everything people post so if I missed a point, that is just me being conversational...

 

I'll give my cliff note response here.....I mentioned before...it's obvious we don't have timing in our offensive flow at all yet, guys are overthinking and they need to make shots...clankfest was a virus amongst our shooters last night...passing was predictable. If CJ makes 3 or 4 more shots we might win that game last night even with an awkward looking chemistry

 

Denver knows our offense better than 9 of our players at this point

 

This is my point. The screens themselves were not the issue. Denver knows exactly what we're trying to do and if our guards in particular just hit a few shots we still win the game.

 

You realize that Meyers didn't play much, and Nurk was out in that series vs. Denver right... Kanter isn't a great screen setter either. I'd actually say that your answer is wrong though. I think at least the main ball handlers in the series vs Denver did get better shots in the playoffs then they got overall last night.
Also, these aren't mutually exclusive arguments, they can need more diverse sets offensively and better screens as well. Even their of the ball screens weren't very good last night in my opinion.

 

Yes I hope so but the screening been issued for awhile. Even when Nurk and Leonard was yes they made some good screen when the guards use them accurately. But this not up top screen needs to be good it's the off ball screen must be just as good.

 

At the start of the 3rd quarter we should've went right at Jokic to try and pick up his 4th foul. Whiteside doesn't have the greatest post up moves but we still should make a point to try and reward him for his work on the boards and at least try to get him involved when he hasn't missed.

As far as I can remember Zach was 2-2 on isolated post ups as well. Why not go back to that at all when the outside shots aren't falling?

Did we even post up Hood a single time in the game? I don't remember doing so despite him having a smaller defender on him most of the game.

The issue to me is that there is a failure to exploit mismatches, but for some reason we're giving that a pass because of a perceived lack of screens (mostly a preseason observation too). The thing about the screens from our bigs the previous few years is they often didn't work immediately either. What was super effective is after the screen didn't work Nurk in particular was great at re-screening or setting up in a different spot and catching the defender off guard because he thought the screener was gone. Kanter was learning to do this too but it did take awhile for him to start doing it once he came here. Against Denver last year in the playoffs the pick and roll with Dame didn't work, like not at all, so I don't get why people are just choosing to ignore that.

I'm not counting on Gasol to be our savior but I guarantee he will be phenomenal against teams like Denver if he's on the court. If they double team the pick and roll Dame can just dump it to him at the top of the key. If they don't rotate Gasol will knock down the jumper. If they do rotate someone will be open. Either the other big for an easy high-low pass, a cutter, or a 3 point shooter. Gasol's never set punishing screens that create separation either but that's my point it's how you adjust to the defense guarding the screen, not the screen itself when they are trying to take away the ball handler. I believe Zach has the skill set to eventually do the same things Gasol does so hopefully he learns but the guards also have to trust the bigs to do the right thing too.

 

I remember Hood posting up Barton a few times and destroying him in the first half....don't remember that in the second half at all though

 

lol... Seriously because a couple of us said that we didn't think the screens were very good, that means we're giving a pass to every other aspect of the offense? It's like if we don't address what you tell us too then we aren't addressing the right things! We could think both the offense and the screens need work. Using last year's series vs. Denver to talk about the screens seems weird when we didn't have Nurk and we had Kanter with one shoulder, and ML didn't play that much. Zach was like the only healthy big left that got minutes.

 

I think those were both times where he got the ball on the perimeter and backed him into the post. Hood creating a shot isn't the same as getting him the ball in positions to exploit the mismatch easier.

 

Hmmm, Zach played 19, 17, 18, 21, 21, 28, and 23 minutes in each game. We must not have ran pick and roll hardly at all then or set many screens in that series huh? LMAO

 

We aren’t as good of a defensive team this year as last. Regardless of how people felt about chief and mo, they will be missed on the defensive end.

 

Ok, and that proves what? What other Healthy bigs played a lot? Meyers didn't and Nurk was out, it was mostly an Unhealthy Kanter and Aminu who isn't really a "big" he's a 3/4 that plays mostly 4.

And I never claimed they didn't run a ton of pick and roll's did I.

 

I think things will be "ok" defensively once guys are used to playing with each other. The defense is more of a team game in today's NBA than a one on one thing. My big take away from last night was it'll be a challenge to get everyone on the same page on both ends of the court. They're professionals though they'll get there.

 

My point this entire time is that if a team's defensive focus is to take away the ball handler by doubling them when the screener comes over then how good the screen is has absolutely no bearing on how effective the play will be. Even Nurk's screens were completely ineffective against New Orleans when they trapped the pick and roll.

So my problem is that it is frustrating to me that an actual Blazers fan who has watched how teams take away Dame and specifically the pick and roll in the playoffs with multiple good screen setters all of a sudden is pointing out the screen as the problem. The screen itself has never been the problem. It's the fact that we're still trying to run plays that feed directly into what the defense is trying to stop. I mention Denver because they are a problem in the regular season because of their familiarity with us. We can get away with doing it against some/most teams during the regular season but literally 10 out of Denver's last 13 games have been against us.

If a team traps Dame that should give us a 4 on 3 advantage and we should make teams pay for doing that. The fact that this is still a problem is very concerning to me.

 

My point is that sometimes the screens ARE the problem, not always but it doesn't hurt to have a good screen set. My other point is we can mention that we didn't think the screens were very good AND also have other issues with the offense and play calls. I think Whitesides (especially) his screens are poor, but I also think they should go away from that at times too. Saying one thing doesn't mean I'm "ignoring" or excusing the other things. Just means I notice it, and I noticed it in the preseason too and they didn't play Denver every game in the preseason...

 

Hmmm, the starting lineup had only allowed 7 points after 7 minutes into the game and the lineup at the end of the 1st half only allowed 5 points in over 4 minutes. They only gave up 19 points the entire 3rd quarter too. That is potentially elite. Neither Chief or Moe played with the 2nd unit last year much so if you judge them with the starters versus the starters this year you can't really say that "we aren't as good of a defensive team" until it actually plays out that way.