Game Thread GAME# 14: BLAZERS @ ROCKETS - NOVEMBER 18, 2019 - MONDAY, 5:00 PM, NBATV & NBCSNW

This post got me to thinking...... You’re #2 post is interesting to me. How do you measure the amount of knowledge of “basketball”. Does a guy who grew up playing everyday in the parks and watching games everyday like myself know about the game. Does a guy who has NEVER played the game, but reads stats on the internet every night know about that game? What if you dad was a coach......or you watch NBATV every night. WHat if you talk about it on the radio, do you know more than somebody who doesn’t? How do you measure knowledge of the game itself. Just curious, because you used the term “I’m SURE I know more than you”
This should be interesting.

 

What does playing the game, talking about the game on air, or watching a lot of NBA have to do with knowing the game?

 

This game could get ugly real quick.

 

harden will get his no matter what. he could easily jack 30+ shots. dont fall for his step back to draw the foul. take away the lob to capela and easy layups. force him to shoot lights out from deep. I think rodney and baze will get the assignment but baze seems to get dinged for lots of fouls. not good if you are guarding harden.

 

Go back and read again son. That’s what I’m asking.

 

We need Ants and Melo's buckets off the bench and let the other guys concentrate on defense and rebounding. Melo becomes our 6 man and Ant learns to pass to him..Baze locks down the defense

 

Go Blazers! Win streak!

 

Woosh, there it is.

 

Westbrook is shooting 21% from 3, 69% from the FT line and is sort of in the way on the Rockets. When he takes a game off, the Rockets look fine without him. I'm not sure Westbrook is even an All Star this year. At the moment, the 6 guards would be Harden, Lillard, Doncic, Booker, Mitchell, and PG13. Would you pick Westbrook ahead of any of them? What about Wiggins (if you consider him a SG), Hield, or Ja Morant? Westbrook may be the 9th or 10th best guard in the West. And when Curry and Klay Thompson come back, he'll be even lower on the totem pole. His MVP days are behind him.

 

Melo is starting in the first game that he plays.

1. 19 yr old Nas will not start in his place
2. Neither will Mario/Tolliver
3. If they anticipate any semblance of competence from Melo, what better way to get him integrated with the team than to play him with Dame?

 

Nas would foul out in 4 min.

 

Oddly enough, ET was actually a good defender on Harden. Think we might miss him tonight.

Dame usually brings his best against Westbrook.

 

So we are better off with him playing tonight. We have a better chance at winning?

 

Was just thinking about this. So the official team statement said he wouldn't play BEFORE the Pels game. The NOLA game is the second of a back to back. We won't get into the hotel tonight there until 2am. There will be no practice tomorrow. You think he would play without even having a practice with us? We will have a practice or shoot around in Milwaukee. My guess (and I have no inside info on this) but pure speculation, I think he plays Thursday against the Bucks.

 

Yes, let's take defensive energy out of the starting lineup and put in an old offense-only player who doesn't score better than anyone else he'll be playing with (lillard/mccollum/hood/whiteside). That kind of player is exactly what the Blazers really need.....not.

 

They wouldn't have signed Melo without the intent of starting him. Kind of a slap in his face if he can't get in above Mario/Tolliver/Little. I think him starting is inevitable.

Only question is if he starts on Day 1.

 

Slap in the face? He was dumped by his last two teams which were trying to win games, not make Melo happy. He hasn't played in over a year. If he can't play better defense than Nassir Little he shouldn't be a starter.

 

Let's see what Terry decides to do. I just think he'll want to put Melo with Dame as much as possible. Our second unit isn't really stable enough, and he might just freelance out there (which is not what we want from Melo). What we want, and why I think we signed him, is to be a credible threat for Dame to not have to go 1 on 4.

 

Melo will play around 25-30 minutes and be in the closing unit, so whether he starts or not doesn’t really matter. Personally I think he will start though. We’re talking about Stotts here. He gave Tolliver a spot based on reputation/him being a vet. You’re outta your damn miiind if you don’t think Carmelo Anthony is playing a major role. Now whether it works out or not, we’ll see.

 

nothing official yet on melo?