Game Thread GAME# 39: PELICANS @ BLAZERS - MARCH 16, 2021 - TUESDAY, 7:00, TNT & NBCSNW

We won?!?!?? Spoilers bro!

 

All superstars in this league have some help. Blazers got best player in the league and they trying to hide it. It's crazy. They should be in rush to do whatevere is needed to help him win, instead they letting the cake bake for a decade now. LeBron wants Dame so bad, bc he knows it.

 

There was a clip at the end that showed Dame going out of his way to go over to Wenyen after the game. Is there any other superstar player that would do that for a guy that spent less than half a year on his team?

 

I'm not disagreeing that the schemes are short of amazing.

I haven't been able to come up with a scheme that can hide two people on the floor who get beat off of 1-2 dribbles. When a guy is getting easily beat, it forces the players to react and make a great individual read.

I'm not trying to sound snarky, but how would you scheme up a base defense who is constantly in a 5 on 4 or 4 on 3 scenario without giving up layups or open 3s?

 

Great catch. Dame is a class act.

Are the Wenyen lovers from last year surprised he can't get on the floor for the Pels?

 

Dame is not the best player in the league, but it would be awesome to give him a legit two-way, all-star wing to see what we could do!

 

How many of those exist in the NBA anymore?

 

this team isn’t going to be good defensively, but the passive defense they play takes away nothing. Doubles are half assed, help is either coming from everywhere or no where, nothing in between. Even when we had a rim protector this season it was still bad. If you choose to concede one thing so be it, but constant this team overcompensates for either rim protection or threes and just end up taking away nothing.

Beyond that. It’s been 9 seasons of Dame and 8 with CJ. Even if they are going to be disadvantaged defensively given their size you would think someone would have at least taught them the fundamentals. Some of the mistakes are just so basic.

 

Dame is best in the league but he's got coach and GM holding his legs.

Any other superstar in NBA carrying so much weight? Name it, maybe I don't know it.

 

Not many!

LBJ, Giannis, Durant, Tatum, Kawhi, Zion?, Brown, PG13, Simmons.

I think it's safe to say guys like Davis, Embiid, or Jokic was drastically increase our chances even though the last two aren't great defenders.

 

The best player in the league can get to the finals with crap coaches (see LBJ).

Dame is in the top 5 range, but his defense and height are holding him back from being #1 in my eyes. Also, the guys ahead of him in my eyes also have a better #2 paired with them. LBJ/AD, Durant/Harden, Giannis/Middleton, Steph/Klay (when healthy).

Other guys around him with better #2 options: Embiid/Simmons, Kawhi/PG13, Jokic/Murray

This is why expecting us to be a top 5-6 team in the league is asking a lot.

 

It’s crazy right. He deserves the best. Feel the same way

 

We were talking about breaking CJ - Dame duo, that will be better for both of them. Free dame from Olshey and Stotts and see what happens.

 

While I'm not holding my breath, I'm down with your suggestion my friend!

 

For what it's worth, Stotts said we blitz Ingram on every PnR tonight. The aggressiveness didn't work either because we're putting guys like Kanter/Melo/CJ in positions where they have to defend two people when they already struggle to defend one.

I'm just looking for the scheme that couldn't easily get picked apart by us amatuers on here, let alone NBA players. I really don't think it exists.