Game Thread GAME# 67: BLAZERS @ SPURS - MARCH 15, 2017 - WEDNSDAY, 5:00 PM (PST), ESPN & KGW

I disagree. Those guys you mention were all old. Nurk isn't old. He's just not in optimal game shape. I say we keep pushing him exactly like we are.

He was racking up DNP-CDs in DEN and getting less than 18 MPG when he did play. He was not in game shape when he came here, and I'm a firm believer that the best way to get in game shape is to play real game minutes. It will take a while, but he'll get there. I think he does OK when he has a day off to recover in between games, but right now is struggling in the second of back to back games. Still, a gassed Nurk is better than a rested Meyers. So, let him continue to play his way into shape. Every game you push his endurance will put him closer to being able to play 35 minutes a night.

Get him in shape now and we'll reap the rewards in the playoffs. Remember, there are no back to back games in the playoffs and often 2, 3, or sometimes 4 days off between games. With plenty of time to recover between games and no legitimate back up center, we want to be able to get 38 - 40 productive minutes a game out of Nurkic in the post season. Push him hard now, like Stotts did last night, and he'll get there.

BNM

 

Edited my post after to add the current MPG for centers this season. 35 mpg these days is just unheard of. It's a huge load on guys that big and way too physically taxing. Not to mention the foul trouble usually prevents them from ever playing that much.

The Dallas example is with old players, but it does give some sorta template to get the most out of a guys from their time on the court without potentially risking injury.

 

Aldridge is nearly as big as Nurkic. He plays fewer minutes now, because he's older and Poop never plays any of his players big minutes, but Aldridge averaged over 35 MPG his last seven years in POR without any serious injury issues.

Nurkic is just 22 and eager to play big minutes. After riding the pine in DEN, he's loving it. Injuries can occur anytime. It's not like Nurk is worn down from plating big minutes over an entire 82 game schedule. For the season he's played half as many minutes as Dame and C.J. Hell, Allen Crabbe has played 800 more minutes than Nurk, and nobody is talking about restricting his minutes. Let the big kid continue to play his way into shape. He's loving it, and as I said, we're better with a gassed Nurk in the game than a rested Meyers.

BNM

 

I didn't say play him half the game. I'm saying keep on playing him minutes-- just give him more breaks so his effectiveness doesn't drop as a result of fatigue. 4 in, 2 out for a whole game = 32 mpg.

 

Hard to get into any kind of rhythm only playing 4 minutes at a time. Is there anyone in the league that plays all their minutes in short spurts like that?

BNM

 

Well the Dallas guys I gave an example of, for one. Digging through to see if I can find current examples with younger players. Prolly easier to do for vets.

 

I don't recall Dirk ever playing 4 on 2 off for an entire game, or at all really.

BNM

 

Have I ever mentioned just how glad I am that LA isn't on our team anymore?
Yeah, I'll even take Kwame Vonleh over him.

 

Only regret I have is that we didn't get anything of value for him. We should have traded him when we had the chance.

 

Totally agree. But getting nothing for him is still WAAAAAY better than re-signing him.

 

Yep, guys like Nik and MM were calling for it well before most of us, they were right all along.

 

Sidebar, Pop clearly talked to Aldridge about his picks. Holy shit, I never saw him set screens like that in POR in his 9 seasons. It helps that he's fattened up a bit, but damn, he's actually making contact on dudes now instead of slipping and pseudo screening every time.

 

So because of this random win, some of you are saying we would beat this Spurs team in the first round? Am I reading this correctly?

 

I have no idea if anything says anything like that - but Portland actually is a somewhat bad match-up for the Spurs. Their guards are not the primary scorers on that team which helps Portland's challenged perimeter defense, and the Spurs have to switch Leonard to guard our guards if they want to shut ones of them (he mostly did it to Dame in the 4th) - when that happened - they had no answer for CJ and his help defense on our big was less effective (Exactly when Nurk went off).

I still think that an playoff series with them this year is likely over after 6 games and not in Portland's favor.

 

We DO match up better than some other teams with better records than us.
We have always played them well, or competed on thier court in the last 5-7 years.
I don't see why we wouldn't have a better chance than GSW.

 

It's not always the better team that wins in the playoffs. Get there and anything can happen.

Honestly, what chance did you give us against the Clippers last year? Yeah, I know about the injuries, but that's part of the point. Anything can happen. We'd won Game 3 and were ahead in Game 4 when CP3 went down. We probably don't win that series and maybe don't even take it to 7 games without the injuries, but the injuries did happen and that's part of the game.

I honestly think the Bogut injury was the turning point in the finals last year. They were up 3-1 when he went down, but with no rim protector, the next three games became a layup drill for LeBron and his teammates as they outscored GSW by an average of 17 points in the paint over the last three games to come back and win it all. No one is asking for the Cavs to give back their rings because Bogut got hurt.

So, of course we wouldn't be favored against the Spurs, but as others have mentioned we do match up well with them, in spite of their much better record. They are more talented and have more post season experience (well, except for Aldridge), but they are also older, slower and more injury prone.

Beating them this year is no more inconceivable than beating the Clippers was last year (who are a terrible match up for us). Yet, we did beat the Clippers. You never know what might happen until it happens.

BNM

 

You know how I feel, but the Spurs could have their two best players go down with injuries like LAC last year.

 

But I thought according most here that we beat the Clips because we were better than them!!