How long do we get to watch Oden get missed over and over again

Yea I know but I have been watching Joe for years. I think the work you are referring to over the summer, was that he actually worked on his basketball game for the first time in a long time. From what I understand, over all the previous years, he pretty much did anything but basketball. MMA. Boxing. But not basketball. It's amazing what a little work in the off season can do for you, if you bother to do it.

 

Actually, with the way they turn the ball-over - they play two-team ball, involving all 10 players!

Did anyone notice that Sergio is at 25% TOV% - One out of 4 possessions he is involved in is a turn-over. Yikes.

(In comparison, Blake is at 11% and Brandon at 9%)

Time to free Sergio (to go play somewhere else).

 

At the same time, part of making turnovers, is doing something with the ball besides jacking a 3 pointer. Blake doesn't make mistakes. But he doesn't do a whole lot other besides hit the open jumper either. Sergio does turn over the ball too often, but I believe it is because he is the opposite of Blake. He passes way more often, but doesn't shoot or hit shots often. Because of this, teams that scout him play off of him for the pass. IMO you can't plan on on either one being the plan. One of them will be a backup. One of them will be in a place they don't like, on the bench.

 

I am far from a huge Steve Blake fan - but you are doing him a disservice. His assist% is 25% - meaning that 25% of the other people on the floor with him that score do it from an assist from Steve Blake - no small feat when your back-court mate is one Brandon Roy...

Blake is not a world class assist man - but you are just selling him short when it comes to his game management. With the amount of time and possessions that Brandon Roy dominates the ball - and calls his own numbers - it is astounding that Blake is able to have such a huge assist%.I am willing to bet that if you take away Roy's numbers when he calls his own number - Blake would be in the 30% or higher assist% - which is in the top 20 in the league and not that far from Sergio who plays mostly without Roy and does dominate the ball - Sergio stands at a magnificent 38% - of course, since he (Sergio) is responsible for losing the ball 1 out of 4 times he dominates it - the percentage might be nice and juicy - but that's because there are so many empty possessions that do not lead to any scoring... Add the number of possessions where Sergio is forced to shoot the ball himself (which usually leads to a brick) - and the man is a waste of basketball possessions...

 

Like to say I ACTUALLY SAW GREG CALL FOR THE BALL IN THE PAINT LAST NIGHT WITH HIGH ENERGY!!!!! This has been the first time this year that I've seen that type of energy and desire from him. I think he's about to come out of his shell. Tonight I bet he has a huge game! Nobody on the NUGGS can defend him. Homer home court last night, will be ours tonight!!!

Oden for 20 and 10 boards!

 

I am trying to figure out exactly what you are saying in your first paragraph, because it seems, well, very hard to understand. I am guessing what you are saying is that when a player scores, 25% of the time the assist was from Blake. But here is the thing I would point out. There are only 5 players on the floor. You cannot receive an assist from yourself. That leaves 4 guys out there. Now here is the point I wanted to make. Your chances of having an assist from Steve Blake, if all folks are "even" out there is 25%. So basically what I am saying is, your statistics can be attributed to, dumb luck.

 

That's a nice try - but it is not so - since some points are not from assists - but from one-on-one iso plays, some are from put-backs, some are from steals.

For reference:

Brandon Roy AST% = 26% (Just one percent more than Blake), Aldridge is at 8%, Batum at 9%, Oden at 5%, Rudy is at 12% (a problem with Sergio dominating the ball - if Sergio did not and allowed Rudy to create more - his AST% would go up)

Elite PGs in the league are usually in the 30% - for example, Billups is at 33%, Nash is at an ungodly 39%, Kidd is at 33%

But - if we look at point guards that play next to a dominant SG that distributes (as Blake does) - Mario Chalmers is at 22%, Derek Fisher is at 16%, Mike Bibby is at 26%.

Again - you are selling Blake short - he is a much better PG than we are willing to give him credit.

On the turn-over issue - I have a beef with MM who last year called Jarret Jack a "walking turnover". JJ had a miserable 19% TOV% - but I am wondering why I have not heard a pip from MM about Sergio's atrocious 25% yet...

If we could only have shipped Sergio instead of Jack to Indiana in the trade we would have been looking golden now, especially with JJack's ability to finish at the rim...

 

I sympathize...

Now just imagine having TWO very serviceable big men yet you have Fisher and Kobe jacking up all the shots....ugh

EVERY loss the Lakers have had has been when Kobe has had more shot attempts than Bynum and Pau COMBINED!!!

I get it...Why cant Kobe?

 

Okay, from my perspective, Nate would be a good assistant coach, but not a head coach. I've been to Maurice Cheeks practices and I've been to Nate McMillain practices. I've talked to guys who played for Cheeks and guys who played for coaches like Hubie Brown. Nate and Cheeks have some similarities.

First, Nate and Mo have a very simple offensive scheme. Nate at least runs some plays though, Cheeks would just throw the guys in there and tell them to make something happen. Nate likes to run the pick and roll, the iso for Travis and Roy, and the drive and dish. That's about it. Occassionally he'll post up LMA. Our whole offense revolves around the high pick and roll though. It's so simple and teams know what's coming.

Second, Nate and Mo both had their rotations and they pretty much stick to them. "I play this guy at this time, no matter what." It used to drive me nuts when Mo would take someone out, even if they were on fire. Nate is the same way. A guy could hit three shots in a row, he's still coming out.

There's a big difference between Mo and Nate, however. Mo would let his asst coaches do all the work during practices. He would sit on the sidelines and watch. Nate likes to get in their and mix it up. He'll actually teach. In that regard I think he's a very good coach, especially for a young team.

With that said, I remember Wes Person telling me when he came to Portland from Memphis that Hubie Brown had a playbook that was thick as a phone book. He said Cheeks' playbook by comparison was ridiculously simple. I don't think Nate is much different. I would love to see a coach like Phil Jackson on this team. Someone who has an understanding of x's and o's. I don't think Nate is that guy.

Honestly, I would love to see a big man's coach on this team. Someone who is going to put more emphasis on Oden. I think if we had a different coach and a point guard who could make a decent entry pass, we would see Oden come alove. Just my two cents.

 

At least its encouraging that he is getting comfortable enough to ask for the ball. Now as far as actually getting him the ball ....

 

I think we will have to agree to disagree. I view the fact that Roy is better at him in assist as a problem, not a positive, because your SG should not average more assist or "percentage of assist" than your PG. Comparing him to Mario Chalmers and Derek Fisher does no justice either. Derek Fisher plays more as a shooter than a fasciliatator. Mario Chalmers hands the rock to Wade and gets out of the way, and has nobody to throw to on the front line to score. Mike Bibby has never been a pass first PG. He gets his assist within the flow of the game, while creating his own. Basically, what your stat shows, is Blake is a backup PG.

That stuff about Jack is just crazy talk. I am sorry, but you are way out there. I am really, really glad Jack is gone, and I liked him when he came on board, but that guy is one of those players, who finds a way to lose a game. Talk stats all you want. It's about W's. Jack found a way to bring you an "L". You have to be able to recognize those types of players, and get them off your roster. It doesn't take a whole lot of time to remember him making a lot of very untimely bad plays he made last year. Tried hard. But isn't a guy you want on your team if you want to win. Remember him turning over the all on the fast break against Cleveland and giving Lebron a chance to win the game? Still want him here?

 

Fair enough.

I am sorry - but the numbers do not back you up.

Brandon Roy's Usage% (the number of possessions he is involved in when he is on the court) is 28%. Blake's 17%. The fact that their AST% is basically the same tells you that Blake plays more as a PG than Brandon - Brandon's high assist percentage is because of the fact that he dominates the ball so much - which is a good thing - he is so good that he should do it.

But - your claims about Fisher and Chalmers are wrong - their usage% is about the same as Blake's - while Bibby's is actually higher - so the numbers show that Blake is a better PG than you give him credit. For the record - I am willing to bet that if you do not have Brandon dominating the ball as much as he does - Blake goes closer to the 30% Assist% which is among the better point-guards in the league. He is not elite - but he manages the game pretty well. The place where he fails as a starter PG in this league is not on offense (as is clear by Portland's offensive efficiency - among the best in the league) - but on defense.

What my stats do show is that Blake is doing a fine job offensively this year and is not used only as a 3P threat (just for reference, Rudy who really is used mostly as a 3P threat has an assist% of 12 - which is half as much as Blake)

Over Sergio? You bet. His TOV% is down to 17% this year (much much better than the running turn-over machine that Sergio is), He can actually score at an efficient rate (his TS% is much higher than Sergio) and he does it at the same usage percent. Sure - he is not as flashy and there will be less pretty assists and ally-oops with Rudy - but we are less likely to turn the ball over, when he attacks the rim and goes for a layup there is a good chance (rather than a very small chance) that he actually will put the ball in the hole, he draws FT attempts at more than twice the rate that Sergio does while fouling less and he dominates the ball less - making Rudy a more effective player next to him - because Rudy will be able to dribble and create for others.

Somehow JJ's turn-over is worse than Sergio's? Sergio turns the ball over more often than Jack. For every turn-overs Jack gives you - Sergio gives you 3!