Quick reply to Brian's post: Lots of stuff to address in that post, but I'll start with the word inconsistent being used to describe any aspect of LA's game. Inconsistent is antonym, not a synonym for LA. He has 21 double-doubles, and 15 games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds speaks for itself - as do the line I posted in the OP.
The line you posted in the OP is wrong. By-month stats
here. Game logs
here.
He’s getting more boards… a lot more - which was the big knock on LA from people who didn’t appreciate his game.
If you're not going to address me, keep this somewhere else. This wasn't "the big knock on LMA's game" for almost anyone. The "big knock" is him chucking more long-range 2's than anyone in the league, and not shooting them anywhere near well enough to help the team.
I would argue he’s really not a better rebounder. I would simply say that having a center and playing his natural position has been the greatest difference. Furthermore, I would submit that people who were critical of LA’s rebounding before, and are not critical now, are arguing from a bias position to begin with. I think it’s important to identify this bias when looking at other arguments.
But your homeristic Blazer Priestess bias isn't adding anything to backup your position, even if it's the correct one.
Why isn't he a better rebounder?
Why is having a center helping out? How are those manifested? It's absolutely important to identify bias, but you're not looking in the mirror. How do you reconcile his increase in rebounding numbers with him "not really being
a better rebounder"? Aside from it being divine Blazer intervention?
How is it cherry picking when I used every shooting stat available to show your argument is B.S.? Remember that "I wish people would see when they're wrong" quote from above? Hm....
micro-managed shooting stats from a shot chart is too short on context to get so wordy about why this paints an accurate picture of LA's value or career best combined-line.
Well, you didn't say a word about his defense or leadership, so the argument became about his offense. I addressed the rebounding first (and used stats and analysis, unlike your "I don't think he's better" drivel above), then I addressed shooting. I guess I was remiss in not mentioning he's maintained his 13% AST rate, or has increased his assists by 0.3 per game, or that he's maintained his ORtg, (since they haven't changed appreciably in 3 years), but I didn't think that's the argument you were making. You talked about his "line" being the best in his career, and used it as justification to ask why people "weren't on the L-Train".
What is the role of each of the players you listed to start your argument? And how much do they contribute to team wins? How do they perform in the clutch, and how often has each of them taken over games in the 4th to lead their respective teams to victory?
I'd be ecstatic to see you show me how LMA has "taken over games in the 4th". No breakdown I have shows 4th-quarter "takeover" percentage. But I've shown that LMA doesn't play appreciably better or worse (he's very consistent!) in wins or losses. I do know that he's missed two "clutch" game-tying or game-winning shots, but I'll wait until there's proof before I state that he (or Dame, or Wes) is clutch and leading the team to victory.
Klay (60.4%), Dirk (57.5%), Ryan Anderson (61.0%) and Kyle Korver (71.8%)
We'll ignore Klay and Korver, because they do more to distract than help your argument.
Why is that? They're the only other players in the league that chuck that many catch-and-shoots or that many pull-up J's a game, regardless of whether they're shooting a 3 or the worst shot in the NBA and one that Stotts tries to get the other team to shoot.
At last look, they weren't PFs averaging 25 PPG.
LMA's at 23.9.
Dirk and Anderson are great shooters,
And LMA is not, which is why I bring up how he's chucking more than anyone in a league from a spot on the floor that Stotts has said he begs other teams to shoot from at an efficiency of Andrea Bargnani
who shoot the 3 ball which greatly enhances eFG% and TS%, but again, Brian's argument fail to paint the context well at all.
You're not reading. I've stated in multiple posts in multiple threads over multiple years that LMA shooting 3's (even at a 28% rate) would be better for the team than the 42% he's shooting from his spot, and has CONSISTENTLY shot since his second year in the league. Including right now. Including your December cherry-picked time frame.
What is the affect on the team? LA puts the Blazers on his back, and they are 30-9 as a result.
The "effect" on the team? It's that he's taking more shots than anyone in the league, but at a league-average (to be generous) efficiency. That means that the team's offensive efficiency goes down with each one of the league-leading jumpers he chucks up. That's the effect. The problem you're going to run into is that he's not doing anything on the offensive end that he didn't do last year (on a 33-49 team). His shooting stats are down, his offensive rebounding is down, he is leading the league in the most inefficient shot and shooting it way more than even "Elite" shooters like Klay/Dirk/Anderson/etc. do. (In the interest of being totally correct, he IS averaging 0.3 more APG and has lowered his TO rate to 7% from 8%). You can't point to a single offensive metric in LMA's game to show that he's "put them on his back" (other than attempts per game), or to say with any credibility that it's because of these 3 more attempts per game that the team's 30-9. Do you ignore Damian getting 3 more ppg on 0.5 more shots? Or Wes shooting a career-high from the field? Or Nic being a walking nightly assault on a triple-double? Or Lopez's impact? Or the starters being completely healthy every game this year? At Homer's Edge they may not have cared about you backing up your opinion, but there are more than a few here who don't fall for "told you so" B.S. from people who just toss crap at the wall to see if it sticks.
That is the key to appreciating LA's game this season. Without that, it's just more stat geek noise. Granted, it was more difficult to appreciate his game in the past because of his role, and the tallent. But this team, built by Olshey, Coached by Stotts, is all about LA, and Portland and Blazer fans are reaping the fruits of this perfect storm.
What was his role last year? You know, the one "built by Olshey" and "'coached by Stotts"? Are you saying that it was built around Hickson or Damian?
Comparing him to Kobe, another SG that shoots 3s? Yikes... Brian is REALLY reaching to discredit LA's MVP candidate performance the past 2 months with this gem. Currently ranked 3 on NBA.com. Bueller... Bueller?
Yes. K*be generally leads the league in shot attempts, as LMA is doing this season. K*be is generally better than 150th or so in efficiency, though. That's why I also compared him to Bargnani. He's shooting more than K*be and at the same efficiency as Bargnani.
I also find the assumption Brain makes, that shooting percentages should remain constant regardless of volume of shots, role, or situation, disingenuous.
I didn't assume that. I make the assertion that if you're shooting like Bargnani, you either shouldn't shoot or should get into the paint where you add to the team's efficiency (large correlation to record), rather than shooting a league-leading amount of jumpers that detract from it.
Wes killed it from 3 tonight, primarily because LA draws a LOT of attention. Take nothing away from Wes, but it's a team game, and the Blazers play it better than any team in the NBA on offense. LA is THE man on this Blazer team. Period.
I don't really understand the goal, or purpose of Brian's post, other than to discredit support for LA having the best stretch in his career.
I'll happily explain it again. It's not the "best stretch of his career". The
two months around the All-Star Break in 2011 he was shooting about 20 shots per game (about 2 less than he is now), but had a higher ppg (26.9), 9.9 rpg, shooting 54% from the field, and generally defending the other team's best big. Additionally, he actually "won" NBA PotM (only time he's done that), rather than being #3 on a projection board somewhere.
I can only assume he is not "on the L-train" - a synonym for being on the LA bandwagon, or being a fan of his.
When you make assumptions, you make an ass of "u" and "mption".
I didn't bring up other players in my OP, although I'd be happy to do so at a later point in time. I didn't say he was the best player in the NBA, or even the MVP of the NBA. But he is in the conversation whether Brian likes it or not.
Of course he's in the conversation--he's leading the league in shots, he's averaging a career-high in ppg/rpg, on the best team in the league. My contention is that you're wrong when you say a) it's the best 6 weeks of his career, b) that he's appreciably different than he was on a 33-49 team last year, and c) that the reason the team's winning is solely because he's "put them on his back".
And the vitriol reaches it's climax... bravo.
"You don't watch games, you don't understand basketball, you don't study the games..." Blah, Blah, Blah. All this for posting LA's line since Dec 1st? This has been building up for a long time I suspect. lol
Yeah, I've been a little tired of the holier-than-thou Blazer Priestess crap muddling the board, so I decided that this time I wouldn't just sit by and let you attempt to play the "I told you so" card again by making up stats and pushing them off as you being correct.
I don't want to get into this or the following paragraph much. This is an opinion, which Brian is entitled to, and I completely disagree with. But it does clarify for anyone reading, a bias Brain has that runs counter to what 30-9 shows. 30-9 is a good thing... if you're a Blazer fan anyway.
33-6 would be better. Don't you think?
It makes LA feel APPRECIATED. It is how Blazer fans show their APPRECIATION. Brain doesn't like it. Alrighty then...
I would suggest taking some empathy classes, and perhaps a few on how to show appreciation for things and people. I might also suggest not attending Blazer games till that course work is completed and passed, to avoid any anger issues and stress that may occur as a result of hearing said chants at the game.
Like it or not, chanting MVP for LA is well deserved. Feel free to carry on any crusade to discourage BLAZER fans from doing so.
I'm straining to see where a crusade for discouraging Blazer fans is indicated anywhere in my post. Have you stooped to making strawmen now to help assuage the anguish of your opinion's bereavement?
I shutter to think the arguments Brian made in previous years. I'm glad I wasn't around here for that. Yikes.
You might have learned something. Stick around, kiddo, and we'll help you out. More knowledgeable basketball fans is a good thing.
EDIT: BTW, I love gifs and memes. Always appreciated.
