First off, wow, we got the W. Thought I was in treat for a 20 point blow out and a free chalupa, but I got my money's worth. There's a lot I'd like to say about the game. First the bad: 1-What the hell is wrong with Lamarcus? Seriously, the guy is reminding me of Nick Anderson AFTER he choked on those free throws in the playoffs. There is something very wrong him right now. 2-I cringe when Outlaw puts the ball on the floor. Sometimes I wish he'd settle for those tough jumpers. 3-Roy is useless without the ball. He needs to dominate it to be really effective. 4-Rudy doesn't shoot enough. 5-The refs were terrible...again. 6-We run the fast break...horribly. 7-We allow too many easy buckets. Oden is especially slow on the switch on the pick and roll. 8-Batum doesn't get enough burn. 9-Oden is too slow out there getting up and down the floor. He barely even tries. Now for the good: 1-Roy is an All-Star, and he showed it with some huge buckets tonight. Without him, the game is a loss. 2-We showed a lot of energy on defense and the boards. 3-We got the win, and that's all that really matters. 4-Blake shot very well tonight. I wish I had more good things to say, but the fact of the matter is Roy bailed us out, and he did what he was supposed to do. Now for everybody that wants a "true" PG to replace Blake, I think that could ruin Roy's game more than we realize. Watching him without the ball is pathetic. He doesn't move. He doesn't work hard unless he knows the ball is coming to him. He needs to watch Rudy on a lesson on how to work for the ball. Getting a true PG will limit Roy and could basically take him completely out of his comfort zone. What we need next to Roy is somebody who can be effective while not running the offense. In closing, I'm glad we got the win, but we are still growing and I hope we can come together as a team and make things easier for us. The Kings are a completely different team with a healthy Brad Miller, but the game should have never been that close. Easy buckets for the Kings, turnovers galore by the Blazers, and a few bailouts that helped us win by 1.
Thanks for your report. I agree about having a true PG next to Roy. Don't think that's going to work. Even Brandon basically said that he didn't like playing alongside Chris Paul in the All Star game. It's funny that you thought Blake shot well. He was 0-4 from the three point line. He did make 5 of his other 7 shots though. Glad we won.
I don' t know about that. I think Roy would play different with a true PG. Now he knows he's going to have to do a lot of work with the ball and probably takes time off when he doesn't have it. I think a lot of this game was just mental. We blew them out on the road it and it was probably hard to get up for. Just happy we came away with a win when we could have easily lost it.
Brandon's quote about playing with Paul (if I recall correctly) was along the lines of Chris stepping on his toes somewhat doing the things he normally does running the show in Portland. Things like getting the ball on the inbound pass and bringing it up. Once in the half court sets they took turns drawing and kicking to each other setting up score after score... they were absolutely killing. He's obviously very good with the ball in his hands, but I don't agree with the OP about him being pathetic off the ball at all. The board is filled with posters right now, but that might be the most ridiculous overstatement of the night. STOMP
I was at the game and I was watching Brandon a lot. Maybe he was just choosing to pick his spots, but it was one of those nights where he could have gotten 40 if he wanted. Was it the offensive sets or the playcalling? I don't know, but Brandon was standing in cement last night when the ball wasn't getting swung his way. If you get the chance to watch the game again, watch Brandon and you'll see what I'm saying. When he did get the ball, he was unstoppable. We were struggling and I think Roy should have been commanding the ball every time down. I know that's not his game, but sometimes he should really take over all the time when we need it.
I've noticed this as well. I'm wanting to wait a bit before I start hoping that we do something about it, but it's a concern for me. Because fastbreak points are the best way to score your points, I envision the best teams ones that have players that are adept at both transition offense and half-court offense. It's why I'm sure that Pritchard went after Devin Harris last year. I really believe that Sergio can be that player for us. Same with Rudy and Batum. Those guys are quite good in any offensive scenario. Nicely put. I think you're not giving Roy enough credit though. I think you're right that he plays better with the ball, but I think given the right backcourt mix he could play a little more off the ball with some experience. I want to say that he played off-the-ball quite a bit more with the Huskies than he does now. Also, remember the All-Star game. He moved well without the ball.
