Portland runs a ton of plays for Outlaw. They have counted on him this season to be the third scorer and the primary scorer off the bench. So they have relied on him a great deal this season. During the regular season this helped the Blazers more then hurt them. During the Playoffs he was a absolute disaster. If they do keep him around, they need to rely on him less next year then they did this one.
They relied on him because their other, future scoring options (Oden, Rudy, Bayless, Batum) were all rookies and not yet ready to be consistent top scoring options. So, they "relied" on him due to lack of other options. If your remedy is "get more talented," I don't think that qualifies as an actionable plan. Every team would like to get more talented. Portland has several players who could/should move past Outlaw on the scoring option totem pole. If none of them do, then the team will fail due to a lack of talent, not because they chose to rely on Outlaw.
Well, if you agree with the premise ... like I do ... that Outlaw is not a clutch performer, then this is factual evidence to back up my argument rather than a small sample set to create it. -Pop
The reason Travis Outlaw is so hard to figure out is because he is a tweener. You know what the difference is between a tweener and a player who is versatile? A versatile player is good at multiple positions. A tweener can play multiple positions, but is good at none of them. The reason Travis drives people insane with his performances, is because he can only perform well when provided with certain matchups. When provided with those matchups, he is comfortable and produces. In all others, he is uncomfortable and can't get his game going.
Also note that if you accept this perfectly reasonable argument from hasoos, it also reinforces Outlaw's uselessness in a playoff series, where teams can and will adjust to make him irrelevant. Now if Travis had some other strength to his game, such as defense or rebounding or distributing, he would still be an asset. But when all you are is a scorer (and an average one at that), and you have to rely on getting favorable matchups, your value in the playoffs drops significantly. -Pop
i still don't know if TO is supposed to be a SF or PF. he can't change direction well enough to play/guard SF's, and he's not strong enough to stand up to PF's. he's the classic tweener. although, he brings some mismatches to the opposing defense as well. for all that athleticism, he rarely shows it in games. he should be a great rebounder and shotblocker with his quickness and jumping, but he just doesn't rebound, it's almost like he chooses not to rebound. and he should be flying up the court on fast breaks, but his inability to dribble the ball stops that from happening as well. i know they are slightly different players, but i'd love outlaw to play more like tyrus thomas. that dudes the same kinda undersized pf that can fly. only he grabs boards, blocks shots, and takes it strong to the hoop. and he doesn't demand the ball on offense, he just takes what is given to him in the flow of the game.
I'll preface this by saying I really really like Outlaw, and have enjoyed watching him grow into a respectable player from what he was when drafted. Think his personality is great and believe he's a glue guy in the lockeroom. All that being said, and looking at some of the stats kicked around in this thread already, it's really time for him to be moved on. I don't want to make him the fall guy, he doesn't deserve that. I will say using my very scientific eye ball test, that when he came into the game late first quarter last night our whole play shifted. As we all know he has a tendency to stop ball movement when he's on the floor and occasionally falls asleep on the defensive end. These are traits after 6 years in the league that don't change. Mentally he's not in tune with the flow of the game. To be successful you need ball movement and Travis is a black hole. You can't take fade away 18 footers on one end and then get beat in man to man defense on the other. You can't allow your teamattes to be hung out to dry when their in a zone, becuase you aren't aware of what defense the team is playing. To many easy drives to the hoop, offensive rebounds becuase he didn't block out, and open threes in the corner becuase he didn't rotate quickly enough on defense. It really has become time to move him for someone that will gives us a consistant 30 minutes of team ball everynight.
No I think the premise that he is not clutch is far from being sound. The guy has hit big shots in clutch situations. I am not saying he is the STARTER we need to be champions. Just that he is a valuable part of the team. And as pat riley said, "It takes 15 guys to win a championship".
I guess we're just going to have to agree that Travis is one of those polarizing players where some fans love him and some fans hate him. I personally think we can do better at that position, and I think there will be some buyers out there who see that he was fifth in the voting for Sixth-Man-of-the-Year and think he could help them. I also think that Nate has some strange loyalty to Travis that I don't understand. Other players who have made much more understandable mistakes have been pulled quickly, whereas Travis seemingly had free reign to fuck up consistently and still get 30 minutes a game. Someone else made the point (not sure if it was this thread or not) that Nate had that same attraction to Jarrett Jack last year, and getting rid of him was part of the reason we played so much better this season. -Pop
I would disagree with that too. We had to get rid of Jack because he would not have been happy with a diminished role. He would have been a distraction. However if he would have accepted his role we would have been just as good if not better. TO on the other hand would be more inclinded to accept the role. Not that he would be happy about it, just that he would eventually come to terms with it. That is not always easy to find.
We'll be really good when we have better options so that Outlaw, Blake and Przybilla each play less than 22 mpg. Assuming they're still on the roster.
so because he had one bad series, people want to trade away a player who got some 1st pace votes for 6th man of the year? some of you fans are sickening..
I have been saying it since last year sometime and I will keep saying it until it FINALLY happens; TO must GO [like zBO]!!!
I'll point out that I totally called who would be this season's scapegoat prior to the first game of the year.
I am disappointed in Travis's performance - but what we have all got to remember is that Travis is a very slow starter. Everything he is facing a new situation - it takes him a long time to get what he needs to do - but when he does - he is valuable. What this tells me is that if there is a clear upgrade available for him - you go for it - if not - you remember that he will get better - while he is a 6 years veteran - he was a playoffs rookie like most of the rest of the team - I do expect him to have better playoffs performances down the line - if it is here - great, if not - I trust KP knows what he is doing and who he is dealing or keeping.
I don't recall mentioning any remedy other then "rely on Outlaw less next year". I don't agree that Portland couldn't have used someone else in the role they gave Outlaw. Rudy is perfectly capable of being wildly inconsistent as Outlaw. What about Nate makes you think he trusted Outlaw more then other players for any other reason then he knew Outlaw better? Outside of Roy and LaMarcus anyone else the featured on offense was a choice, since there were all equally limited. They don't need to get more talented next season, they need to get more consistent. That typically IS a function of time in the league. That Outlaw is still not there after 6 years tells me he never will get there. It is entirely possible that one of the guys you mentioned above steps up next season.
They will if they have better scoring options. If they don't (as they didn't this season), they'll have to rely on him as they did this year. Hobson's choice. How is that better, swapping out one wildly inconsistent player for another? If there wasn't a better option, why criticize giving Outlaw the minutes? They need to get better, basically. Talent doesn't change among individuals, but getting more consistent would be improving. I agree that Outlaw isn't likely to become much better. His minutes (and the team's reliance on him) will decrease as other players surpass him. I have no problem with the team relying less on Outlaw. In fact, I greatly hope they do, because that will mean other Blazers got better. I just think the criticism of Outlaw is overdone. He is what he is, a talented but inconsistent scorer. If he were consistent, he'd be a starter. As a reserve, making what he does, he's a valuable asset. That he plays so many minutes is ultimately on Pritchard, to build a team with enough good players that Outlaw isn't the third-best scorer. I think he has, once the rookies develop. Hopefully, they fulfill their promise and push Outlaw to fifth- or sixth-best scorer on the team.
Some thoughts: 1. I'm not a big Outlaw fan. I haven't been for at least a couple of years. I think that his shot selection is terrible, I think that he's a player that lacks general awareness on the court, and I think that he's probably not going to improve in his non-core competency areas much over where he is now. 2. Outlaw has been overhyped by some Blazers fans because of his willingness to take big shots and his ability to occasionally make them. 3. I think that Portland should have packaged Outlaw for other value, including RLEC for a starting 3 upgrade, for example. I am not 100% sure that this was available, of course, but I would have loved to see it. 4. Outlaw, for all his faults, is still a useful piece and player. He is a streaky scorer and makes a big difference in a game when he's shooting well. 5. Even with the return of Webster and Batum, unless we add a veteran forward (either a 3 or a 4) I think that Outlaw will be an important piece of the rotation next year. 6. Giving Outlaw away or letting him walk for no value would be a mistake. We have assets and a lot of guys with promising futures, but there's no reason to dump one of them just because he isn't as good as we'd all like him to be. Ed O.
Overeact much? Calm down. KP shouldn't and won't dump Outlaw for table scraps. He will shop him and move him if a good deal comes along. We need to thin the SF ranks anywho. KP wants to hang on to Batum. Webster doesn't have much trade value at this point. That makes Outlaw the odd man out in KP's efforts to swing deals. KP will always throw Outlaw's name in the ring first. You will get your wish by default. Yep. But, I have been in favor of moving Travis in the right deal for years now - and for all these very reasons. Thus, I have no emotional reaction to his problems. Didn't expect much. Was disappointed that he didn't even reach that low bar. Brandon to Travis: We are going to come back stronger than ever. (I didn't say you would be on the team too) Next year is going to be great. We are both going to have awesome years. (True. Whoever trades for Outlaw will feature him in the offense). KP to Brandon: Travis looks to be the odd man out. He has good trade value and we need to make a package work for a better starting unit. I am sorry. Brandon to KP: I would hate to see Travis go. He is my best buddy. But business is business. After going up against the Rockets I know we need help to match up with the big boys. You do what is best for the team. Travis will be fine.
