My theory and why the Blazers are playing as bad as they are

This is a very good post.

We won as many games as we probably will be able to under the old system. Roy and LA playing off each other with the pick and pop style.

We have Oden and he must be incorporated into the offense in a big way. All three players will benefit. Use the roll players to cut and spot up for 3s etc. off these three players.

Roy must change and so must LA, just not so much. Roy has to learn how to recognize and use what the defense gives. He and LA have been the ofense since Zack left and now for the team to improve we must change our style. This is what Nate probably is saying, "they will figure it out". They must.

Both Nate and KP are aware of this and that is why they tried to get someone who could get Oden touches, Hedo or Miller. Who else would have been able to do this that was available?

 

Exactly. Nate is trying to force lock down defensive play onto a bunch of guys, that are arguably the most athletic in the league, that should be run n' gunnin gazelles. They should run it whether Roy wants to run or not. For 80 million this guy should be sprinting every play he's on the court.

Roy can at least jog, instead of walk, on the wing right?

 

Agree with a lot of this post but do not think the Blazers priority this summer was to aquire a player who would get Oden the ball. Otherwise they would have gone for Miller first and not even tried to get Milsap.

 

I have never been a fan of fixed/timed rotations. they do not take into account what is going on in that specific game.

 

I really don't want to run-n-gun with Oden. I don't mind half-court, but it needs to be used properly. We need a decent inside-out game, with Oden getting the ball in good post-position, and good player movement. I want to see guys like Rudy and Miller cutting. I want to see Roy moving without the ball and working to get open. I want to see Aldridge rotating between the top of the key and the post when Oden has the ball. We have the players. We have the talent. We just need the execution.

 

Run and Gun = Lose in playoffs. You have to get your easy buckets where you can, but you can't depend on it for offensive production from game to game in the playoffs. There are too many stoppages of play in the playoffs for a running team to prevail against higher quality teams. Teams foul more in the playoffs, they take more timeouts in the playoffs, and good teams will crunch down and control the pace in order to take a running team out of their game. So a move to getting some fast break buckets (like into the middle of the pack) would be fine with me.

 

I think they thought that Miller would still be there and they would try to get a good back up for LA. So they tried that first and hoped to get both. Did not work out like that however.

 

so you're saying Nate should stop jerking the players so much?

 

When we do run a half court offense through Oden I would love to see Roy cutting through like Miller does. Miller and Oden really seem to have good chemistry. Oden is actually a decent passer and very unselfish if someone cuts he's looking to pass them the ball. Roy could pick up a few easy baskets.

 

Yep I agree totally. Greg is getting better at passing every day. The other guy that could benefit I think is Aldridge. If Aldridge dived from the top of the key Greg could throw it up high to him for the finish. These players need to open their eyes and see how easy Greg could make their lives, and stop fighting it.

 

Or at least start using some lube first!

 

Besides that bolded bit being a self-contradictory statement I think you also miss the point about what this team really is. And I never said they are the most athletic ... in fact I think their overall athleticism is pretty poor at the guard positions ... what they are is a mostly offensive minded team; lots of scorers and shooters and almost no defensive specialists or guys who came up as "hustle" players. This is a finesse team outside of a couple of guys (Oden, Bayless and maybe a couple of others). It's not that they need to be running all the time, but this current roster looks pretty much custom made for a motion offense.

 

Yup, it's all Nate's fault.