it may just be a move to ease the pressure on batum. you might see outlaw start and batum sub in very early.
While agree with what you're saying, I don't like the move either, but Bball isn't like hockey. We don't have to sub all 5 starters out at the same time. Either Roy, Blake, Oden, or Aldridge can be running with the 2s to keep it balanced. Come playoff time, good teams only have an 8 man rotation. We've got 11 guys that will be seeing time every night. At some point Nate is going to have to tighten up the rotation anyways.
I don't like it. The Lakers will feed Radmanovic for the open 3 now. I felt Batum would be better at defending the perimeter. To me this displays a lack of confidence in your team too.
My biggest concern goes back to the article on Travis this summer where he said he thought he should be getting as many shots as Roy & LMA. I'm afraid that having him start justifies that statement in his mind and he will feel as though he has a green light to shoot. Travis has strengths, playing good team ball is not one of them IMO. Gramps...
Guys Travis is still our best SF (at least healthy one). It's not that big of move. The 4th quarter lineup would likely have been Travis Roy LMA Oden and Rudy/Blake so it's not that big of deal. I hate Travis's game but having Batum on this big of stage to early could ruin the kid. Let him start the next game put Travis in this game and see what happens. If he looks out of sync put Batum in.
Face it... both choices were not ideal. We know Nate agrees with pretty much everything we are saying here... but... but I think it is a good move to start Outlaw. He can handle the pressure... and I have seen Batum wilt under the pressure of a summer league game... imagine first game... in LA... in front of the stars... an NBA power... Kobe... I just don't think he is ready for that yet. Outlaw's only pressure comes from between his ears... not outside them... so I think he will be fine. I agree he doesn't have a great handle on the offense and may not be the best long term fit there... but for now... I think it gives us the best chance to win tonight.
Nate spent all summer helping a team of superstars when an Olympic gold medal. He got to hang out with some pretty elite coaches, too. Maybe the mind game thing is something he's added from his experience. Really, the Olympics were a great training ground for Nate. He's never really coached or been on an NBA team that had more than two bona fide stars (unless you count an in-his-prime Detlef Schrempf a star). Keeping a team happy with as much offensive talent as Roy, Aldridge, Outlaw, Oden and Fernandez have may prove tricky.
I am surprised at the uproar. It is not that big of a deal. A few minutes here and there. I like the move. This keeps the Lakers from using their SF to double team our big three. If Travis plays as well as he did against Utah we will be better off. He sat in the corner and buried them. I like him as a starter because when he comes off the bench he takes too long to get warmed up. Now he can hopefully let it come to him and not feel the pressure of having to be instant offense.
He started all last year over Outlaw. I'm not sure why anyone saw him being a starter this year as a question mark. Whether he (at age 21) is good enough as a starter was more the question IMO. Ed O.
ughhh this sucks..although with the matchups its not as bad...outlaw can exploit radman and batum vs odom in the second units will be good matchup
Travis is the next guy to go.... Seriously, the guy has one "semi" skill as a chucker...that is all he knows how to do after all this time...jack up shots....He was free to do that last year, when coming off the bench he was one of the ONLY guys capable of scoring somewhat consistently,...he could just run and gun to his heart's content...but now that he has to play with players better than him...Roy\Aldridge\Oden, and becomes the 4th man on offense...he struggles mightily...He was absolutely TERRIBLE in the pre-season, and when Nate did put him in with the starters, he looked completely out of place...taking ill advised shots, forcing shots and showing his usual ineptitude of how to play within a team concept.... I predict he will struggle with the 2nd unit as well....now that we have some better\improved scorers in that unti as well...Fernandez\Frye\improved Rodriguez and\or Bayless....Now all of the sudden he can't just monopolize the ball and go 1 on 5 while everyone else stands around....In fact that 2nd unit (and the starters for that matter) works best sharing\passing the ball around and Outlaw has shown himself to be pretty much incapable?\unwilling? to do either in ANY consistent manner.... oh yeah...and I agree...moving him into the starting lineup over Batim tonight is a mistake by McMillan...Batum...even a nervous Batum...gives POR more out there on the floor that Outlaw does.... Let's hope Outlaw's shots are falling, b\c I predict we will see Outlaw taking some ill advised shots outside the flow of the offense....I wonder how long Nate puts up with that? Probably not very long if his shots aren't falling....and to date they haven't been.... Someone ought to give Travis a little memo.....Just b\c you want to show the rest of the NBA that you are an All-Star caliber player (in your head)...doesn't justify jacking up a shot (almost) every time you touch the ball, or going 1 on 3 while the rest of your teamates watch with disbelief.... The guy just doesn't get it... Harsh observation? Yeah 100% true? Yeah The guy is a one trick pony folks...scoring...and even with that he is inconsistent...and if Outlaw isn't scoring he is pretty much...no COMPLETELY worthless out there on the floor.... I look at the rest of the "core" players POR has, and then Outlaw...and he just doesn't fit long term...he has one decent skill...scoring, and he seems incapable of playing effectively off or with other players...and that just won't do going forward...I am betting that this will be a long and unsucessful 1/2 year for Outlaw, until he is dealt at the trade deadline...and I for one won't shed a tear when he leaves....
Hey whatever! Really, whatever helps us to win, plus, guess what, the blazers are finally, finally playing on TV, in the regular season! hurrah!
Good call by Nate. I just hope that Travis has strict orders to pass first and get garbage/hustle points only when he is in with the first unit. Never thought I'd miss Martell this much.
Probably Nate just couldn't handle starting two rookies. As someone else said I think it doesn't matter as much as long as Nate doesn't sub whole units. We should have some starters on the floor most of the time during a game.
Keep doubtin my boy..Travis is going to play GREAT tonight! I do hope he plays within the team tonight, if he does that, everything else will fall in place.
Somethin' ain't right, fellas. As long as Travis has been here, Nate had to sleep on the decision to start Travis over the previously-given-the-job 19-year-old Euro rook??? I agree with a post above, Travis has to show the coaches something BIG throughout this season or he's good as gonzo.
