NateBall Is Again Winning Games With Lesser Talent

You're right, I was wrong. I just like Rice for some reason.

 

Added something to your definition for completeness. Now we'll get to see what "Nateball" is defined as without an elite Roy.

 

A team can play at a slow pace, and still have good ball movement. It was the combination of Nate and Roy that made the two mutually exclusive.

 

As an example, the Jazz under Jerry Sloan. While lately they've played at a pretty fast pace, for the vast majority of Sloan's career, the Jazz have played at below average pace and often 20th or below. But their ball movement has been pretty uniformly excellent.

 

I think Nate is doing great. I know I'm in the minority here, but he gets the most out of these guys!

 

So you agree that Roy was holding him back?

 

People just always crack on him. It's easy to blame the coach for everything. I just wonder what more he has to prove to get some respect. We have nobody.....no bench whatsoever. He get the more from less then any coach in the league. Wish he didn't have to, but he does.

 

a little too much running & motion to be described as "Nate Ball"......................

 

RoyBall*

 

I think most can agree that Nateball is running ISO's, having guys stand and spot up in the corners, getting tough shots late in the clock, not taking advantage of te athleticism on the floor. Since Roy has gone out, Nate....or the team itself, has taken on a different style of play. I also think most of us that have had a problem with Nate, have had it because of the style of play. So god for him and the team, and I hope they both keep it up

 

The Blazers were winning at a much higher clip with Roy around - showing you that he did the right thing - he adjusted his offense to the best player he had and it worked. When Roy is out - he adjusts the system to his best player - Aldridge. I do not think Nate is the best ever - but he is very good at what he has - even if he takes some time to adjust.

 

As I have said in a zillion posts, it's not how well it works in the regular season, it's how well it works in the playoffs. It doesn't work in the playoffs.

 

WTF are you talking about? Since Roy left, we've been playing at a much quicker pace! We're getting more fast break points and movement on offense.

I'm glad we're playing this way, but what's disgusting, is that almost all the fans and all the TV announcers have been saying for years that we needed to ditch the stupid roy-iso offense, and it takes an injury to Roy for the Blazers to make the change.

Why couldn't Roy have played a Wesley Matthews role in this style of offense??

 

What did not work in the playoffs? The Blazers being as green as they came the first year and still taking the Rockets to 6 games - the same team that was the only team that took the eventual champions to 7 games? Nate's coaching can't fix inexperience.

And the next year - Roy being out, Oden being out, Nic suffering an injury and this team still taking PHX to 6 games - the same team that swept the mighty Spurs with Pop as their coach? Nate's coaching is supposed to fix injuries?

If anyone but Roy did not appear star struck on that first series - this team would have done better. If Oden or Roy would have been healthy - this team would have walked all over the Suns last year. The sample size is tiny - and with the circumstances - Nate's coaching does not look too bad when you actually pay attention to injuries and what the teams that played against the Blazers did later in the playoffs.

 

For the same reason that Wes can't play the Roy role... they are different players with different skills/advantages?

 

Brandon saw them, that's why he demanded Miller be traded.

 

Not pre-Roy it wasn't.

 

Funny I seem to remember a lot of national TV announcers talking about how the 4th quarter was "Roy Time" and then they would give some stat of how well we did in close games and how Roy was in the top 3 in points scored in the 4th quarter.

The bottom line though, is we needed both. We needed to get more movement, but the great teams also have a guy who can take the ball in a ISO situation, milk the clock, and score. Kobe, Wade, Lebron, Pierce all do that. Right now we don't, and that sucks.