Newly named- Potential Upside Podcast - Ep 1 is now up- now with less Danforth!

Sorry, one other team, but his first two season played he didn't average more than 9 points a game. I am basing my statement off of what the announcers said and a quick look at his stats...

He averaged 5.5 rebounds and 7.5 points his first two seasons and played all 82 games. combine this with a 67% ft for those two years, how is that above average?

Stats are right here...

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3015/paul-millsap

Oh yeah. He also only averaged 1 assist for both those years.

Again, how is this above average or even AVERAGE form day one????

That's what I was talking about.

Pretty obvious to me that he came in the league as a mediocre player (yes he maybe did have a defined skill set of rebounding, but that's about it)
He is twice the player he was when he entered the NBA, and didn't really start that growth until into his third FULL season.

Im just saying that our players, the bulk of them, Vonleh, Meyers, AMinu, Harkless, even Crabbe, Have not had those kind of consisten 20 minutes a game like Millsap did, so these guys are really on thier first real season of consistent minutes. Give them a few years and they could elevate thier game just like Millsap did.

And Millsap stayed in college three years.

 

Those stats can be tweaked to fit most agendas. End of story is he played all 82 games his first two seasons, with 20 mpg, 9ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1 apg, on 50% FG and 67% ft.

That is average at best.

In the end I think we are arguing semantics. The point is he improved his game significantly years into his career. It can be done....

 

We will have to disagree because.....

in his first two seasons he averaged the above...The rest of his career has been an average of 31.8 minutes per game. That's an increase of 11 minutes per game. he averaged 13.7 ppg during this stretch.

I see that as not much of an improvement and this agrees with what you are saying...
But wait. Lets look at just he last two season now....
An average of 33 minutes per game in 73 and 74 games respectively...and he averaged 16.7 and 18.4 ppg.
So in his first two years, he played 10 minutes per game less than the rest of his career on average, but the per 36 was almost the same. But in his last two seasons he took a considerable leap from averaging only 13.7ppg for the stretch of his career to 17ppg in only 2 more minutes per game played.

No matter how you spin it, its pretty obvious he has improved and continues to improve late in his career and again, my whole point, is... so can other players, like some on the Blazers roster....

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/mip.html

This is a list of the NBA's most Improved player award since the mid 80's and the age of the recipient. There are 12 players over 25.
It can happen that some of our guys can still take a good leap in the next couple years....Not saying m,ost improved player award leaps, but if they can keep a steady growth with a couple of leap years, yes, guys like Harkless, Vonleh, Plumlee and even Aminu, Leonard ands Crabbe can still become substantially better.

Im not saying they will. im saying its possible. And I'm saying its probable that one or two more do improve. Crabbe is making steady progression. A leap or two and he could be a 6th man of the year candidate, potential All star. My overall point is, I do not think this team has reached its peak individually nor collectively.

 

Vonleh has solid defensive instincts, especially in his feet; if they improve with age and training that would keep him on the court night in and night out as a 3 & D guy.

 

Vonleh has a powerful lower body core..he's not easy to move once he gets set. I think the sky is the limit for him but Stotts has him in defensive school before he runs many plays for him. I know he can shoot.

 

Vonleh needs to fix the hitch in his shot.