"OFFICIAL" Around the NBA - December Thread

And I'm sure you think your the best. After all you have a reputation of 10 that can't ever be taken away out of almost 45 thousand posts.

 

Chin up BGD, I wouldn't trade you for 100 superbeards even though I appreciate the fellows takes. You are slacking on that Netflix thread though, had to look it up myself this time. Looks like the entire series of Friends is coming to Netflix tomorrow.

 

Oh come on BGD, this is a compliment! Don't you know Clutchfans is the best forum ever?!

 

Lamarcus is the leading rebounder on the NBA's best rebounding team, and he's tied for 7th in the league for rpg. Are you really going to criticism him for his rebounding as well? You seem desperate.

 

LOL... seem!?

 

He's really gone off the deep end.

 

OK, this is now officially my favorite post of 2014. Reading it made me incredibly happy - happy that you'll never be in a position to make the kind of dumb ass move that would completely destroy my favorite team, the best Blazers team we've seen in a decade and a half with the potential to be the best Blazer team ever.

Your hatred for LaMarcus Aldridge has given you tunnel vision. You fail to see the big picture and it makes you look foolish.

Facts: LaMarcus Aldridge is the leading scorer and leading rebounder on a team that has started the last two seasons 26-7. His historic performances in Games 1 and 2 of the Rockets series led the Blazers to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. He was the leading scorer on a team that had the 6th best combined regular/post season in team history - and they look to do even better this year. Yet, you want to trade him for a talented head case that hasn't accomplished nearly what Aldridge has - and likely never will. No thanks! In spite of his gaudy individual stats, Cousins has yet to lead the Kings anywhere but right back into the lottery year after year after year. He is the new Kevin Love; big stats, no wins. The NBA equivalent of "big hat, no cattle".

This is the part where you tell me it's not Cousins' fault the Kings suck (just like you used to say it wasn't Love's fault Minnesota sucked), that basketball is a team sport and Aldridge has better teammates than Cousins.

I agree. Basketball is a team sport, but blinded by your hatred, you fail to see the obvious - Aldridge makes his teammates better, Cousins (like Love) does not. You hate Aldridge so much, you focus your entire anti-Aldridge position on ONE stat (FG% - specifically his midrange FG%) and entirely miss the big picture. With Aldridge, the Blazers are currently the second seed in the West, with the second best record in the entire NBA - and moving up. Cousins had, yet another, meltdown, got ejected and his team got blown out by a team that is tanking - actually TRYING to lose. Yeah, Cousins got his double-double, before getting tossed, but talk about hollow stat padding, he goes for 11 and 11 and his team gets blown out by 22. Stupid player, stupid ejection.

And, you somehow think Cousins would be better for this team than Aldridge. Keep in mind, the Blazers with Aldridge are on pace to win a franchise best 65 games. Cousins has his team on pace to win 33 games.

And, this where your anti-Aldridge argument falls completely apart. You pick ONE stat, ignore everything else, including team record, and use it to beat your anti-Aldridge drum. Now, I've been known to obsess over stats at times, but I also watch a LOT of basketball, including every game the Blazers play. Your ant-Aldridge bias makes me wonder if you even watch the Blazers play, or just fap to the box score every time Aldridge makes less than 50% of his shots.

Aldridge shoots all those "inefficient" midrange jumpers for a reason - it makes his team better! Yep, that's a fact. It's the entire basis for Stotts' offensive game plan and makes his teammates, especially Damain Lillard and Wesley Matthews better. I guarantee you if we swapped LaMarcus for DeMarcus today, the Blazers would NOT win 65 games, not even close, we wouldn't have HCA in the playoffs and would struggle to just make the playoffs.

How can I be so certain? Even ignoring Cousins' supidity (which, unfortunately, is part of the package), swapping LaMarcus Aldridge for DeMarcus Cousins would kill our spacing and turn Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews into one-dimensional spot up jump shooters. Aldridge is the PERFECT fit in Stotts' system and the PERFECT teammate for Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews. Is Cousins a better low post scorer than Aldridge? Yes, he is. That gives him the gaudy individual stats that impress you so much, but does not lead to more wins.

With Aldridge, you have a MUCH more versatile player that is MUCH more effective in today's NBA. How many great teams are currently led by a dominant low post big man? Go ahead, I'm waiting... The dominant low post big man has gone the way of the dinosaur. Oh sure, it's still nice to have that option for a few easy baskets a game, but if the guy on your team taking the most shots clogs up the paint all game long, it makes it much harder for his teammates to score. And remember, basketball is a team sport.

Aldridge can, and does, score on the low block, but he also has that midrange jumper that you hate, but other teams respect - they HAVE to respect it. And, that's the whole point. You jump all over Aldridge for taking too many CONTESTED midrange jumpers, but that's EXACTLY what this team NEEDS him to do and why we're 26-7 (again). Other teams know they MUST respect that midrange game, because if they don't, he'll destroy them like he did the Rockets in Games 1 and 2. The Rockets did not contest EVERY Aldridge shot, even those 19 feet from the basket and they paid dearly. Aldridge had two historic performances and the Blazers went up 2-0 on Houston's court. With Aldridge, the Blazers almost swept the higher seeded Rockets. He was our big advantage in that series. Replace Aldridge with Cousins in that series, and I bet the Blazers get swept. We certainly don't win Games 1 and 2. Cousins and Howard cancel each other out and we lose our big advantage.

After Game 2, HOU had to COMPLETELY change their defensive strategy to try to slow down Aldridge. Yes, they succeeded in keeping Aldridge from continuing to score at historic levels, but by focusing so much defensive attention on Aldridge, it opened things up for ALL of Aldridge's teammates. Batum, Matthews, Lillard, even Mo Williams and Robin Lopez ALL had a much easier time scoring when the Rockets were focused on Aldridge.

And again, that's why Aldridge is the PERFECT fit for this team. He can score on the low block, when called to, and draws constant double teams when he gets the ball in the low post. But, that's not all he does. Because teams do (and MUST) respect his midrange game, it pulls his defender away from the basket and opens things up for his teammates. Wes Matthews has developed a GREAT post up game - and thanks to Aldridge, he gets to use it. Aldridge draws his man away from the basket and allows Wes to post up opposing guards without worrying about help defense from Aldridge's man. Same goes for Lillard. The BIG improvement in Lillard's game this season has come in his ability to finish at the rim. Again, Aldridge pulling his man out of the paint, creates lanes and opportunities for Lillard to drive the lane and finish at the rim.

Toss Cousins, and his low post specific game, into the mix and you take away Matthews' post ups and Lillard's drives. It's a huge move backwards, if you value team performance (AKA: Wins) over individual stats.

If we were rebuilding, and didn't already have a contending team, with a great system that optimizes the talents of all our players - starting with Aldridge, swapping Aldridge for the younger Cousins might make sense. Blowing up a contender to bring in a young, talented head case makes ZERO sense.

BNM

 

Well said and if I had rep available, I would rep you. Sinobas is much like Jaynes. Uses one little thing and blows it way out of proportion! His agenda is weak as much as his lowly arguments regarding Aldridge. This is why he's a hater and why no one can ever take him seriously.

 

Go Hornets!!!

 

Josh smith with 2 careless shots 0/2

 

Rooting for Josh Smith to fail is more entertaining and almost as much fun as rooting for the Rockettes to flail. I mean fail. (Easy mistake.)

 

"Leading rebounder and scorer, blah blah blah". You guys keep repeating the same old thing because you have nothing to refute the more informative metrics. Rebounding rate is a much better metric to use to evaluate how well a player rebounds, and to look at a players point total without looking at efficiency doesn't give you the complete picture. LA is leading the team in misses, because he's the least efficient player on the team.

How does LaMarcus make anyone better? Does he magically make Lillard and Matthews shoot better with his teleknetic powers? He's not a good passing big man like Sabonis/Gasol, and teams usually don't double team him.

And you're way off on Cousins. Having a legit low post threat will create more outside shots. That's basketball 101. LA's long 2s don't create good shots.

 

By the way, the two Houston games are outliners. Everyone knows LA is a guy that can get really hot occasionally, and he can get his shot off any time he wants. But it's the same way with JR Smith. Looking at his total production though, shows that more often that not he hurts the team. This season for example, he's shot under 40% from the field more times than he's shot over 50%.

 

Hahaha I know! And hearing the announcers having no idea about the rules of the game is classic!

 

Josh Smith has 2 pts, 0 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover in almost 12 minutes...Stan van Gundy is a genius!

 

This comment by BNM completely destroys any attempt you made. And talk about focusing on one metric?!?! You've been using only the mid range shot as your argument, nothing else. And the rebounding rate is silly. If you rebound the ball, you are a rebounder. The advanced metrics are used for role players that have limited playing time.

This is also another trump on your silly "missed the most shots". Well yeah! He misses the most because he takes the most! Ironically, dame missed more when Aldridge was out. Go figure?!?!

Way to overlook it Sinobas, so I reposted it for you to read again.

 

You know he's smiling in Detroit right now

 

DMO is going to pull an asik and want more time or end up walking. I hope they never trade dwight!

 

I just said today you seemed to be enjoying the Blazers again...everybody understands your disdain for Lamarcus. Everyone disagrees. It's called beating a dead horse into dust and waiting for erosion to erase all trace. No need to argue about it for the 50 thousandth time. Cousins, just for the record, isn't a power forward.

 

Morey will never trade Howard because that would admit he was wrong. Morey seems to be the guy that never wants to admit that