OT - Zach, Clipper Clipped for Driving Drunk

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by BoBoBREWSKI, Apr 6, 2009.

Moderators: 6

Moderators

  1. BrianFromWA
  2. Chris Craig
  3. Darkwebs
  4. Ed O
  5. PtldPlatypus
  6. SlyPokerDog
Page 3 of 3
  1. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2008
    Messages:
    26,226
    Likes Received:
    14,407
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    User Interface Designer
    Location:
    Hello darkness, my old friend
    No, why should I? I was simply noting that just because he's not better than Aldridge doesn't mean that Randolph wouldn't be valuable on the team. I wouldn't pay his salary and if Allen doesn't want to, that would be fine too.
     
    Minstrel, Apr 6, 2009
    #41
  2. LittleAlex

    LittleAlex Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2008
    Messages:
    2,824
    Likes Received:
    54
    Trophy Points:
    48
    He would be a fine addition if the Blazers were your fantasy basketball team. Unfortunately all of the baggage that Zach comes with FAR outweighs his stats. There is a reason Roy asked KP to trade his stupid ass. Honestly, I would rather have Frye. At least he isn't such a dick the rest of the team hates his guts.
     
    LittleAlex, Apr 7, 2009
    #42
  3. maxiep

    maxiep RIP Dr. Jack

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2008
    Messages:
    28,303
    Likes Received:
    5,884
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Merchant Banker
    Location:
    Denver, CO & Lake Oswego, OR
    We need to take some responsibility for how Zach has turned out. When he came here, he was a terrific garbage player. We never ran plays for him, we just let him clean the boards and score on put backs. Because of our dearth of talent, we turned him into a #1 option. Remember, this franchise had a great deal of frustration with trying to get Rasheed to take the reins of being the guy. Zach wants to please, so he took that lesson to heart.

    Like the guy or hate him, he brought something new to his offensive game every year. He worked hard to come back from microfracture. His game has massive holes in it, but what he does well, he does extremely well. By the time we put some talent around him, we had ruined his game. He had spent a couple of years being the only above average starter on our team.

    Oh, well. Zach got paid, so he's happy. We traded him, so we're happy. He likes weed, so drug dealers are happy. He likes strip clubs, so dancers are happy. The story could have turned out much worse.
     
    maxiep, Apr 7, 2009
    #43
  4. mgb

    mgb Over-Nite Sensation

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Messages:
    5,132
    Likes Received:
    92
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Location:
    Gresham, OR
    Ya, when other players were hitting shots, we were winning and everyone wish Zach would play that way all the time, but when everyone else's shots stop dropping we'd go to Zach exclusively and the rest of the players would stand around and Zach would be called a selfish black hole.
     
    mgb, Apr 7, 2009
    #44
  5. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2008
    Messages:
    10,701
    Likes Received:
    2,826
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    I wish that the team, as I argued for at the time, would have brought him off the bench for one more year. Heavy minutes? Yes. More important role? Sure.

    Starting as the focal point of the offense? No.

    He probably still would have screwed himself up off the floor, but as a player I think he would have had to feel like he'd earned his minutes and been hungrier if he hadn't been handed the role he was after the Dallas series.

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, Apr 7, 2009
    #45
  6. mook

    mook The 2018-19 season was the best I've seen

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2008
    Messages:
    8,309
    Likes Received:
    3,944
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Buy a recipe binder at CookbookPeople.com
    Location:
    Jolly Olde England
    In hindsight you are right on this, but you have to admit it would've been pretty ridiculous to bring a 20/10 guy off the bench. It's simply not done in the NBA, except on rare contending teams where it's an aging veteran to push them over the top.
     
    mook, Apr 7, 2009
    #46
  7. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2008
    Messages:
    10,701
    Likes Received:
    2,826
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    The thing is he'd only had the good series against Dallas... he had played 16.9 mpg as a 21 year-old on a 50 win team in 2002-03.

    Then Whitsitt left and Zach was starting (he started 80 of the 81 games in 2003-04). Bonzi and the team got off to a terrible start, Wells and Rasheed were given away, and the downward spiral began.

    I think that he could have been given 25-30 minutes a game off the bench as a 22 year-old and it wouldn't have been the most insane thing ever.

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, Apr 7, 2009
    #47
Page 3 of 3

Share This Page