And it's all because of Kaman, Blake, and McCollum. Kaman gives us size, scoring, and dependability. Blake gives us defense, and true point guard skills. And McCollum gives us explosive offense. I think we have a very competitive bench this year. This is the year we need to go after the title.
I totally agree. If CJ and Robinson continue to grow an play their roles this team will be damn tough come playoff time.
I think our bench is absolutely perfect for the long haul of the season as well. And is fully able to shorten for the post season
Why? I hope Crabbe stays on the inactive roster as he did last night. I want the Blazers to win games and develop players that can contribute in the playoffs. If there are multiple injuries to our rotational players during the season I want to see Wright, Barton and Victor getting all of the minutes before Crabbe.
I'm a huge CJ fan but I wouldn't group him with the first two. I hope further in the season CJ is a good bench contributor but it has been entirely Kaman and Blake during these first 5 games. Kaman gives us 48 minutes of legit centers and that improves the effectiveness of every other player we put on the floor. Blake has had some bad shooting games but he still facilitates great ball movement on the second unit and solid defense. When Mo had a bad shooting game he hurt the team. The bench play has reduced the starters minutes; but also reduced the energy they've had to exert individually on offense and allowed everyone to play better defense. Neil Olshey continues to make exceptional offseason moves. They are often very underwhelming to analysts and fans but exactly what the team needs.
I'm frustrated with the Crabbe pickup in general, in that we gave up two #2's to go up and get him at #31, with no discernible plan as to what role he is to play on the team or the success thereof. What little I've seen of him, I like his length and defensive activity, I like his stroke, and think he would be a good backup for Nic. As for the others, in reverse order: Claver--Generally understood to be a little too slow and not good enough shooter; better suited for the 4 than the 3; Barton--Mr. Energy is also Mr. Out-of-control, and a bit of a ball-hog. I think he's better suited for the 2 than the 3; Wright--He's been fine so far, but he's generally one-dimensional, and he makes some silly decisions at times, especially for a veteran. Much like you, I also want the Blazers to win games and develop players who can contribute in the playoffs. Unlike you (apparently), I think Crabbe can be one of those.
exactly! When Mo wasn't scoring, his lack of defense was so apparent. Us fans understood that only a Good Mo helps but a bad Mo really hurts. Our current bench players can have off nights offensively, but still be great contributors in the ball game.
I think Kaman and Blake have been bigger contributors so far, but don't underestimate McCollum's importance. We absolutely need an explosive scorer off the bench and I think CJ is that guy. He started slow, but so did Damian. I think you'll see him get regular minutes for the rest of the season.
I believe that as the season rolls on CJ and Robinson will find a comfortable "Cruise control", which will be similar to last nights efforts. I could almost see Robinson become a SF for us, at times, if his job is to be high energy and defend. Especially if CJ, and Kaman continue to be able to score.
I am super happy the progressive the bench has made so far this season. Unless they can maintain the level of play from last night I still cant help but wonder if we arent going to make a move at the deadline for a scorer for the bench.
A team looking to move in a new direction or with a log jam that needs thinning might want to take on a couple expirings. Freeland and Wright combine for 6.2 mil allowing us to take back up to 9.5 or so in trade.
Thats exactly what I was thinking. Lookin at some of the salaries in the range I see Thadedus Young and Jeff Green. I wonder if the Celtics have any desire to move Green?
Green giving us 25 mpg as backup 3-4 would be pretty sweet. We'd probably be maxed out on players with heart conditions though.
+/- One of the things that have annoyed me as a blazer fan is our bench. I've seen game after game when Brandon Roy would build us a lead, rest for a few minutes while watching the lead crumble. I've seen a little of that with Lillard as well. 2 years ago our bench was historically bad, last year it was just league-wide bad, this year it may actually be good. The best/simplest stat to see if the bench is losing our leads is +/-: vs. OKC: 3 of the 4 top +/-s came from the bench vs. Sac: bench had +22, starters all had huge negative vs. GS: 3 of the 4 top +/-s came from the bench vs. Cavs: Starters had huge +/-, bench had a net of +7 vs. Dal: huge +/- all the way around The EARLY returns are this: When our starters play well, we win. We haven't had a loss when our starters have played well when our reserves haven't - our bench hasn't held us back.
Man everytime I think of Jeff Green I always think of him as yet another talent the Thunder let go for basically dooky.
I just noticed on one site Jeff Green is listed as a bench player but on another site I see he has started all 4 games for them this year. And he is averaging 22 ppg for them so far. So not likely to happen he is the kind of player off the bench that I would like.
