ROY comments on our offense - is there a problem here?

You think that's what we've found out? I think we've found out that getting past a team like Houston, with both Yao and Artest at the top of their games, is a pretty tough thing to do for a team in its first playoffs and that getting by the Suns is also really tough to do without Oden or Przybilla and with Roy playing on one leg. But, yeah, I guess you could distill it all down to ISO not working if you want to.

 

Teams win titles with superstars. The answer should be obvious. Let's get Roy's usage rate up in the 30s and see if we have one. If not, it's time to rebuild and find a new superstar.

 

I don't see that they're mutually exclusive at all. In fact, I think the odds of the Blazers winning in the playoffs is diminished if you don't play to your best player's strengths.

 

Would you please stop being so "thick-headed"?

 

They are when you don't have a team around your best player who can do the only thing left to do....Shoot the three. For Roy to be happy, he wants players standing around the perimeter, waiting for him to kick it out with 3 seconds on the clock. We no longer have that team.

Yes, it was a way for him to get 5 assists per game, but now he will actually have to earn those assists.

Hopefully he can learn from Wesley...If you take Roy's ability, and combine it with the way Wesley plays basketball...That would be incredible.

 

You're right. I should have said the odds "are" diminished, not "is".

Shameful.

 

I didn't say they were. I asked what's more important. Personally I think Roy has been very close-minded about changing his game. He was unhappy when the team was trying to work Oden into the offense last season, and he's unhappy now. If he wants to have the ball in his hands, we should just make him the damn point guard, teach him to be a better distributor, and trade Miller. I'm tired of this debate. It's obvious that Roy is never going to see the light on this one.

 

What a bunch of bullshit. Plus, Wes is playing EXACTLY like Roy used to play right now.

 

No, what I'm saying is that there's no harm in exploring whether Roy has more gifts, because the more ways Roy can succeed, the more ways to also exploit the abilities of other players.

Then you play the way the Blazers have played the last couple of years. I've already said several times in this thread that Roy may not have the ability to play off-the-ball, in which case the team shouldn't use him that way.

I simply think it's a mistake never to even try it. Great players should be challenged, by their coach, to see if they can extend themselves. The more versatile your best player is, the more things you can do as a team. That's all.

 

Maybe he has, and only a few of us agree?

 

I'm not sure that "we no longer have that team". Miller's certainly not in Blake's league, or just about anybody else's for that matter, from 3-point land, but Wesley, Rudy, & Nic can all hit at a high percentage from distance. Also, I think that Oden's return (whenever it happens) is going to open up things for some inside hoops and create more space for Aldridge.

 

I agree. Let's see if Roy can become a Wade or a Bryant. He doesn't have the ball enough at this point to make that determination.

 

Sweet, I missed the season when Roy was playing defense, and running the court.

 

I already said Roy needs to improve on defense. Your earlier post said nothing about defense, though. You're all over the place.

 

What are you talking about.... Michael Jordan never improved upon his game or strived to become a better ball player. He was content to simply be a super athletic dunk machine.

 

I think not....I said if Roy played like Wesley, with his talent, he would be a superstar. Wesley plays on both ends, and does not refuse to run up the court. Pretty specific.

 

That may be, but when you give up when something is hard at first, you're guaranteeing a failure. It's a bit silly, IMO, to say "We tried it, it didn't work immediately, so clearly it can't work." I don't know what the right length of time is to give it a chance, but a few pre-season games seem awfully early to write it off as failed.

Roy, as far as I can tell, has never attempted playing any other way. That could well be because he's incapable of it...it could also be because he's never been asked to and tried to get good at it.

Miller is what he is, at this point. I think his career has been long enough that he's well established what he can and can't do. Roy is young enough that I think it's still possible he may have more things he can do than he's shown. This is not an insult to Roy, it's the opposite: I (and probably the Blazers) feel he may still have potential. This argument seems to have taken on a tone of "Why do you want Roy to change?" as though it's hostility to Roy. It's very much the opposite. It's the hope that he can be an even better player. May as well find out.

Can you quote me someone who's suggested that Roy should "drop" his ball-handling game?

The correct analogy is whether Microsoft should devote all their resources to polishing Office endlessly, or whether they should diversify and try to make some money in other things, like search, while keeping Office as their core.

There are two types of efficiency, and I'm not sure your viewpoint fits either. There's more efficiency in maximizing Roy's abilities and efficiency in maximizing the team's offense. I think seeing whether Roy can play off the ball is both in his best interests and the team's.

Again, if he works on it and finds he can't do it--fine. There will be many minutes to be played in his career and he can play the rest of them the way he already has. If it turns out, like Kobe and Jordan, that he can also play off the ball...he's a better player and the Blazers are a more dangerous offense.

 

Jordan never had a usage rate under 31.7 after his rookie season until his final year on the Wizards. HIs best WS season was when he had a usage rate of 34.1.

Why should Roy have the ball less? I just don't see how that makes the team better.

 

Roy is a much better offensive player than Matthews. Problem is, Matthews is allowed to play like Roy on offense during the preseason. I'd love to see Matthews' preseason usage %.

 

I agree. Let's not shove a 3-time All-Star into an off-the-ball role. I want to see if Roy can be a Wade or a Bryant.