i went back to see why Rupert got benched in 2nd half last night. He was being a pest defensively, and Scoot found him on drive & kicks 3 times. Rayan hit 2 in a row, Scoot nailed a bucket and triple, the Blazers lead swelled to 9. Rockets got a couple baskets, Rayan missed his 3rd stab at a three, then immediately got subbed out for Jabari Walker. The Rockets took full advantage of the slow footed Reath/Walker frontcourt, and pummeled the Blazers with high speed offense. Duop got a breather from Moses Brown near end of 3rd, which made Portland even slower. Rockets +20 after Rupert got benched. OK, no biggy, get Rupert back in, and maybe he can disrupt defensively and stick a couple more 3's. NOPE ... Coach Billups randomly gives *cold off the bench* Justin Minaya the SF slot to begin the 4th. it's that time of year for accidental bad coaching. It's best to watch the Blazers without really knowing who exacty is on the court. Slappy scrappy defense, and maybe some shots will drop.
This season, Rupert needs to be starting and playing 35 minutes per game. The Blazers need a Star, or at least an elite 3-and-D guard/forward. Billups should not be dicking around with this. It's a 2-4 team. My dream backcourt would be Rupert and Sharpe. Every position in the NBA is 3-and-D. At least for a successful team. Probably not in 6'3" PG Billups imagination. Scoot shooting .286 and turnstile Simons are not the answer.
I remember when Jake Layman should have been starting and playing 30 minutes a game yeah, I'm being a snot
He's currently playing 11mpg. I'd be happy with 20-25mpg I'd like to see Grants and all starters minutes capped under 30. Have them put more effort on both ends. That won't happen though. But Kris Murray certainly doesn't need 50%+ more minutes than Rupert. Jabari Walker should be getting DNP
