I counted 9 quite obvious fastbreak opportunities last night which Roy and Blake ignored. That's just the unquestionable ones that everyone would agree with. Sergio would probably see all those and 10 more that I didn't count. So there's about 20 pts we had on a platter, but said "No thanks" to. In truth, Houston's D is only good when their opponent chooses to play at their pace. Most of Houston's losses are high-scoring games simply because they aren't very quick at getting back on defense. Instead, they pressure the backcourt more than most teams and neither Blake or Roy capitalize on the obvious chink in their armor.
In truth, having sergio in the game 15+ mpg to implement a quicker "pace" would only backfire since Sergio would not be able to stop dribble penetration from Brooks or Wafer on the defensive end. I'm not discounting the fact that Sergio CAN lead a better fastbreak; however, I do think Sergio playing more minutes in this series would be a mistake given how quick Houston's guards are off the dribble. Sergio would be getting boatraced MORE than Blake had been in the first two games. I would think Brooks has to come down to earth sometime and Blake would figure out a way to slow him down (game 3 was proof of this). Implementing more Sergio would defeat our defensive schemes since Brooks and Wafer would have their way with Sergio.
Yes. And I think that is a terrible idea too. Frankly, I think this team's starting point guard is currently under contract with another team.
Exactly right. This is why Sergio is too big of a liability to give minutes to. Could Sergio help speed up the offense? Maybe. It's never a guarantee with Sergio though, as he runs hot and cold. But if he can't speed up the offense, then he is limited to a half court game which doesn't fit his style at all. He tends to dribble too much and he isn't a threat to hit open shots. That's not a recipe for winning. Sergio really doesn't have a future in Portland, or say, a championship team. Could he thrive for a team like the Kings or Thunder who run all day on offense and play no defense? Absolutely. But do you see Sergio as a PG getting meaningful minutes in an important game deep in the playoffs? Hard to picture that.
The question is, will the voting options for "should he go" be "Yes" and "Does he need a ride to the airport"
