He has shown flashes, especially in the Chicago game, but in no way has he earned the minutes that he's playing - let alone starting. If it's about rotation you slide Aminu over, or you start Davis. Showcasing?
He had his best stretch tonight. There will be growing pains but I think it'll be worth it in the end. I still think Alexander should rotate with Vonleh every other game.
He's Leonard from last year. He can hit the three and no one is guarding him. He needs to shoot. Stotts wants him out there to stretch the floor but he has to shoot like he did tonight.
When Von on the court he usually don't hurt the team. He reminds me of Crabbe of last year when he started. Go out there play hard and don't hurt the team. I don't think he getting to many minutes 12-16 minutes is about right.
I would be shocked if they were showcasing Vonleh. They are doing the right thing by giving the young guy minutes. This season is not about wins and losses; it's about player development. He really just needs more playing time to improve, because this is essentially his rookie year. You can tell he picks up quite a bit of silly fouls, but that is the case with most young players. But what I love are the flashes of potential he shows. The knock-down triple, followed by the fast break lob was the highlight of the game.
I think Stotts is just trying to keep his rotation as close to what it was before Meyers got hurt. Vonleh is able to hit from the perimeter. He's not as consistent as Meyers, but teams can't just slack off of him either. Moving Aminu to PF would mess up the rest of the rotation. My bet is that Noah goes back to the bench and just plays spot minutes once Meyers is back playing again.
In all of Biblical history, there have been only 2 Noahs in the NBA. Last night was their second great meeting. In the first on March 13, Good Noah played 71 seconds and had all zeroes in the box score. God was with him, as he held Bad Noah to 0-3 shooting and 5 fouls in 24 minutes. Last night, Good Noah started and Bad Noah substituted. Both had good box score lines per minute, but the sub inexplicably played more minutes than the starter. Perhaps you can draw a unicorn from this tale.
The more minutes the merrier. It's a strong draft next year in the lotto and I want a top 5 pick. I say PLAY ON!!!
Vonleh's only going to get better with playing time. So play him, especially with Meyers out. He gets experience and hopefully more comfortable with the speed and size of the game. The Blazers probably lose a little more in the present and hopefully get a better player in Vonleh and a higher draft pick down the road. At the very least, the organization sees what it has in him. I see no downside to this. Vonleh isn't a scrub. He's a young, unproven player with high upside. In a season like this, it's ideal to play him.
Exactly. How soon we forget about our desire for Terry to develop the younger players. It's not like he is playing in crunch time. He did the same thing last year with Crabbe. Started him when an injury occurred which allowed him to keep the rest of the rotation intact. No doubt Vonleh has a ways too go. If he can just hit an open mid range shot it should open things up for him to attack the basket. He has another year to improve IMO.
The best thing you can do with a young guy like Vonleh is let him play through his mistakes. Give him support and let him learn.
What we have now over most NBA teams is court time..young talented players will realize they'll see the court in Portland for a couple of years. That's the selling point now along with actually being able to like you teammates and coach.
Davis has been very good in his minutes but I think part of the reason Dame's shooting percentages have been down for the most part since Meyers left is that there is no spacing. Plumlee and Davis are in the key along with their defenders so when Dame drives, there isn't much room and guards can chase Dame off the 3-pt line knowing all the big men are waiting for him under the basket. Vonleh isn't putting up the number Davis is but as he gets more comfortable and starts to hit shots, it will open up the lane so Dame can be more productive which will then open up better looks from the outside.
BG and I were discussing this the other night. We love Ed big time and think he needs serious playing time. But because he's not a shooter and plays best inside, we agree Ed's the perfect long term 6th or 7th man on this team for a very long time. He brings exactly what's needed from a "textbook" bench player; energy, hustle and muscle. And when he's making a positive difference in the flow of the game, he's the kind of guy you have no problem leaving in the game indefinitely, just like last game. Him having zero ego is a big plus in that role also. Given the opportunity, Ed is going to be an important part of the team's future regardless of whether he starts or not.
