You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Excellent in what way? Barton: PER = 4.8, TS% = .427, WS/48 = -0.034, VORP = -0.4 TRob: PER = 8.8, TS% = .441, WS/48 = 0.053, VORP = -0.5 The two worst PERs on the team, only Dorell Wright has a lower TS%, and he plays fewer minutes, the two worst WS/48 on the team and the only two players with negative VORP. So, why didn't Meyers Leonard make your list of "excellent bench players not getting minutes at all"? Leonard: PER = 16.7, TS% = .630, WS/48 = 0.222, VORP = 0.1 Leonard has gotten fewer minutes than TRob and less than half as many minutes as Barton, but unlike the other two, he's actually produced when given a chance. Why aren't you clamoring for more minutes for the most excellent Meyers Leonard? BNM
Agreed; he's gently coming along as a Channing Frye-lite, with much room for improvement still. Wouldn't this be his senior year of college right now?
If people actually followed your advice, traffic on this site would grind to a halt and Denny would be filing for bankruptcy. BNM
No, he played at Illinois for two seasons, but barely played as a freshman. So, if he would have stayed 4 years, his would be his rookie season, in the NBA. BNM
Well BNM, with all due respect, Your statistical analysis gets more and more complicated and just one thing is missing from your posts IMO and that's actually basing your arguments upon watching the players play. TRob was the highest + player against Minnesota (2 points, 2 rebounds in 2 minutes with a +4) and although you may claim it was only in garbage time, him playing only in garbage time is exactly the issue. The most exciting single play last season was also against Minnesota, TRob (block) to Claver to Mathewss to Barton alley oop. The 3 of these 4 players who are not playing are exactly who I want to see added to the rotation. Leonard is not the issue here, I think he's made some improvement but I don't think he's as good as Barton and Robinson already proved to be and I think Claver deserves the same chance Leonard did get this season. My point isn't just about any specific player, it's that I want to see a deeper rotation. I think we could have had more success against the Spurs if our players were more fresh and if more players were able to get playing time and gain confidence throughout the season, just like, for example, the Spurs... I think Stotts' rotations are still too stiff. I think he could juggle the lineups much more freely and that it'd make us more successful in the short term and long term. The only concern is that players could start worrying about not getting theirs but while a real concern I think winning would make it irrelevant and I think our guys like each other well enough that they'd be happy to sit a bit more and have other deserving players also get a chance.
How dare you not watch the games, BNM!?! Stats are too complicated, pick a 2-minute sample during blowout time (down 20) in MIN in December and base things off of that. Or conversely, take one play and base your rotation around that. BTW, Dame made a 26' 3-pointer in 1 second (which was also, while I was watching, one of the more exciting plays last year), so we should never throw the ball into the paint. this post would've looked like a forest if I applied all the green font I wanted to, so just /s
One game doesn't give you enough sample size to elaborate for the entire season sorry. Also, you talked about the "eye test"... Well Leonard has seen the least amount of minutes of the other two players you mentioned. How can you use the eye test when you haven't seen him play?
What makes you think I'm not watching the players play? I responded to one of your other threads about how lost and mistake prone Barton and Robinson look on the court. I watch almost every minute of every Blazers game. I occasionally miss the first quarter of an East Coast game, but I'm pretty sure I've seen every minute Barton, TRob and Leonard have played this season, and most they played last season, and most Barton and Leonard played their rookie year (didn't see much of TRob when he was in SAC and HOU). The "eye test" is subjective, but here's what my eyes tell me based on recent and past performance, plus summer league and preseason (when these guys all got more court time). Meyers showed offensive skills his rookie season but lacked fundamentals on defense and rebounding. He just looked lost a lot of the time. He seemed to regress offensively and lose confidence in his shot during his second season, but rebounded MUCH better and looked slightly less lost over all. In preseason and the few minutes he's played in the regular season, he continues to box out and rebound well, has regained his shooting touch and confidence and doesn't look as lost on defense. He's not a low post traditional center, but seems comfortable in the role of back-up stretch 4, which seems a better match for his skill set. In short, I've seen steady forward progress. The progress has been slow at times and his offensive game regressed for a while, but over all he's made progress, and that's what I like to see in a young player. I have seen no such progress from Barton and Robinson. If you have, please tell me one area either has improved since they've been here. Barton is chaos in high tops. With that, you get the good with the bad. At times, his energy and associated chaos helps the team and catches the other team off guard. This is Good Will. The problem is, we get to see a lot more of Bad Will, who plays out of control and hurts his own team, more than the opponent, with poor shot selection and stupid, unforced turnovers. I am most disappointed in Barton. In summer league and preseason, I thought he was finally starting to understand how to use all that energy within the team concept. The problem is, summer league and preseason are not the same thing as the NBA regular season. Barton is exactly the kind of player that can thrive in the unstructured, guard dominated, pick-up game mentality of the summer league. But, put him in a regular season NBA game with a structured offense, and he reverts back to Bad Will making poor decisions and hurting his team more than helping them. TRob has also been disappointing. I have no idea what he works on in practice and over the summer, but I have seen zero progress since he's been here. He's still extremely ineffective offensively, loses his man on defense, commits stupid fouls and turns the ball over. In short, it's his 3rd season and he still makes way too many rookie mistakes. He hasn't addressed any of his many weaknesses and continues to rely 100% on his athleticism as the only basis for having an NBA career. That athleticism does occasionally yield a spectacular play, but relying on it without improving his fundamental skills is fool's gold. For every high flying block and put back slam that makes the highlight reels there are at least 10 ill advised shots, blown defensive assignments and stupid, unforced turnovers. So yeah, what I see with my eyes just happens to also be backed-up by the stats I presented in my previous post. The sample size for all three players is small this season, but based on overall body of work, Leonard has shown progress; Barton and TRob have not. BNM
Can't say I agree with you, Noob. First of all, starters minutes are down across the board. Second, if Wright gets Crabbe's minutes, we're in deep yogurt.
I think Terry has a great deal of faith in Blake and Kaman and he is learning to have faith in the others. I think he knows and understands for this team to take a leap forward from last year two things need to happen. He needs to get more from the bench. And two the defense needs to improve. There have been moments, I feel he has showed great faith in all of them. Let's go back to the Charlotte game at home a month ago. Who played for great portion of the fourth? It was the bench with one starter until the 6 min mark and then he put in left in guys like Joel Freeland. He did the same thing in the Denver rout even as Denver was making a comeback. I think how he has handled the bench is fine.
I wouldn't say fine. I think tonight showed just how inadequate the bench is being out scored 40 to 15. The bench need regular work and improvement time every bit as much as the starter. Perhaps even more.
pretty much the only suggestion i would have to coach is when you bring rolo back in rather than sit kaman slide him to PF and sit leonard/freeland. i know he doesnt like this for spacing purposes, but for like 2 minutes change the pace of the game and just pound it inside to the brolos. this would give the kaveman more minutes while still resting aldridge the same amount
Pretty tired of the constant "Pops does it and it works for the Spurs" Mantra. Pretty sure Stotts knows what Pops is doing and he is pretty tired of everyone telling him to do it like the Spurs also.
