LaMarcus has upped his game, but let's be honest: when the midrange fadeaway jumpshot isn't falling, he has little to fall back on. He has increased his inside moves a TON this year, regardless of what people piss and moan about on here, but he still is just an average passer out of the double team. His ballhandling also kinda sucks. That HIGH dribble that he does when making a move is just begging for a guard to swoop in and steal. People who wish for something better than LA are kidding themselves. Look, the pieces are there. Lillard is going to work at his game and become an elite point guard. If someone can just shake Batum and challenge him to bring his A game every night, he'll be an all-star. Wes works harder than anyone on the team, and can fill the bucket. Lopez is everything the Blazers could want in a center. Olshay upgraded the roster last summer for nothing, and the Blazers made it to the second round. They may not have cap space, but they have assets to work with. I'm excited to see what happens.
Shaq saying big men need to play like he did. Also, the sun rose in the east this morning. Sources say it's going to set in the west. Go figure. Fuck Shaq. As for playing the bench like Pop, that works for Pop because he's never going to be fired from San Antonio. It's his job until HE decides it isn't. Terry Stotts won 54 games this year and there will still quite a few in here who question whether they want him to return. Terry can't afford to punt a few regular season games for the big picture, because he's coaching still for his job. Easier said than done to just "do what Pop does".
LMA should play like Shaq. Stotts should coach like Pop. Why hasn't anyone else figured this out?? While we're at it, Batum should play like Pippen, and Lopez should play like Sabonis in his prime. Would it be asking to much to expect Lillard to play like Michael Jordan? It's so simple!
He is what he has always been, a FANTASTIC 3rd fiddle. Personally, I'm fine with that. Lillard will soon take his rightful place as 1st fiddle, so it's up to Neil to find a 2nd.
Lillard is the key. He can become a GREAT player in this league. If he takes that next leap to be a top 3 point guard in the league that makes it easier for the rest of the starters. I think our starters are fine as is. We just need better play off the bench.
It took the "beast" Aldridge for us to beat Houston, which isn't half as good as San Antonio. I'm afraid that as long as Aldridge plays his fade-away jump shot game, we will always fade away come playoff time.
Absolutely. Those first two games in the HOU series were a fluke - he might have another 20ish games like that through the rest of his career. But mostly he'll play like he did through the rest of the POs.
And that's saying a lot, considering some of the really, really, REALLY dumb shit that was posted here last night.
At this point, LMA should just demand a trade. That way, the Blazers can rebuild! Then, when the fans figure out that Lillard isn't the greatest PG ever, he can be traded in four more years, and the Blazers can rebuild!
What's your penance for being made a fool of with your "guarantee"? Hopefully, you'll self-censor and not post here until next season so I don't have to read any more of your dumb-ass posts.
The people who are down on LA baffle me. I guarantee you that the vast majority of teams would kill to have Aldridge starting for their club, including San Antonio, Houston, Miami, Washington, Indiana and OKC.
