We are #1 in the entire NBA

There are 100s of video's on youtube on the portlandtrailblazers channel. I can't find the comments by Wes talking about having confidence to play better D knowing Lopez has his back and that he couldn't be aggressive on wing D because of JJ, and about JJ just looking out for JJ. Still looking for Dame's comments about JJ only being about JJ. But both were not meant to disparage Hickson. They were just being candid.

This is LA before pre-season (specifically refers to Hickson having other motives):
[video=youtube;Vk2A5qvhQsc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk2A5qvhQsc[/video]

Stotts pre-season:
[video=youtube;cfxFQ0Pw2N4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfxFQ0Pw2N4[/video]

This is Lillard before pre-season:
[video=youtube;SuWLXS5wtYs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuWLXS5wtYs[/video]

LA after 1st Pre-season game ("I don't feel like we had that last year. I think Lopez has that kind of character to be that guy down low.")
[video=youtube;lTOQkrkeNZs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTOQkrkeNZs[/video]

Knowing your role with Mo pre-season:
[video=youtube;1trVHZT3vUE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trVHZT3vUE[/video]

Wes talking about why the same things said last year, are different this year (media day):
[video=youtube;tdTF2sC8GW0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdTF2sC8GW0[/video]

People that chose to ignore this as "just talk" are who I refer to as "not paying attention." Who said what, is as important as what they said. Blazers are high character, and character matters.

 

When asked, players (and I specifically recall Wes, Dame, Batum, and LA) laughed when the topic of Hickson came up. Like it was a running joke that Hickson stole rebounds and played terrible defense. Reminded me of having a family member you love, but they just are all about themselves even if they aren't j-holes about it.

 

Oh Snap.

 

Very exciting time to be a Blazer fan! I still think we are one banger away and we must stay injury-free of course - but that win against Detroit was gritty. The team believes!

 

That LMA interview....

Aldridge REALLY didn't like Hickson. Wow.

 

Wesley is an uber dork. I love it. He has always reminded me of Puff Daddy (Sean Combs) for a long time, but cooler.

 

23 minutes of video. I'll get to it and comment sometime tonight. First I got me some fun, Chinese moon rover videos.

 

I just repped everyone who has posted in this wondrous thread.


Congratulations Blazers and Blazer fans alike!

 

Because the team is very well balanced, no big holes, a much better bench, a legit center and Batum, Aldridge and Mathews are all hitting their prime. Plus, and this is a big factor too, it just look to me like there were not a lot of other teams that scared me other than Miami of course.

 

Right....

I have no idea what motivates your irrational love of all things Hickson, but the guy is flat out a liability. It doesn't matter what position he plays, it doesn't matter what system he plays in, what team he plays for, or who his teammates are, he flat out gives up more than he gives you. Every advanced stat in the world proves this over and over - and he's doing it in Denver again this year.

Last year, in Portland, he played the fewest minutes of any starter, but the Blazers gave up 266 more points than they scored when Hickson was on the court - by far the worst on the team. Here's last year's starting five:

Aldridge:
Minutes: 70%
Net Points: -26
Net Points/48: -0.4

Batum:
Minutes: 70%
Net Points: -109
Net Points/48: -1.9

Lillard:
Minutes: 79%
Net Points: -62
Net Points/48: -0.9

Matthews:
Minutes: 60%
Net Points: -87
Net Points/48: -1.7

Hickson:
Minutes: 58%
Net Points: -266
Net Points/48: -5.5

Hickson was also the only starter with a negative on court/off court. In other words, the team performed better when someone from the worst bench in NBA history took Hickson's place.

Aldridge:
On Court: -0.4
Off Court: -9.5
Net: +9.1

Batum:
On Court: -1.9
Off Court: -6.2
Net: +4.4

Lillard:
On Court: -0.9
Off Court: -11.8
Net: +10.9

Matthews:
On Court: -1.7
Off Court: -5.3
Net: +3.6

Hickson:
On Court: -5.5
Off Court: +0.2
Net: -5.7

One of these things is not like the others...

And you REALLY don't want to compare Hickson to Lopez this year:

Lopez:
On Court: +8.4
Off Court: +5.0
Net: +3.4

Hickson:
On Court: -3.6
Off Court: +8.7
Net: -12.3

And you really, REALLY don't want to compare Hickson to Aldridge this year (or any year):

Aldridge:
On Court: +10.3
Off Court: -2.7
Net: +12.9

Hickson:
On Court: -3.6
Off Court: +8.7
Net: -12.3

So, time to wake up and give up this ridiculous ruse that Hickson is somehow superior to Aldridge in any way. Seriously, look at those numbers, Aldridge is better than Hickson to the tune of a net of over 25 points per 48 minutes. That's a RIDICULOUS margin, but it's why Aldridge is Aldridge and Hickson is Hickson.

I don't want LaMarcus Aldridge to be like J.J. Hickson in any way, shape or form. You can have Hickson and his "ownership of the inside" (which includes playing ZERO interior defense) and I'll take Aldridge exactly as he is, thanks.

What's refreshing to me is winning games now that Hickson is gone. Aldridge was EXACTLY right. Hickson was the weak link last year and replacing him with Robin Lopez is the biggest difference between winning 40% of our games last year and winning 84% of our games this year.

BNM

 

Blazer Fanatic, except for video #1, I transcribed any relevant quotation.

1. There is too much to transcribe, but listen to 1:00 to 1:45. From there to 3:00 is about last year's team but not critical or specifically about Hickson. This is a good video in your favor.

2. Stotts says about Lopez at 0:50, "He fills a void for us. J.J. Hickson did a terrific job last year as our center, but what we want to do and what we need to accomplish this year, we need Robin Lopez to be a starting center and to be a presence and with that all being said, it's, the way we're going to improve our defense isn't just Robin Lopez."

3. At 0:40, Lillard says he likes it that Lopez yelled, "Where's the help!" in a practice. Players then helped.

4. At 1:40, Aldridge says about Lopez in the first preseason game, "He was on the break with Deandre Jordan and he went up and took that foul. I don't feel like we had that last year. I feel like he has that actual character to be that guy down low."

5. There is no reference to Hickson, defense, rebounding, last year's deficiencies, or improvement over last year. Did you just pick this video at random?

6. At 2:50, Matthews says, "Our problem wasn't scoring the ball. And then adding Robin, Earl Watson, guys who are really defensive-minded, I think it's just going to help our team."

Summary: Aldridge (videos 1 and 4) are the only relevant ones. Did you include the others (which praise Lopez, as players always praise their teammates, but say nothing about Hickson) as filler just to make me work?

In video 1, Aldridge says Hickson had "other things going on," which must mean that he had a contract to negotiate in the summer. That doesn't mean he would have continued worrying about stats once on a new contract. Aldridge does not say that Hickson was selfish or "played only for J.J." In summary, I learned that Aldridge talked like this, but that no one else did in the videos.

 

Further doing what he does best: being a whore.

But it's okay when you're the best!

 

Boob, I read your first sentence. Pissed off that you had called me crazy, I got halfway into the second sentence. I read no more.

Someday you will learn to write without insulting. Actually, no you won't. Years ago I used to actually try to write about your selective use of stats, showing you each time how you displayed only the convenient ones. It didn't change your arrogance. *Deleted*

 

I really don't know why you guys take Jlprk seriously. Maris used to get under the skin of people on this board with his love of all things Sergio, and Jlprk pushes his Hickson agenda. It's pretty clear to me.

 

Someday you will learn to write without insulting. Actually, no you won't. Years ago I used to actually try to write about your selective use of stats, showing you each time how you displayed only the convenient ones. It didn't change your arrogance.

Or, maybe you're the one who has never learned how to express an opinion without insulting someone.

You might also try addressing the post and not the poster. Nah, this is your typical out when you've clearly lost a debate, all the facts contradict your misinformed opinions and you don't have a leg to stand on.

BNM

 

Please restore my post to its unedited state. If you're going to edit out the passage I responded to, it makes my post completely irrelevant.

BNM

 

If I edit out a personal attack, I can't leave said personal attack in your post. That's just how it works. I can delete your post if that's what you want.

 

So, he calls me an asshole and you completely neuter my response by deleting the passage I quoted. That's pretty fucking stupid. People should be held accountable for their actions. Instead, he gets to throw his little temper tantrum and we all look the other way and pretend like it didn't happen. He's not a 7-year old child. Stop treating him like one. He's a grown man and should be held accountable for his actions.

BNM

 

BTW, in your zeal to cover his tracks, you also fucked up the attribution. I didn't write that first paragraph. If you're going to edit my posts because someone else called me an asshole, at least do it right.

BNM