http://bkref.com/tiny/bqdEf I think the takeaway here is that Blake got more assists per minute than Mo, and shot much less than Mo... which is good, because he shoots even worse than Mo. I'm also not happy about his turnover rate, but maybe he can rein it in under Stotts... I think Barton and CJ are gonna get a lot of time out there, and that's a good thing. Gotta play the youngsters to get them ready.
Obviously Blake is much less likely to go off for 17 points, but he's a much more stable and consistent player. He isn't going to dribble at the top of the key for 20 seconds. The goal right now should be to improve the play of CJ, Thrill, and Robinson. That's where the points need to come from the second unit.
I like the ambiguity of the thread title! Is that good? Is it bad? I think it really captures the signing well. The more I think about it the more I like it - well, them (Blake & Kaman). I've always liked Kaman, but when the news broke that we signed him I was underwhelmed because he's not the player he use to be. But he's going to be a solid back-up on both ends of the court - significantly better than what we had last season. Blake is more of a lateral move, but stylistically he'll be better for the team than Mo. Blake and Kaman aren't going to make or break our season - what they'll do is allow the rest of our bench the opportunity to grow into roles to the point where they can "make" our season. If we're tied to our starting unit then our progress will rely on CJ/Will/Robinson - those are the guys that'll either push us to the WCF, or keep us stagnating where we are. Blake and Kaman are two solid guys that will aid in the development of our young benchers. I think we go into the season with this roster and then make a mid-season trade sending out 2-3 guys for that one guy who'll provide the missing ingredient.
Neither Blake not Damien push the ball up the court well . . . I don't see the Blazers getting a lot of fast break points (easy baskets) next year
We aren't a team that goes for easy baskets, anyway. But Will/Robinson will get out on the break and defy Terry's orders against taking high-percentage shots.
Blake is a better fit for Stotts' offense than Mo because he will move the ball around, while still being able to hit an open three. If coach wants someone to go nuts with the ball in their hands and not look to set up teammates, we have Will The Thrill for that. I'd frankly rather have Will for that, plus Will can actually play some semblance of defense (compared to Mo). As can Steve Blake. Win/Win.
Well Blake can smack Bogut a little harder than Mo did, so there's that. Blake is a way better defender than Mo and a better passer. Mo was quicker and had a quicker release on his jumper. I didn't have a problem with Mo and in the BRoy days I wasn't a fan of Blake but Blake did have a career year when Nash went down last season so he's on the upswing. Now if he can just get a Meyers pompadour going, that's the difference
That's a good point. One thing Mo was good at was pushing tempo and creating when the offense bogged down. I foresee many half-court sets coming next year. Damian plays at a casual pace, too casual sometimes. I hope this is something he's paying attention to and works on.