To build on that, skill in addition to the physical tools that make some people elite, IE long arms, quickness, athleticism, etc.
Talent. We have three legitimate starters and 12 bench players. Harkless is a backup. Vonleh is a backup. Turner is a horrible fit. So the real problem is probably the architect - Olshey.
This is laughable. Olshey was handed a shit sandwhich. The fact that we have made the playoffs for two straights years after losing 4/5 starters is a fucking miracle. Getting Nurkic AND a first rounder for Plumle was a fucking miracle. It amazes me that people are still shitting on Neil.
Seems like NO was choosing between Okafor and Nurkic for Plums. It was Noel and Nurk who were moved at the deadline. Chandler might have been a backup possibility, with Ezeli's contract and another ~$5M outgoing to balance the deal for CBA purposes. Or maybe a last resort. Phoenix gets out of the $13M/season obligation to a 34 year old who always relied upon athleticism. http://www.libertyballers.com/2017/...st-jahlil-okafor-trade-rumors-bryan-colangelo
I say Defense. Defense leads to offense. We should now have fairly balanced scoring with Nurk. We need stoppers like Beverly.
I think Nurkic helps with both, so help may have already arrived. I feel like if Stotts is going to stay on as our coach, we have to get more offensive weapons. He's never going to be a defensive minded coach. We might as well go all in with offense and get more weapons. It is clear we need some help for Dame and CJ on offense anyway. The last two years in the playoffs, our opponents basically ignored everyone not named Lillard or McCollum and they just focused all 5 defenders on those 2 guys, and our supporting cast can't take advantage.
Strongly disagree. If Stotts cant teach defense then he needs to hire a coach that can. You dont just go all in on one side of the court when the sport is a 2 way game. You want to blow out a third of our opponents but then lose to the rest when our shots arent falling? Thats a great way to enter the cellar. Plus its been tried and proven to be a failure several times already. The mid 80's nuggets tried this. The early 90's suns tried this. Neither made it far in the playoffs or even made it.
Everything Olshey said during his press conference indicated that he thought the real prize of the Nurk deal was the draft pick. He admits himself that he didn't know how good Nurk was, citing only his advanced stats as evidence he could play. The fact that he chose Nurk over any of the other centers we could have possibly traded has more to do with getting a first round pick back more than anything. Yeah, it was a fucking great move, but being right for the wrong reasons doesn't inspire much confidence. When you take into account the awful contracts he signed last season, he should be on shaky ground, although I am sure he isn't.
What's interesting to me is how much adding a single player can help a team out just by helping to create an identity and inspiring their team mates. I haven't looked at stats, and I am going on my shaky at best memory, but I distinctly remember the Warriors being basically in the exact same situation we are in right now in the late 2000's early 2010's with a good PG in Steph Curry with an under sized but talented 2 guard, with then a bunch of hot garbage surrounding them. In I believe 2011 they got Klay and started surrounding Curry with some better talent and some vets which propelled them to be a decent team hovering around the 7th-8th spot in the west, but still they weren't much of a real threat. The year after they drafted Draymond Green who had a slow start to the year, but with injuries he started getting more play time and frankly made that team way better than it was with Richard Jefferson & David Lee or whoever it was. It took a few years, but the guy blew up and really helped take the team to the next level. I cannot stand the guy, but Green is really what helped complete that team and turn them into not only a much more dynamic offense but also a top tier defensive juggernaut. The dude has swagger, he has insane irrational confidence, he's long, big, fast, and has an incredible instinct for the game and clearly is a good study as well. That swagger and confidence that he brought to that teams defense is IMO what changed the identity of the Warriors from being a perennial 7th seed non-threat to the best team in the NBA in just a few years. He has a mean streak, is a jack ass, but has no problem calling out Steph, Klay, and KD on missed plays and seems to be the real heart and soul of that team, he drives accountability with his team mates. He also calls out plays and helps direct traffic on defense and is obviously the vocal leader of the team, I think without Green the Warriors would have remained a one trick pony and they wouldn't have become what they have. What I have noticed with Nurk is that he provides a lot of the same qualities as Green, he's our anchor on defense because he has a good feel for the game with sharp instincts. He also has some swagger and attitude ("enjoy your summer boys" anyone) and has a chip on his shoulder similar to Green and he clearly enjoys playing defense and shutting down his opponent just like Green. What I also noticed with the eye ball test was that after the Nurk trade literally everyone on the team played better on both ends of the floor, I think his swagger and confidence was contagious, almost like a fever or something. I hope that Nurk continues to be the spark he was, and that he can bring the swagger we so desperately need to the team and help craft an identity for the Blazers much like Green did with the Warriors. It's been badly missing as we really just don't have anyone with a tude that will rile up the team and isn't scared to call someone out on a blown play, and isn't afraid to get emotional and riled up with the refs. I love me some Lillard and CJ, but those dudes just don't bring the passion or swagger that helps create an identity that comes with just an attitude. Someone posted something about Dion Waiters the other day, and that's the kind of thing that this team is missing! Someone that has irrational confidence, but drives his team mates to just be better because he demands it of them and has some passion behind his game. I am not sure if it will last, but I hope Nurk is that guy. Just for comparison someone else that I think had an over sized effect on his team, especially defensively, was Wes Matthews. Wes inspired his team mates to play better and help create the identity for the Blazer teams that were pretty good defensively a few years ago, and I distinctly remember the year he went down the team tanked hard after that even though his individual talent was mostly replaced by Afflalo. The difference is that Afflalo didn't have Wes' swagger and didn't inspire the team like Wes did, and thus our defense especially suffered dramatically after he went down. Not that I wish this on the guy, but I have been curious to see if Green went down if the Warriors would look more mortal, because they've played without the other big 4 out for some time and they've always bounced back quickly. Even after KD went down, after that stretch where they took a skid they figured it out and began to look almost unbeatable again. The only one of their big 4 they haven't lost for any extended time has been Green, and I have been curious to see how much of an impact that guy really has on that teams success if he were to go down for an extended time. TLDR: Nurk rocks, has swagger, and makes a difference. Get healthy big guy and help us create an identity that the rest of the team can embrace!
we had waaaaaay too much hope and blind faith in the people we paid $$$ too in the offseason to be able to play and contribute in a meaningful way, and all 3 can barely lock down 20+ mins a game or a starting spot. we overpaid for avg players we hoped would be better. they arent.
