Breaking down the Blazers...Part 1

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by ucatchtrout, Aug 8, 2009.

  1. ucatchtrout

    ucatchtrout Well-Known Member

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    Breaking down the Blazers by position....Part One

    Its starting to look like the Blazers roster is shaping up nicely for next season and some team officials have indicated they think their won't be any more personel moves before the games begin. Originally, I thought I'd begin this series with the 1 position, but with todays big news about the Brandon Roy contract I found myself thinking about him.

    Other than perhaps center, the 2 is the strongest position on the Blazers.
    Brandon Roy, starter
    Rudy Fernandez, backup
    Bayless, & Blake may play limited minutes at this position

    All star Brandon Roy, recently rewarded with a five year contract worth over eighty million dollars, is the unquestioned leader of our team. If you look back at the impact Brandon has had on the Blazers one might go so far as to say that the day he was drafted was the end of the Jailblazer era. On and off the court he has been a model of what ownership and fans alike want from a player.

    Draw up a list of how many 2 guards in the league are better than Brandon Roy. Or even a list of how many players are better than Brandon Roy. Your list might not be the same as mine, but it in any case it won't be a long list. For the Portland Trailblazers, Brandon Roy has been just what the doctor ordered.

    What can we expect from BRoy this year? Brandon is not the kind of person or player whose performance will drop after they get their big payday. I think we can all assume that barring injury he will have another allstar season. With a deeper team, I'm hoping Nate will be able to reduce Brandons minutes just a little bit, and turn over some of the offensive responsibilty to Andre Miller. I think last years playoff series with Houston showed not only how much the Blazers rely on Brandon, but that at times they rely on him a bit too much making them a bit too predictable. Miller will help with that, and I'm looking forward to seeing opponents not knowing from which direction the Blazers are going to attack them.

    Second year guard Rudy Fernandez is a player who could start for many teams. Last year he teamed with fellow countryman Sergio Rodriguez to form the Blazers Spanish Armada. Rudys acrobatic dunks and three point shooting were at times spectacular. A seasoned veteran of international and Olympic play, in many respects Rudy was no rookie. However, I do think the physical play of the NBA took some getting used to for him. In some ways I think he may have been underutilzed last year. Much of the time offensively he was little more than a spot up three point shooter. In Europe Rudy was accustomed to having the ball in his hands a little more and has a bit more to his skillset than we shown. He has proven to be a deadly and willing passer, and before the Blazers picked up Andre Miller there was talk of playing him some at the 1. Rudy is never going to be a lock down defender, but has quick hands and is capable of disrupting an opponents offense and picking up some steals.

    Its unfortunate for Jerryd Bayless that he didn't grow six inches this summer. During the Las Vegas Summer League he didn't impress anyone with his performance as a point guard. In fact, he was outplayed by Pooh Jeter. What he really is, is an undersized 2 guard. Jerryd is well liked by fans for his hard work in practice and aggressive style of play. He is also in the unfortunate position of having to compete for minutes at the two positions he plays with teammates who are better than he is. His jump shot and three point shot are not what they were in college and need improvement. And these are areas where we can reasonably expect him to improve. Fans enjoy his aggressive drives to the basket, but I think he is overrated as a finisher as he commits a lot of fouls, doesn't pass well off the drive, and often gets his shot blocked. I think it will help Jerryd if his role is more clearly defined as a 2 or a 1, and then put him to work on what he needs to do to earn time at either position.

    Steve Blake may also see time at this position due to his shooting ability when Nate runs a three guard lineup.

    Your thoughts?
     
  2. Idog1976

    Idog1976 Well-Known Member

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    Nice post, not alot to add abut the back court.

    I expect a similar performance this year from LMA with some improvement I expect Brandon to continue his Superstar performance and hope to see a slightly better long ball and more defense now that Miller can shoulder some of the offensive playmaking load. It will be interesting to see how Rudy is utilized this year and whether he can be happy in Brandon's shadow.

    The real interest for me this year is the SF position does Batum take the spot and make it undeniably his? Does Martell come back in pre-season Sacramento game form? Does Outlaw get minutes over Batum or Martell?

    Really though this year is, even more then last year, the year of Oden. I don't think this is his make or break year but it could be his "make it" year. I expect to see Oden become pretty dominant by the mid-season mark say January. I think that is when we can expect to see Oden come into his own. If he hasn't vastly improved by the end of this coming season vs. last the rumblings will grow louder. I am of the opinion that Oden only has three problems: keeping fouls under control, being in NBA full season shape and keeping an even keel between the ears. I expect big things from Oden this coming season.
     
  3. Luther

    Luther Member

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    Oden will Avg. a double double. I can see him not being 100% consistent but he'll be better than most big men in the league and will be a top 5 Rebounder. All we need out of him is to keep improving on offense and stay out of foul trouble.
     
  4. Lob2Walton

    Lob2Walton New Member

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    hope you are right about Oden. I still think he is a bit lost when he gets the ball down low. He looks like he is moving better, which is a big plus. I thought he would outplay some of the centers at those tryouts, but he didn't really stand out. Then again, I don't know if they ever gave him the ball.
     
  5. Idog1976

    Idog1976 Well-Known Member

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    He did outplay them. Lopez scored most of his points when Oden was sitting in the 3rd. Oden led all rebounders and really controlled the paint. Oden was easily the best defensive center on the floor according to all reports.
     

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