Okay, I asked earlier in the summer, "Where do you go for your offer game analysis?" And a lot of you guys said you're smarter than the average bear! So if you watched at least 3 quarters, please share your thoughts here, so I don't have to Wade through the whole game thread.
Not counting Lillard only 3 guys looked good to me, Meyers had a very nice 2nd half, Crabbe had by far his best game as a Blazer and Kaman again solid. CJ did not look good and neither did Barton.
One thing Meyers has that has really come out this season is a great outlet pass. If all he ever did was get the rebound and lay perfect outlet passes to the fast break, he'd be a rotation player in the NBA. But he still rebounds like a 3rd grader afraid of getting hit in the face by the ball.
I agreed with and I would add that I have a minor (very minor) concern about Lillards passing and turnovers so far this season (last night included). I think I remember seeing that he had 5 turnovers at the half
blazers suck \forum Actually, we've really had only one preseason game (the first one) and we were blown out. In the 2nd game we played our scrubs a lot and lost. Against Maccabi we didn't play an NBA team and got a lot of runouts which we won't normally get. Denver played their scrubs, we played our starters. Against the Lakers it was just the opposite. Wait, I forgot we beat the Clips who really wanted to win - LMA fouled out their front line which was a thing of beauty. So, to me, we're really 1-1. Can't learn too much from the Lakers game as 5 of our top 6 players didn't play. Preseason conclusion so far: Our bench guys do some very good things some times, and very bad things other times. Blake and Kaman seem to stabilize the bench which is exactly what we need. As for individual players... I am very tired of Will Barton - on multiple occasions he was not looking at the basket when he was shooting. Sometimes they called a foul, other times they didn't. He turned easy plays into low percentage shots to insure he wouldn't get blocked - bad idea. Stupid turnovers, too. The question is always will his steals and hustle plays outweigh his jump-pass-turnovers and idiotic plays. The jury so far is still no. Biebs is starting to show less dumbassery and a little more comfort out there. Good for him, but I sure hope he doesn't play in front of TRob. CJ is a crappy role player, but a very credible star. He's kind of like an old Batum in that if he's not making things happen out there, he's floating too much. Here's to hoping for an aggressive CJ this season and not the deferring one we saw last year. Joel continues to show that he's an OK third center or PF. Basically, he's crap and if he's getting PT it says some bad about our bench. I think Biebs has passed him up. Coach has lost confidence in TRob. I don't know if it's the hand thing, or if he's out of position on D too much, or coach wants a stretch 4, or what. I'm haven't seen anything this preseason that has changed my mind: I'd like to see CJ and TRob off the bench with Wes playing backup 3 - 9 man rotation getting CJ 18-20 mpg.
Realistically, everyone outside of the starters and the Old White Summer Acquisitions is fighting for one spot (or at most two), because Stotts will use an 8 or 9 man rotation. I think who that extra player is will depend on the matchup. If it's a big, I see it being Freeland, just because he's the best defender and he blends in with better players. (He doesn't look so hot surrounded by scrubs.) If it's a guard, it'll be CJ, although if I had to pick the This Year's Freeland (player who was totally out of the rotation and in danger of being waived who made the leap to somebody you could actually see playing real minutes in real games), it would be Allen Crabbe, who has the advantage of being (a) probably the best defender of our three young SGs, and (b) capably of playing the 3 in stretches. Will and TRob are still the most fun to watch, and great to throw in there when there's a 30 point differential, but not players you want playing when mistakes matter. Meyers has also made progress, and he has a genuine chance to steal Freeland's minutes just to be a floor-stretcher. In general, though, I've been SO READY to see Will, CJ or TRob make The Leap, and they just haven't. And Claver has just melted into a sad little puddle on the floor.
I disagree. We put T-Rob in a lot of really important situations late in games vs Houston in the playoffs, dude must be a better in game player than a practice player (reverse Claver).
It's apparent to me that TRob and CJ play better with mostly starters on the floor than with other bench players. CJ has moments of NBA level play and then...nothing at other times. Meyers, Crabbe, Wright, Blake and Kaman are solid. Wright plays some of the best defense off the bench. Freeland is a role player for foul insurance. Will seems to have bad games after he gets a highlight reel in a game. Damian has never been a great passer and as a pt guard, that needs to change. CJ, Dame and Will had too many telegraphed passes that were picked off. The lineup of all bench players will probably never happen but if you ask me, Meyers is the most improved returning guy and he's trying to be a better defender. Shoots better outside than Freeland or Wright. Will has trouble at times playing within the system. I think it's a dogfight for rotation spots with Wright, Leonard and Crabbe winning the spot at least in last nights debacle. TRob gets surly without playing time and loses his timing when he's not an alpha dog in the lineup. His hoops IQ is not that reliable. TRob also benefits from playing with the vets and struggles with the role players on the court
Meyers is still a poor defender and rebounder, but he looked more comfortable on offense away from the basket T-Rob still needs to slow the fuck down Kaman looked like a good back up Still love Barton's energy
or......play him with a PG. You guys are going on and on about how bad CJ looked and we already know he is a better SG than PG. But what position did he play last night? I would hope Stotts is using the preseason to work on his PG skills and once the season starts he will be moved to the SG spot. It only makes sense since we know Blake will get all of the back up PG minutes.
That was the 2nd quarter... the 1st quarter Lillard played with one hand behind his back and blindfolded.
