Um, I don't think they have 9 playoff teams in the conference. But, shhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that'll be our little secret. Now, that said, barring major injuries, I think we have a 50/50 chance this year to see the playoffs. And if not, I like the way he accumulated talent that is tradable for 2014.
Nice strawman. Why are you getting so defensive about this? No one called Lopez a superstar. He's a legitimate starting center. He started all 82 games last season and had a PER = 18.9. He's what the Blazers needed, what Aldridge asked for, is young and cheap, and we got him for practically nothing. BNM
I have no reason to be defensive. I think he's a quality backup is all - on that we differ. I don't think he's actually beaten out anyone where there was another option to start.
If reality means you thinking I'm on shrooms; then fine. If Aldridge isn't traded; this will be a reality.
A quality backup is very damn good when the other options are below replacement level players. Lopez doesn’t have to beat anyone out to be our clear cut starting center because he is the only legit center on the roster, he wins by default. He obviously has flaws in his game to be available. Meyers doesn’t defend or rebound, he’s a younger version of Matt Bonner, he might eventually settle in as a stretch 4, and the coaches have already said he will not be the starter at center. The Blazers haven’t had a center on the roster since trading away the 38 year old Marcus Camby so a lot of us fans are extremely damn excited to have an option as good as Rob.
I have no beef with this POV. However, Meyers did defend, rebound, and block shots in college. He's also still very young.
Hickson was and is better on the offensive end of the court, which everybody knows is favored by PER. Comparing a player with a PER of 19.7 and no defense to a player with a PER of 18.9 with solid defense, I'll take the latter.
Right, go compare their advanced stats at 82games.com. You also ignored the most important part of my quote: He's a legitimate starting center - that's what we needed and what Aldridge requested. Hickson was a power forward forced to play out of position - and that's why we had such horrible interior defense. BNM
I posted them a month ago. The same poster who saw them then is making the same claims now which fly in the face of every statistic that is measured. The best one of the advanced stats on Hickson, to me, was that Portland was a better rebounding team with him OFF the court than on the court. The opposite was true for Lopez.
Ideally a back-up behind an All-Star center. For this team, I'll take him over a Pekovic, with the contract a big bonus, too.