2008-09 Blazer record predictions

[maxiep]

I say we go 51-31 this year and make the playoffs as an 8th seed.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

48-34

 

[gambitnut]

82-0!

 

[Celtic Fan]

82-0!

Have you been fasting and drinking energy drinks?? ?

 

[JE]

49-33, 7th seed

 

[ABM]

53-29

7th Seed

 

[Denny Crane]

44-38. Isn't Roy going to miss a bunch of the early games? It'll take him a while to get all the rust off.

 

[ABM]

44-38. Isn't Roy going to miss a bunch of the early games? It'll take him a while to get all the rust off.

Perhaps, but, in the insightful words of David Aldridge, the Blazers have "an embarrassment of riches."

 

[cpawfan]

44-50 wins and in the playoffs

I don't see the West needing 50 wins to make the playoffs again. Last seasons was a fluke.

 

[Denny Crane]

Perhaps, but, in the insightful words of David Aldridge, the Blazers have "an embarrassment of riches."

Who do you run the offense through?

 

[Moo2K4]

I see 47-35, likely snagging anywhere from the 6-8th seed. And I agree with cpawfan, I don't foresee 50 wins being a necessity to get in the playoffs again this year, but I could be wrong.

 

[gambitnut]

Who do you run the offense through?

If Roy can't go, our offense will probably start with Blake throwing the ball in to Aldridge, maybe we'll also see what Oden, Bayless and Fernandez can do on offense.

 

[gambitnut]

Have you been fasting and drinking energy drinks?? ?

No, and I don't really think they will go 82-0, I just can't bring myself to predict a loss.

 

[Denny Crane]

If Roy can't go, our offense will probably start with Blake throwing the ball in to Aldridge, maybe we'll also see what Oden, Bayless and Fernandez can do on offense.

Blake is OK, but he's hardly an "embarrassment of riches" kind of guy.

This could be a real opportunity for Webster to step into a much bigger role.

 

[cpawfan]

Blake is OK, but he's hardly an "embarrassment of riches" kind of guy.

This could be a real opportunity for Webster to step into a much bigger role.

Blake is an effective NBA PG who can run the pick and roll. He is a better at setting up his teammates than anyone the Bulls had since the championship team got blown up.

Webster's role has nothing to do with Roy. His job is to make shots, not create for others.

 

[Denny Crane]

Blake is an effective NBA PG who can run the pick and roll. He is a better at setting up his teammates than anyone the Bulls had since the championship team got blown up.

Webster's role has nothing to do with Roy. His job is to make shots, not create for others.

I didn't realize Blake is Chris Paul in disguise. Is he really the guy you want to have the ball in his hands most of the time? If so, the Blazers made a huge mistake putting the ball in Roy's hands all season last year.

 

[cpawfan]

I didn't realize Blake is Chris Paul in disguise. Is he really the guy you want to have the ball in his hands most of the time? If so, the Blazers made a huge mistake putting the ball in Roy's hands all season last year.

Nothing I said even comes close the ridiculous use of Chris Paul in your response. Blake is simply a better passer than Hinrich and Duhon. Please try again.

 

[Denny Crane]

Nothing I said even comes close the ridiculous use of Chris Paul in your response. Blake is simply a better passer than Hinrich and Duhon. Please try again.

Is that your way of deflecting from the actual comparison that should be Blake vs. Roy? Last time I looked, Hinrich and Duhon don't play for the Blazers, and being better than they are at anything doesn't translate into wins or anything else.

The Blazers have this "embarrassment of riches" which I take to mean their great luck in the drafts. Blake is so good he's been traded 4 times in his 5 seasons.

 

[cpawfan]

Is that your way of deflecting from the actual comparison that should be Blake vs. Roy? Last time I looked, Hinrich and Duhon don't play for the Blazers, and being better than they are at anything doesn't translate into wins or anything else.

The Blazers have this "embarrassment of riches" which I take to mean their great luck in the drafts. Blake is so good he's been traded 4 times in his 5 seasons.

There is no need to compare Blake and Roy. You are making a ridiculous strawman. The question is what will the Blazers do when Roy is out. Most of the team is already use to playing with Blake after last season and in the Blazers' pick up games, Blake is reportedly always on Oden's team so that they can build up chemistry.

In addition to Blake being a competent PG, the Blazers also have the dynamic duo of Bayless and Rudy that can create their own offense and open up opportunities for others. They are the "embarrassment of riches."

Also, Steve Blake was signed as a Free Agent by KP. Not many players can say that. The point of comparing him to Hinrich and Duhon is to show how relatively good he is at creating for others.

 

[Denny Crane]

I don't see Blake being effective with the ball in his hands as the shot clock runs down at the end of quarters, which would be Roy's role. This is maybe where Webster can step up. I don't see an Oden or Aldridge getting the pass in the post and holding the ball for 20 out of 24 seconds on the shot clock in those situations.

Blake's not a very good defensive player, either.

The dropoff from Roy being the primary ball handler to Blake is going to win a lot less games. Period.

 

[maxiep]

Perhaps, but, in the insightful words of David Aldridge, the Blazers have "an embarrassment of riches."

Or in the words of Channing Frye, "a buffet of goodness".

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

I don't see Blake being effective with the ball in his hands as the shot clock runs down at the end of quarters, which would be Roy's role. This is maybe where Webster can step up. I don't see an Oden or Aldridge getting the pass in the post and holding the ball for 20 out of 24 seconds on the shot clock in those situations.

Blake's not a very good defensive player, either.

The dropoff from Roy being the primary ball handler to Blake is going to win a lot less games. Period.

Blake is actually an average, scrappy defender, and Webster will not have the ball in his hands whatsoever.

If it's not Blake, i wouldn't be surprised to see Bayless or Fernandez with it. Rudy is plenty good offensively to contribute right away.

I think this is all a moot point though, by accounts I have read, Roy should be ready by the start of the season

 

[maxiep]

Who do you run the offense through?

That's what makes it so tough. Our first option has to be Roy. He's the guy when on the court can do the most with the ball. The San Antonio model that KP has tried to emulate means that you have three stars (perhaps superstars) and fill the rest of the roster with players who will run through walls for those three.

Another poster in another forum said about the SA model, "It works great until you get to the step where it says, 'Insert Tim Duncan here'." Of course, we then got the #1 pick and ended up with Oden, who I'm pretty high on, so luck is really the driver in this case.

I see the starting Blazer offense as Roy acting as the defacto PG, Aldridge at the elbow, Oden in the low post and Webster and Blake on the perimeter.

 

[maxiep]

Blake is OK, but he's hardly an "embarrassment of riches" kind of guy.

This could be a real opportunity for Webster to step into a much bigger role.

I love the way Steve Blake plays hoops, and he's perfect for Nate. He's a guy who won't win the game for you by himself, but will never lose it. He'll also make the big shot when called upon, won't turn the ball over, will play smart defense and will always give 100%.

Denver should have kept him.

 

[cpawfan]

I don't see Blake being effective with the ball in his hands as the shot clock runs down at the end of quarters, which would be Roy's role.

So you only want to talk about one specific part of Roy's role?

This is maybe where Webster can step up. I don't see an Oden or Aldridge getting the pass in the post and holding the ball for 20 out of 24 seconds on the shot clock in those situations.

Webster would be completely useless there except as a spot up shooter.

Why couldn't Oden or LMA do that? More importantly, with Bayless and Rudy on the roster, why would the Blazers do that?

Blake's not a very good defensive player, either.

Blake isn't Boozer-bad on defense. He is an average defender of PG's.

The dropoff from Roy being the primary ball handler to Blake is going to win a lot less games. Period.

How many freaking games do you think Roy is going to be out? Regardless, Blake is going to handle the ball for portions of every Blazers game anyways.

 

[cpawfan]

I love the way Steve Blake plays hoops, and he's perfect for Nate. He's a guy who won't win the game for you by himself, but will never lose it. He'll also make the big shot when called upon, won't turn the ball over, will play smart defense and will always give 100%.

Denver should have kept him.

Denver wanted to keep him, but Blake wanted to be in Portland.

Blake signed for less in Portland than what the Nuggets offered. Additionally, his agent told the Nuggets that he had a bigger offer from Portland than what the Nuggets were offering. So they called his bluff and wouldn't increase their offer.

 

[Denny Crane]

That's what makes it so tough. Our first option has to be Roy. He's the guy when on the court can do the most with the ball. The San Antonio model that KP has tried to emulate means that you have three stars (perhaps superstars) and fill the rest of the roster with players who will run through walls for those three.

Another poster in another forum said about the SA model, "It works great until you get to the step where it says, 'Insert Tim Duncan here'." Of course, we then got the #1 pick and ended up with Oden, who I'm pretty high on, so luck is really the driver in this case.

I see the starting Blazer offense as Roy acting as the defacto PG, Aldridge at the elbow, Oden in the low post and Webster and Blake on the perimeter.

Yeah, a lot of people are hung up on the traditional PG role. Yet the two final teams had PGs named Rondo and Fisher. Rondo didn't look like a PG in the finals - he basically just dribbled the ball to half court and got the ball into Pierce's hands at the top of the key. It was Pierce who was driving and dishing and hitting tough shots as if he were the PG. Fisher at PG averaged a whopping 2.9 APG, which isn't what you expect from a PG.

If you have a Roy, you need the kind of PG who can get the ball past half court and into Roy's hands. The only problem I see with the Blazers is when you take Roy out of the game or he's out due to injury.

San Antonio won championships with a guy who's as much a scorer as a PG, and then his APG isn't as good as Blake's. The ball seemed to be in Ginobili's hands in most of the clutch situations, and Duncan sure got his touches.

 

[maxiep]

Denver wanted to keep him, but Blake wanted to be in Portland.

Blake signed for less in Portland than what the Nuggets offered. Additionally, his agent told the Nuggets that he had a bigger offer from Portland than what the Nuggets were offering. So they called his bluff and wouldn't increase their offer.

I ran into Steve Blake the day after he was traded from MIL at Cherry Creek Mall. Well, I saw him pass by Williams & Sonoma and used him as an excuse to get away from picking out a new set of cookware with the wife. I happened to be wearing a Blazer hat and when I called out to him he saw my hat and smiled. I welcomed him to Denver and said that when he was a FA I hoped he would consider coming back to the Blazers. He said, "I never wanted to leave". We then chatted about Maryland (I used to live in DC) and LO/West Linn. What a tremendously nice guy.

 

[bodyman5001]

50-32 I see them starting slow, having a good run in the middle and then getting close to the end needing to win 4 of 5 to win 50.

 

[CelticKing]

49-33

Get either 7th or 8th seed.