Whether or not the team is better right now doesn't concern me nearly as much as the fact that we DO play 3 rookies (and integrating a 4th) who will, at some point, hit the rookie wall. That our "veterans" are more "really good role-playing backups" rather than team leaders in performance. I just don't know if last season's relative collapse at the end was a fluke, or a sign of things potentially to come. I love the outlook of the team going forward, but I think you have to take at least a cursory glance at recent history and the cautionary tales of young teams in our position (though perhaps less talented). I love what I'm hearing about incorporating new offensive sets (like the hi-low wrinkle last night) and that we're getting guys on the floor who are part of our future. But couldn't you admit, that, even if you personally weren't worried, you could see potentially how someone could be concerned about the present-day performance of the team (especially against inferior teams on the road and our lack of game-to-game adjustments)? I mean, from the other threads we've seen recently, just the "switching picks", "offensive efficiency vs. inefficiency" arguments and the "rotation issues" thoughts give enough meat to chew over one way to another and back.
As far as comparing last year to this year, 2 weeks ago I didn't take it for granted we'd be better than 41-41. I started this season with really high expectations based upon how I thought our team had improved and was going to mesh together. I didn't expect some of the lackluster efforts we've seen, especially against the poorer teams (getting crushed by LAL and BOS didn't bother me as much as losing to CHA and SAC did). If there's anything a young team should have, it's effort and hustle. And those lapses, coupled with what I thought was a stagnant offense** and ineffective-at-times defense that played to the level (or just below the level) of the competition on 2 of every 5 nights wasn't giving me warm fuzzies.
All that said, I really like that we're taking a hard look at our D, and having the media finally start asking some questions about it. I like seeing the offense tweaked to incorporate new things. I like that we're seeing what Sergio and Bayless can do without the crutch of Blake (don't take that as an indictment of Blake--I just mean that we're seeing an accelerated look at what these guys can do against NBA players in real-life games). I like Oden having more consistent games more often. It's those things, MUCH more so than record, 3pt%, offensive EFF, rebounds, whatever that give me the hope of >50wins. And that's come within the last two weeks.
