A huge storm brewing for the Blazers... ??? (MERGED)

[LittleAlex]

I would just like to point out at this time last season we were 1-3, with our three losses coming by an average of nearly 13 points. And it took a miracle three pointer by B-Roy in overtime against the Rockets to keep us from going 1-4.

Everyone needs to calm the fuck down.

I mean, honestly, it seems crazy to me that if Oden hits those free throws at the end of the Nuggets game, we're 3-1, leading our division, and everyone is peachy. Are two missed free throws seriously the difference between being "peachy" and a complete and utter meltdown?

Sometimes I wish people could step outside their bodies and see what they're saying. The level of ridiculousness here confounds me sometimes.

repped for truth.

If the team is still struggling and at or near .500 by the end of November then I think things could get ugly.

However, if the character and chemistry of the team is all Portland claims it is shouldn't they be able to weather a small amound of adversity?

 

[julius]

I'm not one to normally agree with soda, but you guys have such short memories.

Do you not remember last years start to the season?

Got killed against the Lakers, and even WITH Greg's injury playing a part, that team looked like they had never played basketball together, let alone played it for fun.

They got hammered in LA, barely beat the Spurs in Portland, and then played like crap in Utah and Phoenix, and lucked into a win against Houston.

And barely beat the Twolves too.

It wasn't until they went on the road for a long trip that they started to play better.

Maybe, and I know this might fly in the face of how many people here think, we should wait more than 4 games into the damn season before we start people looking for signs of fires.

I'm sure there are issues, but I don't think a "huge storm" is brewing. And if it does, I don't doubt that the team would get rid of players if they need to. Paul Allen loves eating contracts.

 

[hasoos]

This season has many runs left in it. It has win streaks, losing streaks, and probably a period or two where injuries creep into the equation. Just ride the Blazer wave!

 

[Blaze01]

After the OKC game, you have an article in the Oregonian talking about how the team (Roy & Nate mostly talking) felt relieved and things seemed to be starting to fall into place.....this in a game where Outlaw plays 32 minutes (4-10 3 TO's) and Rudy plays 14 minutes? and Steve Blake plays 31 minutes and Andre Miller plays 20?

I'll tell you right now, if Nate and Roy think that this team is going to advance out of the 1st round with guys like Outlaw & Blake being counted on as the 3rd & 4th "main contributor" options over guys like Rudy, Millier and Oden, then they are delusional......

That is the huge storm brewing.....Nate & Roy playing the favorites game with Outlaw and Blake instead of guys like Rudy & Miller (or getting Oden more than 5 shots a game)....If Pritchard had 1/2 a brain then he would deal away Outlaw and Blake and take the decision out of Nate\Roy's hands.....but he is apparently reluctant\afraid? to do so...so perhaps it will fall on Mr Allen once again to do what must be done.....else I guarantee you that Rudy and possibly Oden will eventually walk away from this team.....Miller may not last the year working under these conditions....

 

[hasoos]

After the OKC game, you have an article in the Oregonian talking about how the team (Roy & Nate mostly talking) felt relieved and things seemed to be starting to fall into place.....this in a game where Outlaw plays 32 minutes (4-10 3 TO's) and Rudy plays 14 minutes? and Steve Blake plays 31 minutes and Andre Miller plays 20?

I'll tell you right now, if Nate and Roy think that this team is going to advance out of the 1st round with guys like Outlaw & Blake being counted on as the 3rd & 4th "main contributor" options over guys like Rudy, Millier and Oden, then they are delusional......

That is the huge storm brewing.....Nate & Roy playing the favorites game with Outlaw and Blake instead of guys like Rudy & Miller (or getting Oden more than 5 shots a game)....If Pritchard had 1/2 a brain then he would deal away Outlaw and Blake and take the decision out of Nate\Roy's hands.....but he is apparently reluctant\afraid? to do so...so perhaps it will fall on Mr Allen once again to do what must be done.....else I guarantee you that Rudy and possibly Oden will eventually walk away from this team.....Miller may not last the year working under these conditions....

It came across to me more like they were relieved to get a win.

 

[LittleAlex]

I'm just telling you what I see. There seems to be a strange vibe with the team this year. It's not like we're pulling this out of our ass.

So far:

Brandon Roy yelled at his teammates for a crappy practice. That's never happened before.

Greg Oden yelled at his teammates for shitty defense and letting down against the Thunder. That's never happened before.

What's next? Steve Blake throws a chair in practice? Oh wait... that already happened last season

If guys are getting down because Roy and Oden are getting after them for slacking then they don't need to be on the team.

I will say this though. Roy has talked a good defensive game but we have yet to see it consistently. It comes out every now and again but he needs to make more of an effort on that side of the ball.

 

[LittleAlex]

After the OKC game, you have an article in the Oregonian talking about how the team (Roy & Nate mostly talking) felt relieved and things seemed to be starting to fall into place.....this in a game where Outlaw plays 32 minutes (4-10 3 TO's) and Rudy plays 14 minutes? and Steve Blake plays 31 minutes and Andre Miller plays 20?

I'll tell you right now, if Nate and Roy think that this team is going to advance out of the 1st round with guys like Outlaw & Blake being counted on as the 3rd & 4th "main contributor" options over guys like Rudy, Millier and Oden, then they are delusional......

That is the huge storm brewing.....Nate & Roy playing the favorites game with Outlaw and Blake instead of guys like Rudy & Miller (or getting Oden more than 5 shots a game)....If Pritchard had 1/2 a brain then he would deal away Outlaw and Blake and take the decision out of Nate\Roy's hands.....but he is apparently reluctant\afraid? to do so...so perhaps it will fall on Mr Allen once again to do what must be done.....else I guarantee you that Rudy and possibly Oden will eventually walk away from this team.....Miller may not last the year working under these conditions....

But that lineup won 54 games last season?

Nevermind the fact they only won twice out of 13 games on the road versus western conference playoff teams.

Nevermind they had to come from behind in 54% of all of those wins.

Nevermind they had a league leading 18 wins coming from down by at least 10 points.

Nevermind they got exposed badly by Houston in the playoffs.


I don't think a team featuring Blake and Outlaw as the number 3 and 4 offensive threats will make it out of the first round.

Ever.

 

[Natebishop3]

But that lineup won 54 games last season?

Nevermind the fact they only won twice out of 13 games on the road versus western conference playoff teams.

Nevermind they had to come from behind in 54% of all of those wins.

Nevermind they had a league leading 18 wins coming from down by at least 10 points.

Nevermind they got exposed badly by Houston in the playoffs.


I don't think a team featuring Blake and Outlaw as the number 3 and 4 offensive threats will make it out of the first round.

Ever.

Preach it!

 

[Ed O]

How can a hack from Idaho get a feel of what is going on with this team psychologically? He is NEVER around these players and is just tryin to stir up shit!

Agreed.

I think that predicting future success is difficult enough... past performance is probably the single biggest indicator, and we know how worthless that often is.

But predicting based on psychology? Based on perception of players' moods individually and collectively?

It's just bull. Pure guesswork.

Saying something big will happen is like saying that it will probably rain in Seattle this week. I don't need to be a meteorologist and I don't need to say it's going to rain because I can tell that the clouds are looking sad.

Ed O.

 

[Sug]

Until is happens it hasn't happened. Chew on that.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

I have completely ignored this thread and will continue to do so.

 

[WillG]

Having a guy barking plays at me EVERY trip down the court, when all you want to do is get your groove on within the flow of the game, would make me a bit tense too.

Nate's too restrictive and overbearing with these guys. Throw in his flip flopping on starters/rotations as a bonus. He needs to loosen the reigns.

Nate needs to be more of a coach and less of a PG by proxy. Let your playing days go Nate!

 

[Pinwheel1]

Wow. So what he is saying is that if the Blazers start to get it all together then the opponents will feel their wrath. But if they play really bad then they will not be happy campers. That is fascinating. I don't think I have ever see that happen before in sports.

 

[jlprk]

I have completely ignored this thread and will continue to do so.

I don't have time to read it, because I already know the answer. It's the revenge of Sergio. You shouldn't have crossed him. None of you will live happy lives, Nate will never be organized again, and Pritchard will pay for his insult of trading 2nd round picks.

 

[Eastoff]

I don't have time to read it, because I already know the answer. It's the revenge of Sergio. You shouldn't have crossed him. None of you will live happy lives, Nate will never be organized again, and Pritchard will pay for his insult of trading 2nd round picks.

Maybe we should have celebrated Day of the Dead for El Chaco to appease his angry spirit!?! Quickly, someone ask Rudy what offerings we can make to lift this curse.

 

[Nikolokolus]

And this is based on what? Just Dave speculating from Idaho?

The "magic" of TV makes this mostly a ridiculous statement.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

The "magic" of TV makes this mostly a ridiculous statement.

Do they get Comcast Sports Net in Idaho?

 

[Shooter]

Re: A huge storm brewing for the Blazers... ???

"Depth of struggle"? Huh?

We almost beat Denver. We beat an inferior opponent without Aldridge on the road. We split (home and home) with a borderline playoff team.

That's not much struggling as far as I can tell. The Blazers aren't looking like a 60 win team, but they ARE looking like a 50 win team.

Still think so after tonight??

 

[jlprk]

Brandon Roy yelled at his teammates for a crappy practice. That's never happened before.

Greg Oden yelled at his teammates for shitty defense and letting down against the Thunder. That's never happened before.

What's next? Steve Blake throws a chair in practice? Oh wait... that already happened last season

All of the things you mentioned are nothing. Drexler used to berate his teammates constantly. Michael Jordan literally punched a teammate in practice for loafing it. Laker fans will tell you how Kobe gets on his teammates during games or in practices. Personally, I love the fire.

If guys are getting down because Roy and Oden are getting after them for slacking then they don't need to be on the team.

This is like when Zach was a 20-10 player and the media criticized him for not being a vocal leader. So one day in the locker room, in his ghetto vernacular, he yelled at the team to play better. Little Roy The Rookie promptly ran to Daddy Pritchard and tattled, "I can't play with this guy." As the team informer, he was rewarded by being anointed by Jason Quick as the new King, and Zach was forever criticized thereafter by Quick for trying to exert leadership and please his critics like Quick. Even today, boys and girls get on message boards and cite this story as an example of what a bad guy Zach was. The moral of the story is, there's no place like home, so don't run away, unless it's Portland. In that case, get yourself traded to Kansas.

 

[barfo]

I don't have time to read it, because I already know the answer. It's the revenge of Sergio. You shouldn't have crossed him. None of you will live happy lives, Nate will never be organized again, and Pritchard will pay for his insult of trading 2nd round picks.

I think you may be onto something here.
We need some canary island voodoo (or whatever passes for voodoo there) to lift this curse.

barfo