Anyone Else Concerned?

[riverman]

Right now I kind of feel like we are a second tier team. Firmly behind Atlanta, Memphis and Golden State. That could change but those teams have all handled us pretty well so far this year.

Golden State beat us on a timeout call by a bucket...it was a blown inbounds play so I wouldn't say that was handling us pretty well. Denver blew out Atlanta last night. I think we're as good as those teams

 

[0-Our!]

Nards needs more burn.... He's shooting well.
But beyond that, he gives strong passes when he swings the ball.
Has good form, is a quick pass, and has a little power behind it.
It's a very pretty chest pass.

IF he continues like last night/this... we'll have to start calling him 'Nads!

 

[donkiez]

Golden State beat us on a timeout call by a bucket...it was a blown inbounds play so I wouldn't say that was handling us pretty well. Denver blew out Atlanta last night. I think we're as good as those teams

Your right, the GS game was a go either way game. GS has looked much more elite and consistent the rest of the season though. We have a few games lined up against them at the end of the season that will be fun. Atlanta and Memphis have both beat us up though. Still second tier as much as I want to put is in the first group.

 

[donkiez]

And we have the talent to be tier 1 I think....
so what gives...

the Wes injury hurts that a lot. We seem to be putting things together but everytime I say something like that we lose to the Jazz or Timberwolves. Then when I give up we nail a tough one on the road in SA or Houston. So Im with you, what gives.

 

[e_blazer]

Right now I kind of feel like we are a second tier team. Firmly behind Atlanta, Memphis and Golden State. That could change but those teams have all handled us pretty well so far this year.

Lopez and Freeland were out for both Atlanta games (Freeland was injured in the first matchup). Lopez missed one Grizzlies game and Aldridge missed the other. The Golden State game was a W that got jobbed by the refs. I'd say the Blazers at full strength beat Atlanta easily, which won't matter since both teams would have to make the Finals in order to play again this season. I'd say that the Grizzlies and Blazers are on a par, but Memphis has been playing badly lately so I'd give the nod to the Blazers if a series started next week. The Warriors have been the class of the West all season and, barring injury, will be favored over everyone in the West. I'd love to see the Blazers get the chance to play them in the WCF because I don't think that they have an answer for Aldridge.

 

[donkiez]

Lopez and Freeland were out for both Atlanta games (Freeland was injured in the first matchup). Lopez missed one Grizzlies game and Aldridge missed the other. The Golden State game was a W that got jobbed by the refs. I'd say the Blazers at full strength beat Atlanta easily, which won't matter since both teams would have to make the Finals in order to play again this season. I'd say that the Grizzlies and Blazers are on a par, but Memphis has been playing badly lately so I'd give the nod to the Blazers if a series started next week. The Warriors have been the class of the West all season and, barring injury, will be favored over everyone in the West. I'd love to see the Blazers get the chance to play them in the WCF because I don't think that they have an answer for Aldridge.

All great points. Im looking for reasons to believe. The recent struggles and loss of Wes have me a little down, even with the addition of AA. The only team that really scares me is Memphis though, we just seem to have a terrible time matching up with them and they grind us into the ground. I think we can grind and gun with GS, and your right if we play Atlanta it was a successful season already. LAC/Houston/OKC are all good matchups for us, Dallas doenst have the gas or chemistry and NO doenst have the experience. I like our chances but there are about as good as a half dozen other teams.

 

[Strenuus]

the Wes injury hurts that a lot. We seem to be putting things together but everytime I say something like that we lose to the Jazz or Timberwolves. Then when I give up we nail a tough one on the road in SA or Houston. So Im with you, what gives.

To be fair, Utah is 8-2 since the all star break. It's not a bad of a loss as people are claiming it to be. They were just the better team that night.

 

[Strenuus]

All great points. Im looking for reasons to believe. The recent struggles and loss of Wes have me a little down, even with the addition of AA. The only team that really scares me is Memphis though, we just seem to have a terrible time matching up with them and they grind us into the ground. I think we can grind and gun with GS, and your right if we play Atlanta it was a successful season already. LAC/Houston/OKC are all good matchups for us, Dallas doenst have the gas or chemistry and NO doenst have the experience. I like our chances but there are about as good as a half dozen other teams.

I'm just glad we're in the conversation. Anything can happen.

 

[Sean.ivity]

Too many game by game over reactions... Its a long season. The playoffs are a completely different beast. Every team has there flaws and the things they need to tighten up, Lets just hope the Blazers can get there and other teams don't, lol.

 

[H.C.]

It's not just on Aldridge to make a good pass out of the double team.
He can't tell his teammates to cut to the rim when their man leaves them to double...
He also can't tell the players at the 3pt line to have proper spacing to prevent him from having to throw a cross court pass.
Last night afflalo/blake/lillard all didn't make themselves available for Aldridge when the double team came.
They just stood there waiting for the cross court pass a few times which lead to an Aldridge turnover.
When the double comes, rotations offensively have to happen or turnovers out of the post occur.
If rotations don't happen, turnovers happen. Simple basketball.

 

[B-Roy]

It's not just on Aldridge to make a good pass out of the double team.
He can't tell his teammates to cut to the rim when their man leaves them to double...
He also can't tell the players at the 3pt line to have proper spacing to prevent him from having to throw a cross court pass.
Last night afflalo/blake/lillard all didn't make themselves available for Aldridge when the double team came.
They just stood there waiting for the cross court pass a few times which lead to an Aldridge turnover.
When the double comes, rotations offensively have to happen or turnovers out of the post occur.
If rotations don't happen, turnovers happen. Simple basketball.

That's a good point. You can't make a good pass out of the post of the guys are just standing at the three point line and not moving. You're forced to throw very predictable passes if everyone else is just standing on the perimeter.

 

[magnifier661]

I know this'll come as a shocker, but I don't. He has no court awareness and can't sense when a double is coming. And so often his passes aren't even close to being on target, which would be essential in the triangle. Last night, with very little pressure and passing to a guy well above the 3-point line he couldn't even put the pass into his teammate's chest - I forget who the recipient was, but he had to move several feet in order to collect the errant pass.

Your hatred of Aldridge has completely ruined your sense of judgement. It's like you only look at what you can complain about without enjoying all the great things the player has done.

What makes this even more ironic is your love for Batum is so great, that you tend to overlook his negatives and praise all his positives. It's uncanny really!

Why don't you enjoy this ride and acknowledge that we have a great PF? Hell acknowledged we have a great team. Picking out the shitty things players do doesn't help does it? Unless you like feeding on negativity...

 

[MarAzul]

We need to see more of Meyers out there. Nothing but good coming from getting that lad time on the court.

 

[MarAzul]

Your hatred of Aldridge has completely ruined your sense of judgement. It's like you only look at what you can complain about without enjoying all the great things the player has done.

What makes this even more ironic is your love for Batum is so great, that you tend to overlook his negatives and praise all his positives. It's uncanny really!

Why don't you enjoy this ride and acknowledge that we have a great PF? Hell acknowledged we have a great team. Picking out the shitty things players do doesn't help does it? Unless you like feeding on negativity...

Ha! It funny the way we all come down differently. To me Aldridge and Batum are what makes the Blazers work.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I'm very concerned but it's one game at a time time now, so I only worry a few days into the future at a time.

 

[Sean.ivity]

We're 7-3 in our last 10 games and 2 games out of the 2nd spot in arguably the strongest playoff race in the last couple decades, people need to chill. Guess what? were not going to dominate every game we play... Mistakes will happen EVERY game we play. The teams in the western conference have VERY talented rosters but they too will make mistakes EVERY game. I mean I guess the over reactions give people something to talk about but its annoying, lol.

 

[blue9]

Your hatred of Aldridge has completely ruined your sense of judgement. It's like you only look at what you can complain about without enjoying all the great things the player has done.

What makes this even more ironic is your love for Batum is so great, that you tend to overlook his negatives and praise all his positives. It's uncanny really!

Why don't you enjoy this ride and acknowledge that we have a great PF? Hell acknowledged we have a great team. Picking out the shitty things players do doesn't help does it? Unless you like feeding on negativity...

Why don't you stop worrying about other peoples opinions? Of if you are going to worry about them, at least get them right. I do like Nic (a lot more than LMA), but I'm not blind to his negatives at all. The dude can't dribble, and will never be able to. That's always going to hold him back. Aside from that, he's average to above average in every other category.

And my judgement of LMA is just fine - it's you whose love for him has blinded you to his weaknesses. You can't honestly assess his dribbling, passing and help defense and say they're average or better. And it's already been established, many times over, that his jumper is no better than average. His on-ball defense against other PFs and some Cs is quite good. And somehow his uncoordinated, off-balance post moves find a way of creating high-percentage scoring opportunities. He's a good starting PF, but should not be the centerpiece of a team that hopes to win a championship.

I like the TEAM even if I don't like some of the people on the team. Did you like Derek Anderson? Z-Bo? Felton? It's the BLAZERS that I love, not the individual players.

 

[magnifier661]

Why don't you stop worrying about other peoples opinions? Of if you are going to worry about them, at least get them right. I do like Nic (a lot more than LMA), but I'm not blind to his negatives at all. The dude can't dribble, and will never be able to. That's always going to hold him back. Aside from that, he's average to above average in every other category.

And my judgement of LMA is just fine - it's you whose love for him has blinded you to his weaknesses. You can't honestly assess his dribbling, passing and help defense and say they're average or better. And it's already been established, many times over, that his jumper is no better than average. His on-ball defense against other PFs and some Cs is quite good. And somehow his uncoordinated, off-balance post moves find a way of creating high-percentage scoring opportunities. He's a good starting PF, but should not be the centerpiece of a team that hopes to win a championship.

I like the TEAM even if I don't like some of the people on the team. Did you like Derek Anderson? Z-Bo? Felton? It's the BLAZERS that I love, not the individual players.

What a joke bro... Stop worrying about what other people think?! I'm just exposing your hatred and how it forces you to ignore any positives.

And you love the team, but definitely love Batum. If you are choosing to say otherwise, when it's totally obvious in here, then I can see why we go in circles.

 

[blue9]

What a joke bro... Stop worrying about what other people think?! I'm just exposing your hatred and how it forces you to ignore any positives.

And you love the team, but definitely love Batum. If you are choosing to say otherwise, when it's totally obvious in here, then I can see why we go in circles.

You didn't expose shit "bro". I've been upfront since day 1 that I don't like LMA. You put it down to "hate" because you can't refute my reasons for not liking him. Let me "expose" some things for you: The earth is round. It orbits the sun. Portland is the largest city in Oregon. Pizza is good.

And what's with giving me a hard time for liking a player (Nic) but also giving me a hard time for NOT liking a player (LMA)? It's a lose/lose, apparently. What's your obsession with me liking Nic, anyway? I seriously don't get it. It's not like he's my all-time favorite player - or even current favorite player. He just happens to be a good all-around player on my favorite team.

 

[magnifier661]

You didn't expose shit "bro". I've been upfront since day 1 that I don't like LMA. You put it down to "hate" because you can't refute my reasons for not liking him. Let me "expose" some things for you: The earth is round. It orbits the sun. Portland is the largest city in Oregon. Pizza is good.

And what's with giving me a hard time for liking a player (Nic) but also giving me a hard time for NOT liking a player (LMA)? It's a lose/lose, apparently. What's your obsession with me liking Nic, anyway? I seriously don't get it. It's not like he's my all-time favorite player - or even current favorite player. He just happens to be a good all-around player on my favorite team.

Question... Did Aldrige play well last night? I didn't see you once say anything about his hot shooting, rebounding like a beast or stellar defense. Instead, you posted this nonsense in this thread...

So I'm sure the forum can see your true HATE... I use that word because it's true. End of story

It's not an obsession with you liking Nic. It's the example of how you contradict yourself. Nic obviously has many holes in his game, especially this year, yet you don't say shit. Aldridge has carried this team all season and you pick on his game at any opportunity. You don't see the contradiction here?

 

[Duvalier]

Question... Did Aldrige play well last night? I didn't see you once say anything about his hot shooting, rebounding like a beast or stellar defense. Instead, you posted this nonsense in this thread...

So I'm sure the forum can see your true HATE... I use that word because it's true. End of story

It's not an obsession with you liking Nic. It's the example of how you contradict yourself. Nic obviously has many holes in his game, especially this year, yet you don't say shit. Aldridge has carried this team all season and you pick on his game at any opportunity. You don't see the contradiction here?

He's moved on from the Coach Stotts threads. How anyone can complain about what Aldridge is doing, especially playing hurt and be perfectly content with Batum and the season he's having pretty much sums up the agenda.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the differences are two-fold. One: Batum's holes stem from talent, whereas Aldridge's stem from choices. Two: Batum is a role-player, while Aldridge is getting a max contract.

I'm guessing that if Aldridge were a third option who was playing down low but just limited by his ability execute effective post offense, while Batum was taking 20 shots a game while throwing lazy passes and tossing up ill-advised fade away threes, Blue would back LA and crack on Nic.

 

[Duvalier]

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the differences are two-fold. One: Batum's holes stem from talent, whereas Aldridge's stem from choices. Two: Batum is a role-player, while Aldridge is getting a max contract.

I'm guessing that if Aldridge were a third option who was playing down low but just limited by his ability execute effective post offense, while Batum was taking 20 shots a game while throwing lazy passes and tossing up ill-advised fade away threes, Blue would back LA and crack on Nic.

Why then is a role player with as you just put it who has holes in his game stemming from lack of talent making just shy of $$12,000,000 this year? Second highest salary on the team by a large margin.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Why then is a role player with as you just put it who has holes in his game stemming from lack of talent making just shy of $$12,000,000 this year? Second highest salary on the team by a large margin.

Because when he was given that contract, he was the second-best player on the team. And because he was paid on perceived potential as much as he was on actual production. And because it was better to pay him that contract than to let him walk for nothing. And because his role has diminished in the time that has elapsed since he received that contract.

And he won't be second-highest paid for long.

 

[Duvalier]

Because when he was given that contract, he was the second-best player on the team. And because he was paid on perceived potential as much as he was on actual production. And because it was better to pay him that contract than to let him walk for nothing. And because his role has diminished in the time that has elapsed since he received that contract.

And he won't be second-highest paid for long.

Oh ok...so he gets a pass. And his role didn't diminish since the contract, his productivity did.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

How anyone can complain about what Aldridge is doing, especially playing hurt

I'm complaining! By putting off his surgery he won't be ready in time for training camp. That will really hurt his sign and trade value. A new team will want him at training camp.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Oh ok...so he gets a pass. And his role didn't diminish since the contract, his productivity did.

I think that Lillard's emergence and Wes' improvement have absolutely reduced Nic's role. His efficiency/productivity have basically remained consistent until this year.

Still, the critique of him in his role would be different if he were a #1 option and the player around whom the team was built. That has been blue's point all along about Aldridge.

 

[H.C.]

I'm complaining! By putting off his surgery he won't be ready in time for training camp. That will really hurt his sign and trade value. A new team will want him at training camp.

He hurt the Blazers by delaying surgery. Couldn't trade him because no one wants a 6"11 PF who can't use his thumbs.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I guarantee you that there are some Cav fans who don't like Lebron, and some Warrior fans who don't like Curry. Not every fan is going to like even the best player on a team. That's your right as a fan. You can like or dislike anyone for any reason. Who cares who likes or dislikes LaMarcus or Batum?

Blue, you keep on keeping on with your dislike of LaMarcus.

 

[magnifier661]

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the differences are two-fold. One: Batum's holes stem from talent, whereas Aldridge's stem from choices. Two: Batum is a role-player, while Aldridge is getting a max contract.

I'm guessing that if Aldridge were a third option who was playing down low but just limited by his ability execute effective post offense, while Batum was taking 20 shots a game while throwing lazy passes and tossing up ill-advised fade away threes, Blue would back LA and crack on Nic.

1000% disagree. Batum is an amazing talent and I would argue that his holes are because he chooses not to invest himself each game.