chris_in_pdx
OLD MAN
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No gloom-and-doom MIXUM-level negativity here, so if you are looking to vent, pick one of the other threats.
The Blazers are at a dangerous point of the season for them, and also at a dangerous point in their eventual development into what we all hope they can become. The pieces suddenly don't seem to be fitting, the effort is there but the execution is spotty, and the rest of the NBA has discovered how to exploit the Blazers' weaknesses, and the team hasn't compensated. That's coaching. That's not the players, well, not all of them.
First of all, Greg Oden. The Big Man is struggling, that's easy to see. He looks lost out there, the things that came so easy in High School and College just aren't flowing for him, and he looks a half-step too slow and too timid. The bottom line, and I've said this before, is that he's 20 years old. REPEAT: HE'S 20 YEARS OLD. He's had one year of college experience, and up until now, he's been able to get by on freakish size and athleticism. Now that he's playing vs. the best in the world, that's not good enough. The kid has to learn how to play basketball now. And he will. It probably won't come as quickly as we'd like, but it will come. I expect that during this upcoming offseason, Greg will put a lot of the pieces together.
Secondly, Travis Outlaw and Channing Frye. Guys, you just don't fit here. That's nothing against you, you are both awesome people (especially Channing, who loves the city to death) who, playing in a different system with different players, would be solid NBA contributors. But here in Portland, you stunt the growth of what the team might become, and the sooner that you find somewhere else to play, the better.
The near-term future point guard of this team is Sergio. It may be Bayless down the road, but right now, Sergio should be starting. Fernandez should also be starting at SF. Martell, when he returns, can anchor the 2nd unit with Blake, Batum, and Pryz. In my opinion, this puts the best 5 players, maybe not right now, but IN THE FUTURE, on the court for meaningful minutes. That's the way this team will learn and grow. As I said... it may not be as fast or as seamless as we all want it to be (ie WINNING NOW!!!!!!!), but the promised land is still possible with the core group that we have now. Some of the puzzle pieces may have to be exchanged, but knee-jerk blow-up maneuvers at such a critical time in the team's development are just plain stupid.
The Blazers are at a dangerous point of the season for them, and also at a dangerous point in their eventual development into what we all hope they can become. The pieces suddenly don't seem to be fitting, the effort is there but the execution is spotty, and the rest of the NBA has discovered how to exploit the Blazers' weaknesses, and the team hasn't compensated. That's coaching. That's not the players, well, not all of them.
First of all, Greg Oden. The Big Man is struggling, that's easy to see. He looks lost out there, the things that came so easy in High School and College just aren't flowing for him, and he looks a half-step too slow and too timid. The bottom line, and I've said this before, is that he's 20 years old. REPEAT: HE'S 20 YEARS OLD. He's had one year of college experience, and up until now, he's been able to get by on freakish size and athleticism. Now that he's playing vs. the best in the world, that's not good enough. The kid has to learn how to play basketball now. And he will. It probably won't come as quickly as we'd like, but it will come. I expect that during this upcoming offseason, Greg will put a lot of the pieces together.
Secondly, Travis Outlaw and Channing Frye. Guys, you just don't fit here. That's nothing against you, you are both awesome people (especially Channing, who loves the city to death) who, playing in a different system with different players, would be solid NBA contributors. But here in Portland, you stunt the growth of what the team might become, and the sooner that you find somewhere else to play, the better.
The near-term future point guard of this team is Sergio. It may be Bayless down the road, but right now, Sergio should be starting. Fernandez should also be starting at SF. Martell, when he returns, can anchor the 2nd unit with Blake, Batum, and Pryz. In my opinion, this puts the best 5 players, maybe not right now, but IN THE FUTURE, on the court for meaningful minutes. That's the way this team will learn and grow. As I said... it may not be as fast or as seamless as we all want it to be (ie WINNING NOW!!!!!!!), but the promised land is still possible with the core group that we have now. Some of the puzzle pieces may have to be exchanged, but knee-jerk blow-up maneuvers at such a critical time in the team's development are just plain stupid.
