Blazers @ Grizzlies 01/04/2013, 5:00 PM (PST) - GAME THREAD

[NOVoodoo]

Speights should be Batum's number 88 to rhyme with his name.

...or #0 to coincide with the number of possessions he actually plays defense.

 

[jlprk]

Divide to find the per minute!

http://espn.go.com/nba/dailyleaders/_/date/20130104/gameId/400278204

 

[NOVoodoo]

Divide to find the per minute!

http://espn.go.com/nba/dailyleaders/_/date/20130104/gameId/400278204

Hey, I'm a fan of Speights' offensive productivity. I think that having him, Gasol, Randolph, and Arthur might give us the best frontcourt in the league. At the very least, how many teams do you know that would rather have four of their PF/C's shooting the game winning FT than their leading scorer? I've just always been disappointed with his performance on the defensive end (which to his credit, he's improved a lot since his Philly and UF days).

It's also always bugged me how physically intimidating Speights is, yet he's not that great of a post-up player, and he tends to shy away from contact. Guys like Gasol, Randolph, and Arthur can hit the midrange, but that's only one aspect of their games. Gasol, in particular gets unfairly labeled as a Euro-center because of his brother, his passing ability, and his shooting ability, but he's an intensely physical player on both ends of the court. Speights is 6'10", 255 lbs., and is probably very underlisted when it comes to his weight (he looks at least 275+ lbs.), yet his offensive repertoire is like Pau's but without all of the offensive awareness that make the Gasol brothers great.

 

[jlprk]

Gasol showed a great hook shot over the shorter Hickson. I bet he enjoyed getting a rare opportunity to use that move.

 

[mook]

Hey, I'm a fan of Speights' offensive productivity. I think that having him, Gasol, Randolph, and Arthur might give us the best frontcourt in the league. At the very least, how many teams do you know that would rather have four of their PF/C's shooting the game winning FT than their leading scorer? I've just always been disappointed with his performance on the defensive end (which to his credit, he's improved a lot since his Philly and UF days).

It's also always bugged me how physically intimidating Speights is, yet he's not that great of a post-up player, and he tends to shy away from contact. Guys like Gasol, Randolph, and Arthur can hit the midrange, but that's only one aspect of their games. Gasol, in particular gets unfairly labeled as a Euro-center because of his brother, his passing ability, and his shooting ability, but he's an intensely physical player on both ends of the court. Speights is 6'10", 255 lbs., and is probably very underlisted when it comes to his weight (he looks at least 275+ lbs.), yet his offensive repertoire is like Pau's but without all of the offensive awareness that make the Gasol brothers great.

The striking thing to me about the Griz was how little they went to Gasol last night. He was scoring practically at will. Hickson is a terrible defensive center. With Randolph out I would think he would be the focus of your offense.

Gay would drive me nuts if he were on my team. He thinks he's LeBron or Carmello or Kobe and he just isn't.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Just finished watching the game on DVR, what a gritty, ugly (in a good way) win!

 

[BlazerCaravan]

...or #0 to coincide with the number of possessions he actually plays defense.

That really confused me too; I thought the butt-ugly players were supposed to be good at defense.

 

[MickZagger]

wtf

lol