Blazers in the Bubble!

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[THE HCP]

What happened?^

 

[tlongII]

What happened?^

That's gotta be related to the lob Nas put in with a little over a second to play in their scrimmage.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Bummer

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[handiman]

He should have titled it, "ice bubble bath."

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

This is a fairly long article, but not too much in it. Just says Blazers will be using scrimmages to see how their three man big man rotation works, to see how Anthony will work at SF (Stotts planning on having him post up a lot) and who will back up at SF.https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/...y-in-first-scrimmage-from-orlando-bubble.html

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Getting better overall is the ultimate goal, of course. What areas does he (Mc Collum) expect to see improvement?

"Hopefully, all areas," McCollum said. "Especially rebounding. Defensively, we have more seven-footers, more active, mobile people who are capable of doing a lot of different things.

"So, I think offensively we'll be better and defensively we will be more fundamentally sound and have more help on the back side."

"Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Portland's eight games will be the matchup battles between its big lineups and the smaller ones the Blazers will likely face. Can Portland score easy baskets inside off post-ups, pick-and-rolls or offensive rebounds? Can it do that often enough, efficiently enough, to make up for three-point barrages by teams with smaller lineups?

I think there is a chance this team can make it work. And it's certainly going to be fun to watch, especially if there is a genuine commitment to it."
https://sports.yahoo.com/trail-blazers-salvage-season-big-165547734.html

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

"Somebody like Gary, the way he works and how hard he works when he’s on the court, the little things that he do – it’s very beneficial for him and for us as a team. The way he scraps, the way he cuts, the way he moves, the way he defends, the way he wants to learn – I think most important part is his willingness to learn and how to get better, want to know how to get better." – Trail Blazers veteran Carmelo Anthony on Gary Trent Jr.

"Gary has looked great. He’s got NBA DNA. He works hard. He wants to be good and he listens, so I think he’ll be an impact player for a long time. He’ll definitely help us, not only in the immediate future, in the present with these eight games, but I think you guys will like what you see from him. He’s definitely a special player." -- CJ McCollum

But how does he feel about guarding bigger guys at the 3?
He’s good with it. No hesitation on this one.
“Most definitely, that’s fine,” Trent said on defending bigger players as he has been doing in practice while guarding both Nassir Little and Mario Hezonja.
https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest...-taken-confident-gary-trent-jr-under-his-wing

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Photos of Blazers in weight room and at practice:
https://www.nba.com/blazers/gallery/photos-trail-blazers-hit-weight-room-and-practice-bit-more

 

[Scalma]

This is a fairly long article, but not too much in it. Just says Blazers will be using scrimmages to see how their three man big man rotation works, to see how Anthony will work at SF (Stotts planning on having him post up a lot) and who will back up at SF.https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/...y-in-first-scrimmage-from-orlando-bubble.html

Nice to actually see this from the head coach. So much of the focus has been on what Melo can’t do, and almost none on what he can. To me, I’d rather see Melo chase around undersized threes on the perimeter as a three than bang in the post, rebound, or defend a pick and roll as a four. Because on the other end, those threes have no shot to guard him down low.

 

[handiman]

Nice to actually see this from the head coach. So much of the focus has been on what Melo can’t do, and almost none on what he can. To me, I’d rather see Melo chase around undersized threes on the perimeter as a three than bang in the post, rebound, or defend a pick and roll as a four. Because on the other end, those threes have no shot to guard him down low.

To be fair, many here lack confidence in Stotts' willingness to make adjustments in the name of seeking out match-up advantages.

 

[B-Roy]

Starved for content.

 

[Scalma]

Fap fap fap. They’re going to destroy teams with this play. Nurks passing is the key. Wonder if that’s the starting lineup.

 

[Road Ratt]

 

[Eastoff]

Fap fap fap. They’re going to destroy teams with this play. Nurks passing is the key. Wonder if that’s the starting lineup.

It looks like there starters against the bench. Maybe #10 gets replaced by Nas