Chad ford insider grades Blazer offseason an A

[Denny Crane]

A quality backup is very damn good when the other options are below replacement level players. Lopez doesn’t have to beat anyone out to be our clear cut starting center because he is the only legit center on the roster, he wins by default. He obviously has flaws in his game to be available. Meyers doesn’t defend or rebound, he’s a younger version of Matt Bonner, he might eventually settle in as a stretch 4, and the coaches have already said he will not be the starter at center. The Blazers haven’t had a center on the roster since trading away the 38 year old Marcus Camby so a lot of us fans are extremely damn excited to have an option as good as Rob.

I have no beef with this POV.

However, Meyers did defend, rebound, and block shots in college. He's also still very young.

 

[blazerboy30]

Hickson had a 19.7 PER

PER! :MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61:

Hickson was and is better on the offensive end of the court, which everybody knows is favored by PER.

Comparing a player with a PER of 19.7 and no defense to a player with a PER of 18.9 with solid defense, I'll take the latter.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Nice job correcting something that wasn't said. There are 9 seeds ... 15 in fact.

Really? Each conference has 15 seeds????

Dang.

Thanks

 

[jlprk]

Other west team grades:

Mavs D+
Nugs D+
Warriors A-
Rockets A
Clips A+
Lakers C
Grizz C
Wolves C-
Pelicans B-
Thunder C-
Suns B
Kings C+
Spurs B
Jazz B

If Houston gets A for acquiring Howard, then Los Angees should get F for losing him.
It's symmetry.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Hickson had a 19.7 PER

PER! :MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61:

Right, go compare their advanced stats at 82games.com.

You also ignored the most important part of my quote: He's a legitimate starting center - that's what we needed and what Aldridge requested. Hickson was a power forward forced to play out of position - and that's why we had such horrible interior defense.

BNM

 

[RoyToy]

He's a kinda sorta okay player.

He's ideally a backup.

 

[PapaG]

Right, go compare their advanced stats at 82games.com.

You also ignored the most important part of my quote: He's a legitimate starting center - that's what we needed and what Aldridge requested. Hickson was a power forward forced to play out of position - and that's why we had such horrible interior defense.

BNM

I posted them a month ago. The same poster who saw them then is making the same claims now which fly in the face of every statistic that is measured. The best one of the advanced stats on Hickson, to me, was that Portland was a better rebounding team with him OFF the court than on the court. The opposite was true for Lopez.

 

[Denny Crane]

Hickson was and is better on the offensive end of the court, which everybody knows is favored by PER.

Comparing a player with a PER of 19.7 and no defense to a player with a PER of 18.9 with solid defense, I'll take the latter.

How about 82games.com PER against? is a PER against over 17 good?

 

[PapaG]

He's a kinda sorta okay player.

He's ideally a backup.

Ideally a back-up behind an All-Star center. For this team, I'll take him over a Pekovic, with the contract a big bonus, too.

 

[PapaG]

How about 82games.com PER against? is a PER against over 17 good?

I've posted all of those stats. Look them up via search here.

 

[BigGameDamian]

How do the Clippers get an A+? What have they done that's so great?

 

[Denny Crane]

I've posted all of those stats. Look them up via search here.

I asked a question. Is a PER against over 17 good?

 

[RoyToy]

Ideally a back-up behind an All-Star center. For this team, I'll take him over a Pekovic, with the contract a big bonus, too.

So we both agree it'd be ideal if he came off the bench.

Kind of like that Hickson guy.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I asked a question. Is a PER against over 17 good?

Well, if you look at 82games.com, Lopez had a PER of 20.1 and an opponent PER of 17.7 for a net individual production of +2.4. So, in this case, yes it's good.

Compare it to J.J. Hickson, who had a PER = 21.0 and an opponent PER of 20.3 for a net of +0.7.

But, that is comparing individual production. To compare how a player impacts his team, you need to look at On Court/Off court stats.

Robin Lopez Net On Court/Off Court = +1.4
J.J. Hickson Net On Cout/Off Court = -5.7

This stat accurately reflects how Hickson's lack of interior defense allowed the Blazers opponents to get to the rim at will. Lopez does a much better job controlling the paint. Which was a huge weakness for the Blazers last season due to playing a power forward out of position at center.

BNM

 

[blazerboy30]

How about 82games.com PER against? is a PER against over 17 good?

What was Hickson's PER-against?

How did their teammates' defense compare? Was Lopez continually helping cover other teammates while his player scored or was Lopez getting outplayed straight up?

 

[RoyToy]

Had to check it again. Was right the first time.

NO was ranked 23rd in pts in the paint last year.

 

[blazerboy30]

So we both agree it'd be ideal if he came off the bench.

Kind of like that Hickson guy.

I had never thought of things this way. Ideally, every player we have would come off the bench because we have somebody better ahead of them.

Why doesn't Olshey just go get those players so we can move our current players to the bench?

 

[PapaG]

So we both agree it'd be ideal if he came off the bench.

Kind of like that Hickson guy.

I think he'd be a back-up behind an All-Star center. I think he's an ideal starter next to LMA.

 

[PapaG]

I had never thought of things this way. Ideally, every player we have would come off the bench because we have somebody better ahead of them.

Why doesn't Olshey just go get those players so we can move our current players to the bench?

Ideally, Lillard would be the back-up to Chris Paul, and LMA would be the back-up to ... Tim Duncan, I suppose?

 

[PapaG]

I had never thought of things this way. Ideally, every player we have would come off the bench because we have somebody better ahead of them.

Why doesn't Olshey just go get those players so we can move our current players to the bench?

Haha! Repped. The logical pretzels on this board that some posters put themselves in are low-hanging snacks to consume.

 

[PapaG]

Ideally, Nic Batum would be the back-up to LeBron James, and Brooke Lopez would be the back-up to Dwight Howard.

 

[blazerboy30]

Ideally, Nic Batum would be the back-up to LeBron James, and Brooke Lopez would be the back-up to Dwight Howard.

So we both agree it'd be ideal if he came off the bench.

Kind of like that Hickson guy.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I don't think it takes an all star center to have Robin come off the bench. Heck this writer thinks Leonard has a chance to start . . . and I don't think Leonard makes the all star team.

Funny, a writer says LA 2nd best PF and most treat that as a fact. This writer says Lopez probably better suited as a back up and most jump on the writer.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

What grade would you have given?

i just dont remember them having anything horrible happen

besides the nugs and mavs its the worst grade in the conference, i mean im not the biggest kevin martin fan but just wondering if i missed something

 

[PapaG]

I don't think it takes an all star center to have Robin come off the bench. Heck this writer thinks Leonard has a chance to start . . . and I don't think Leonard makes the all star team.

Funny, a writer says LA 2nd best PF and most treat that as a fact. This writer says Lopez probably better suited as a back up and most jump on the writer.

Link?

Plus, Meyers just may have a better reputation among national NBA writers than he does on this very narrow-minded and binary board. It seems at times here that if a player isn't an all-around expert at everything, then he's a bum and a bust.

 

[magnifier661]

I don't think it takes an all star center to have Robin come off the bench. Heck this writer thinks Leonard has a chance to start . . . and I don't think Leonard makes the all star team.

Funny, a writer says LA 2nd best PF and most treat that as a fact. This writer says Lopez probably better suited as a back up and most jump on the writer.

Which writer said Lopez is a back up?

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Which writer said Lopez is a back up?

Whoever wrote the article we are all discussing in this thread. Chad Ford?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I don't think it takes an all star center to have Robin come off the bench. Heck this writer thinks Leonard has a chance to start . . . and I don't think Leonard makes the all star team.

Funny, a writer says LA 2nd best PF and most treat that as a fact. This writer says Lopez probably better suited as a back up and most jump on the writer.

Really, all he said was that Lopez would "battle" Leonard for the starting spot, and I found that comical, because it seems obvious that Lopez is the clear-cut starter.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Link?

Plus, Meyers just may have a better reputation among national NBA writers than he does on this very narrow-minded and binary board. It seems at times here that if a player isn't an all-around expert at everything, then he's a bum and a bust.

However highly thought of the national writers think of Leonard, it scary they think he will compete with Lopez for the starting job. At the very least your examples of Lillard backing up Paul, Batum backing up Lebron, Aldridge backing up Duncan are terrible examples of the situation here. We are talking a national writer thinks Lopez may potentially back up Leonard. I don't think any national writer puts Leonard in the same category as Duncan, Paul and Lebron.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Really, all he said was that Lopez would "battle" Leonard for the starting spot, and I found that comical, because it seems obvious that Lopez is the clear-cut starter.

While Lopez is probably better suited coming off the bench, he had a very strong 2012-13 in which he posted an impressive 18.9 PER. He should battle second-year big man Meyers Leonard for the starting center position.



I'm not saying Leonard should start over Lopez, but that first part of the sentence seems to suggest that Lopez in more of a back up . . . but he acknowledges that Lopez had a good year last year which seems to suggest he might be elevating to a starting NBA center??? (i know he started last year but many players started last year that probably shouldn't be starters)