CJ McCollum Cleared To Practice - Full Interview

[blue9]

I think he is good enough right now to force the coach to play him but will see.

49% shooting off the dribble (Mo's "specialty") would agree with you.

 

[THE HCP]

I just hope people don't expect him to be the savior of our bench. Give him time, let him be a rookie, and hopefully he can contribute something.

Kinda' like our approach with Mags and BeerBoy?

 

[blazedanugz]

Your boy Rice is high on him. Why don't you go ask him what he means to to the team. Randolph Childress is no where near CJ McCollum. You never know CJ may make someone like Damian expendable if you are in need of upgrading the talent on your roster and bringing in another star. Or CJ himself might be good enough to bring in another star. And then again the two could coexist and make up the next Zeke and Joe D tandem.

i hope this isnt a serious post...

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Kinda' like our approach with BeerBoy?

You're going to marry McCollum's sloppy seconds?

 

[BBert]

You never know CJ may make someone like Damian expendable ....

A little early to be hittin the grog, don't you think? Lillard is a cold-blooded killer. You don't trade players like Damian.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

A little early to be hittin the grog, don't you think? Lillard is a cold-blooded killer. You don't trade players like Damian.

What's a grog?

 

[Draco]

Gosh I can't wait! He was the real deal in summer league. I like how good he is shooting off the pick and roll. Get him comfortable doing that with LaMarcus and Lopez; that is such a huge part of our offense.

How soon do we start bringing Dame off the bench now?

I know this was a joke but right now Damian goes to the bench 6 minutes into the game and then comes back later to play with 4 reserves. If McCollum really busts out and lives up to his rookie of the year potential with his play it wouldn't be the craziest idea to have CJ play more minutes with the starters. Batum can help CJ setup the offense. Damian can spend time with less talented reserves where he can shoot half the teams shots.

 

[Haakzilla]

Also, how sick is his handle?

...but did the shot go in?!

 

[StumptownHoliday]

I'm just imaging what the team would be like if CJ is somewhere near a Damian-like player. Oh baby we're going to be StACKED. CJ seems like a very good player, he seems to have a head screwed on straight and you know he has that classic Blazer chip on his solder. I see good things in his future.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Thanks! Looks like he might have better ball-handling skills than Dame? Guess we'll find out once he goes up against NBA competition.

No I don't think so. Mo Williams had more PG experience than CJ coming into the league. CJ can handle the ball pretty well for for a SG, but IMO he is not a PG......yet.

But he and Mo (or he and Dame) can play together in a non PG dominated type offense.

 

[Draco]

I'm just imaging what the team would be like if CJ is somewhere near a Damian-like player. Oh baby we're going to be StACKED. CJ seems like a very good player, he seems to have a head screwed on straight and you know he has that classic Blazer chip on his solder. I see good things in his future.

Yeah he is one of my favorites, he is so articulate and great to hear on interviews.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

He won't start out being a key part of the rotation, but as he said, he will get his opportunities.

With this bench . . . there are minutes that to be earned.

 

[Strenuus]

He won't start out being a key part of the rotation, but as he said, he will get his opportunities.

With this bench . . . there are minutes that to be earned.

Ain't that the truth.

I think the first to have his minutes taken away on the 2nd unit would be Wright, if he continues to struggle.

 

[Nhawz]

The kid is a baller. I know summer league is against inferior talent, but I really liked the skill he has. CJ and dame are cut from the same cloth.

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

[video=youtube;MImtcszrjXs]

 

[Draco]

The kid is a baller. I know summer league is against inferior talent, but I really liked the skill he has. CJ and dame are cut from the same cloth.

Summer League is still full of NBA players who have been on rosters for years. Lots of rookies struggle in summer league. Its a big step up from college. So its great to see CJ play so well when he took a leap up in the competition. Now we get to see how his game translates after another step up in competition.

 

[BBert]

The only one I have is this.

Is that Pekovic and Meyers Leonard on either side of CJ?

 

[magnifier661]

The kid is a baller. I know summer league is against inferior talent, but I really liked the skill he has. CJ and dame are cut from the same cloth.

To CJs defense, we had shit for the summer league. It would be equal to dame playing with the players that get zero minutes

 

[Draco]

Is that Pekovic and Meyers Leonard on either side of CJ?

No but #31 goes with Meyers to the tanning salon every Tuesday.

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

Is that Pekovic and Meyers Leonard on either side of CJ?

Actually that is Kosta Koufos LOL

 

[KingSpeed]

I think he will get maybe 5 minutes per game....maybe

He'll get more than that. He'll take a few of Lillard's, a few of Wes's and a few of Mo's.

 

[magnifier661]

He'll get more than that. He'll take a few of Lillard's, a few of Wes's and a few of Mo's.

I can actually see him take mo's and Killard's minutes. In fact, I think Mo will be a 20 minute guy, while CJ is around 15.

 

[riverman]

This kid hopefully is that 20 pt 6 man off the bench, maybe not this season but he'll be groomed to take Mo's spot. We need another double digit scorer off the bench! He's coming in fresh and hungry!! Wes likes him and that says a lot. CJ has a beautiful shot, a really, really high basketball IQ and the ability to create his own shot in traffic...welcome back young rookie!

 

[riverman]

There's nothing like a pink, hello kitty backpack to toughen up a guy standing in line in Detroit to order coffee for the vets, that takes some grit man. Credit to CJ!

 

[lawai'a]

watching summer league repeats seems to show an outstanding ability to "get


























cj in summer league showed an outstanding handle, an ability to drive into the defense and make some shots but he seemed to lack the ability to make others around him better. it was after his performance in vegas that NO decided to sign mo Williams. Stott's interviews hinted at this lack of point guard/distribution skills during his interviews during summer league. the need for a vet "1" was exposed and addressed following. despite mo Williams' deficiancies, he brings skills as dammion's back up that weren't apparent in cj's summer league repatoire.

 

[Blazer Fanatic]

I love CJ's reaction when he's asked a silly question. He has that smile like, "I know you are are just doing your job, but that is a dumb question."

 

[Natebishop3]

I think the kid is going to be good. He was amazing in his first two games, and then the other teams figured out that we didn't have any other real weapons. Plus there wasn't an actual point guard on the team.

 

[mook]

If CJ is a reasonably good SG in this league even as a rookie, you have to figure he's going to take a ton of Mo's minutes. Williams has been ok for us, but he's not exactly a lockdown defender or really that outstanding of a distributor. If CJ is as good as we all hope, Stotts could easily adjust his second unit rotation to have CJ bring the ball up the court and have Batum run the offense. Batum is really a better facilitator than Williams, but we can't fully exploit him in that role in the second unit because that's a key strength of Mo, and Mo is our best small off the bench. Mo does some good things, but with a PER of 11.3 it's not like he's cemented his role.

Besides, CJ is 22 and Williams is 31. If two guys are showing interchangeable net production, in the NBA the much younger guy always gets the nod. We own CJ for cheap for many years, and Mo can leave at the end of this one.

 

[blue9]

No I don't think so. Mo Williams had more PG experience than CJ coming into the league. CJ can handle the ball pretty well for for a SG, but IMO he is not a PG......yet.

But he and Mo (or he and Dame) can play together in a non PG dominated type offense.

To be clear, I didn't say "better PG skills", just better ball-handling skills. Some of his moves looked to be "jukier" and more in control than Dame's dribble-drives. Of course, it's a highlight video against inferior talent. I'm just excited by the possibility of having another guard who can get from the 3-point line to the basket.

 

[cmeese47]

Well here is hoping the wait was worth it.