Crash: I'm disrupting chemistry

[KingSpeed]

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/03/houston_103_portland_87_blazer.html

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I don't think that's true; I almost think that Camby's return might be somewhat responsible. I thought Wallace was doing some good aggressive stuff, somebody on the team needs to be in there in a position to catch a short pass when Wallace is driving into the middle. They will adjust to him I think.

 

[Loyalty4Life]

He doesn't know the offense. That's all.

 

[Eastoff]

I wonder if Gerald is feeling how Oden felt when he first arrived? All these eyes on him suddenly. It would be nice to give him our support. HCP, if you can pass on any good wishes, please do!

 

[alex42083]

It's not Gerald's fault.. there's just a lot of moving parts right now, with Roy coming back and Camby. It's gonna take time to gel. It's also a good sign that he cares so much about wanting to fit in.

And it'll probably be more about trusting each other on the defensive end. With Wes, Batum, Wallace and Camby.. they're too good that they should be able to figure it out.

 

[THE HCP]

He seems to have fit in with the guys nicely. Playing cards with Dre, Wes and Patty on the flight down here to Sac tonight. I think they just need a couple more games together. I don't think he is the reason we played like shit tonight anyway.

 

[Natebishop3]

I don't think there's any reason to start worrying. We JUST added Wallace, and Camby JUST came back. I hope he understands that, and I hope people will give them time to gel. It doesn't happen over night.

 

[MickZagger]

He seems to have fit in with the guys nicely. Playing cards with Dre, Wes and Patty on the flight down here to Sac tonight. I think they just need a couple more games together. I don't think he is the reason we played like shit tonight anyway.

Were they playing Bourre?

 

[Steelblazer]

Hi All,

I've been reading this board for a long time now all the way back to when the big migration happened. I'm getting sick and tired of trying to talk Blazers with people in the midwest who don't care about basketball though so I figured I'd finally create an account.

I think Gerald Wallace will be fine, it takes more than two games to get used to each other in a structured system. I'm more concerned about Brandon Roy reintegrating in a secondary role, and LaMarcus losing his killer mentality.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I think Roy and Camby have more to do with it than Wallace

 

[Mediocre Man]

Hi All,

I've been reading this board for a long time now all the way back to when the big migration happened. I'm getting sick and tired of trying to talk Blazers with people in the midwest who don't care about basketball though so I figured I'd finally create an account.

I think Gerald Wallace will be fine, it takes more than two games to get used to each other in a structured system. I'm more concerned about Brandon Roy reintegrating in a secondary role, and LaMarcus losing his killer mentality.

Welcome aboard, Steelblazer.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Hi All,

I've been reading this board for a long time now all the way back to when the big migration happened. I'm getting sick and tired of trying to talk Blazers with people in the midwest who don't care about basketball though so I figured I'd finally create an account.

I think Gerald Wallace will be fine, it takes more than two games to get used to each other in a structured system. I'm more concerned about Brandon Roy reintegrating in a secondary role, and LaMarcus losing his killer mentality.

First, welcome aboard.

Second, if you've been reading us for some time, what possessed you to join???????

Lastly, I agree with your thoughts. Roy is going to be an oft injured player for the remainder of his career and to yo-yo him in and out of the lineup will create constant issues with chemisty/continuity.

 

[Steelblazer]

I've always seen Roy as an iso heavy, need the ball in his hands type of player. It remains to be seen whether he can be an effective "closer" off the bench and a second or third option the rest of the time he is out on the floor. I think Camby will be ok. After all, it is only two games.

Regarding your question, I think it was somewhere between the racism thread and Mixum's constant ray of sunshine that encouraged me to finally pull the trigger!

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I've always seen Roy as an iso heavy, need the ball in his hands type of player. It remains to be seen whether he can be an effective "closer" off the bench and a second or third option the rest of the time he is out on the floor. I think Camby will be ok. After all, it is only two games.

I think Roy's ISO play makes LA less aggressive as he can't get into the flow of the game.

Regarding your question, I think it was somewhere between the racism thread and Mixum's constant ray of sunshine that encouraged me to finally pull the trigger!

Makes perfect sense to me!

 

[STOMP]

remember KP's claim of preferring to do roster movement in the offseason rather then in the middle because it disrupted team chemistry? Gerald will find his role as he and his teammates get more familiar but it's not surprising that they haven't been clicking perfectly yet.

Any chance half of this board won't be frothing at the mouth demanding trades at next year's deadline?

STOMP

 

[Nate Dogg]

I was listening to the 5th quarter last night on 95, and i think Michael Holton brought up a good point on the show. He mentioned that what this team needs now is "road games" for GW and the rest of the team to mold more as they are traveling together and staying in hotels.

 

[MIXUM]

well theres no time to mold. losing home games to houston and atlanta more or less ended our season

 

[craigehlo]

I think Roy and Camby have more to do with it than Wallace

Exactly. When Wallace was on the bench in the 1st quarter, the team was still struggling with defense and if it weren't for Batum's bailout 3's the game would have been completely out-of-hand before he even hit the floor.

The problem is that our guards are, well, easy to guard. Matthews, Andre and Roy aren't guys that can create high percentage shots or get to the FT line consistently. To make matters worse, they have been getting killed by faster opponents on D as well. Lowry was a great example.

Wallace was a great addition, but this team needed scoring/playmaking in the backcourt as well.

 

[Nikolokolus]

He seems to have fit in with the guys nicely. Playing cards with Dre, Wes and Patty on the flight down here to Sac tonight. I think they just need a couple more games together. I don't think he is the reason we played like shit tonight anyway.

I tend to agree -- or at least that was my gut reaction to the last couple of games -- he seems to play hard, he rebounds just like I remembered him doing in Charlotte, he defends, he's tough, strong, physical, but the team looks like they're back in training camp trying to integrate 3 fairly prominent pieces.

And not to turn this into a bash Nate thread, but I don't like the way he's decided to try and integrate him; sure he needs to keep the playbook simple to start off and isolation sets on the wing certainly play to Gerald's strengths as a slasher/scorer (especially when matched up against guys like Scola, Patterson, etc.) but I really wish he would have focused on getting him the ball on the move off of curls and baseline cuts instead, because the offense completely freezes up when they clear out the side for him.

Bottom line: This team may not make the post-season this year because of the hiccups they are going through, but the addition of Wallace should pay dividends over the next few seasons after he's had a full training camp or two to get fully integrated. I'm still happy they got him.

 

[MIXUM]

new low

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/playoffodds

 

[Nikolokolus]

remember KP's claim of preferring to do roster movement in the offseason rather then in the middle because it disrupted team chemistry? Gerald will find his role as he and his teammates get more familiar but it's not surprising that they haven't been clicking perfectly yet.

Any chance half of this board won't be frothing at the mouth demanding trades at next year's deadline?
STOMP

I'm perfecly happy to see the team take one step back for the opportunity to take two steps forward down the line. You won't catch me second guessing this move.

 

[STOMP]

Exactly. When Wallace was on the bench in the 1st quarter, the team was still struggling with defense and if it weren't for Batum's bailout 3's the game would have been completely out-of-hand before he even hit the floor.

The problem is that our guards are, well, easy to guard. Matthews, Andre and Roy aren't guys that can create high percentage shots or get to the FT line consistently. To make matters worse, they have been getting killed by faster opponents on D as well. Lowry was a great example.

Wallace was a great addition, but this team needed scoring/playmaking in the backcourt as well.

I'd love to upgrade the backcourt talent like I would any position, but the criticisms that the current guys don't get to the line is kind of hollow. WM averages 4 FTA a game and Dre 3.7 which ranks them 55th and 70th in the entire league. Of course LA is the #1 option. He averages 6.0 ranking #17 overall

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/free-throws/sort/avgFreeThrowsAttempted/count/41

btw... I'm very interested to see what Williams can bring next year

STOMP

 

[hasoos]

I have found a few things disturbing. The first is the effort level. The teams effort level has plummeted the last few games. The second thing is that the team looks to me much like the team was before Roy left for injury. The team that lost in Philly and New Jersey. Lots of standing around. I don't think Lamarcus got the ball withe deep post position for the first time until the 3rd quarter. They are going away from what made them a decent team the last few months and that needs to stop.

 

[maxiep]

Hi All,

I've been reading this board for a long time now all the way back to when the big migration happened. I'm getting sick and tired of trying to talk Blazers with people in the midwest who don't care about basketball though so I figured I'd finally create an account.

I think Gerald Wallace will be fine, it takes more than two games to get used to each other in a structured system. I'm more concerned about Brandon Roy reintegrating in a secondary role, and LaMarcus losing his killer mentality.

Welcome, Steelblazer. Check the roll call thread and chime in!

 

[maxiep]

I don't think it's Wallace. He's just trying to make stuff happen. I actually think much of the blame lies with LaMarcus, but I don't blame him one bit.

I think LA's been working to the point of exhaustion for the past two months carrying this team. I think he sees Roy and Camby coming back and seeing Crash join the team and I think he's relaxed a bit. The problem is that we still need that increased level of intensity from him. Eventually Roy's role will be figured out, Camby will work himself into shape and Wallace will take some scoring pressure off of him. Until then, we're going to need the December-February LaMarcus.

 

[MIXUM]

35....

thats the number of easy shots missed in the last games between crash, miller and LA

 

[Kaydow]

I already love Gerald Wallace. He's blaming himself too much and adding more pressure to himself, but it's in the spirit of teamwork/wanting to win. I agree with MaxieP, LA has pulled his foot off the gas peddle a bit (either that or his hip/knee are really bothering him). Seems like he still wants to defer to Brandon. But I'm not worried about G-Wall. Perhaps Nic goes in a funk if he loses his starting job, but he'll get over it.

That said, I hope they get a win tonight. Whether it's true or not, GW thinks he's disrupting the team. They need to get a win, so he doesn't have to think about the team being 0 for . . . since the trade.

 

[hasoos]

35....

thats the number of easy shots missed in the last games between crash, miller and LA

Why single them out? Who has shot well? Nobody. Spacing is bad. Lots of standing around. No effort to get offensive rebounds. Poor effort by all but a couple of players.

 

[MARIS61]

I think Roy and Camby have more to do with it than Wallace

Agreed.

Although both are great players, I truly believe this team is a better team without them (mostly Roy). Denver surgically removed the same problem and fixed it with a trade. We tried to patch over a festering scab by getting Wallace.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I don't think LMA was less aggressive last night; he was just hounded hard, and in a new way. The double-team scheme the Rockets ran on LMA last night was really clever; instead of the double guy being the guy guarding the entry passer to LMA, they had the guy guarding the far-side spot-up shooter run cross court to double LMA and close off the key when he goes right. It leaves the left/baseline open, but LMA still isn't comfortable going left yet.

Until he can go quicker to the hoop (which he did a couple times successfully in the 3rd, starting his move immediately on catching the ball) or go left more, opposing defenses will have good luck against him.

In all honesty, except for some Ruben Patterson type mistakes and over-enthusiasm, I though Crash played great last night. He and Roy had a good two-man game going in the 3rd.