Felt it deserved its own thread: LMA, now THAT's how you play basketball

[BrianFromWA]

Few bash him more than I, and I still feel it's been justified by his play. But I wanted to come out tonight and say that THIS is how we should be using LMA. He only took 2 shots tonight outside of 10 feet (missed both, but ok). He got about 6 dunks/easy layups on uptempo or motion plays, and took the ball aggressively against Kuofos.

I'm not saying necessarily that he'll start putting up 35 on Dwight Howard or Kevin Garnett, but I don't think it's a coincidence that when he abandoned the 19-foot jumper, the fadeaway, and started becoming a very good inside finisher in motion and uptempo offenses he's been a beast for the last 5 quarters. Well done to him, and well done for setting up Andre's celebration of 632.

I also liked that Patty, Rudy and Wes seemed intent on getting him the ball in great position to score. Rudy w/6 assists, Wes and Patty with 4.

 

[Darkwebs]

Will LMA usurp the role of franchise player from Roy? If he continues playing at anywhere near the level of these past 2 games...

 

[bodyman5001]

Will LMA usurp the role of franchise player from Roy? If he continues playing at anywhere near the level of these past 2 games...

Already has. Check my signature. I got rid of the burnt cake pic, didn't like it anyway.

 

[Darkwebs]

Already has. Check my signature. I got rid of the burnt cake pic, didn't like it anyway.

Why am I checking out a red x?

 

[Nikolokolus]

Will LMA usurp the role of franchise player from Roy? If he continues playing at anywhere near the level of these past 2 games...

Roy isn't that guy anymore. The position of "franchise player" is a wide open competition at this point.

 

[Darkwebs]

Roy isn't that guy anymore. The position of "franchise player" is a wide open competition at this point.

Aww

Do you think there's chance that Roy can change his game and play less minutes, but still be a very effective player? Especially in 2 years after one full year of rest because of locked-out NBA ball?

 

[bodyman5001]

Why am I checking out a red x?

I don't know, it shows LaMarcus throwing down nasty dunk on my screen. That and a legit naked pic of Jessica Alba.

 

[maxiep]

If he can channel his inner LaMonster, we'll be much better off as a team.

 

[bodyman5001]

If he can channel his inner LaMonster, we'll be much better off as a team.

Did you make that up? I somehow never heard it, only LaMarcia. If he plays like this more often it will catch on.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

Will LMA usurp the role of franchise player from Roy? If he continues playing at anywhere near the level of these past 2 games...

That may be a part of it but I think Roy has done more to destroy his own position as "The Guy" than anyone else has done to take it away.

To be the leader you must have the respect of those you lead. Roy can't produce as he has in the past and yet he is blaming those who CAN produce for his own shortcomings. Not very good in the "Win friends and influence teammates" area.

I think when Roy was initially hobbling and hurt by the knee, people give him slack, including teammates. However, when he still claims to be able to lead and produce when he obviously can't and then deflects blame on those he is supposed to lead can very quickly alienate those whom you are supposed to lead.

Players aren't dumb. Who is producing on the team? Matthews. Miller. LMA (with quite the WOW the past couple games).

What has Roy become? Bear with me here - he has become Sergio. Many here, myself included, wanted Sergio to play more because we'd see the occasional flash of brilliance and think "he's the next Nash!". Roy has been on the cusp of greatness but now he is reduced to Sergio level. We occasionally see flashes of greatness but more often than not, we are starting to cringe when he is playing. I was honestly glad to see the report that he was out three games. With what I've seen of him lately and his attitude, I just don't care anymore.

So....Is it LMA's team. Oh yeah.......but only if he is willing to take it. If he can consistently perform at leadership level, this team is his.

Gramps...

 

[bodyman5001]

He has got to want it don't ya think Gramps? Being the leader of an NBA franchise with fans that feel so cursed that he would be a hero just for keeping the team respectable seems like a great situation to be in.

Trading Miller for someone who can't play with Aldridge would be a mistake. He has Miller and Matthews and hopefully Nic to play with and they play well together. Maybe Rudy will wake up too now that Roy is done.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Aww

Do you think there's chance that Roy can change his game and play less minutes, but still be a very effective player? Especially in 2 years after one full year of rest because of locked-out NBA ball?

ehhh ... define "effective."

Honestly, I don't think things are going to get a whole lot better because you don't magically regrow your meniscus with time and nothing I've read or heard so far leads me to believe that Roy is about to make a huge adjustment to his game. Maybe it will come with time, but at best he's probably going to be at the level of "useful reserve" that is, a PER of something like 12-13, the ability to hit some occasional step back jumpers and a complete liability on defense.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

Do you think there's chance that Roy can change his game and play less minutes, but still be a very effective player? Especially in 2 years after one full year of rest because of locked-out NBA ball?

I think yes, Roy could be an effective 6th man. I would not have him as a starter unless the knees are seriously better. Even then though, he minutes need to be monitored closely. However, there is a big difference between CAN and WILL. So far Roy has not indicated any mindset or willingness to change his role. If he is willing to recognize reality and change his game, he could be productive.

I look at the Celtics as a prime example of something good that can come out of players changing who they are and their self-perception. Pierce, Garnett and Allen all made adjustments in their game once they were all on the same team. They went from largely being "The Men" on their respective teams to being willing to accept a reduced role and show a willingness to share. I don't see that from Roy.

Gramps...

 

[Darkwebs]

ehhh ... define "effective."

Honestly, I don't think things are going to get a whole lot better because you don't magically regrow your meniscus with time and nothing I've read or heard so far leads me to believe that Roy is about to make a huge adjustment to his game. Maybe it will come with time, but at best he's probably going to be at the level of "useful reserve" that is, a PER of something like 12-13, the ability to hit some occasional step back jumpers and a complete liability on defense.

I was hoping for PER of around 17. So a little above average NBA starter was what I meant by "effective." But if his PER drops to 12 or 13, that would be seriously depressing. All that money, locked up long term for that type of productivity? sigh

 

[maxiep]

Did anyone else gasp on that alley oop from Rudy? Aldridge's elbow was above the rim. I knew he could jump, but fuckin' a.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

He has got to want it don't ya think Gramps? Being the leader of an NBA franchise with fans that feel so cursed that he would be a hero just for keeping the team respectable seems like a great situation to be in.

You would think so but there are a number of us who have been around long enough that we still suffer from Rasheed-itis. Someone who was immensely talented but didn't have the mentality or desire to be "The Man". He would do it on occasion and we would all think "What if he did this EVERY night!" No, you can't expect performances like LMA has had the past couple of nights every night, but they need to be more consistent and the effort and intensity needs to be there every game and through the entirety of every game.

Hence, the IF portion of if he wants it.

Gramps...

 

[Nikolokolus]

I was hoping for PER of around 17. So a little above average NBA starter was what I meant by "effective." But if his PER drops to 12 or 13, that would be seriously depressing. All that money, locked up long term for that type of productivity? sigh

Put this in your pipe and smoke it. A PER of 17 is Wesley Matthews, LMA type play ... you think he's going to come back to that? Oy vay.

 

[Darkwebs]

Did anyone else gasp on that alley oop from Rudy? Aldridge's elbow was above the rim. I knew he could jump, but fuckin' a.

I know. That play was jaw-dropping! I couldn't believe my eyes for a moment. I thought I was fell aleep and was dreaming for a moment.

 

[bodyman5001]

You would think so but there are a number of us who have been around long enough that we still suffer from Rasheed-itis. Someone who was immensely talented but didn't have the mentality or desire to be "The Man". He would do it on occasion and we would all think "What if he did this EVERY night!" No, you can't expect performances like LMA has had the past couple of nights every night, but they need to be more consistent and the effort and intensity needs to be there every game and through the entirety of every game.

Hence, the IF portion of if he wants it.

Gramps...

I know about Rasheed, but he KNEW he could be the man if he wanted. He just didn't want to be. I could actually understand why even though I didn't agree with it.

Aldridge on the other hand seems to me to be more reluctant to be the man because Roy has been the man since day one. I know Aldridge couldn't always finish if there was any contact and Roy could finish in traffic from day one, so that may have been part of the problem with Aldridge.

LaMarcus may just now be feeling strong enough to finish with contact and with Roy out his time has come. Hope so.

 

[RoyToy]

Great game by LaMarcus indeed. It will be interesting to see how he reacts when teams start doubling him again. He's kind of shown he can't beat it.

Also helps Minnesota's frontline is pitiful defensively, lol. They're just a terrible team.

 

[THE HCP]

Did anyone else gasp on that alley oop from Rudy? Aldridge's elbow was above the rim. I knew he could jump, but fuckin' a.

That throwdown might be the best of his career!

 

[mgb]

Did anyone else gasp on that alley oop from Rudy? Aldridge's elbow was above the rim. I knew he could jump, but fuckin' a.

It was #7 on sportcenters top 10 plays of the nite. I thought it should have been better than that.

 

[Darkwebs]

Put this in your pipe and smoke it. A PER of 17 is Wesley Matthews, LMA type play ... you think he's going to come back to that? Oy vay.

Sure, LaMarcus and Wes both have PERs of around 17 right now, but remember that they started out the season with poor play, so their PERs have deflated value right now. Both players have stepped it up recently, so their great play of late would probably not be indicative of a PER of around 17, but something higher. So don't judge how a Roy with PER of 17 would look like compared to how these two have been playing as of late.

I think you are being a litttle pessimistic (and maybe I'm a little on the optimistic side), but I don't think you should discount Roy so much. He still has a high b-ball IQ and solid fundamentals- he's got great handles for a SG, he can finish and dribble with either hands, has a solid jumpshot out to the 3-point line, and pretty good strength for his size (though I don't know how the latter will be affected by his damaged knees).

Look, we all know he's lost his quickness and explosiveness, but if Brandon could adjust his game and become more of a high post scorer and occasional spot-up shooter, and get some easy buckets on backdoor plays, I think he can still play well in this league. Because of his ability to handle the ball in traffic, I think we could still see a slash and finish to the rim once in a while to keep the defense honest. Additionally, even with his injury, he is still adept at finding his teammates for open shots, as his 22 total assists in the past 4 games show. I could imagine Roy next year with 16, 4, and 3 on good shooting percentages with a steal thrown in there for good measure.

I think you might be letting recency affect your opinion on this too much. I don't think Roy will play next season as bad as has been this year. I'm hoping that this will be the worst version of Roy we ever see for a while. He hasn't had time to adjust his game yet. If we give him one off-season, don't you think Roy can at least start to adapt his game to his recent physical limitations and of how teams are now playing him? He isn't Darius Miiles- he won't just fold, take the money, and eat donuts all day. He'll be working on his jumpshot and maybe his high post game (maybe watch some films of late 90's Jordan).

Moreover, I'm pretty sure there are exercises that can strengthen Roy's leg muscles so that they put less pressure on his knees. That might also help get a little bit of his explosion back.

I kinda lost track of what my point was. Oh yeah- I think a PER of 17 is an attainable goal for Roy next season. End optimistic rant.

Go Blazers!

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

B-Easy on LMA's dunk:

This is tru RT @_Fleet: Damn @RealMIkebeasley got hiz ass rocked on

-Twitter

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

^^ that dunk was #7 on SportsCenters top 10 plays from last night.

LMA has been amazing the last 2 games. I hope it inspires him to continue to play this aggressive.

 

[PapaG]

I actually got to be at that game last night. Rudy and LMA were suberb, Matthews was all over the court, and Patty Freaking Mills was pushing tempo at a different pace than either Roy or Miller have done in Portland.

Anybody else notice how the Wolves had to pull Kevin Love off of LMA early in the game? LMA scored the first 12 points like he wasn't even being defended (which is basically true), and by the end of the game, they had to have Beasley try and defend LMA.

Love is a very good garbage man, I mean elite in terms of that sort of player, but dude gets blocked so often that he can't be a dependable #1 threat. Plus, I'm not sure I've ever seen a more overmatched "elite" PF when he was trying to defend LMA, who had his way and outran the Wolves frontcourt numerous times.

 

[PapaG]

LMA'a PER is up to 18.2 from 16.6 in two games.

WOW!

FWIW, I was very impressed by Beasley as well. He has a very well-rounded offensive game, and at least tried to defend LMA, unlike Love, who was just too slow.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

LMA-zing.

But let's be fair: he was only being defended by Kevin Love most of the time.

My view of LaMarcus is rocketing upward, particularly when I read this. (Sadly, my second thought was "was this an underhanded dig at Roy?" Which is ridiculous.)

(An actually BETTER highlight, albeit not so vicious, was the alleyoop mid-air touch pass from Rudy (at about 1:10 in the NBA.com highlights). That didn't make the Sportscenter top 10. In general, I don't remember Aldridge dunking in previous seasons half as much as he has this season. That Camby-to-Aldridge halfcourt alley-oop is amazing every time they run it, which is at LEAST once a game. Aldridge is getting a real chemistry with Camby and continuing the chemistry with Rudy.)

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Anyone got a link for the leaders in dunk totals this year? I remember seeing that Howard was way down and it was either Griffin or Stoudemire leading. I'd be curious to see where Aldridge is.