Flippin the switch and playin hard in preseason?

[Blazinaway]

Since this has been a topic of late, about some players intensity in preseason this Quick article was rather timely. Here's an interesting excerpt:

"So his message to the team after Wednesday's practice was that every game they play – be it an intrasquad scrimmage, preseason game, regular season game or playoff game – should be played with the same intent and intensity.

That has not been the case with the team's star, Brandon Roy, who has approached this preseason as more of a nuisance than a warmup. Most notable has been his dissmissive approach to the offense. Roy is averaging 8.6 points and 2.2 assists while shooting 39.5 percent (15-of-38) from the field in 26.6 minutes. Roy has a career average of 20.2 points, during which he has averaged 15.6 shots a game. This preseason, he has averaged 7.6 shots a game.

"Judge me when the regular season starts," Roy said. "The preseason is a chance to work on things and I'm really just getting ready for the regular season and the first game of the year."

That sounds an awful lot like a player who is planning on flipping the proverbial switch when the games count, a practice that McMillan has warned against throughout the preseason. For that matter, the entire team outside of Matthews, Fernandez and rookie Armon Johnson, has appeared to sleepwalk through the preseason, looking for that switch.

"You can't rely on, and say we are going to flip the switch come Tuesday night," Camby said. "We all understand that we haven't been playing well. We haven't been rebounding well or defending, or doing the things we need to be successful ... hopefully we can turn the corner quickly."

After tonight, they have no other choice.

 

[Shooter]

So McMillan has told the Blazers that "EVERY GAME THEY PLAY SHOULD BE PLAYED WITH THE SAME INTENSITY AND FOCUS"??? And Camby is admitting to the press that "YOU CAN'T JUST SAY WE ARE GOING TO FLIP THE SWITCH" when the regular season starts??? Are you kidding me?

This is exactly what I've been saying for two weeks, and yet I've been getting blasted for it by all the geniuses around here. Here are a few of the brilliant responses when I suggested that Roy was not going hard enough:

You can not possibly be serious . . . It's fucking preseason.

Pre-season games do not count.

It's pre-season.

Not worried about it at all.

Comically stupid.

What a fucking joke!

who gives a fuck.

people just need to chill the fuck out.

I think you don't even understand the game

I think my IQ dropped by 18% reading this thread

this post doesn't make a bit of sense.

I'm "disgusted" with this thread.

Thanks everybody! I'm tremendously impressed by your knowledge of the game, which apparently runs completely counter to that of our coach Nate McMillan.

 

[THE HCP]

OF FUCKING COURSE THE HEAD COACH IS GOING TO SAY THIS! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO SAY!!!!!!!!????????? You've already started with the "See I told you guys!" SHIT! Let it go please!

 

[Shooter]

OF FUCKING COURSE THE HEAD COACH IS GOING TO SAY THIS! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO SAY!!!!!!!!????????? You've already started with the "See I told you guys!" SHIT! Let it go please!

And I'm the delusional one??? You are showing your ignorance, my friend. McMillan is obviously pissed about the way they're playing, and so is Camby and probably a few other players on the team. It doesn't take a genius to see that.

This is a fundamental truth of all sports. It is preached by every coach at every level. You simply don't take nights off; you play hard every time you go on the court, because it's the only way to play. The lackadaisical approach of Roy and others has taken a toll on the team in this preseason, and everyone can see it.

 

[THE HCP]

You are fucking psycho! I never said it wasn't "BAD" or that I was "HAPPY he was coasting, or that Nate was or Brandon's teammates were cool with it......I just said it isn't that big of a fucking deal! He'll turn it on when the games count, end of story! You keep coming on hear preaching some random bullshit and continue to crack on our franchise player over some bullshit! In a week he will be filling the stat sheet as usual. I'm the ignorant one? NICE!

 

[Shooter]

Random bullshit, eh? It's hardly random, and it's certainly not bullshit. When your star player and most of the team is sleepwalking through the pre-season, it's a cause for concern. That's all I've ever said, and yet you and others have poo-poohed it over and over. If anybody's a fucking psycho, it's you.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I'd like to reiterate, "people just need to chill the fuck out."

For real.

 

[THE HCP]

When your star player and most of the team is sleepwalking through the pre-season, it's a cause for concern.

Most of the team was NEVER in the debate! It was Roy this and Roy that! NEXT!

 

[Blazer4ever]

I think it was a valid argument for shooter to make that Roy doesn't look good. I think I've posted about it even before shooter's thread.
I don't think we should be giving anyone too much benefit of the doubt. It's our "job" as fans to make the players accountable and set high standards for them. If we all know that Roy is a teriffic player, capable of great things, it doesn't mean we should always talk nicely about him and say how good he is and praise him no matter what he does.
I don't say we should be panicking because of Roy having a few bad preseason games but talking about it and saying "hey, that's not the Roy we know", "Hey, Roy, it's time to wake-up", etc. wouldn't be lying and wouldn't be betraying our role as fans, it would be doing a very important aspect of that.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I already stated this in that ridiculous Roy thread, but as much as we don't like him coasting, the guy has done nothing but succeed (ROY, 3X all-star, all-NBA 2nd team, all-NBA 3rd team) so unless or until this carries over into something like week 2 of the regular season and it appears that he is still coasting, then we can worry.

The area that really concerns me? You can't flip a switch and add size and length, and right now the Blazers have those in pretty short supply.

 

[Blazer4ever]

Zone defense.

 

[THE HCP]

You can't flip a switch and add size and length,

That sir is not true! Give me a couple drinks and a stripper and it's on!

 

[crandc]

The Bulls in their championship seasons always seemed to have lousy pre-seasons. So it's hardly a guarantee. And I really don't think the Timberwolves are winning the West.

 

[craigehlo]

The Bulls in their championship seasons always seemed to have lousy pre-seasons. So it's hardly a guarantee. And I really don't think the Timberwolves are winning the West.

Comparing the Blazers to the championship era Bulls makes no sense. Those Bulls teams had already proven a lot and could "flip the switch" ala the Lakers. Simply put this Blazers roster has proven nothing and looks lost in the preseason.

 

[Blazinaway]

Comparing the Blazers to the championship era Bulls makes no sense. Those Bulls teams had already proven a lot and could "flip the switch" ala the Lakers. Simply put this Blazers roster has proven nothing and looks lost in the preseason.

exactly, we can "cruise" once we get to that level, but come on now, this team has proven nothing in comparison to those Bulls teams

 

[RR7]

Sure, we haven't proven anything. But is going undefeated in the pre-season going to prove something?

 

[Shooter]

. . . so unless or until this carries over into something like week 2 of the regular season and it appears that he is still coasting, then we can worry.

So McMillan and Camby don't know what they're talking about, eh?

 

[Shooter]

Most of the team was NEVER in the debate! It was Roy this and Roy that! NEXT!

Don't be thick. If it applies to Roy, it applies to the whole team. NEXT.

 

[RR7]

As HCP mentioned, your coach isn't generally going to come out and say we don't care about pre-season. If he really cared, then he would be playing everyone their regular season minutes, instead of Roy only playing 24 some nights, guys getting nights off. Matthews would probably suit up not 100%. Elliot Williams would likely never see the court, etc.

 

[Shooter]

As HCP mentioned, your coach isn't generally going to come out and say we don't care about pre-season. If he really cared, then he would be playing everyone their regular season minutes . . .

What he "cares" about is everybody playing hard, regardless of their minutes.

 

[RR7]

When Roy plays over 25 minutes this pre-season, we are 2-1. Games he does not, we are 0-3. .667 versus .000. I expect Roy to play over 25 minutes a night in the regular season. I wonder why Nate wouldn't play him 30 minutes plus, and go all out to get these important victories.

 

[Shooter]

When Roy plays over 25 minutes this pre-season, we are 2-1. Games he does not, we are 0-3. .667 versus .000. I expect Roy to play over 25 minutes a night in the regular season. I wonder why Nate wouldn't play him 30 minutes plus, and go all out to get these important victories.

One purpose of the pre-season is to give your rookies and younger players some minutes, no doubt about it. But the other teams are also doing this, so it's not like you're shooting yourself in the foot. If everybody plays hard--rookies as well as veterans--you should have a chance to win every game. The point that McMillan made yesterday was that "some of our guys" are mailing it in right now, and it's pretty clear he included Roy in that bunch.

 

[RR7]

If you put yourself in a position to win, and winning is actually important in pre-season, then I would expect the coach to try to win those games. Not having Roy in in a tight game against Utah tells me the coach is mailing this one in as well, as Roy said, trying some things out, as opposed to giving 100% effort towards the cause. If the coach wants to try some things out, I am also fine with my star player trying some things out. I'd rather he be trying different things out in pre-season than the regular season.

 

[hasoos]

I am kind of mixed on this one. I see the Blazers as having lost most of their preseason games due to no bigs. The foundation of good defense is good bigs. The foundation of good rebounding is good bigs. The foundation of good offense is good bigs. Portland has no bigs through the pre season. There are so many things on the team that are linked to the big players, you can't just ignore it.

IMO There are 3 things that will make a team good. Efficient scoring. Rebounding. Playing good defense. The thing that sets the best teams over the top from the good teams is the ability for players to make high end plays when it counts. Right now, Portland has no bigs. No scoring in the paint. They lose every rebounding war. Nobody to set a pick. Nobody tall enough to make it hard to see over. That is why they are losing in pre season. Not because Roy has only been averaging some low amount of points per game. Roy represents what I listed above as the guy with the ability to make the high end play when you need it. But unless the other foundational pieces are there to get him to the point where his talent can make a difference, it won't matter.

 

[MickZagger]

Warm up the buses folks, this seasons over. Memphis just swept the preseason. 8-0!

 

[Blazer4ever]

One of the greatest Grizzlies' teams of all time.