Four Meetings

[Mediocre Man]

So the Conductor has a meeting with Scoot and Sharpe about defense, but doesn’t say one fucking word Simons. This is one of many reasons I have such a huge issue with that fucktard

 

[PtldPlatypus]

So the Conductor has a meeting with Scoot and Sharpe about defense, but doesn’t say one fucking word Simons. This is one of many reasons I have such a huge issue with that fucktard

Or perhaps the conductor knows just as well as we do that Simons is not long for this franchise, and thus doesn't want to waste his energy on him.

 

[blazerfan11]

So the Conductor has a meeting with Scoot and Sharpe about defense, but doesn’t say one fucking word Simons. This is one of many reasons I have such a huge issue with that fucktard

Simons on the team, OK.

Simons playing more minutes than Scoot and Sharpe every single game, sometimes more minutes than Scoot and Sharpe combined, that's very questionable.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Or perhaps the conductor knows just as well as we do that Simons is not long for this franchise, and thus doesn't want to waste his energy on him.

If he’s traded in the next 24 hours I’ll issue an apology to the Conductor

 

[Pinwheel1]

I'd be curious as to what Ant's defensive stats show for the past 10 games. Seems to me like he's doing better, but I'd like to see if the stats bear that out.

As a practical matter, I remember in Chauncey's first season seeing a quote where he told Ant that his defense stunk and that when he was with the Clippers they would target him. Obviously, there wasn't any major improvement in Ant's play on the defensive end in the intervening time period. It's hard to say what Chauncey thinks about him now, but I think that it's clear that the future of the team at guard is Scoot and Shae. Making points with them to improve their defense has a longer term impact on the Blazers' success than Ant would.

The last time I checked the defensive stats for all of the Blazers, (about a month ago) I noticed that there wasn't much difference between most of them. Which makes me believe they are more of a team stat than an individual stat. There are just too many variables that occur that can affect the numbers on that side of the ball. But I am curious as well.

 

[THE HCP]

Nope

 

[BIG Q]

Three things that I took from this article:

1. Chauncey has earned another year. Pickup the option.

2. Scoot is real.

3. Sharpe is concerning and at this point I think I would seriously consider using him as trade bait for a star. I just have this feeling that he's never gonna get it. He has that Darius Miles in him. Oozing talent. Can be absolutely fantastic when he wants to be. I don't want to pay this guy a ton of money and have him just bottom out.

Luka him!

 

[Strenuus]

Luka him!

It was only a matter of time before he became an adjective.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Three things that I took from this article:

1. Chauncey has earned another year. Pickup the option.

2. Scoot is real.

3. Sharpe is concerning and at this point I think I would seriously consider using him as trade bait for a star. I just have this feeling that he's never gonna get it. He has that Darius Miles in him. Oozing talent. Can be absolutely fantastic when he wants to be. I don't want to pay this guy a ton of money and have him just bottom out.

I think the concerns are real, but with the culture we're developing right now I don't think he'll ever completely bottom out. I think he'll step up with more opportunity. But I wouldn't be opposed to trading him for a legit star either.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

I think the concerns are real, but with the culture we're developing right now I don't think he'll ever completely bottom out. I think he'll step up with more opportunity. But I wouldn't be opposed to trading him for a legit star either.

Like Amen Thompson?

 

[SharpesTriumph]

If he’s traded in the next 24 hours I’ll issue an apology to the Conductor

Because Billups is the one in charge of trades?

 

[SharpesTriumph]

If he’s traded in the next 24 hours I’ll issue an apology to the Conductor

Funny how you defend Cronin at all times but rip Billups... even when the issue is a player traded.

 

[Natebishop3]

Because Billups is the one in charge of trades?

Because the assumption that Billups didn't sit down with Simons because Simons was on the way out.

But if Simons ISN'T on the way out, there's no excuse to not hold Simons accountable the same way he's holding Scoot and Sharpe accountable.

 

[blazerkor]

Because Billups is the one in charge of trades?

I think the point is that if Ant and Jerami have been playing the way they've been playing and getting the minutes they've been getting that it would be fine if it's to keep trade value up but if it's just because that's Chauncey's preference as a coach that @Mediocre Man will still think Chauncey is a shitty coach.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I think the concerns are real, but with the culture we're developing right now I don't think he'll ever completely bottom out. I think he'll step up with more opportunity. But I wouldn't be opposed to trading him for a legit star either.

I like Sharpe and would not want to trade him unless there is something I don't know about. And if there was....... I would trade him home to Toronto now for Scottie Barnes while Barnes still only makes 10 million per season. It goes up to 38 million next year.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I think the point is that if Ant and Jerami have been playing the way they've been playing and getting the minutes they've been getting that it would be fine if it's to keep trade value up but if it's just because that's Chauncey's preference as a coach that @Mediocre Man will still think Chauncey is a shitty coach.

Who?

 

[e_blazer]

I think the point is that if Ant and Jerami have been playing the way they've been playing and getting the minutes they've been getting that it would be fine if it's to keep trade value up but if it's just because that's Chauncey's preference as a coach that @Mediocre Man will still think Chauncey is a shitty coach.

I have zero problems with Ayton, Grant, Deni and Camara as the starting core. That group has been off the charts good defensively. I think Scoot should start now that he’s improved both offensively and defensively, but there’s no denying that Ant can get on a tear offensively. Maybe Chauncey likes how teams have to defend him from deep. Scoot and Sharpe are both improving off the bench and the Blazers are winning. As long as that continues, Chauncey is good in my book.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Because Billups is the one in charge of trades?

Context

 

[chris_in_pdx]

I agree that Ant's defensive effort has improvement dramatically to the naked, untrained eye. He looked active and engaged on the defensive end last night specifically, and made a few key defensive plays that sparked the offence. Effort is contagious.

 

[blazerkor]

Who?

It's that Chauncey Billups guy. The former all star and recent inductee into the hall of fame as a player who is now head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. That guy.

 

[wizenheimer]

I'd be curious as to what Ant's defensive stats show for the past 10 games. Seems to me like he's doing better, but I'd like to see if the stats bear that out.

well, during this streak, Portland's defensive rating has moved from 27th ranked to 23rd. They have improved by 1.0 points. At that same time, Ant's defensive rating is still the same at 120.0; meaning he has fallen from 3.1 points worse then the team to 4.1 points worse. His DBPM has stayed the same at -1.9. The team mark is -0.5 right now but I don't know what it was 11 games ago.

now, individual defensive metrics and be pretty noisy at times. But I think comparing individual marks to the team's marks has some validity. Ant's defensive marks have been just about the worst on the team for years now. I also wouldn't be inclined to gauge by just a 10 game sample size when we have 370 games of Simons before the last 10 games

 

[blazerkor]

I have zero problems with Ayton, Grant, Deni and Camara as the starting core. That group has been off the charts good defensively. I think Scoot should start now that he’s improved both offensively and defensively, but there’s no denying that Ant can get on a tear offensively. Maybe Chauncey likes how teams have to defend him from deep. Scoot and Sharpe are both improving off the bench and the Blazers are winning. As long as that continues, Chauncey is good in my book.

I don't know if it's as big of a deal in real life as it is in my head but the fact that the whole game, offense and defense, flows so well with a bunch of movement, aggressiveness and team connectivity and then Ant just decides it's time to shut all of that shit down so he can pound the rock while the rest of the team clears out for him to ISO, sure seems to be fucking terrible. Jerami does it too just less often. No one else does that shit lately.

I think Chauncey has it in him to be a good coach but it seems very apparent with Ant specifically and then to a less extent with Jerami that bad habits (both by the players and the coach) die hard. It sends a message to the whole team that I think hurts Shaedon the most because I think he buys into it the most and that message is that Ant and Jerami are different, that they are better when the reality is they aren't. This causes everyone to a certain extent and Shaedon to a really damaging level to defer to these two mediocre NBA starters who have likely both hit their ceiling.

 

[blazerkor]

well, during this streak, Portland's defensive rating has moved from 27th ranked to 23rd. They have improved by 1.0 points. At that same time, Ant's defensive rating is still the same at 120.0; meaning he has fallen from 3.1 points worse then the team to 4.1 points worse. His DBPM has stayed the same at -1.9. The team mark is -0.5 right now but I don't know what it was 11 games ago.

now, individual defensive metrics and be pretty noisy at times. But I think comparing individual marks to the team's marks has some validity. Ant's defensive marks have been just about the worst on the team for years now. I also wouldn't be inclined to gauge by just a 10 game sample size when we have 370 games of Simons before the last 10 games

The part in bold is why I hope Ant is traded and if not that Chauncey's approach to Ant changes drastically going forward. All of these guys: Deni, Scoot, Tou, Shae have grown a ton and will continue to but Ant is who he is and he's a worse player when thinking of the game in totality than any of those four guys are right now and those guys still have a lot of up side.

 

[e_blazer]

well, during this streak, Portland's defensive rating has moved from 27th ranked to 23rd. They have improved by 1.0 points. At that same time, Ant's defensive rating is still the same at 120.0; meaning he has fallen from 3.1 points worse then the team to 4.1 points worse. His DBPM has stayed the same at -1.9. The team mark is -0.5 right now but I don't know what it was 11 games ago.

now, individual defensive metrics and be pretty noisy at times. But I think comparing individual marks to the team's marks has some validity. Ant's defensive marks have been just about the worst on the team for years now. I also wouldn't be inclined to gauge by just a 10 game sample size when we have 370 games of Simons before the last 10 games

That doesn’t really get at what I asked. I want to know what the Blazers’ defensive stats (especially Ant) look like in the last 10 games, not what the season average has done as a result of those 10 games. You’re doing the same thing Rasta was when he commented on these stats in the winning streak thread:

 

[PtldPlatypus]

If he’s traded in the next 24 hours I’ll issue an apology to the Conductor

There's also option B--coach knows that there's hope for Scoot/Sharpe, but that Ant's defense is beyond reclamation.

 

[Mediocre Man]

There's also option B--coach knows that there's hope for Scoot/Sharpe, but that Ant's defense is beyond reclamation.

Double standards are a way to lose a team

 

[SlyPokerDog]

"Billups played a collection of film clips in which Henderson was torched on defense.

“This is unacceptable,” Billups remembers telling Henderson. “This is so bad … at this point, you aren’t even competing!”"

Billups warned Scoot that he was going to start not playing because of his failings on defense. Henderson had been totally unaware of how bad it was.

 

[Natebishop3]

But like..... how the heck was he unaware? Why did Chauncey wait until December to have this meeting?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Double standards are a way to lose a team

 

[KingSpeed]

My boss just asked me (maybe a half hour ago), "What's going on with the Blazers? Why are they winning all of a sudden?" While I still point to the schedule (mostly bad teams, or teams on the second half of a road back-to-back), the team caring about defense--specifically pointing to Sharpe's benching and the resultant effect--seems to be the obvious primary culprit. Nice to have a Quick article provide some backstory.

Mostly bad teams? Our last 5 wins were against playoff teams with All NBA players. And they weren’t flukes as we beat Orlando and Phoenix twice, Why aren’t other teams going 9-1? Do they only play OKC, Boston, and Cleveland?