Game Thread GAME# 24: WIZARDS @ BLAZERS - DECEMBER 5, 2017 - TUESDAY, 7:00 PM (PST), NBATV & NBCSNW

[Cippy91]

JAZZ are destroying Washington. They will rest in the 4QR because game isn't gonna be close. Games gonna be tough

Smashing them by 30 and the guy we could of had in Mitchell has 18

 

[rotary111]

Smashing them by 30 and the guy we could of had in Mitchell has 18

You'll drive your self crazy if you follow who we could have had. That list is long.

 

[kjironman1]

Blazers vs Wizards

Blazers getting a chance at the Wiz on the second of a B2B without John Wall. In his place should be Tim Frazier. At the time i am writing this they are down 30 points in Utah but that might change before i'm done writing. Any way you look at it doesn't really seem like they are coming into the Rose Garden on a winning streak. They did just beat Detroit but lost to Philly last week. Personally i have been thinking??? My thoughts are about the way this season is going. There is a lot of parity in the NBA this year. The reason i think is because of the changes in schedule. Less B2Bs and shorter road trips. It's giving teams time to prep and when they do have a B2B they are not totally wrecked going into it. There was also a statement made by a couple people about rotations. Blazers are playing 11 and even 12 guys consistently. Might be part of the way the season is going. I like seeing more players used. Stotts is not killing his starters.

Utah is simply blowing the Wiz out so don't think they will be playing lots of minutes. They also will be looking to right the ship. First thing to look for is the bench play of the big Czech guard Satoransky. He has been coming in and scoring well with the absence of Wall. Not a game changer but he Scores, Passes and Rebounds well. 6-7 SG that the Blazers have to match up against.

Next you got Bradley Beal vs CJ. This was a wash in the last game as both scored 26 pts and played about the same minutes. CJ has not been shooting well. Hope he breaks out of this slump. Really makes the Blazers tough to beat when he is hitting shots he usually hits.

In the Blazers win in Washington they had problems containing Oubre off the bench. Pat did okay vs Porter but the Blazers have a problem at SF. Turner and Harkless just could not produce and Aminu was not back yet. I thought the return of Aminu would translate into some wins but it seems to have disrupted the offense even more. He has made some shots but there just is not the movement. Hope they get that worked out. At this point i would not like to see him in the starting lineup. Aminu is not a starter IMO.

Nurk can get plenty of good looks against Gortat. If he makes them this team will roll. The Blazers have got to find a way to get some consistent scoring from Nurkic. This will be a learning process for all of them. He has been scouted and they need to work on some glaring problems. Taking the ball to the hoop with authority would be one thing he should work on. Next putting the ball on the floor in a crowd and holding it way too low would help limit some untimely turnovers. It will come. Don't lose patience on Nurkic. He has the tools just needs to keep getting better.

Pick tonight is Vonleh.

Markieff Morris was held to 9 points and Vonleh seemed to be a big reason for that. Vonleh logged 8 pts with 10 big rebounds in the last game. Noah can handle more. I personally would love to see them feed the kid and punish Morris. Morris gets frustrated and makes mistakes. If Vonleh gets the edge here the Blazers will have a big night.

Enjoy the game. My bet is the Blazers will not lose three straight at home. Time to play tough are show a little pride.

Go Blazers!

Kjironman is a fan!!!

 

[BrunoSOC]

Washington score 69 points against Utah. They will come tough this game, but this is not our problem. Finish them, W.

 

[kjironman1]

Washington score 69 points against Utah. They will come tough this game, but this is not our problem. Finish them, W.

Blazers don't want to lose three straight at home. I agree. It's not our problem.

 

[Cippy91]

You'll drive your self crazy if you follow who we could have had. That list is long.

True but I think about it this way. Could of grabbed Donovan Mitchell, trade cj next season for some good pieces and Mitchell is your starting sg next to dame. I never used to entertain trade cj ideas but at this point I don’t know if the problem is that back court but also a combination of back court and just mediocre players surrounding them. Whether that’s a trade cj scenario or not, Mitchell would of been ready for backup minutes

 

[KingSpeed]

I want us to lose all games until stotts gets fired

until who gets HIRED?

 

[Cippy91]

why in the fuck did we take Collins at 10 if we aren’t even gonna develop him? I just don’t get it. Even when we are getting blown out or smacking a team they still don’t play Collins. I just dont understand.

 

[KingSpeed]

Donovan Mitchell won't win ROTY this year but time will show he is the best player in this draft class.

 

[KingSpeed]

why in the fuck did we take Collins at 10 if we aren’t even gonna develop him? I just don’t get it. Even when we are getting blown out or smacking a team they still don’t play Collins. I just dont understand.

He can be developed without getting playing time he doesn't deserve.

 

[Cippy91]

He can be developed without getting playing time he doesn't deserve.

Right but playing in an nba game versus practice is a huuuuuge difference in development

 

[Mr. Robot]

until who gets HIRED?

David Fizdale

 

[Labinot41]

If we lose to THIS Wizards that would be soooo emberassing

 

[stampedehero]

Time to brush off the dirt from the Pelicans loss and stoke the fire against the DC club.

 

[BonesJones]

why in the fuck did we take Collins at 10 if we aren’t even gonna develop him? I just don’t get it. Even when we are getting blown out or smacking a team they still don’t play Collins. I just dont understand.

So working with an NBA coaching staff and the best players in the world doesn't make a 19/20 year old rookie better? Huh.

 

[BonesJones]

If we lose to THIS Wizards that would be soooo emberassing

Every game we lose is tragic and embarrassing according to posters like you!

 

[BonesJones]

Right but playing in an nba game versus practice is a huuuuuge difference in development

At some point. At this point in Collins development, I don't think so.

 

[BonesJones]

True but I think about it this way. Could of grabbed Donovan Mitchell, trade cj next season for some good pieces and Mitchell is your starting sg next to dame. I never used to entertain trade cj ideas but at this point I don’t know if the problem is that back court but also a combination of back court and just mediocre players surrounding them. Whether that’s a trade cj scenario or not, Mitchell would of been ready for backup minutes

The problem isn't the backcourt. We're starting Pat Connaughton and Noah Vonleh at the forward spots. Compare that to the worst teams in the league...

Yeah, it's very hard to draft perfectly so there will always be "could have, would have, should have".

 

[Cippy91]

The problem isn't the backcourt. We're starting Pat Connaughton and Noah Vonleh at the forward spots. Compare that to the worst teams in the league...

Yeah, it's very hard to draft perfectly so there will always be "could have, would have, should have".

I mean yeah but hypothetically it would of been a great situation. As opposed to taking Collins who won’t play for who knows how long because of the front court log jam. I always thought this team could work with the back court if we had better role players but I don’t even know where to begin on how to get them due to the shitty trade value of our mediocre players

 

[Mr. Robot]

another team coming for the b2b game after the loss... L it is!

 

[kjironman1]

Wow this forum has gotten really really negative. Crazy????
Used to be i knew i could come here and get hyped for a game. The losers outnumber the winners 2 to 1 now. What gives?

 

[theprunetang]

Wow this forum has gotten really really negative. Crazy????
Used to be i knew i could come here and get hyped for a game. The losers outnumber the winners 2 to 1 now. What gives?

I'll admit, my homerism has shrunk. However, I still have yet to predict a loss in the prediction game.

 

[Gronk Brady]

The problem isn't the backcourt. We're starting Pat Connaughton and Noah Vonleh at the forward spots. Compare that to the worst teams in the league...

Yeah, it's very hard to draft perfectly so there will always be "could have, would have, should have".

Seriously bro... you are blaming our struggles on guys that play 15 min a game and are actually productive in those minutes... we aren’t going to have 5 all stars. The problem is clearly McLillard killing any flow to the offense with their hero ball

 

[kjironman1]

I'll admit, my homerism has shrunk. However, I still have yet to predict a loss in the prediction game.

You sir are a true homer specialist. I cannot say this!

 

[BBert]

I'd like that too but Stotts seems to favor small, softer, non-shooting lineups for some reason. Aminu as a 'stretch 4'. The only thing that was stretching was my patience. And before anyone tells me how he is shooting 42% from '3' this season, while I'm glad he's doing that, it's over a 10 games span so far and for someone who is a career 33% from '3', I need a little more long term proof.

If Aminu isn't in the corner, he shouldn't be shooting a three.

And that goes triple for Turner.

 

[kjironman1]

Seriously bro... you are blaming our struggles on guys that play 15 min a game and are actually productive in those minutes... we aren’t going to have 5 all stars. The problem is clearly McLillard killing any flow to the offense with their hero ball

Oh boy.... This might not go well at all but i'll give it a try.
I kind of think there are more than two sides to this argument. Not really all a "McLillard" problem or a "Rest of the guys" problem. Not even all a "Stotts" problem.
We have a team that is fairly young but has some playoff experience. They have a coach that has gone all the way to championship as an assistant so he has experience also. The record right now reflects a winning percentage and there have been some off nights. To be expected with every team. The guard combination doesn't seem to hurt them when they have a third player producing well. Doesn't really matter if it's Nurk or Aminu or Vonleh? This team needs to work from several areas. The only teams that don't are teams with a player of the highest caliber. AKA James, Durant, Curry etc. capable of taking a game over. Portland doesn't have that. They also don't have years with this rotation.
This team needs to gel and get more experience together. They will do this with time. Can changes be made? Of course. Will breaking up this McLillard fix the problems. Maybe some but it creates others. Will firing Stotts fix all the problems? Highly doubt that! Coaches coach the hand they are dealt. Now get Stotts another good card for his hand and this team is in business. It's pretty much what everyone has been saying since the end of last season. The Blazers are one solid piece from competing for a championship. Trust the process.

Just my take.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Remember this Dame's rookie year?



I wish he'd dunk more. It's prolly hard on his feet but it really amps up the crowd. Moda has been so weak this season.

Look how much muscle Dame has put on since his rookie year.

 

[Strenuus]

If Aminu isn't in the corner, he shouldn't be shooting a three.

And that goes triple for Turner.

Nobody puts Aminu in a corner.

 

[THE HCP]

So working with an NBA coaching staff and the best players in the world doesn't make a 19/20 year old rookie better? Huh.

Jermaine O’Neal on Line 1.......

 

[THE HCP]

Wow this forum has gotten really really negative. Crazy????
Used to be i knew i could come here and get hyped for a game. The losers outnumber the winners 2 to 1 now. What gives?

Their expectations are unrealistic and they set themselves up for this from Day 1.