Game Thread GAME# 43: BLAZERS @ WIZARDS - JANUARY 16, 2017 - MONDAY, 11:00 AM (PDT), CSNNW

[Minstrel]

This is fun?

 

[blue9]

Can we all agree now that the CLE "win" was meaningless?

 

[Nikolokolus]

You're always there to kick the team when they're down but I hardly ever hear you praise the team like when we beat Cleveland. Was that gutless?

In honor of MLK Day, we shall overcome!!

Don't cry.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Can we all agree now that the CLE "win" was meaningless?

Not meaningless, just not exactly meaningful. It's more aberration than trend.

 

[tester551]

After that fucking train wreck of a game, that's who you single out?!

I didn't even watch today's game. I was referring to the all the other games I have watched him in this year.

 

[Nikolokolus]

My theory is that this team is too close. It's like playing pickup with your friends. Yah you might yell at eachother but who cares, you'll still be boys a minute after the game ends. Blazers are the same way, but they're professionals, so it's unacceptable. There's no accountability, no one fears their job is on the line. Most of them already got payed anyway. That's why chemistry is overrated to me. Just look at the "jail Blazers." They might've had a terrible locker room, but they still won. I'm not saying get some criminals in here, but at least shake it up. It's time for these guys to be uncomfortable.

I see very little "edge" with most of the guys on this team. You don't even need a majority of your players to be hard-asses, but you definitely need a couple.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I didn't even watch today's game. I was referring to the all the other games I have watched him in this year.

Well, this is a game thread, so that's how I read it. But sure, he's got a long way to go if he's ever going to get it.

 

[selloutking]

and with that loss we are now the 8 seed in the west



wait what!?

 

[Minstrel]

Also, this game should illustrate why Stotts generally wants to switch everything: if your players get hung up on every screen, you don't have much choice. Hedging doesn't work when the guy getting screened doesn't fight over it. Stotts is not a defensive mastermind, obviously, but he's working with nothing on the defensive end. Tom Thibodeau couldn't scheme Portland into a top-20 defense. As I've said a few times, there is no schematic magic bullet when your players are fundamentally just terrible defenders. Any scheme he uses will have trade-offs, due to the limitations of his players, and good, smart teams will simply exploit what the current scheme gives up.

 

[riverman]

My theory is that this team is too close. It's like playing pickup with your friends. Yah you might yell at eachother but who cares, you'll still be boys a minute after the game ends. Blazers are the same way, but they're professionals, so it's unacceptable. There's no accountability, no one fears their job is on the line. Most of them already got payed anyway. That's why chemistry is overrated to me. Just look at the "jail Blazers." They might've had a terrible locker room, but they still won. I'm not saying get some criminals in here, but at least shake it up. It's time for these guys to be uncomfortable.

I remember Dame saying a few times that Earl Watson and before him Mo Williams picked him up when he was getting down on himself on the road...Dame is a great leader of character but he doesn't seem to have a Wes Mathews or even Gerald Henderson bark....I sense more and more that we are missing those guys like Kaman or even a Mo or Earl guy on the bench as much as the locker room...Kaman was in every big guy's ear when they subbed out from Joel Freeland to Meyers.....to me, that guy should be Ed Davis or in Wes' case, probably Turner...Turner just hasn't been around long enough to assert himself like that....Crabbe talks like he's in a library

 

[Scalma]

I just want to see some emotion, get mad at eachother, it's good for the soul. Rather that than holding it all in and high fiving eachother after every turnover like "it's ok dude, were in this together!" Fuck that.

 

[Minstrel]

I just want to see some emotion, get mad at eachother, it's good for the soul. Rather that than holding it all in and high fiving eachother after every turnover like "it's ok dude, were in this together!" Fuck that.

"You don't have Richard Ezeli to kick around anymore."

 

[Scalma]

Wish Ezeli wasn't injured, because I bet he was 100% correct in whatever he was telling the team. Probably part of why CJ and co got so defensive.

 

[Driew]

Wish Ezeli wasn't injured, because I bet he was 100% correct in whatever he was telling the team. Probably part of why CJ and co got so defensive.

Oh absolutely. I think we're playing it "cool" right now. After last year this team probably believes it can coast in the first half of the season and then turn it on in the second half. I'm sure Ezeli saw that too.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Ed Davis is really good at not doing anything. The only time I hear his name is when he gets called for a foul.

Don't pick on Ed. He was only -17 in five minutes. (Is that even possible?).

 

[Hobbesarable]

Don't pick on Ed. He was only -17 in five minutes. (Is that even possible?).

Ask Meyers. He probably had a few games like that.

 

[Trackjack]

Players are not ready to play for what reason I don't know. But alot of this on Stotts his subbing is inconstant. Players coming off the bench might play 20 minutes one game and 5 in another or Dnp. There 7 players know there going big minutes. 12-15 know there just not going to play in between the 8-11 there hoping to get minutes. So your not going to develope anybody with this subbing pattern. I know everyone should be ready to play but really it hard. Now Stotts don't hold a few players accountable of there play.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

My theory is that this team is too close. It's like playing pickup with your friends. Yah you might yell at eachother but who cares, you'll still be boys a minute after the game ends. Blazers are the same way, but they're professionals, so it's unacceptable. There's no accountability, no one fears their job is on the line. Most of them already got payed anyway. That's why chemistry is overrated to me. Just look at the "jail Blazers." They might've had a terrible locker room, but they still won. I'm not saying get some criminals in here, but at least shake it up. It's time for these guys to be uncomfortable.

I thought about that when I saw Aaron Rodgers just chewing out one of his teammates in front of everybody yesterday. His team won.

 

[Sinobas]

Ah, missed the game, didn't even know they were playing today. Looks like I didn't miss much.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I just read through this entire thread; the only positive thing I got out of it was seeing that so many people had to work today, just like me.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Right cuz losses are all that matter to you. When we were playing well in the second half of last season, at one point winning 18 of 22 games, did you praise the team? No. You turned it into a negative and said our play was "an unmitigated disaster" since we would lose our pick.

For a team that is talent deficient (which I thought then, and I think is becoming evident now) sacrificing the lifeblood of a small market team (the draft) for a temporary thrill was (and is) an "unmitigated disaster."

It's about competing for championships in my opinion, either in the present or the hope of the future. Getting stuck with a team that seems to have a .500 ceiling and is also locked into a lot of money isn't an outcome anybody should be happy with.

If my opinions bother you I invite you to put me on ignore.

 

[BonesJones]

My theory is that this team is too close. It's like playing pickup with your friends. Yah you might yell at eachother but who cares, you'll still be boys a minute after the game ends. Blazers are the same way, but they're professionals, so it's unacceptable. There's no accountability, no one fears their job is on the line. Most of them already got payed anyway. That's why chemistry is overrated to me. Just look at the "jail Blazers." They might've had a terrible locker room, but they still won. I'm not saying get some criminals in here, but at least shake it up. It's time for these guys to be uncomfortable.

That's a great take. That's probably what happened.

I would've never thought i would say anything like this but...

We need to break down our chemistry, split it apart with trades, and get some dogs in the locker room.

Example: Swap Crabbe, Plumlee, and Leonard out with Wes Matthews, Bogut, and Brook Lopez, and suddenly you got some heart, have some dogs in the locker room, have a rim protector and have a low post scorer. Suddenly, everyone wouldn't be buddy-buddy. I think that the team would focus more on winning.

 

[illmatic99]

painful following this year's team

 

[WillG]

Obvious is Obvious:
The Blazers team answered 'Yes' to the OPs poll.

 

[TBpup]

Don't pick on Ed. He was only -17 in five minutes. (Is that even possible?).

Nolan Smith had something like a -18 in 3 or 4 minutes once. We wondered if that was possible then as well.

 

[Strenuus]

For a team that is talent deficient (which I thought then, and I think is becoming evident now) sacrificing the lifeblood of a small market team (the draft) for a temporary thrill was (and is) an "unmitigated disaster."

It's about competing for championships in my opinion, either in the present or the hope of the future. Getting stuck with a team that seems to have a .500 ceiling and is also locked into a lot of money isn't an outcome anybody should be happy with.

If my opinions bother you I invite you to put me on ignore.

Your opinions are based in reality, so I welcome them.

 

[rotary111]

Just getting ready to watch this game. I can't wait!

 

[ripcityboy]

First thought that went through my mind, "19 points to the fucking Wizards!" Guess we should have kept Ezeli around for more pep talks.

 

[WillG]

Just getting ready to watch this game. I can't wait!

You'll Enjoy!

. . . If you like slapstick comedy
(HCP should use this :
for the team highlights soundtrack)

 

[THE HCP]

See some of you saying glad you had to work, so you didn't have to watch today's game.......imagine if somebody HAD to watch the game because it WAS their job!