Get real - quit with the sniveling

[The Professional Fan]

Blazer fans, we can't expect much from this team without Roy. Really. Get real.

-The youngest team in the league (Raef doesn't count) missing their leading scorer, best play maker, and only real leader
-Forced to start three rookies without Brandon and Webster, first time we've done that since 1971
-Western Conference is still as difficult as it ever has been, if not more so (Denver acquiring Billups)
-We lost to two elite WC teams back to back and the sky is falling? We were LUCKY to get that win vs Boston

Obviously this is discouraging, but it's no reason to call for Nate's job or call out any one of our young, inexperienced players.

Has there ever been a team as young as the Blazers that have had this level of expectation piled upon them? My guess is absolutely not.

I'm sticking to my 48-50 win prediction, but I'm afraid that still might not be enough to land a spot in the playoffs once again.

 

[RR7]

Snivel snivel snivel.

 

[THE HCP]

Amen! On our pace, how many wins are we going to have?

 

[cdub503]

im with this guy.... i mean yeah we could improve and yes frye is garbage even though i think hes awesome as a person but without roy we will struggle i just hope he comes back quickly

 

[Ghost Pepper]

Our team went scoreless for like a quarter last night. You can't do that against the Wiz, let alone the best team in the NBA! Some nights the ball just doesn't fall. Our last two games have to bold problems, we don't feed Greg and Nate is lost on how to keep the hot players in the game, and the cold ones on the bench. Both are coaching!

 

[Mediocre Man]

For me anyway it's not that we are losing. I can easily deal with the fact that we have 3 rookies, and are uber young. What pisses me off is this

1. Nate: "We are going to push the tempo this year" Yet we are last in the league ion pace and fast break points, as well as points in the point I think

2. Our defense is horrendous. No excuse for this. Experience does not get you a pass. If you miss some assignments ok, but our overall defensive scheme is an embarrassment.

3. Our offense is really over rated. Our EFF seems to be pretty high, but most of that is because Brandon Roy bails us out. We don't have a lot of movement, nor do we go inside enough.

4. Our substitution patterns are still whacky. Batum is a better basketball player than Outlaw. If he is struggling because he is young then play Outlaw, If not though leave Batum on the floor as much as possible.



Again, I can't speak for anyone else, but I am not upset with the losses. I am upset because it's obvious to me that the offensive and defensive schemes this team runs are not condusive to success in the NBA.

The NBA: Where constant switching allowing SA to have Steve Blake on Tim Duncan and Greg Oden on Tony Parker happens

 

[Ghost Pepper]

I don't get it! Nate is known for his defensive teams..... our defense sucks!!!! He has no real offense so the D should be great right? The finger needs to be pointed at the practices and the coach!

 

[Mediocre Man]

Amen! On our pace, how many wins are we going to have?

48 wins as of right now.


5-7 in our last 12

Last in Pace
Last in fast break points
Last in scoring in the paint
bottom in FT attempted


Only a matter of time until we were scouted properly. Very easy offense to defend.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I don't get it! Nate is known for his defensive teams..... our defense sucks!!!! He has no real offense so the D should be great right? The finger needs to be pointed at the practices and the coach!

NO!

Nate WAS known as a defensive player. His defense is offensive though, and his offense can't really be defended.

 

[SodaPopinski]

Blazer fans, we can't expect much from this team without Roy. Really. Get real.

-The youngest team in the league (Raef doesn't count) missing their leading scorer, best play maker, and only real leader
-Forced to start three rookies without Brandon and Webster, first time we've done that since 1971
-Western Conference is still as difficult as it ever has been, if not more so (Denver acquiring Billups)
-We lost to two elite WC teams back to back and the sky is falling? We were LUCKY to get that win vs Boston

Obviously this is discouraging, but it's no reason to call for Nate's job or call out any one of our young, inexperienced players.

Has there ever been a team as young as the Blazers that have had this level of expectation piled upon them? My guess is absolutely not.

I'm sticking to my 48-50 win prediction, but I'm afraid that still might not be enough to land a spot in the playoffs once again.

How does not having Roy have anything to do with a fundamental lack of understanding of how to defend the pick and roll? Or not knowing your own players and recognizing a night where you are playing one guy (Travis Outlaw) who is absolutely stinking up the joint over another guy (Nicolas Batum) having a career night?

There are some pretty glaring weaknesses on how this team is coached. On most nights, we've got an absolute stud who covers up those issues. On the nights where he's injured or having an off-night, those errors are magnified.

Over the span of this season, I can only think of one game where I absolutely thought we won the game because of a tactical move by the coaching staff. The Chicago game. We made a strategic decision to take their star point guard out of the equation by shadowing him up the court and totally disrupting their offense.

On the other hand, I can count several games (Dallas at home, Clippers at home, Orlando at home, New Orleans on the road, Jazz on the road, Phoenix on the road) where we lost the game because of poor coaching decisions. In the Dallas game, we didn't recognize our small lineup was getting killed on the boards and we gave up way too many second-chance points. In the Clippers game, we should have fouled Baron Davis before he made his move to the three point line at the end of regulation so they would have had to make two free throws, foul us, and then throw up a prayer from the other end of the court, rather than giving up a three to an assassin like Baron Davis. In the Orlando game, we were up 8 with less than 2 minutes left, and Orlando was doubling B-Roy up top to take the ball out of his hands, and McMillan didn't recognize it and adjust our offense to take the pressure off and give the ball to Brandon in better scoring positions (why not put the ball in the point guard's hands and have Brandon post up Courtney Lee or Keith Bogans or whatever absolute SCRUB was guarding him at the end of the game?). In the road games, it was not recognizing key situations in the fourth quarter and matchup problems.

It's very frustrating. Like I said, 75% of the time, we get away with it because Brandon is one of the five best playmakers in the league (I'd put him up there with Wade, Lebron, Kobe and Chris Paul). But when Brandon is out or having a sub-par game, we are in jeopardy of losing.

-Pop

 

[craigehlo]

I expect to see year-over-year improvement in my team. Can't say I've seen much of that this season. If that's Nate's fault or the lack of talent outside the big 2, is up for debate. I just have a feeling we are much closer to being the Clippers than we are to being the Lakers.

What I don't think is up for debate is that we need to make some changes to see if we can right the ship.

 

[blue32]

How does not having Roy have anything to do with a fundamental lack of understanding of how to defend the pick and roll? Or not knowing your own players and recognizing a night where you are playing one guy (Travis Outlaw) who is absolutely stinking up the joint over another guy (Nicolas Batum) having a career night?

There are some pretty glaring weaknesses on how this team is coached. On most nights, we've got an absolute stud who covers up those issues. On the nights where he's injured or having an off-night, those errors are magnified.

Over the span of this season, I can only think of one game where I absolutely thought we won the game because of a tactical move by the coaching staff. The Chicago game. We made a strategic decision to take their star point guard out of the equation by shadowing him up the court and totally disrupting their offense.

On the other hand, I can count several games (Dallas at home, Clippers at home, Orlando at home, New Orleans on the road, Jazz on the road, Phoenix on the road) where we lost the game because of poor coaching decisions. In the Dallas game, we didn't recognize our small lineup was getting killed on the boards and we gave up way too many second-chance points. In the Clippers game, we should have fouled Baron Davis before he made his move to the three point line at the end of regulation so they would have had to make two free throws, foul us, and then throw up a prayer from the other end of the court, rather than giving up a three to an assassin like Baron Davis. In the Orlando game, we were up 8 with less than 2 minutes left, and Orlando was doubling B-Roy up top to take the ball out of his hands, and McMillan didn't recognize it and adjust our offense to take the pressure off and give the ball to Brandon in better scoring positions (why not put the ball in the point guard's hands and have Brandon post up Courtney Lee or Keith Bogans or whatever absolute SCRUB was guarding him at the end of the game?). In the road games, it was not recognizing key situations in the fourth quarter and matchup problems.

It's very frustrating. Like I said, 75% of the time, we get away with it because Brandon is one of the five best playmakers in the league (I'd put him up there with Wade, Lebron, Kobe and Chris Paul). But when Brandon is out or having a sub-par game, we are in jeopardy of losing.

-Pop

so true...so true...
THIS is the biggest issue....IMHO

 

[hasoos]

I don't agree that it is Nates "Defensive scheme" that is the problem. The problem is how the players are executing it. You aren't supposed to cheat under the screen on pick and roll. I don't give a shit who is coaching you, your not supposed to do that unless you know the guy sliding behind the screen can't shoot a lick. It is that cheating that is leaving our PF and centers out to dry. It is the lack of perimeter defense which is causing the bigs to pick up fouls too fast. Nate can't play defense for them out there. It is up to them to do the job.

 

[SodaPopinski]

I don't agree that it is Nates "Defensive scheme" that is the problem. The problem is how the players are executing it. You aren't supposed to cheat under the screen on pick and roll. I don't give a shit who is coaching you, your not supposed to do that unless you know the guy sliding behind the screen can't shoot a lick. It is that cheating that is leaving our PF and centers out to dry. It is the lack of perimeter defense which is causing the bigs to pick up fouls too fast. Nate can't play defense for them out there. It is up to them to do the job.

So why do we keep doing it? And why doesn't Nate ever mention it in the post-game? If we were consistently defending the pick and roll incorrectly and not fighting over the screen, don't you think Nate would have something to say about it? I almost always hear him say "I liked our effort tonight." If the guys were truly ignoring the way Nate coaches pick-and-roll defense and taking the lazy way out, don't you think a guy like Nate - who always talks about "out-scrapping" and "outworking" the other team - would say something about it?

There is no other conclusion to draw other than McMillan coaching them to switch on the pick and rolls.

-Pop