Howard On The Blazers' Guard Depth: "It's A Smorgasbord"

[ABM]

From: The Columbian

TUALATIN, Ore. — They are six players any team in the NBA would want. And all but one would likely crack the starting lineup for any squad in the league.

The Portland Trail Blazers' guard rotation of Brandon Roy, Andre Miller, Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, Martell Webster and Jerryd Bayless proves that, sometimes, too much can never be enough. Especially for a team with hopes of becoming a perennial contender for the Western Conference title.

When Blazers forward Juwan Howard was asked Friday about the depth his new team has at the guard position, the 15-year NBA veteran reached for a dictionary and pulled out the biggest, most descriptive word he could find.

"It's a smorgasbord," Howard said, following a morning workout session at the team's practice facility.

According to Howard, some would look at Portland's six-guard rotation as a "coach's nightmare." However, Howard said Blazers coach Nate McMillan is blessed to basically have a fantasy lineup at his fingertips.

"It's a coach's dream," Howard said. "You have so many different guys, you can throw so many different lineups out there."..........

............Which is exactly what McMillan said he plans to do this season.

Portland's coach began experimenting with different rotations Thursday for the first time since the team's 2009-10 training camp began. The motivation: Determine which guards could — and would — push the tempo.........

 

[mgb]

I like this.

Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said Webster has been the most impressive player on the team through the first week of camp. McMillan referred to Webster, who missed nearly the entire 2008-09 season due to injury, as a sniper. "You gotta guard Martell," McMillan said. "You can't play him soft … you can't sleep on him, or he'll burn you from the 3."

I thought this was kind of funny from Nate.

He added: "We don't have those young guards, the young players that weren't comfortable handling the ball."

I think it was more Nate wasn't comfortable with them handling the ball. Not saying he wasn't right, just that they probably felt comfortable.

 

[ABM]

He added: "We don't have those young guards, the young players that weren't comfortable handling the ball."

i.e. Serg and Jack?

 

[MIXUM]

he meant sergio and prob bayless


Sergio sucked... he was really like a entertainer for the fans when the blazers had a big league at home. He could lob some wicked alley oops. Thats really all he was. He couldn't shoot, couldn't pass, and couldn't defend. Wow he's gonna fit in perfect with the kings. I mean perfect. All Sergio needed hear was a stupid costume and he would be the perfect guy to entertain in time outs. Its still shocking guys in this forum thought he was part of our future. The blazers couldn't get rid of him fats enough if you noticed.

as for bayless.... Im sure any thoughts of him playing backup PG were quickly erased after a few summer league games. Im sure nate begged for miller.

 

[hasoos]

Yea I had been hoping somebody would kind of talk about who has been playing well, and it is good to see Webster came to play. He came to camp with the right attitude, and now he is walking the walk. What I am wondering about now is how Batum's offensive game is panning out so far. The starting unit has to pick up anothe scorer from somewhere. That means either SF, C or PG have to start bringing it every night, or the Blazers are in the same boat they were in last year. Just not enough offensive punch to deal with good defensive teams at the start of the game.

 

[hasoos]

he meant sergio and prob bayless


Sergio sucked... he was really like a entertainer for the fans when the blazers had a big league at home. He could lob some wicked alley oops. Thats really all he was. He couldn't shoot, couldn't pass, and couldn't defend. Wow he's gonna fit in perfect with the kings. I mean perfect. All Sergio needed hear was a stupid costume and he would be the perfect guy to entertain in time outs. Its still shocking guys in this forum thought he was part of our future. The blazers couldn't get rid of him fats enough if you noticed.

as for bayless.... Im sure any thoughts of him playing backup PG were quickly erased after a few summer league games. Im sure nate begged for miller.

The key with Bayless is going to be not making him into something he is not. He can handle the ball some, but not as the primary. His main thing is scoring, attacking and bringing some intensity. That intensity doesn't always turn out well, but at least he plays hard. That will come with time.

 

[MIXUM]

webster should start.

blazer fans are and always will be obsessed with the word "potential" which is why batum has been awarded the sf of future award. webster is really an all around better player and can actually make wide open threes. thats why webster should start.

 

[Nikolokolus]

webster should start.

blazer fans are and always will be obsessed with the word "potential" which is why batum has been awarded the sf of future award. webster is really an all around better player and can actually make wide open threes. thats why webster should start.

As our resident rain cloud, I would think you'd be all over Webster's lackluster numbers the three years he was playing and healthy. Sure Nic is far from a finished product and he may never amount to what people hope he'll become, but in his single first season he was more productive (especially at the defensive end) than Martell has ever been.

You do realize that Martell's career 3PT percentage is about 36% right? That's awfully low for a "sharp shooter."

 

[hasoos]

webster should start.

blazer fans are and always will be obsessed with the word "potential" which is why batum has been awarded the sf of future award. webster is really an all around better player and can actually make wide open threes. thats why webster should start.

Yea but comon Mixum. For years, we never had anything else to hope for. When Viktor Kryapa, Juan on Five Dixon, Bassy, etc are your team, all you can do is keep hope alive, keep grabbing your ankles and keep lubing up as your team gets F'd every game. At least now it is down to the point where we only have to worry about a few positions on the team, and those are the positions that folks talk about "potential" in because they are the few voids left on the team.

 

[MIXUM]

in basketball more then any other sport.... usually you can see who can play and who cant. i didnt need 2 years bassy to see he wasnt that good. same thing with russians.

with batum... hes never gonna be a scorer or good shooter. just isnt. good defender? yes. thats it. so i just feel like we overate batum a lot.

 

[MIXUM]

i really think martell was gonna have a breakout year last season if not for the foot. and again... i dont care about stats. i have 2 eyes. martells game is better overall then batums.

telling ya... martell is our most talented sf. if he stays healthy... you will see

 

[BBert]

As our resident rain cloud, I would think you'd be all over Webster's lackluster numbers the three years he was playing and healthy. Sure Nic is far from a finished product and he may never amount to what people hope he'll become, but in his single first season he was more productive (especially at the defensive end) than Martell has ever been.

You do realize that Martell's career 3PT percentage is about 36% right? That's awfully low for a "sharp shooter."

That was then.

This is now.

Is it inconceivable that a 22-year-old basketball player may be about to hit his stride? Was Brandon the player his is today when he was 20 years old?

For now, I'm giving him a clean slate and the reports coming out of camp make me hopeful that he is ready to be an impact player.

As for Batum, he is definitely better than Webster at the same age. Nico is a phenom and one of only four players on the team on my 'not available' list.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

i really think martell was gonna have a breakout year last season if not for the foot. and again... i dont care about stats. i have 2 eyes. martells game is better overall then batums.

telling ya... martell is our most talented sf. if he stays healthy... you will see

one of the few things we agree on

 

[mgb]

webster should start.

blazer fans are and always will be obsessed with the word "potential" which is why batum has been awarded the sf of future award. webster is really an all around better player and can actually make wide open threes. thats why webster should start.

Speaking of potential.

 

[julius]

I'd really like it if Martel burned people from more than just three point land.

 

[Nikolokolus]

That was then.

This is now.

Is it inconceivable that a 22-year-old basketball player may be about to hit his stride? Was Brandon the player his is today when he was 20 years old?

For now, I'm giving him a clean slate and the reports coming out of camp make me hopeful that he is ready to be an impact player.

As for Batum, he is definitely better than Webster at the same age. Nico is a phenom and one of only four players on the team on my 'not available' list.

No not inconceivable, but with a full year out of basketball it seems less than a good bet. My main hope for Martell is that his picture perfect stroke finally starts translating into an efficient percentage on his jump shots (both mid-range and long range) something that has eluded him to date.

We do agree on one thing though, I think we're set at the wing. I see Nic improving and I expect Martell to at least provide adequate backup minutes -- all good if it happens that way.

 

[Natebishop3]

I'd really like it if Martel burned people from more than just three point land.

I thought he was attacking the rim more before he was injured. One thing that Tell has over Rudy is that he has a body big enough to attack the rim. Most of Rudy's drives were backdoor. Tell is big enough and strong enough to go down the lane and throw it down on someone.

 

[hasoos]

I thought he was attacking the rim more before he was injured. One thing that Tell has over Rudy is that he has a body big enough to attack the rim. Most of Rudy's drives were backdoor. Tell is big enough and strong enough to go down the lane and throw it down on someone.

Yea he was. For the Fanfest and I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 pre season games before he got injured. Not a whole lot to go off of there, but I saw positive signs. By the way, I saw the same stuff in footage from practice on the blazers web site. The last footage I was looking at was once again, Rudy throwing Webster an alley-oop. They seem to have a feel for each other out on the court, the spacing and timing is good. Hopefully it translates into the regular season.

 

[Mediocre Man]

webster should start.

blazer fans are and always will be obsessed with the word "potential" which is why batum has been awarded the sf of future award. webster is really an all around better player and can actually make wide open threes. thats why webster should start.

LOL, Webster, thus far in his career, has been nothing but average. He has shown nothing so far in his 3 season's that Batum didn't show last year, except worse defense.

 

[PapaG]

Yea he was. For the Fanfest and I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 pre season games before he got injured. Not a whole lot to go off of there, but I saw positive signs. By the way, I saw the same stuff in footage from practice on the blazers web site. The last footage I was looking at was once again, Rudy throwing Webster an alley-oop. They seem to have a feel for each other out on the court, the spacing and timing is good. Hopefully it translates into the regular season.

A 24-point quarter and a pre-season game against the Kings got Webster his extension IMO. We'll see how Martell reacts in games that actually mean something, since he's never played a minute of basketball that actually matters. It's easy to be loose on a bad team; I'm curious to see how Webster adapts to the pressure of playing on a top-level team.

 

[donkiez]

I gotta agree with Mixum on this one, at leat for the most part. Webster should and probably will start. He was poised for a breakout season last year before his injury and I see him doing well this year. Batum is great in his own right but there was a reason he only averaged like 20minutes even though he started, he is not complete yet. I do think that in the next two years Batum developes as a scoring threat but he will never be the scorer Wester is/will be, and Webster will never be the defender Batum is. They are 1a and 1b at SF and both have almost completly opposite strenghts and weaknesses, poor Trout.

 

[Natebishop3]

I gotta agree with Mixum on this one, at leat for the most part. Webster should and probably will start. He was poised for a breakout season last year before his injury and I see him doing well this year. Batum is great in his own right but there was a reason he only averaged like 20minutes even though he started, he is not complete yet. I do think that in the next two years Batum developes as a scoring threat but he will never be the scorer Wester is/will be, and Webster will never be the defender Batum is. They are 1a and 1b at SF and both have almost completly opposite strenghts and weaknesses, poor Trout.

I wouldn't feel too bad for Travis. Some team will probably overpay him next summer when LeBron, Wade, and Bosh all stay in their respective cities.

 

[Ed O]

LOL, Webster, thus far in his career, has been nothing but average. He has shown nothing so far in his 3 season's that Batum didn't show last year, except worse defense.

Average for what?

There simply haven't been that many players in NBA history that have played as many games as he has by the time he was 21... three full seasons under his belt.

He hasn't been even average in terms of PER, but he also was much younger than most of his opponents for his career to date.

Ed O.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Average for what?

There simply haven't been that many players in NBA history that have played as many games as he has by the time he was 21... three full seasons under his belt.

He hasn't been even average in terms of PER, but he also was much younger than most of his opponents for his career to date.

Ed O.

Just pointing out that Webster is all potential as well. I am not saying he can't be a great player......Just that he hasn't been anything but average thus far.

 

[axs88]

Just pointing out that Webster is all potential as well. I am not saying he can't be a great player......Just that he hasn't been anything but average thus far.

Exactly. People say he was poised for a breakout season like it's a fact. Give me a break. Sure, I really liked what I saw in that preseason game, but I feel like people are accepting it as fact that he would have broken out had it not been for that injury. I think he has a future on this team, I like him and I am optimistic about his play this upcoming season... I just don't understand half the board gushing over him and saying he should start and is a better overall player than Batum, because they believe their eyes (basically seeing that he has a nice stroke and an NBA body). I was a huge believer in Webster's potential 2-3 years ago. Thank god we have some real all-star talent on the team by now.

 

[Pontius]

A 24-point quarter and a pre-season game against the Kings got Webster his extension IMO. We'll see how Martell reacts in games that actually mean something, since he's never played a minute of basketball that actually matters. It's easy to be loose on a bad team; I'm curious to see how Webster adapts to the pressure of playing on a top-level team.

The pre-season game was after he signed his extension(a bargain).

 

[KingSpeed]

I thought he was attacking the rim more before he was injured. One thing that Tell has over Rudy is that he has a body big enough to attack the rim. Most of Rudy's drives were backdoor. Tell is big enough and strong enough to go down the lane and throw it down on someone.

[video=youtube;47VLce11WDM]

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Oh, please. Rudy can't drive worth shit. And he never dunked even close to on anyone last year.

 

[Natebishop3]

Notice how I said "most of" his dunks were backdoor. How many times did you see Rudy go down the lane and pack it on someone?