I Can't take Blake any further

[illmatic99]

Idk. Usually, I hate Blake. But I really felt his stats were worse than his game indicted.

Miller should start, of course, but that Miller/Roy combo in the backcourt needs a lot of work. Andre's generally a superior player.

 

[FeloniusThunk]

It's not that Blake is that bad, so I don't agree with not being able to stand him on the court. My problem is that he's not that good, either, and he's not really going to get any better. He'd be good enough if he was the weakest link, but the team's got enough problems to make a few wins not mean much anyway. Tonight's o-fer is ugly, and stepping out of bounds on the last real chance to win is irritating, but the team isn't really going anywhere this season even if they'd won. Bayless has been looking good in his minutes, and might get a whole lot better with more. His ceiling isn't known yet, so why are the coaches not getting him minimum 20 minutes per the rest of the season? He might be worse than Blake, ultimately, but at this point it's pretty damn low risk/consequence.

 

[Schilly]

Idk. Usually, I hate Blake. But I really felt his stats were worse than his game indicted.

Miller should start, of course, but that Miller/Roy combo in the backcourt needs a lot of work. Andre's generally a superior player.

THink about this though, if they had been the starting backcourt through preseason and to this point they'd have 32 games under their belts and those kinks would likely be worked out... As it is they are 10-15 games away which puts us close to the midpoint of the season, if they started starting next game.

 

[ucatchtrout]

Do we really need one of these threads after EVERY game?

Yes. We do. As long as the coach continues to defy reason and play Blake ahead of Miller and give him the extended playing time that he does these threads will continue.

Last year we were winning, and there wasn't another player who was clearly better than him sitting on the bench watching the team lose. So there was no need to make him everyones bitch.

 

[Schilly]

It's not that Blake is that bad, so I don't agree with not being able to stand him on the court. My problem is that he's not that good, either, and he's not really going to get any better. He'd be good enough if he was the weakest link, but the team's got enough problems to make a few wins not mean much anyway. Tonight's o-fer is ugly, and stepping out of bounds on the last real chance to win is irritating, but the team isn't really going anywhere this season even if they'd won. Bayless has been looking good in his minutes, and might get a whole lot better with more. His ceiling isn't known yet, so why are the coaches not getting him minimum 20 minutes per the rest of the season? He might be worse than Blake, ultimately, but at this point it's pretty damn low risk/consequence.

Besides the weakest Link aspect we have a better PG sitting on the bench in favor for Blake. I even think if Bayless were given the PT to gain experience we might have 2.

 

[illmatic99]

THink about this though, if they had been the starting backcourt through preseason and to this point they'd have 32 games under their belts and those kinks would likely be worked out... As it is they are 10-15 games away which puts us close to the midpoint of the season, if they started starting next game.

I CAN DIG IT (ironically, that was the video they played to start the game[/URL]).

Miller and Roy are both smart players. They can make it work in due time.

 

[BBert]

Don't you guys realize that Brandon Roy isn't Brandon Roy without Blake? Blake is responsible for at least half of Brandon's stats. Same with Oden. Blake is the only player who ever passes to Oden. So Blake deserves half his stats too. In reality, Blake is worth like 20 points, 8 assists and 10 rebounds a game. All the while shutting down the other teams' best point guards. Learn the game, then post. Geez.

 

[KingSpeed]

I find myself hoping that Jennings goes off on Blake for 50. Listening to the rationales of the Blake apologists will be priceless!

Exactly. Posters like you care more about bashing Blake than rooting for the Blazers to win.

 

[Schilly]

I care about the Blazers winning... Very much so I do, that's why I don't want Blake starting. Blake is a good player but he isn't as good as Miller and Miller gives the Blazers a better chance of winning.

This season blake is producing at lower numbers than John Crotty's career numbers.

 

[Schilly]

There is such thing as good reserves.

 

[Schilly]

I don't blame Blake anyway, it's not his fault that he is over relied upon.

 

[Blazed Mania 52]

Exactly. Posters like you care more about bashing Blake than rooting for the Blazers to win.

Nope, we want them to win, and Blake is perhaps the biggest culprit of stopping that, thats why Blake gets critiized.

 

[Schilly]

Nope, we want them to win, and Blake is perhaps the biggest culprit of stopping that, thats why Blake gets critiized.

That's like blaming the gun for the death of a person instead of blaming the man who pulled the trigger.

KP went out and got a better PG. Someone else is refusing to utilize that PG.

 

[Luther]

Andre Miller>>>>Steve Blake...end of thread...

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Yes. We do. As long as the coach continues to defy reason and play Blake ahead of Miller and give him the extended playing time that he does these threads will continue.

For fuck's sake, why? This isn't Nate's website. Nobody is going to change their behavior based on how much you all bitch. All this does is make the entire forum a miserable place. A more miserable place, now that we've gone from bitching about wins to bitching about losses.

The season's gone to hell in a handbasket, and it wasn't going great to begin with. Now, we all of us have to eat this shit sandwich together. It doesn't make it taste better to bitch about the corn kernels.

 

[Blazed Mania 52]

This undying support for Blake borders on the unhealthy.

Its a mental illness like religion.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Exactly. Posters like you care more about bashing Blake than rooting for the Blazers to win.

In case you hadn't noticed, the team is losing *with* Blake. Reducing Blake's role can't make the team any worse, and just might make it better. Giving Bayless a fair chance to prove himself is about the only positive thing the Blazers have left to shoot for.

 

[Nikolokolus]

True story. Steve Blake has logged enough minutes in the past three games to cover half of all the time Jerryd has played this year.

 

[The Sebastian Express]

I'm pretty sure at this point Blake's torso would get more playing time than Jerryd as long as this coaching staff is in place.

 

[Nate Dogg]

I haven't given much insight on Blake this year but what I seen (in 2009) he never penetrates like Miller/ROY/Bayless does and I am sick on what he does offensively. He is my Blazer that I want traded for a Center/PF person.

 

[B-Roy]

Exactly. Posters like you care more about bashing Blake than rooting for the Blazers to win.

No they don't.

Another thing, I don't think many people mind Blake playing 30 minutes a night if he were at least playing like he was last year. But he's not, he's playing significantly worse and we are losing because of it.

 

[PapaG]

BLANKY!

 

[Natebishop3]

BLANKY!

I don't know why you continue to fight the majority of the forum on this topic. It's you and Kingspeed, back to back, in the Alamo. Do you enjoy it or something?

 

[Schilly]

Check out Blakes production per 36 for each year of his career, he is having his worst season as a Blazer and arguably his worst season in his career.

 

[illmatic99]

Bayless from his twitter after the game:

# No words about 13 hours ago from mobile web

# Still no words about 11 hours ago from mobile web

 

[blue32]

Bayless from his twitter after the game:

He just needs to hang tough, something will happen for him. one way or another...

 

[e_blazer]

I don't know why you continue to fight the majority of the forum on this topic. It's you and Kingspeed, back to back, in the Alamo. Do you enjoy it or something?

I don't know about PapaG's reasons, but it seems to me that the majority are most likely wrong about Blake. Not to say that Steve isn't playing anywhere near the level he was last year or that his lack of offense isn't hurting the team, but I think he's become the popular whipping boy around here when, in fact, losses are generally attributable to other issues than Steve's play. Last night's game was a perfect case in point. People were howling that Steve cost us the game, when it was pretty clear that there were far more substantial reasons the Blazers lost than Steve's shortcomings. Aldridge's inability to cover Varajao was crucial (yeah, he was playing on a sprained ankle, so I'm not really blaming him, but man was the defense ugly). Lack of rebounding at the end killed us...LMA only getting two boards was awful. Coaching decisions relating to Joel not being in the game were suspect as well. Roy's shooting was pathetic in the first half. He tends to save his gas for the 4th quarter and I don't think the Blazers can get away with that now that the roster's so short. Howard and Webster played great in the first half and then disappeared. Miller screwed up the offense at times in the 4th quarter by hogging the ball on several possessions, driving into double and triple coverage, and then kicking it to somebody not named Roy for a futile last second shot. All in all, the team played really hard, they did a lot of good things, and they came up short against a tough team on the road. There's plenty of praise and blame to pass around.

Steve's playing more than Bayless because he has more experience, he runs the offense better, and he plays substantially better defense. Miller's playing more than Bayless for the same reasons (although his defense isn't a heck of a lot better). I think Miller's also being played this much because KP intends to trade him. Frankly, I hope it happens next week so that Bayless does start getting more run. Barring a trade that nets us a better PG, Bayless is the team's future at that position.

 

[Kaydow]

I don't know about PapaG's reasons, but it seems to me that the majority are most likely wrong about Blake. Not to say that Steve isn't playing anywhere near the level he was last year or that his lack of offense isn't hurting the team, but I think he's become the popular whipping boy around here when, in fact, losses are generally attributable to other issues than Steve's play. Last night's game was a perfect case in point. People were howling that Steve cost us the game, when it was pretty clear that there were far more substantial reasons the Blazers lost than Steve's shortcomings. Aldridge's inability to cover Varajao was crucial (yeah, he was playing on a sprained ankle, so I'm not really blaming him, but man was the defense ugly). Lack of rebounding at the end killed us...LMA only getting two boards was awful. Coaching decisions relating to Joel not being in the game were suspect as well. Roy's shooting was pathetic in the first half. He tends to save his gas for the 4th quarter and I don't think the Blazers can get away with that now that the roster's so short. Howard and Webster played great in the first half and then disappeared. Miller screwed up the offense at times in the 4th quarter by hogging the ball on several possessions, driving into double and triple coverage, and then kicking it to somebody not named Roy for a futile last second shot. All in all, the team played really hard, they did a lot of good things, and they came up short against a tough team on the road. There's plenty of praise and blame to pass around.

Steve's playing more than Bayless because he has more experience, he runs the offense better, and he plays substantially better defense. Miller's playing more than Bayless for the same reasons (although his defense isn't a heck of a lot better). I think Miller's also being played this much because KP intends to trade him. Frankly, I hope it happens next week so that Bayless does start getting more run. Barring a trade that nets us a better PG, Bayless is the team's future at that position.

There are many of us who don't feel as though Blake necessarily loses games, but he just doesn't make enough plays to help us win. I love Steve as a back up. But as a starter he's got to go. Not that I think Miller is the savior, but the lesser of two evils. When you start 2 guys with virtually no scoring ability (Joel/Blake) and have a 3rd (Martell) who is a not factor most nights, it's tough to score enough points to even stay close in games. It took a monster game from Juwan Howard (one that we can hardly expect on a regular basis) for us to get that lead last night. Really want to see more Bayless.

 

[hasoos]

You know I don't like Blake at all, but I have no problem with his play last night. It wasn't stellar. But it wasn't as bad as it had been a lot lately. (not that I was happy that he scored nothing.)

I thought the whole team played pretty well. The unfortunate part was, as Jim Mora once said, "They are who we thought they were." We couldn't get the offensive effort with Martell past a quarter (when he is on, he is on, and when he is not, he is not. Wax on. Wax off.) And I think that Juan Howard just ran our of gas.

 

[PapaG]

I don't know why you continue to fight the majority of the forum on this topic. It's you and Kingspeed, back to back, in the Alamo. Do you enjoy it or something?

Because there are statistics that show that, for some reason, the team plays its best with Blake on the floor.

The "majority" seems to just disregard these statistics, or say that they don't matter anyhow. Bashing ANY player, when there are statistics that support his impact on winning, is worth debating IMO. The tendency of many in this community to target their rage/angst at one player, when that player isn't completely at fault, and when the criticisms are based primarily on opinion, make it an interesting topic to debate.