If you're not on the L-Train, what are you waiting for?

Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
Status
Not open for further replies.
What's my "bias against him"? I post information, I discuss opinions, and I refute arguments where I can with statistics/video. You had no idea in May that LMA shot more long jumpers than anyone in the NBA until I pointed it out (I didn't until I researched it, I'm not saying I'm a savant or something). So I posted it. AFAIK, no one has pointed out that Dame's best games result in Blazer losses. AFAIK, no one has bothered to inject into the "LMA's the MVP! Get on the train now, haters!" narrative that he's not doing anything more to help the offense than he was last year on a 33-49 team except shoot 3 more shots a game at a worse efficiency. I think I was the first to point out how he's improved in rebounding, and even gave the benefit of the doubt that his career-worst ORB numbers were probably because of a coaching philosophy and Lopez being around, vice him not caring or wanting to avoid "banging with Chuck Hayes".
 
I guess what I don't understand is getting upset over someone posting actual facts to back up an opinion.

If this was a case of Brian simply saying, "LA sucks. I don't care what anyone says," I guess I could understand. Why does it upset people so much when someone points out factual evidence that there is a hole in his game? If Aldridge was the one saying, "I have a hole in my game and I want to work on it," would anyone stop him and tell him our record? People improve by singling out flaws and improving on them. Damian Lillard won rookie of the year in a way that few have ever done in the league, IE unanimous, but people still saw that he needed to work on his defense. I've also seen people criticize him over his inability to make layups this season, but I don't see this kind of knee-jerk reaction to any kind of constructive criticism for Lillard.

The team is doing exceptionally well. LA and Dame are playing very good basketball and I suspect they'll both make the All-Star game.

I would like to point out that this wasn't a complimentary thread for Aldridge, but a thread asking people why they haven't "jumped on the bandwagon" and Brian explained why. He was asked a question and he answered it. Stop trying to vilify the man.
 
I used to post all sorts of negative stats against Miller, too. Yet I wasn't biased against him!
 
Denny Crane said:
To boil down Brian's argument, which actually is really a simple one...

Which would you rather have:

.476 shooter taking the hardest 2pt shots in the game
or
.333 3pt shooter taking all 3pt shots
Click to expand...

Here's a wrinkle: would you rather have a .476 shooter who also gets 1 free throw every 4 shots vs a .333 3pt shooter who gets 1 free throw every 10 shots?
 
Looking at the numbers we should have kept JJ Hickson.
 
PapaG said:
I used to post all sorts of negative stats against Miller, too. Yet I wasn't biased against him!
Click to expand...

I only recall that you posted things like "he couldn't get his team out of the first round--he sucks!". I didn't see anything like "he shot 22% on 21 shots per game in 19 career games and therefore shot his team out of games and made his team lose". (Totally made up stats, there, for anyone wondering).

But if you've turned on him, then I apologize and retract what I said.
 
Natebishop3 said:
I guess what I don't understand is getting upset over someone posting actual facts to back up an opinion.

If this was a case of Brian simply saying, "LA sucks. I don't care what anyone says," I guess I could understand. Why does it upset people so much when someone points out factual evidence that there is a hole in his game? If Aldridge was the one saying, "I have a hole in my game and I want to work on it," would anyone stop him and tell him our record? People improve by singling out flaws and improving on them. Damian Lillard won rookie of the year in a way that few have ever done in the league, IE unanimous, but people still saw that he needed to work on his defense. I've also seen people criticize him over his inability to make layups this season, but I don't see this kind of knee-jerk reaction to any kind of constructive criticism for Lillard.

The team is doing exceptionally well. LA and Dame are playing very good basketball and I suspect they'll both make the All-Star game.

I would like to point out that this wasn't a complimentary thread for Aldridge, but a thread asking people why they haven't "jumped on the bandwagon" and Brian explained why. He was asked a question and he answered it. Stop trying to vilify the man.
Click to expand...

I'd like to know what Stotts could do, knowing LMA's apparent limitations, to improve on the #1 offense in the NBA in terms of EFF and PPG. How many times does someone have to post "LMA shoots jump shots," and then get agitated when people point out the success of the team.
 
So, since we've known for years that LMA likes to shoot from outside, and aren't exactly breaking new ground with pointing out this obvious fact, the questions become these.

Why is Stotts allowing him to shoot these terrible shots, and what should Stotts do to change LMA's game in a way that also improves the offense? I know all of the stats, and have seen them repeatedly for years. That LMA takes these shots is a given.
 
Last edited:
PapaG said:
I'd like to know what Stotts could do, knowing LMA's apparent limitations, to improve on the #1 offense in the NBA in terms of EFF and PPG. How many times does someone have to post "LMA shoots jump shots," and then get agitated when people point out the success of the team.
Click to expand...

He could make it better. Due to our poor D, we don't have a lot of room on O to give back points, no matter what our rank. An extra 3 points against MIA, PHI, DAL and NOP means we're 34-5, not 30-9, which I think any fan would rather have. And it's not outside of the realm of possibility to grab a few points here and there with a few more drives to the hoop, or passes to the perimeter, than shooting contested jumpers at 38-42%.
 
PapaG said:
So, since we've known for years that LMA likes to shoot from outside, and aren't exactly breaking new ground with pointing out this obvious fact, the questions becomes these.

Why is Stotts allowing him to shoot these terrible shots, and what should Stotts do to change LMA's game in a way that also improves the offense? I know all of the stats, and have seen them repeatedly for years. That LMA takes these shots is a given.
Click to expand...

I don't know why he is, but do you not find it curious that LMA shoots more than anyone (which he didn't, until last year), and that Stotts has specifically said that he tailors the game plan to try to get the opponent to shoot them, b/c they're the least-damaging shot in the game?

That LMA took a lot, took a league-leading amount last year, and has increased it 3 shots this year is the news. If he was making them at a significantly higher clip (as he was in the first 15 games or so) then it's great, and even I said so. But I think I cautioned that he had never shot ~50% on his J's before, and barring a significant change this summer would probably end up around the 42% mark that he'd been shooting for 7 years again. It's only January, and he's back there.
 
BrianFromWA said:
He could make it better. Due to our poor D, we don't have a lot of room on O to give back points, no matter what our rank. An extra 3 points against MIA, PHI, DAL and NOP means we're 34-5, not 30-9, which I think any fan would rather have. And it's not outside of the realm of possibility to grab a few points here and there with a few more drives to the hoop, or passes to the perimeter, than shooting contested jumpers at 38-42%.
Click to expand...

How?
 
BrianFromWA said:
I don't know why he is, but do you not find it curious that LMA shoots more than anyone (which he didn't, until last year), and that Stotts has specifically said that he tailors the game plan to try to get the opponent to shoot them, b/c they're the least-damaging shot in the game?

That LMA took a lot, took a league-leading amount last year, and has increased it 3 shots this year is the news. If he was making them at a significantly higher clip (as he was in the first 15 games or so) then it's great, and even I said so. But I think I cautioned that he had never shot ~50% on his J's before, and barring a significant change this summer would probably end up around the 42% mark that he'd been shooting for 7 years again. It's only January, and he's back there.
Click to expand...

There's must be a reason that Stotts is allowing these shots. My guess is that with Ropez underneath, the attention to LMA from the outside gives more opportunities for offensive rebounds, which in turn leads to open shots as the defense scrambles. That's just an opinion, though. I'd like to know why Stotts doesn't realize that LMA taking these shots hurts the team. Is he a stupid coach? Is LMA ignoring Stotts? Is Stotts looking to get fired eventually for letting LMA take bad shots?

Pointing out an obvious stat is one thing. Tell me how to improve on it, and how the offense can improve from #1 in the league?
 
Blazers got 99 problems but LaMarcus's shooting percentage ain't one.

[video=youtube;bicN4ryVQSI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bicN4ryVQSI&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 
BrianFromWA said:
He could make it better. Due to our poor D, we don't have a lot of room on O to give back points, no matter what our rank. An extra 3 points against MIA, PHI, DAL and NOP means we're 34-5, not 30-9, which I think any fan would rather have. And it's not outside of the realm of possibility to grab a few points here and there with a few more drives to the hoop, or passes to the perimeter, than shooting contested jumpers at 38-42%.
Click to expand...

That might already be happening; in December, we averages 89.2 shots per game. In January, we're averaging 92.0, while our FG% stays effectively the same overall. Our 3-point shot selection is improving: makes are down 0.4, but attempts are down 3.0 (December % = 38.07%, January = 41.03%... suck it honkicracker). Our assists are up 1.6 a game, and rebounds up 3.1 a game. We're fouling more, which may be because we're trying to play defense. :lol:

But on the defensive end, opponent 3-pointers made is the same as December (6.1), but the attempts are up 1.5 a game, so percentage is going down. Overall FG% is .4448 in Jan, but was .4654 in December. The number of shots opponents are taking dove down 5.0 per game, too.

Frankly, the splits say we're just getting better this month over last month; we might be learning our lesson from December's heartbreakers.
 
Last edited:
BlazerCaravan said:
That might already be happening; in December, we averages 89.2 shots per game. In January, we're averaging 92.0. Our 3-point shot selection is improving: makes are down 0.4, but attempts are down 3.0. Our assists are up 1.6 a game, and rebounds up 3.1 a game. We're fouling more, which may be because we're trying to play defense. :lol:

But on the defensive end, opponent 3-pointers made is the same as December (6.1), but the attempts are up 1.5 a game, so percentage is going down. Overall FG% is .4448 in Jan, but was .4654 in December. The number of shots opponents are taking dove down 5.0 per game, too.

Frankly, the splits say we're just getting better this month over last month; we might be learning our lesson from December's heartbreakers.
Click to expand...

Repped. Solid use of statistics that actually answer a part of my question.
 
And I get shit on for pointing out Batum's weaknesses.....

Aldridge is a freaking MVP candidate. Just stop.
 
Damn it, I've failed in my attempts to troll this thread.
 
With the way Aldridge has played this year it amazes me that anyone, let alone a Blazer fan, would spend this much time and energy picking holes in his game. He's currently ranked 3rd on the Kia MVP ladder, but lets spend hour after hour critiquing his jump shot.

:crazy:
 
noknobs said:
With the way Aldridge has played this year it amazes me that anyone, let alone a Blazer fan, would spend this much time and energy picking holes in his game. He's currently ranked 3rd on the Kia MVP ladder, but lets spend hour after hour critiquing his jump shot.

:crazy:
Click to expand...

LOL. I forgot about the solid "he's on the KIA MVP ladder, so STFU". :)

With the vitriol against advanced stats, "made up" projections and other nefarious analysis techniques, it's ironic that as long as they say what we want (when we want it--LMA wasn't even on the list until DEC, behind Blake, Love, Westbrook, etc...) then they're tossed down as trump, even though no one knows how they get to the answer. Fair enough.

Kia Ladder webpage said:
Editor's note on player stats: Instead of going with points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals to measure each MVP candidate's numbers, we are instead going with PIE.

While we do not discredit traditional stats around these parts, PIE is one stat we think helps accurately reflect the overall value of a player.

What is PIE?: It stands for Player Impact Estimate, and it's a new NBA-developed stat that measures a player's (or team's) overall impact on the games in which they've played.

PIE eliminates league- , season- or style-of-play bias, enabling comparison of a player and team across different eras. The PIE formula also includes the team's rate of success -- which some see as the ultimate measure.

We feel this is an accurate depiction of a player's overall value. But if you're looking for the traditional (and advanced numbers), they're just a click away, too.
Click to expand...

On their list, #7 is Lillard, #8 is Griffin (0.5% PIE behind LMA), #9 is Love (with a higher PIE than LMA) and #10 is Kyle Lowry.
 
BrianFromWA said:
With the vitriol against advanced stats, "made up" projections and other nefarious analysis techniques, it's ironic that as long as they say what we want (when we want it--LMA wasn't even on the list until DEC, behind Blake, Love, Westbrook, etc...) then they're tossed down as trump, even though no one knows how they get to the answer. Fair enough.



On their list, #7 is Lillard, #8 is Griffin (0.5% PIE behind LMA), #9 is Love (with a higher PIE than LMA) and #10 is Kyle Lowry.
Click to expand...

How is that ironic? Seems more hypocritical than ironic. :dunno:
 
BrianFromWA said:
LOL. I forgot about the solid "he's on the KIA MVP ladder, so STFU". :)

With the vitriol against advanced stats, "made up" projections and other nefarious analysis techniques, it's ironic that as long as they say what we want (when we want it--LMA wasn't even on the list until DEC, behind Blake, Love, Westbrook, etc...) then they're tossed down as trump, even though no one knows how they get to the answer. Fair enough.



On their list, #7 is Lillard, #8 is Griffin (0.5% PIE behind LMA), #9 is Love (with a higher PIE than LMA) and #10 is Kyle Lowry.
Click to expand...

You're not even worth my time, Brian. Keep fighting the good fight, if that's how you wish to spend your weekend.
 
thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!
 
Hobbesarable said:
LOL! Gotta work on those trolling skills, Sly.
Click to expand...

How about this?

oyUfxWE.jpg
 
Oh my. LOL


Daddy use to say, "Give a man a little rope and let him hang himself." Of course, it's a figure of speech, and I don't mean it to be literal. Maybe he did though, I don't know.

I think the take away from all this is that if you're going to nit-pick at Blazers for the sake of trying to diminish the enjoyment Blazer fans experience from appreciating their stellar all around play, on a Blazer forum no less, troll somewhere else.

Brian talks out of both sides of his mouth. He doesn't even realize I'm calling him out BECAUSE he's all over LA's jock strap. He DID NOT simply say, "here is LA's shot chart and it appears it's not as good as it should be, and here are some possible explanations as to why."

No, Brian's response was, LA sucks, he's not even the MVP of the Blazers, he's a terrible shooter, and I going to my grave trying to validate the argument I've been making for years (according to some posters like PapaG) that LA should have been traded for scraps. So when someone shuts him down and makes him feel silly for ranting that LA isn't the MVP of even the Blazers, I and others see through this ruse and call it out for what it is. Is that "I told you so"? Is that "More holy than thou art"? You can decided, but I already know the answer depending on whether or not you think LA should should have been a Chicago Bull (Denny), or should have been traded years ago (Brian), or whether you are loving this team and how they work the offense better than ANY team in the NBA (Blazer fans).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top