In Praise of Terry Stotts

[Boob-No-More]

OK, I will let this drop, but with one last observation - bagging on Zach for his passing is like ripping CJ for his rebounding. Very few players are good at everything.

Not exactly. It's not either/or. There is a continuous spectrum from one extreme to the other. I don't expect my PF to have PG skills, but there is a big difference between not being a good distributor and being a motion killing black hole. At his worst, Zach would force up bad shots against double and triple teams while ignoring wide open teammates. When your PF is leading the team in FGA on .436 FG%, he's more focused on padding his own stats than helping his team win games.

BNM

 

[BlazerCaravan]

What?! 4th edition for life

Ehn, 4th plays like WoW the board game. Cool for what it is, but not D&D like I grew up playing!

 

[dviss1]

OK, I will let this drop, but with one last observation - bagging on Zach for his passing is like ripping CJ for his rebounding. Very few players are good at everything.

CJ averaging 3.6 in that area is pretty solid for a guard his size.

 

[dviss1]

It was true in this on-line community.

Meh... Had he not had the off court issues that woulda been a wash. You can't be a black hole AND have off court problems. Those problems off the court only exacerbate those problems on it.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

First of all, 2nd edition for life, and I'm pretty sure CJ is a night elf mohawk:

 

[blue9]

I seem to recall him winning the Black Hole Award one year (worst FGA/AST ratio).

Because I hate much of the hypocrisy that's displayed in here, and because I hate Aldridge, I wanted to look at FGA/APG and compare LMA to Z-Bo.

Zach's highest FGA with us was 18.9. That season he averaged 2.2 APG.
LMA's highest FGA with us was 20.6. That season he averaged 2.6 APG.

Who's the bigger black hole, now? (DAS RACIS!)

 

[BlazerCaravan]

First of all, 2nd edition for life

THAC0 is the devil.

 

[B-Roy]

and because I hate Aldridge

I think that's the first time you've openly admitted it with those words. One step forward!

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Because I hate much of the hypocrisy that's displayed in here, and because I hate Aldridge, I wanted to look at FGA/APG and compare LMA to Z-Bo.

Zach's highest FGA with us was 18.9. That season he averaged 2.2 APG.
LMA's highest FGA with us was 20.6. That season he averaged 2.6 APG.

Who's the bigger black hole, now? (DAS RACIS!)

Zach = 0.116 A/FG
LMA = 0.126 A/FG

Answer: Zach

 

[blue9]

I think that's the first time you've openly admitted it with those words. One step forward!

I was (kinda) being flippant.

 

[B-Roy]

I was (kinda) being flippant.

No you weren't. Come to the light, everyone knows it's true already!

 

[blue9]

Zach = 0.116 A/FG
LMA = 0.126 A/FG

Answer: Zach

Statistically meaningless. Also, Zach never had anyone worth passing to - LMA nearly always had at least one guy who was better than him.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Statistically meaningless. Also, Zach never had anyone worth passing to - LMA nearly always had at least one guy who was better than him.

Just next time do the math before you post.

 

[blue9]

No you weren't. Come to the light, everyone knows it's true already!

What's funny is I think most people in here hate him more than I do!
I always hated his game, and think he's a stupid person, but I've never hated him as a person (but he can still get bent as far as I'm concerned). If he weren't so massively overrated my feelings towards him wouldn't have been nearly as strong...I had to amplify them to counterbalance popular opinion.

 

[blue9]

Just next time do the math before you post.

Nah - I'm wrapping up for the day and don't have time. Just find it funny that they are essentially equivalent, yet one had a great reputation while the other had a horrible reputation.

 

[B-Roy]

I always hated his game, and think he's a stupid person, but I've never hated him as a person (but he can still get bent as far as I'm concerned).

Read what you just said with unbiased eyes.

.....and tell me you don't hate Aldridge, haha.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Nah - I'm wrapping up for the day and don't have time. Just find it funny that they are essentially equivalent, yet one had a great reputation while the other had a horrible reputation.

It does come down to the Hoop Family, frankly.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Read what you just said with unbiased eyes.

.....and tell me you don't hate Aldridge, haha.

Didn't blue9 always hate LA like constantly and loudly? Or was that blue32?

 

[B-Roy]

Didn't blue9 always hate LA like constantly and loudly? Or was that blue32?

Blue9 is the one that hates Aldridge, and brings him up constantly (even in threads that have nothing to do with LMA) just to rag on him...but claims he doesn't hate Aldridge.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Because I hate much of the hypocrisy that's displayed in here, and because I hate Aldridge, I wanted to look at FGA/APG and compare LMA to Z-Bo.

Zach's highest FGA with us was 18.9. That season he averaged 2.2 APG.
LMA's highest FGA with us was 20.6. That season he averaged 2.6 APG.

Who's the bigger black hole, now? (DAS RACIS!)

You may want to adjust those FGA for pace. Remember, Zach played for Nate when the team had the slowest pace in the entire league - by far and Aldridge's biggest seasons came under Stotts when we were near the top of the league in pace.

You may want to also compare worst FG%:

Zach = .436
Aldridge = .458

Or FG% in a Blazer uniform:

Zach = .466
Aldridge = .485

So much for the myth that Zach was a hard working, efficient scoring beast on the low blocks and Aldridge was a soft, inefficient jump shooter. I wonder why the Aldridge haters completely ignore the fact that he was a more efficient scorer than their beloved Z-Bo.

Feel free to hate Aldridge for leaving us for the Spurs (please, feel free), but if you're going to shit all over his on court contributions in a Blazers uniforms, please at least shit all over Zach's in equal proportion.

BNM

 

[blue9]

Hate his game? YES!
Hate him? Meh. He did us a solid by signing elsewhere!

 

[Boob-No-More]

You may want to adjust those FGA for pace. Remember, Zach played for Nate when the team had the slowest pace in the entire league - by far and Aldridge's biggest seasons came under Stotts when we were near the top of the league in pace.

Quoting myself here, the difference in pace made me curious. So, I looked it up. During the seasons Blue9 referenced, adjusting for pace, both Zach and Aldridge attempted exactly the same number of FGA per 100 possessions (28.8).

The big differences were FG% (.436 for Zach and .458 for Aldridge) and team wins (21 for Zach's team and 54 for Aldridge's). Yes, quality of teammates has a huge impact on team success (of course), but the fact of the matter is Aldridge was a much better first option on a 54 win team than Z-Bo was on a 21 win team.

So, if Aldridge did us a favor by walking, then we should be forever grateful to the Knicks for taking Z-Bo, the even more inefficient chucker, off our hands.

BNM

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I still contend it wasn't Roy who demanded that the FO trade Zach, but LMA. The reports never said which young player it was. We all just assumed it was Roy.

 

[B-Roy]

I still contend it wasn't Roy who demanded that the FO trade Zach, but LMA. The reports never said which young player it was. We all just assumed it was Roy.

Come on, it was Roy. Aldridge wasn't important enough at the time to cater to AND if it was Aldridge who requested Zach gone and they obliged I would think LMA would be a bit more grateful to the organization, just knowing his personality.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I still contend it wasn't Roy who demanded that the FO trade Zach, but LMA. The reports never said which young player it was. We all just assumed it was Roy.

No way did rookie Aldridge, who didn't even become a starter until late February when the team stopped "showcasing" Jamaal Magloire (how is that even possible?) have that kind of clout.

For the 1+ month they started together, Aldridge and Zach actually fit pretty well and Aldridge had some monster games.

If they were trying to appease a young player, it had to be Roy, but I think winning the lottery and getting the right to draft Greg Oden is what really sealed Zach's fate. While not old, Zach was significantly older than the new core of Roy, Oden and Aldridge the front office planned to build a dynasty around.

BNM

 

[Wizard Mentor]

From ClutchFans:

Ladieeeeeees and Gentlemennnnn,

In the white corner, a former player hailing from Cedar Falls, Iowa, we have an actual NBA head coach Terrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrry Ssssssscotts! Mentored under another actual NBA head coach George Karl, Terry enters his 3rd season as coach for the Portland Trailblazers. Holding a .640 record the past 2 seasons, Terry defeated tonight's opponent in the 1st round of the Western Conference playoffs in his 2nd season. Terry's most recent achievements includes leading his seemingly depleted team in a 30pt beat down on the current champs.

Annnnd in the red corner, son of former actual head NBA coach, and current steward-puppet managing the analytics philopsophy for the Houston Rockets, Jayyyy Beeeeeee Bickerstaff! Mentored under previous steward-puppet of analytics philosophy Kevin McHale, JB enters his first and last year as interim steward-puppet. At the helm behind JB, pulling the strings, the man behind the curtain, the sabertooth of sabremetrics, master of spreadsheets, really good at ping pong Darrryyl Morrr-rrrrayyyy. Morey has led his team to many moral victories this season, and a most recent actual victory against the Phoenix Suns.

DING DING DING! Let's go Rockets!

 

[jlprk]

JB enters his first and last year as interim steward-puppet. At the helm behind JB, pulling the strings, the man behind the curtain, the sabertooth of sabremetrics, master of spreadsheets, really good at ping pong...

That writer should be their GM.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Just wool gathering here.....

If you had a time machine and could flip Roy and Dame...what would happen? Could Dame excel in the Nate ISO offense? How would Roy deal with a motion/share the ball attack? Would LMA have been the same player? Would CJ have ever been more than Steve Blake?

Context is huge.

 

[MickZagger]

Not exactly. It's not either/or. There is a continuous spectrum from one extreme to the other. I don't expect my PF to have PG skills, but there is a big difference between not being a good distributor and being a motion killing black hole. At his worst, Zach would force up bad shots against double and triple teams while ignoring wide open teammates. When your PF is leading the team in FGA on .436 FG%, he's more focused on padding his own stats than helping his team win games.

BNM

I think a little part of why he didn't want to pass much is because he didn't trust Telfair, Sergie Monia or Charles 'Spider' Smith to hit the open shot.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I think a little part of why he didn't want to pass much is because he didn't trust Telfair, Sergie Monia or Charles 'Spider' Smith to hit the open shot.

Yeah, you're probably right about those guys, but what about his teammates that actually played significcant minutes. You know, guys like Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake, Joel Przybilla, Theo Ratliff, Ruben Patterson, Darius Miles, Viktor Khryapa and Travis Outlaw - who all had a higher FG%, but got far fewer FGA than Zach. Did he not trust them either? Maybe he should have.

Blaming Zach's ball hogging on the quality of his teammates is bullshit. Yeah, his teammates sucked, but so did he. I mean come one, how disingenuous can you get? Zach shoots .436 from the field and averages 18.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg on 28.8 FGA/100 possessions and he's a hard working hero. Last season, LaMarcus Aldridge shot .466 from the field, averaged 23.4 ppg and 10.2 rpg on 28.7 FGA/100 possessions and all we heard all season long (and continue to hear) from the Aldridge haters was what a soft, inefficient chucker he was. Seriously, take a long hard look at those numbers and try, in vane, to explain why Zach's 18.0/8.0 on .436 FG% on a 21-win team is somehow superior to Aldridge's 23.4/10.2 on .466 FG% on a 51-win team.

And that doesn't even include comparing their defense, which would be even more laughable. Zach was an absolutely horrible defender than didn't even try to put in any effort on the defensive end back then.

That's the problem with nostalgia. The good old days are seldom as good as we remember them.

BNM