It isn't Miller...it is POR offense people, other teams have figured out this simplistic offense....POR offense of "get the ball to Roy!" flew under the radar last year, but as the season wore on and certainly in the playoffs teams figured it out and started double teaming him as soon as he got the ball with 8-10 seconds left and if possible they tried to trap him above\at the top of the key...this forces Roy either to make a difficult play vs 2+ defenders or pass the ball away and guys like Blake\Outlaw\Webster to make a play.
Where have Rudy & Miller been late in games? Often times on the bench or shuttled in\out of the game...and even if they are in the game, they are so poorly utilized that it negates thier PLAYMAKING capabilites.
What good is it to have Rudy on the floor if you just have him stand at the 3pt line waiting for a Roy bailout pass? It is ridiculous, put the ball in his hands and let him create a play for himself, ROY, or another player. You think defenses are going to double team him at the top of the key?
What good is it to have Miller in the game if you have him standing around, watching Roy go 1v1 or 1v2, and be there as a kick out for a jumpshot? Is that Miller's forte? Give the ball to Miller and let him create for himself (he got to the line 550 times last year), ROY or another player.
This isn't rocket science, and the whole notion of Roy NEEDS the ball in his hands is a ridiculous one...Why can't the team run ROY off a pick\screen (like they do for Rudy on too few occassions) to free him from a defender and THEN he can make his move\cut to the basket or take a jumper.
Having the offense stand around, watching to see what Roy does (shoot\pass) when they REALLY NEED a basket is not an effective offense, and BTW, very easy to scheme for, no matter how great the player is. They have other playmakers in Rudy & Miller, Nate\Roy need to put some trust in them and allow them to create\put some pressure on opposing defenses. It doesn't preclude Roy from taking the meaningful shots that need to be made, it just means that instead of him INITIATING the offense, he ends up as a finisher...is that a bad thing? I can't fathom how it would be, and BTW it makes POR offense more hard to scheme for\defend, and isn't that the whole point?
Obviously, management saw this when they pursued Hedo Turkoglu, a player who can create with the ball in his hands, but now it is as if they either have gotten cold feet, developed amnesia, or are struggling with getting Roy to buy into this concept. As soon as Roy\Nate figure this out, and utilize Rudy\Miller more effectively (in minutes and letting them share some of the burden in creating\initiating the offense) the better the team will play and the results will follow.
