Interesting Ringer article on Blazers and Powell

[Wizard Mentor]

The Blazers Believe Their Best Defense Is More Offense


A small Excerpt:
Tell us, Sensei Stotts:

Since trading Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood for Powell, the Blazers are 3-0, scoring a blistering 120.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions with him on the court heading into a tasty matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks on Friday night. And while they haven’t exactly poured in buckets against the most daunting slate of opponents—they’ve beaten the hollowed-out, post-deadline Magic; the free-falling Raptors without Kyle Lowry; and the cellar-dwelling Pistons—what they have accomplished both underscores the rationale behind importing Powell and offers optimism about how much more dangerous his arrival could make the Blazers, currently sitting sixth in the West, come the postseason.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

HEY! Those "hollowed out" Magic are playing better than the pre-trade Magic! Also the Pistons just won by 30 against a team with a backcourt that most people would probably say is the equal of ours.

 

[Driew]

I'm getting crazy de ja vu vibes with Powell and the Arron Afflalo trade season. Afflalo was supposed to be the missing thing to push us over the top into the playoffs. Obviously Wes getting hurt ruined any of those chances. Hope this season ends differently. Fingers crossed.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I'm getting crazy de ja vu vibes with Powell and the Arron Afflalo trade season. Afflalo was supposed to be the missing thing to push us over the top into the playoffs. Obviously Wes getting hurt ruined any of those chances. Hope this season ends differently. Fingers crossed.

I don't get those vibes at all, but I understand it.

From the Princess Bride:
"Being a Blazer Fan is pain, highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

 

[blazerkor]

I don't get those vibes at all, but I understand it.

From the Princess Bride:
"Being a Blazer Fan is pain, highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

That second sentence in the quote is about Neil Olshey.

 

[Tince]

I'm getting crazy de ja vu vibes with Powell and the Arron Afflalo trade season. Afflalo was supposed to be the missing thing to push us over the top into the playoffs. Obviously Wes getting hurt ruined any of those chances. Hope this season ends differently. Fingers crossed.

Powell isn't close to the missing piece... we need another legit all-star, over 6'6".

 

[Scalma]

Powell isn't close to the missing piece... we need another legit all-star, over 6'6".

for what? Scoring isn’t the issue. If we had another Roco, or another Nurkic type, I think we’d be a legitimate contender. (And maybe another coach but there are other threads for that)

If Nas keeps developing, he could solve one of those. As for another Nurk type (I mainly mean plus defender) I wish Collins would get healthy.

 

[Tince]

for what? Scoring isn’t the issue. If we had another Roco, or another Nurkic type, I think we’d be a legitimate contender. (And maybe another coach but there are other threads for that)

If Nas keeps developing, he could solve one of those. As for another Nurk type (I mainly mean plus defender) I wish Collins would get healthy.

It sounds like you think we could be the first team in my lifetime to win a title with one all-star who is not above 6'6"?

I've given a much more lengthy explination to why I think having multiple all-stars, including one who is over 6'6" has made up a large majority of NBA champs and why zero have won with an all-star under 6'6". In general, it's much harder for opponents to neutralize someone who has greater length in a playoff series than someone who is smaller. Being able to see over the top of doubles changes the timing of everything.

I'm not saying it's impossible for the Blazer to win a title with Dame and no other all-stars, but we would be the first to do something like that in a long long time. I prefer attempting to take the path that has been proven to be successful than try to be the first to defy the odds.

Give me a team with 3 all-stars (or a generational talent + 1 all-star) and a marginal coach over a team with 1 short all-star and a good coach any day of the week.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

I prefer attempting to take the path that has been proven to be successful than try to be the first to defy the odds.

If we take the already trodden road we wouldn’t be............Trailblazers!

 

[Scalma]

It sounds like you think we could be the first team in my lifetime to win a title with one all-star who is not above 6'6"?

I've given a much more lengthy explination to why I think having multiple all-stars, including one who is over 6'6" has made up a large majority of NBA champs and why zero have won with an all-star under 6'6". In general, it's much harder for opponents to neutralize someone who has greater length in a playoff series than someone who is smaller. Being able to see over the top of doubles changes the timing of everything.

I'm not saying it's impossible for the Blazer to win a title with Dame and no other all-stars, but we would be the first to do something like that in a long long time. I prefer attempting to take the path that has been proven to be successful than try to be the first to defy the odds.

Give me a team with 3 all-stars (or a generational talent + 1 all-star) and a marginal coach over a team with 1 short all-star and a good coach any day of the week.

this is a new era, where shooting guards are starting at small forward and power forwards are starting at center. Would Bam Adebayo be an elite starting center in 1994? History is just that, history.

 

[Tince]

this is a new era, where shooting guards are starting at small forward and power forwards are starting at center. Would Bam Adebayo be an elite starting center in 1994? History is just that, history.

Ok. Let's make a wager. I get the teams who have at least one all-star who is over 6'6" and you get all the other teams. I bet my teams are a lock to win 3 of the next 5 and more likely than not to win all 5. What do you think?

Championship teams have two-way players with length

And yes, Bam would've been a very good player in 1994... maybe at PF, but he'd very good.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

It sounds like you think we could be the first team in my lifetime to win a title with one all-star who is not above 6'6"?

I've given a much more lengthy explination to why I think having multiple all-stars, including one who is over 6'6" has made up a large majority of NBA champs and why zero have won with an all-star under 6'6". In general, it's much harder for opponents to neutralize someone who has greater length in a playoff series than someone who is smaller. Being able to see over the top of doubles changes the timing of everything.

I'm not saying it's impossible for the Blazer to win a title with Dame and no other all-stars, but we would be the first to do something like that in a long long time. I prefer attempting to take the path that has been proven to be successful than try to be the first to defy the odds.

Give me a team with 3 all-stars (or a generational talent + 1 all-star) and a marginal coach over a team with 1 short all-star and a good coach any day of the week.

That's not actually how it works. If we win a title, the talking heads will make another one of our players an allstar.

It's really kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy thing.

 

[Driew]

Powell isn't close to the missing piece... we need another legit all-star, over 6'6".

Yes I agree. When I said missing piece I meant to make some noise in the playoffs. I didn't necessarily mean to win a ring.

 

[Scalma]

Ok. Let's make a wager. I get the teams who have at least one all-star who is over 6'6" and you get all the other teams. I bet my teams are a lock to win 3 of the next 5 and more likely than not to win all 5. What do you think?

Championship teams have two-way players with length

And yes, Bam would've been a very good player in 1994... maybe at PF, but he'd very good.

You’re making it seem like Portland doesn’t have any good players over 6’6. Is Nurk not a good player? Does he not impact both ends of the court? Does Roco not impact both ends of the court?

If we swapped out CJ for Brandon Ingram, we wouldn’t be any closer to a championship imo. So as I said, we don’t need an all star, we need more guys like RoCo and Nurk. Plus defenders that can either shoot, score inside, or make plays for others. Essentially, super role players.

 

[Tince]

That's not actually how it works. If we win a title, the talking heads will make another one of our players an allstar.

It's really kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy thing.

The all-stars are selected in January and they don't know who will win the title until June, right?

 

[Tince]

You’re making it seem like Portland doesn’t have any good players over 6’6. Is Nurk not a good player? Does he not impact both ends of the court? Does Roco not impact both ends of the court?

If we swapped out CJ for Brandon Ingram, we wouldn’t be any closer to a championship imo. So as I said, we don’t need an all star, we need more guys like RoCo and Nurk. Plus defenders that can either shoot, score inside, or make plays for others. Essentially, super role players.

I didn't say we don't have good players over 6'6", I said we don't have an all-star over 6'6". There are A TON of good players in the league, and we have or share. 3 All-NBA players and 9 below average players > 1 All-NBA players and 11 good players in my opinion.

Just because I say someone isn't an all-star, it doesn't mean I think they're garbage. RoCo on a team like the 2017 GSW in the Iggy role would be fantastic. The difference between Nurk & Roco and all-stars is still significant.

 

[Scalma]

I didn't say we don't have good players over 6'6", I said we don't have an all-star over 6'6". There are A TON of good players in the league, and we have or share. 3 All-NBA players and 9 below average players > 1 All-NBA players and 11 good players in my opinion.

Just because I say someone isn't an all-star, it doesn't mean I think they're garbage. RoCo on a team like the 2017 GSW in the Iggy role would be fantastic. The difference between Nurk & Roco and all-stars is still significant.

name five centers today with the all around game of Nurkic.

 

[Tince]

name five centers today with the all around game of Nurkic.

In my opinion, here are 5 better centers that Nurk isn't close to:

Jokic
Embiid
Gobert
Towns
Bam

Most important ability is availability.

 

[Scalma]

In my opinion, here are 5 better centers that Nurk isn't close to:

Jokic
Embiid
Gobert
Towns
Bam

Most important ability is availability.

you didnt answer my question. And talking about availability after listing some of those names is *chefs kiss*

 

[Tince]

you didnt answer my question. And talking about availability after listing some of those names is *chefs kiss*

What's your question and what's your point?

I named you 5 better centers. Define all-around if better isn't good enough.

Why isn't Nurk a 5 time all-star if he's such a good all-around player?

 

[Scalma]

What's your question and what's your point?

I named you 5 better centers. Define all-around if better isn't good enough.

Why isn't Nurk a 5 time all-star if he's such a good all-around player?

Because no one cares about the Blazers. Dame and Aldridge were snubbed for years before they got their due. But I know for a fact I wouldn’t need more than one hand (or a couple fingers) to list all the centers that bring a skillset to the table than Nurkic. That’s good enough for me. His impact is obvious.

 

[Tince]

Because no one cares about the Blazers. Dame and Aldridge were snubbed for years before they got their due. But I know for a fact I wouldn’t need more than one hand (or a couple fingers) to list all the centers that bring a better skillset to the table than Nurkic. That’s good enough for me.

You think Nurk playing in Portland is the cause for him to get zero votes from the players, his peers? The list of centers in the last 5 years who his peers have voted for over him is pretty long.

I really like Nurk, but he has not had the consistency to warrant an all-star selection.

How many players have not been all-stars in Portland and then gone to a big market to become all-stars? I don't think that's really a thing.

 

[Scalma]

You think Nurk playing in Portland is the cause for him to get zero votes from the players, his peers? The list of centers in the last 5 years who his peers have voted for over him is pretty long.

I really like Nurk, but he has not had the consistency to warrant an all-star selection.

How many players have not been all-stars in Portland and then gone to a big market to become all-stars? I don't think that's really a thing.

no it’s not the reason, but it doesn’t help. But guys with his profile don’t really make all star games anyway. The stats don’t stand out enough. Marc Gasol has only three all star appearances to his name yet was considered by many in the league as the best all around center for over a decade.

 

[Tince]

no it’s not the reason, but it doesn’t help. But guys with his profile don’t really make all star games anyway. The stats don’t stand out enough. Marc Gasol has only three all star appearances to his name yet was considered by many in the league as the best all around center for over a decade.

Maybe it's true, I have nothing to back it up or not.

Regardless, what I said about above average height all-stars on championship teams is true and Nurk isn't an all-star, in any city.

 

[Hoopguru]

Nurk has a way to go just needs to be focused and put his ego aside. When he's focused he does a lot of little thing like passing accurately instead of lazy passes that get picked off.
If he would post under the hoop and let guys get him the ball he can drawl fouls. On the d side he just needs to be a rime protector and forget about charging guards on the three line.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

The all-stars are selected in January and they don't know who will win the title until June, right?

lol

 

[OneSport3]

1988-1989 Detroit Pistons, NBA Champions

1 All-Star, Isiah Thomas, 6’1”

 

[wizenheimer]

1988-1989 Detroit Pistons, NBA Champions

1 All-Star, Isiah Thomas, 6’1”

oh c'mon...that's incredibly deceptive

to start with, Thomas was a 12-time all-star. But also on that roster:

Joe Dumars: 6 all-star games; 5 time all-NBA-Defense; 3 time all-NBA

Bill Laimbeer: 4 all-star games; 5 seasons as top-5 rebounder

Mark Aguirre: 3 all-star games

Dennis Rodman: 2 all-star games; two-time DPOY; 7-time all-NBA defense; 2-time all-NBA

those Pistons championship teams had definite all-star talent at 4 of 5 starting positions, and a two-time all-star and two-time DPOY coming off the bench. Plus guys like Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, and James Edwards

 

[OneSport3]

oh c'mon...that's incredibly deceptive

to start with, Thomas was a 12-time all-star. But also on that roster:

Joe Dumars: 6 all-star games; 5 time all-NBA-Defense; 3 time all-NBA

Bill Laimbeer: 4 all-star games; 5 seasons as top-5 rebounder

Mark Aguirre: 3 all-star games

Dennis Rodman: 2 all-star games; two-time DPOY; 7-time all-NBA defense; 2-time all-NBA

those Pistons championship teams had definite all-star talent at 4 of 5 starting positions, and a two-time all-star and two-time DPOY coming off the bench. Plus guys like Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, and James Edwards

You have the privilege of 20/20 hindsight. At that point in time, Thomas was the only current All-Star in that season. Up to that point, he was an 8 time All-Star (Dame currently is a 6 time All-Star). Sure, Dumars and Rodman developed into All-Stars and Hall of Fame players in the coming years, but at that slice in time, you wouldn’t be privy to this information.

We don’t know if players on Portland’s roster could develop into All-Stars; Norman Powell could, Nurkic has the potential to. RoCo was 1st team All-Defense.

 

[Tince]

1988-1989 Detroit Pistons, NBA Champions

1 All-Star, Isiah Thomas, 6’1”

I believe this is correct. Hasn't happened in 32 years.

If people don't like the idea of a coach who hasn't won in 9 straight seasons, they should also be against trying to implement a strategy that hasn't worked for 31 straight seasons, right?