Is our bench

[LittleAlex]

I think we had a starting 5 for a game that year of Bassy, Monia, Juan Dixon, ZBO and Ha!

Who doesn't miss "Juan on Five"?

 

[maxiep]

Wait, one of those groups is our bench??? Four years ago we started:

V. Khryapa
T. Outlaw
T. Ratliff
S. Telfair
S. Blake

Thanks for the heartburn. Throw Charles Smith into that lineup and you have my nadir as a Blazer fan.

 

[maxiep]

The funny / sad thing is that there was a significant number of posters on this board (well, the old board) that had absolutely convinced themselves that Khryapa and Monia were going to be very good players, and they just weren't getting enough time (sound familiar?). Some were even upset that we included Khryapa in the trade to get Aldridge!

Count me as one of them. Who put the LSD in the Kool Aid? I'm pretty embarrassed at how desperate I was to find a silver lining in that turd of a team. Let us also not forget how Ha Seung-Jin was going to be an impact center.

 

[THE HCP]

Main Entry: na·dir
Pronunciation: \ˈnā-ˌdir, ˈnā-dər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Arabic naḍhīr opposite
Date: 15th century
1 : the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer
2 : the lowest point

 

[MIXUM]

best lineup.

miller
roy
webster
LA
oden

blake
rudy
batum
outalw or howard (least howard is smart)
pryz

and "hcp" our bench isnt better with roy and la out.

 

[BrianFromWA]

The Blake/Rudy/Batum/Outlaw/Przy unit didn't really ever play much together last year, but Blake/Rudy/Outlaw/Przy did, and it was almost the worst combination we thew out there all year (33% win percentage). I say almost because we also had Rodriguez-Roy-Batum-Aldridge-Oden from time to time, and that was a train wreck @ 28% win percentage.

Contrarily, Blake/Roy/Batum/Aldridge/Przy was one of the best units we had. Among the worst was that same lineup with Oden in it. But when Oden played with Rudy or Outlaw the unit did much better than average.

Based primarily on those stats (and with a nod toward unit dynamics), I might be ok with seeing Oden with Miller and Rudy on the second unit. Oden's wasted if Blake's the PG.

 

[Paxil]

Is it normal to feel like jumping off a bridge when you realize you agree with Mixum?

I'm not sure yet on Blake vs Miller... or Oden vs Pryz (I need to see Oden stay out of foul trouble) but I think when all is said and done that is our best lineup.

 

[mook]

The Blake/Rudy/Batum/Outlaw/Przy unit didn't really ever play much together last year, but Blake/Rudy/Outlaw/Przy did, and it was almost the worst combination we thew out there all year (33% win percentage).

Yeah, I don't see us going with those lineups very much. There's nobody to attack the basket.

Either Roy or Miller will be in the game for every competitive minute of basketball this season (when healthy). Why would you ever leave both on the bench? They're the two best players on the team at driving, creating contact and drawing fouls, passing and controlling the offense. It'd be nuts to sit both.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Agreed. Which is why I think it's possible that Blake/Batum/Przy will start (unless Oden shows he can be productive with Blake and vice versa, or is just too good defensively) and Miller/Rudy/Webs/Outlaw/Oden crush second units. Then some amalgam of Miller/Roy/SF X/LMA/Oden to finish.

 

[RoyIsClutch07]

better then our starters?

Brandon
L.A.
Batum
Blake
Przybilla

vs
Miller
Martell
Travis
Rudy
Greg

Miller > Blake
Brandon>Rudy
Greg>Joel
Martell=Nicolas
LMA>Travis

By that scenario, it's even. But I think you have to give a more weighted value to the advantages of the starters because 1. Brandon Roy and 2. LaMarcus Aldridge. I think those two advantages outweigh the advantages of the bench (Oden and Miller).

Advantage: Starters.

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

Count me as one of them. Who put the LSD in the Kool Aid?

It was Bill Walton...

 

[MARIS61]

That would be the same poster who referred to Viktor Khryappa as a young Scottie Pippen.

BNM

That wasn't me.

I merely quoted Nate.

 

[Boob-No-More]

That wasn't me.

I merely quoted Nate.

Right

"Laugh all you want but when I think of Pippen's early style of play and his awareness of the total game, only Viktor comes to mind.

This trade could end up a worse, but more predictable, one than Bowie/Jordan."

Yeah, and the Blazers are really regretting that Tyrus Thomas/Viktor Khryapa for LaMarcus Aldridge trade, aren't they. Nailed that one, didn't you?

BNM

 

[blazerboy30]

Right

"Laugh all you want but when I think of Pippen's early style of play and his awareness of the total game, only Viktor comes to mind.

This trade could end up a worse, but more predictable, one than Bowie/Jordan."

Yeah, and the Blazers are really regretting that Tyrus Thomas/Viktor Khryapa for LaMarcus Aldridge trade, aren't they. Nailed that one, didn't you?

BNM

HAHA!

Everytime I think Maris can't get more offbase and ridiculous, he goes and totally outdoes himself!

 

[Nikolokolus]

That wasn't me.

I merely quoted Nate.

Right

"Laugh all you want but when I think of Pippen's early style of play and his awareness of the total game, only Viktor comes to mind.

This trade could end up a worse, but more predictable, one than Bowie/Jordan."

Yeah, and the Blazers are really regretting that Tyrus Thomas/Viktor Khryapa for LaMarcus Aldridge trade, aren't they. Nailed that one, didn't you?

BNM

Oh Christ, that's fucking priceless ...

 

[B-Roy]

Our bench will probably wind up being Blake/Rudy/Webster/Outlaw/Przybilla. That's probably a good enough squad to wind 40 or so games if they started somewhere else that had a mediocre bench.

Wait, are you serious?

 

[jlprk]

Khryapa belongs in the NBA. If he were still in the league you wouldn't make fun of him so much. For us he was a coachable all-around PF/SF who carried himself competently for a rookie. He then got a bad deal in Chicago--deserved some minutes and got none. If he'd gotten several years of patient coaching like Przybilla has, he'd be a tough smart substitute PF by now.

Former Blazers are easy to make fun of--Udoka, Dixon, Telfair. But they're good players. Now Monia and Ha, they weren't good even then. That's why they got few minutes as Blazers.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Khryapa belongs in the NBA. If he were still in the league you wouldn't make fun of him so much.

You're defending the wrong guy. No one here is making fun of Viktor. We're making fun of you, errrr.... I mean Maris, for comparing him favorably to a young Scottie Pippen.

BNM

 

[THE HCP]

The only thing about Vic's game that compared to Pip's was they both wore NIKE's!

 

[Natebishop3]

I think Vik should still be in the NBA as well. I think he was a pretty solid bench player. It's too bad he didn't stick somewhere.

 

[mook]

I think Vik should still be in the NBA as well. I think he was a pretty solid bench player. It's too bad he didn't stick somewhere.

Yeah, he always struck me as a slightly bigger version of Udoka. Certainly serviceable.

I guess the problem is that you want the younger players to have higher upside than that. If you want a Udoka-like role player, you go and get yourself a 30 year old who has been in the trenches.