Let us readdress this issue shall we? Nate McDillon :fail:

[Nikolokolus]

Nate is a mechanic. He's expert at making a piece of crap purr on the freeway at 45 mph. But give him the key to a fine car already in great shape, and he'll drive it like something he salvaged from the junkyard--steady and slow, with lots of discipline that he thinks it requires.

Up to about .550 he is just what we needed. But no matter how fast our ponies become, Nate will continue to hold the reins to 2nd gear.

An apt analogy ...

Kevin McHale is unemployed and knows the Celtic championship fast break, showtime 80s style. He's also an excellent big man coach for Aldridge, Oden, and Batum. But Pritchard will never hire a former GM as Coach to become a possible rival. It would have to come from above him.

From what I can understand, McHale doesn't have much interest in coaching; he was pretty clear about not liking the travel and only took over the interim coaching gig in Minny after much coaxing.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Ok, first of all, no head coach has much to do with players getting better or not. Assistant coaches like Monty Williams and John Prunty are the ones who spend countless hours working with these players on their games. So whether Rudy, Bayless, Oden, Roy or whoever is better or not doesn't have much to do with Ass McClown. What he has control over is game situations, and putting players in a possition to do well or not. This is an area....other than Roy, that he fails at, IMO.


Nate is a very good motivator, and seems to have the respect of a lot of his players, but when it comes to execution and scheme, he is not so good. And his worst trait is probably his substitution patterns. I know people argue, and rightfully so, that "if our team has such a bad offense, why is it so efficient?" To me, the answer is simple. The players KP/Steve Patterson/Paul Allen/whoever else brough to this team make it happen. Oden, Joel, LA, Camby are all freakishly good offensive rebounders. The Blazers don't run a lot, so TO's are low. Brandon Roy making an off ballanced fade away with two guys draped on him is not an efficient offense. It's an incredible play by one of the top 10 players in the game of basketball.

 

[craigehlo]

Nate sucks? Then who are we going to get to replace him? Saying "anyone is better" isn't a solution.

Did any of us know who Scott Brooks was before he got the OKC job? The next guy doesn't have to be a recycled, big-name coach. The NBA is full of assistant coaches that are looking for a shot and could be great candidates.

Simply saying "give me a specific name of his replacement" isn't a compelling argument to keep Nate around. This team has clearly outgrown his skill set and it's time to part ways for a coach that can install some real offensive sets.

 

[Mediocre Man]

This team has clearly outgrown his skill set

This is worded so well. This is exactly it.


As for Scott Brooks though, is it him, or Durant? I argue Nate is successful because of Roy, and I think the same might be true for Brooks. Durant makes him look better than he is.

 

[craigehlo]

As for Scott Brooks though, is it him, or Durant? I argue Nate is successful because of Roy, and I think the same might be true for Brooks. Durant makes him look better than he is.

I thought the same thing until I saw them play defense. He has them helping and closing down passing lanes all over the place. In terms of offense, they aren't exactly the greatest, but he know how to get his players in position to succeed.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Ok, first of all, no head coach has much to do with players getting better or not. Assistant coaches like Monty Williams and John Prunty are the ones who spend countless hours working with these players on their games. So whether Rudy, Bayless, Oden, Roy or whoever is better or not doesn't have much to do with Ass McClown. What he has control over is game situations, and putting players in a possition to do well or not. This is an area....other than Roy, that he fails at, IMO.


Nate is a very good motivator, and seems to have the respect of a lot of his players, but when it comes to execution and scheme, he is not so good. And his worst trait is probably his substitution patterns. I know people argue, and rightfully so, that "if our team has such a bad offense, why is it so efficient?" To me, the answer is simple. The players KP/Steve Patterson/Paul Allen/whoever else brough to this team make it happen. Oden, Joel, LA, Camby are all freakishly good offensive rebounders. The Blazers don't run a lot, so TO's are low. Brandon Roy making an off ballanced fade away with two guys draped on him is not an efficient offense. It's an incredible play by one of the top 10 players in the game of basketball.

It's actually even simpler than that. The way offensive efficiency is calculated (per possession) is pretty straightforward, but the fact that offensive rebounds are not counted as new possessions skews the numbers in favor of teams that have good/great offensive rebounders. The ability to generate these extra possessions through rebounding are certainly nothing to scoff at, but it's really a way of replacing precision with volume.

This strategy of out-boarding your opponent is a great method for beating opponents who don't have the length to match up with you, but once you get to the playoffs, that advantage usually evaporates (playoff teams usually get to be that way by possessing both talent and length). Nate's system also seems to rely on getting to the foul line more than an opponent, which is also a good regular season strategy against the bottom 2/3s of the league, but refs swallow the whistle in the playoffs as play becomes more physical, and when the O-boards and foul shots dry up for this team, they become a very average offense ... actually worse than average, because they usually end up settling for isolation jump shots and tend not to generate any high percentage offense, either through player movement or through the ability to post anybody up.

If you want to know how effective this team's offense is likely to be in a playoff situation, just look at their field goal % compared to the rest of the league ( http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2010.html ) Portland currently ranks 15th which seems to suggest they don't get particularly high percentage looks, you can get away with this if you also play lockdown defense, but the Blazers are unfortunately also middle of the pack in points per possession allowed (15th) and even worse in field goal % allowed (18th in the league).

 

[Nikolokolus]

I thought the same thing until I saw them play defense. He has them helping and closing down passing lanes all over the place. In terms of offense, they aren't exactly the greatest, but he know how to get his players in position to succeed.

Yup. That team is already well on its way to being an elite defensive unit, all they lack is a true low post defender, but Ibaka with his shot blocking, strength and size might be part of the longterm answer there.

 

[STOMP]

Nate is a mechanic. He's expert at making a piece of crap purr on the freeway at 45 mph. But give him the key to a fine car already in great shape, and he'll drive it like something he salvaged from the junkyard--steady and slow, with lots of discipline that he thinks it requires.

Up to about .550 he is just what we needed. But no matter how fast our ponies become, Nate will continue to hold the reins to 2nd gear.

Roy was just off the IR when Portland traded for Camby... they promptly dropped their first two games with the new lineup. Since then they are 15-4 (or 0.789)... thats a pretty kick ass 2nd gear. Is it really broke and in need of fixing

Kevin McHale is unemployed and knows the Celtic championship fast break, showtime 80s style. He's also an excellent big man coach for Aldridge, Oden, and Batum. But Pritchard will never hire a former GM as Coach to become a possible rival. It would have to come from above him.

Just a short while ago posters were assuring us that KP would never make a mid-season trade of significance & also that he was too close to his guys to ever move them... were you one of those savants?

That said, McHale is the only potential next coach I've speculated on. He's always seemed very bright and (as opposed to Nate) a great quote/media relations guy. The addition of his star power/national recognition would lend tremendous marketability to Podunk Portland. Unfortunately that sort of stuff matters a great deal in this league.

btw, he isn't unemployed as he's a regular on TNT and NBA TV which is a pretty cushy gig.

STOMP

 

[BGrantFan]

I couldn't agree less.

Statistics v. Opinion. Our neverending battle on this board.

 

[Tince]

Did any of us know who Scott Brooks was before he got the OKC job? The next guy doesn't have to be a recycled, big-name coach. The NBA is full of assistant coaches that are looking for a shot and could be great candidates.

Simply saying "give me a specific name of his replacement" isn't a compelling argument to keep Nate around. This team has clearly outgrown his skill set and it's time to part ways for a coach that can install some real offensive sets.

You are correct that isnt' a good enough reason to fire any coach. However, Oklahoma City did not fire one of the top 5-10 coaches in the league, who was an olympic coach, and is nationally regarded as a top candidate for coach of the year. Its easier to take a risk when you're firing a coach that rates in the bottom half of the league.

Plus, Scott Brooks is this year Nate McMillan, so that's not the best comparison.

Like I said earlier, Adleman wasn't the best coach in the league, so we fired him for PJ. How did that work out?
Dunleavey wasn't the best coach in the league, but he was up there, yet we fired him for Mo Cheeks. How did that work out?

 

[BGrantFan]

The people that know basketball aren't general managers and Olympic team committee members, they are fans on message boards. Duh!

Give a moron a keyboard and some anonymity, and next thing you know, they think they are John Wooden.

 

[Tince]

Give a moron a keyboard and some anonymity, and next thing you know, they think they are John Wooden.

 

[BGrantFan]

Did any of us know who Scott Brooks was before he got the OKC job? The next guy doesn't have to be a recycled, big-name coach. The NBA is full of assistant coaches that are looking for a shot and could be great candidates.

Simply saying "give me a specific name of his replacement" isn't a compelling argument to keep Nate around. This team has clearly outgrown his skill set and it's time to part ways for a coach that can install some real offensive sets.

Scott Brooks has had an almost unbelievable season in terms of having a healthy roster, has an All-Star player, and it's still 50/50 at this point whether or not they stay out of the 8th seed.

I'd like to see Scott Brooks coach through at least a sniff of adversity before I give the guy credit as being a better option than Nate McMillan. Everything has gone right for him this year, and he's still scrapping to stay away from the Lakers in round 1.

 

[EPIC FAIL GILDERHUS]

I've already said numerous times, at the start of last season (after the first 3 games) I bet several friends and acquaintances hundreds of American dollars that he will never win a playoff series with Portland.



Nate will never get us where we want to go.

By how you phrased that I'm guessing that you're either from Spain/a Spanish basketball fan who is disgruntled by how Nate is using Rudy...

 

[dpc]

Has a certain poster always been this much of a douchebag and Ive not noticed or has he recently taken a turn towards douchbaggery?

I've been thinking the exact same thing for like a week now.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Nate is a mechanic. He's expert at making a piece of crap purr on the freeway at 45 mph. But give him the key to a fine car already in great shape, and he'll drive it like something he salvaged from the junkyard--steady and slow, with lots of discipline that he thinks it requires.

Up to about .550 he is just what we needed. But no matter how fast our ponies become, Nate will continue to hold the reins to 2nd gear.

That may be the best analysis of Nate McMillan I've ever read. Bravo and repped.

 

[OddEnormous]

By how you phrased that I'm guessing that you're either from Spain/a Spanish basketball fan who is disgruntled by how Nate is using Rudy...

Your name suits you.

MOTWYW

 

[OddEnormous]

Right, that's why he was an assistant coach on the Olympic team. That's why he's in the running for coach of the year.

Following that logic, imagine if we had Mike Krzyzewski. We'd be champions of the universe by now.

 

[BGrantFan]

Following that logic, imagine if we had Mike Krzyzewski. We'd be champions of the universe by now.

How did you follow "that logic"? Do you struggle with logic? It appears so, since that wasn't the poster's point.

 

[OddEnormous]

How did you follow "that logic"? Do you struggle with logic? It appears so, since that wasn't the poster's point.

That was his point you tetherball.

If being the asst coach to the US men's team is proof he's a good coach...

Imagine how good the head coach is.

 

[BGrantFan]

That was his point you tetherball.

If being the asst coach to the US men's team is proof he's a good coach...

Imagine how good the head coach is.

I read his point as being that McMillan is well-respected in the basketball community, versus not being well-respected in this cyber-cage full of anonymous, screaming chimpanzees.

You aren't very good at logic, as I said.

 

[OddEnormous]

This topic: fail.

80 responses (Most on first page)

890 views. (3rd most on front page)


Tince: Fail (Again)

 

[BGrantFan]

80 responses (Most on first page)

890 views. (3rd most on front page)


Tince: Fail (Again)

Half the posts seem to be you berating other posters. So, in a shock-jock manner, this is a good thread. I'm entertained!

 

[OddEnormous]

I read his point as being that McMillan is well-respected in the basketball community, versus not being well-respected in this cyber-cage full of anonymous, screaming chimpanzees.

You aren't very good at logic, as I said.

Well then you aren't very good at reading.

Topic: Nate McDillon :fail:

Response: Right, that's why he was an assistant coach on the Olympic team.


Jog on Katie.

 

[OddEnormous]

Half the posts seem to be you berating other posters. So, in a shock-jock manner, this is a good thread. I'm entertained!

21 of the 80 are mine.

So far you've proved yourself to be a poor reader and counter.

Are you blind or something?

(Thoughts and prayers)

 

[mook]

Nate is a mechanic. He's expert at making a piece of crap purr on the freeway at 45 mph. But give him the key to a fine car already in great shape, and he'll drive it like something he salvaged from the junkyard--steady and slow, with lots of discipline that he thinks it requires.

Up to about .550 he is just what we needed. But no matter how fast our ponies become, Nate will continue to hold the reins to 2nd gear.

To some extent I agree. But let's extend your mechanic analogy a little further. Up to this point all he's ever worked on were fixer-uppers, vehicles that needed lots of TLC, and if you ever relaxed a little they would fall apart.

A mechanic with that kind of background is naturally going to be pretty tentative at first managing a new Porsche. And we really had a Porsche team at the beginning of this season, with Oden really beasting and the amazing engine of Miller just aching to be unleashed. I was as furious as anyone at how badly Nate mismanaged the situation.

But a funny thing happened along the way. The Porsche suddenly started breaking down all over the place. Wheels fell off named Oden and Batum and Outlaw and for a time Roy. At that point Nate's fixer-upper skills really started to shine. In the process he was forced to finally drop the Miller engine in and suddenly it's purring like it always could have.

We unloaded the old four cylinder of Blake and the cheesy chrome exhaust pipe of Outlaw and added some new treads in Camby, and now we're off to the races.

Now Nate might not be the ideal guy to fine tune the Porsche. He isn't the guy you want building it. (He got this one built correctly as much by accident as design.) But he knows how to keep the Porsche running, and if it ever breaks down again and we're left stranded on the side of the road wondering what the hell to do, he'll be there with a screw driver and some duct tape figuring out how to keep us limping along.

And really, most of the building is done. He can't fuck that part up anymore. Miller, Roy, Batum, Aldridge and (next year) Oden are bolted on tight to starting jobs. The bench needs tinkering, but fixing up oddball parts is what he does well.

He may not drive this team like a Phil Jackson, but then maybe that's more Miller and Roy's job at this point. With those two managing the on-court team, I don't mind having a guy sitting in the back seat with some bailing wire waiting for things to go wrong.

 

[Minstrel]

To some extent I agree. But let's extend your mechanic analogy a little further. Up to this point all he's ever worked on were fixer-uppers, vehicles that needed lots of TLC, and if you ever relaxed a little they would fall apart.

A mechanic with that kind of background is naturally going to be pretty tentative at first managing a new Porsche. And we really had a Porsche team at the beginning of this season, with Oden really beasting and the amazing engine of Miller just aching to be unleashed. I was as furious as anyone at how badly Nate mismanaged the situation.

But a funny thing happened along the way. The Porsche suddenly started breaking down all over the place. Wheels fell off named Oden and Batum and Outlaw and for a time Roy. At that point Nate's fixer-upper skills really started to shine. In the process he was forced to finally drop the Miller engine in and suddenly it's purring like it always could have.

We unloaded the old four cylinder of Blake and the cheesy chrome exhaust pipe of Outlaw and added some new treads in Camby, and now we're off to the races.

Now Nate might not be the ideal guy to fine tune the Porsche. He isn't the guy you want building it. (He got this one built correctly as much by accident as design.) But he knows how to keep the Porsche running, and if it ever breaks down again and we're left stranded on the side of the road wondering what the hell to do, he'll be there with a screw driver and some duct tape figuring out how to keep us limping along.

And really, most of the building is done. He can't fuck that part up anymore. Miller, Roy, Batum, Aldridge and (next year) Oden are bolted on tight to starting jobs. The bench needs tinkering, but fixing up oddball parts is what he does well.

He may not drive this team like a Phil Jackson, but then maybe that's more Miller and Roy's job at this point. With those two managing the on-court team, I don't mind having a guy sitting in the back seat with some bailing wire waiting for things to go wrong.

Kudos. You extended that analogy to a pretty extreme extent without it breaking down.

Good analysis too!

 

[OddEnormous]

To some extent I agree. But let's extend your mechanic analogy a little further. Up to this point all he's ever worked on were fixer-uppers, vehicles that needed lots of TLC, and if you ever relaxed a little they would fall apart.

A mechanic with that kind of background is naturally going to be pretty tentative at first managing a new Porsche. And we really had a Porsche team at the beginning of this season, with Oden really beasting and the amazing engine of Miller just aching to be unleashed. I was as furious as anyone at how badly Nate mismanaged the situation.

But a funny thing happened along the way. The Porsche suddenly started breaking down all over the place. Wheels fell off named Oden and Batum and Outlaw and for a time Roy. At that point Nate's fixer-upper skills really started to shine. In the process he was forced to finally drop the Miller engine in and suddenly it's purring like it always could have.

We unloaded the old four cylinder of Blake and the cheesy chrome exhaust pipe of Outlaw and added some new treads in Camby, and now we're off to the races.

Now Nate might not be the ideal guy to fine tune the Porsche. He isn't the guy you want building it. (He got this one built correctly as much by accident as design.) But he knows how to keep the Porsche running, and if it ever breaks down again and we're left stranded on the side of the road wondering what the hell to do, he'll be there with a screw driver and some duct tape figuring out how to keep us limping along.

And really, most of the building is done. He can't fuck that part up anymore. Miller, Roy, Batum, Aldridge and (next year) Oden are bolted on tight to starting jobs. The bench needs tinkering, but fixing up oddball parts is what he does well.

He may not drive this team like a Phil Jackson, but then maybe that's more Miller and Roy's job at this point. With those two managing the on-court team, I don't mind having a guy sitting in the back seat with some bailing wire waiting for things to go wrong.

This post actually makes me feel worse.

Is this supposed to be a PRO Nate story?

 

[andalusian]

This post actually makes me feel worse.

Is this supposed to be a PRO Nate story?

No. It's a cry about the finicky nature of Porsches.

 

[mook]

This post actually makes me feel worse.

Is this supposed to be a PRO Nate story?

It's not really pro or anti Nate. He is what he is. A good guy to have when shit goes wrong. A lousy guy to have if you want somebody to be creative.

If we didn't have Miller and Roy (and even Camby) managing our team on the court, I'd be a lot more worried about Nate's inadequacies. Since we have them, though, it makes it a lot easier to appreciate Nate's strengths.