LMA or ZBo? Who's better?

[KingSpeed]

I'm just asking. Are we better with LMA than we would be with ZBo? Zach is averaging 20 & 12 this season and his team was winning. Is LMA better? Is Channing better? Are they even combined better? Would we have a better record right now if ZBo was playing instead of LMA? Just curious.

 

[alex42083]

I'll take LaMarcus over Stat-Bo anytime... just because Zach is averaging 20-12 doesn't mean he'd do it on this team. I'm not ready to give up on Aldridge like many seem to be on this board, which is crazy.

 

[MIXUM]

least stabo scores and rebounds....and makes big shots....and makes free throws.

i take zach anyday

 

[julius]

for the team? LaMarcus.

There's a reason the Knicks (and Blazers) dumped Zach.

 

[e_blazer]

LaMarcus is in a slump, no doubt, but he'll come out of it. The real question isn't whether ZBo is better than Aldridge. It's whether he's better than Aldridge plus whatever player we can get with all the cap space that KP has to work with as a result of dumping Zach's contract.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Neither.

 

[KingSpeed]

for the team? LaMarcus.

There's a reason the Knicks (and Blazers) dumped Zach.

Yes. Cap room for LeBron. That's it.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Moot point. ZBo has 2 advantages over LMA - he hits the boards harder, and he is better at getting to the line (which can help off-set a shooting slump). Doesn't matter. Zach was overpaid, the fans hated him (rationally or not) and he isn't coming back.

 

[KingSpeed]

Moot point. ZBo has 2 advantages over LMA - he hits the boards harder, and he is better at getting to the line (which can help off-set a shooting slump). Doesn't matter. Zach was overpaid, the fans hated him (rationally or not) and he isn't coming back.

But the fans are starting to hate LMA and many definitely hate Outlaw. It sounds like some people have to hate one of our players no matter who we have.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Yep, color me as one who doesn't give our players a pass when they play crappily because they're wearing our colors. If that's "hate" in your world, fine. I'm a hater.

 

[KingSpeed]

Yep, color me as one who doesn't give our players a pass when they play crappily because they're wearing our colors. If that's "hate" in your world, fine. I'm a hater.

You gotta put it in perspective though. Some people think that certain players are all terrible and fail to acknowledge all the GOOD things they've done for the team. If all you're seeing is bad stuff or if you're even making up bad stuff (that the facts don't support), then I think it's "hate."

 

[mgb]

Don't forget we also got Rudy out of the deal.

I was hoping we would keep Zach and see how the team would play together, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I think initially it would have been better to keep Zach, but in a couple years when it matters it was the right deal.

 

[C_note]

Wow, take any fan from this board (or any board for that matter) and give them GM control of a team...and you end up with a team like the Knicks from last year. Not literally but figuratively. "OMG Outlaw is terrible, let's let him walk this summer". "LOL, LMA is so bad at everything, can we get Z-bo back?" It really is sickening how many bandwagon fans are on this site though...A player who is obviously mega-talented has a bad stretch of games, and half the board is all over getting rid of a guy who is what, 22-23 years old? So pathetic...

 

[C_note]

Anyone who would willingly take Z-BO has a severe lack of basketball judgement. 2 years ago I would have been asked to provide proof, which would've been impossible, but now I think his track record speaks for itself. The Clippers are fucking stupid...

 

[BatumKaboom]

for the team? LaMarcus.

There's a reason the Knicks (and Blazers) dumped Zach.

+1 here

 

[Tortimer]

Why would we want Zbo back. I didn't like him when he played here and it wasn't only because of his off court crap. He was a black whole that doesn't make anybody else better and hurts any kind of offense. He didn't play defense. He would argue with the ref half the time and wouldn't get back on defense. There is a reason the Knicks had a hard time trading him. Just wait he will also hurt the Clippers. It will be hard to tell because they are not playing very good now but eventually with Zbo they will even play worse.

 

[andalusian]

Aldridge is much better than Z-Bo. There is a good reason why we went from a 32 win team to a 41 win team when we shipped him out of town. Aldridge might be in a slump and some of the more physical post players can push him around - but he is 3,000% better than what Zach gave you on D - and while he might not give you the same scoring (rebounding is not that far apart) - he does it in the flow of the offense.

 

[hasoos]

it doesn't matter, because Zbo is a pile of shit.

 

[Tortimer]

it doesn't matter, because Zbo is a pile of shit.

Exactly and couldn't say it better. I can't believe people would even consider wanting Zbo back on the Blazers.

 

[Chuck Taylor]

I don't think anyone is saying we should actually consider bringing ZBo back. I think its more of a hypothetical.

Hypothetical or not, I'll take Aldridge.

 

[PapaG]

BrianfromWA is clearly the better.

He's a better player than anyone, he's a better coach than Nate, and he is a better GM than KP.

At least that is what I gather from the long-winded posts.

 

[andalusian]

In 2006-2007 (ZBo's best year as a Blazer) - we were #19 in the league in offensive efficiency.
After he was traded (lst year) - we went up to #14
This year, so far, we are #2.

... and offense is ZBo's best attribute (at least individual offense) - but he just kills your offensive flow.

That year (his last one) we were #26 in defensive efficiency.
After he was traded - and Aldridge took his place, we went up to #17.
This year, losing Jack - the only respectable perimeter defender we had other than Brandon and giving his 28 mpg to Sergio and Rudy - we are down to 27 - but I suspect that we will climb a bit by the end of the year - but all the people that were whining that Jack is as bad on defense as Sergio were just man-crushed (as usual) and did not see how bad we are without someone that gets in front of the opposing PG consistently.

The numbers do not lie.

Zach was an offensive black-hole that padded his own stats but stopped the flow of the game - and he was atrocious on defense.
Jac might have been a below-average PG - but he was defensively a level or two above what we get from an improved Sergio / Rudy's perimeter defense and a regressing Blake.

 

[alex42083]

Jack might have been a below-average PG - but he was defensively a level or two above what we get from an improved Sergio / Rudy's perimeter defense and a regressing Blake.

I don't think anyone knocked Jack for his lack of defense. It was his bone-headed playmaking on offense, turning the ball over in crucial times and on our few fast-break opportunities, along with his inconsistency. The guy could light up the Lakers for 25 points, and come back and score 4 against a mediocre team.

 

[LittleAlex]

If you want to know why I don't want Z-Bo, I submit exhibit A: [video=youtube;3j1q6osDAEc]

High comedy.

 

[andalusian]

I don't think anyone knocked Jack for his lack of defense. It was his bone-headed playmaking on offense, turning the ball over in crucial times and on our few fast-break opportunities, along with his inconsistency. The guy could light up the Lakers for 25 points, and come back and score 4 against a mediocre team.

Nope. We heard the same crap we hear against Blake this year from the Sergio jock-strap-sniffers - that his defense was not better than Sergio - which is still a real cock-up.

Neither Jack, nor Blake are defensive stoppers - but they are a whole lot better than Sergio.

 

[Crimson the Cat]

Hm.

Keep Zach Randolph or have Rudy Fernandez, James Jones, Channing Frye, a boat load of salary space to possibly sign an All-Star caliber player, and open up playing time for LaMarcus Aldridge.

Hm.

You're right. Pritchard's an idiot. He made the wrong decision.

I guess I don't understand why people aren't calling for Prichard's head next.

 

[Crimson the Cat]

The numbers do not lie.

You, my friend, are awesome!

Great post!

 

[oldmangrouch]

I'm just glad that Kevin Duckworth didn't play for the Blazers over the last 10 years. Instead of being beloved, he would be despised. Probably the same thing with Jerome and Buck.

 

[BrianFromWA]

BrianfromWA is clearly the better.

He's a better player than anyone, he's a better coach than Nate, and he is a better GM than KP.

At least that is what I gather from the long-winded posts.

I'm not that good a player. I don't pretend to be a better GM than KP, though when I talked with him I listened to what he said and wrote down things I didn't know.

I'm not a better coach than Nate. So it's frustrating when I see problems in our offense and defense that aren't corrected. If I can see them (since I'm not a good coach), I'm pretty sure that Sloan, Porter, Popovich, Brown, Nelson, Jackson, etc can see them.

As for long-winded...sorry. I'm just trying to, you know, justify the crap that comes out of my posts. If that bothers you, I'm sorry. Just scroll past mine. Most everyone on O-Live did, no offense taken.

 

[Nikolokolus]

If you add up Aldrige's defensive effort, willingness to pass, and overall ability to stretch a defense (when his shot is on) and compare that with Z-bo's "subtraction by addition" stat stuffing and I'll take LMA every day, every time.

God forbid Brandon go through a cold streak at some point in the season. I can see it now, "Trade the fucking bum, he's terrible, he's killing our offense, blah, blah, blah!" (don't fucking pretend, you people know who you are).