This part of your post reminded me of what happened to Kobe's game when Gasol went to the Lakers.
The offense runs through Gasol, and Kobe floats through parts of the game taking what the defense brings, but not constantly forcing the action as he did before.
I LOVE the new and improved LaMarcus. He has been playing great.
In Oklahoma City his missed his first two shots, jumpers, and I got a little worried that he was going to have an off night. But, this time, he stayed aggressive, and worked hard for better, closer looks. Used his size advantage over a small front line.
He killed the Thunder. Total silence. Can you hear it?
The sellout crowd had to cover their eyes as they witnessed LaMarcus hunt down and kill the hapless team, and then the bloody carnage as the rest of the Blazers tore the carcus apart. Sad and ugly if you are an animal lover. Beautiful if you are a hunter.
They had no answer. Jeff Green is meeting with the coach right now demanding that he not ever have to guard LaMarcus again. He looked hopeless. It was a bit sad really.