MakingMeyers.com

[PDXFonz]

Summer 2014 will be the most important off-season of my basketball career. I hold myself to high expectations and I am ready to prove my abilities on the court. So, I hope you enjoy my journey to Making Meyers.

-Meyers Leonard

Seems like the FO is really selli it to the young guys that this is their chance to prove themselves if they want to be on the team next year. I'm sure Meyers Barton and Trob are anything but guaranteed next season, and were told that team believes in their ability to get where they need to be.

Bravo to Meyers for is, hopefully he can surprise us next year.

 

[e_blazer]

What are the odds the Blazers pick up his option this offseason? Or is it next?

They picked up his option for the coming season last fall. They have until Oct. 31st to pick up his option for next season. Unless he's included in a trade, I'd put the odds of them doing that at about 99.999%. I mean, he might get hit by a falling asteroid or something, so you have to leave some margin.

 

[ripcityboy]

They picked up his option for the coming season last fall. They have until Oct. 31st to pick up his option for next season. Unless he's included in a trade, I'd put the odds of them doing that at about 99.999%. I mean, he might get hit by a falling asteroid or something, so you have to leave some margin.

Johnny Manziel, please......

 

[jwhoops11]

On the positive: You can't teach freakish athleticism

On the negative: You can't teach feel for the game

Which one wins out I guess?

Meyers can learn defense, he can learn to rebound, he can learn offense, he can't learn to be a more intuitive player when on the court. A lot of times he just looks lost. His timing is terrible at this point. I watch him miss time his jumps on rebounds, buy on pump fakes that allow him to be beaten around the basket, find himself out of position in help defense. He just seems to lack the natural ability to feel the game.

I hope he makes it though. His fluidity for a man his size, and ability to shoot the ball are huge plusses!

 

[blue9]

Didn't Meyers play PG in high school? I seem to recall reading that. If that's true, he should have a "feel for the game" - but he obviously lacks a feel for how to play C. Going from PG to C is a huge change. But if he ever gets it, those PG skills will make him better than your average stiff.

 

[dviss1]

On the positive: You can't teach freakish athleticism

On the negative: You can't teach feel for the game

Which one wins out I guess?

Meyers can learn defense, he can learn to rebound, he can learn offense, he can't learn to be a more intuitive player when on the court. A lot of times he just looks lost. His timing is terrible at this point. I watch him miss time his jumps on rebounds, buy on pump fakes that allow him to be beaten around the basket, find himself out of position in help defense. He just seems to lack the natural ability to feel the game.

I hope he makes it though. His fluidity for a man his size, and ability to shoot the ball are huge plusses!

I think this notion is just silly. The only way to become more intuitive, get a "feel" for the game, and gain a higher BBIQ is to PLAY. Meyers don't get to play bro.

 

[BBert]

People do not come out of the womb knowing how to play big man defense in the NBA, as if it's some innate genetic code that you either instinctively know what to do in every permutation of every situation or you don't. You learn 'feel for the game' by playing the game, pure and simple. Some take longer than others, but you gotta play to get better.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I'm worried that the Blazers going after Hawes will send him the wrong message. If he wants minutes he needs to play and battle around the basket, not focusing on 3pt shots. But I like that he is putting in the work.

And the Blazers sign Kaman....

This should be a loud and clear message to Meyers that the Blazers are looking for players who battle in the paint and rebound. An occasional outside shot is great but he needs to focus on playing in the paint, not hoovering beyond the 3pt line.

 

[riverman]

And the Blazers sign Kaman....

This should be a loud and clear message to Meyers that the Blazers are looking for players who battle in the paint and rebound. An occasional outside shot is great but he needs to focus on playing in the paint, not hoovering beyond the 3pt line.

Kim Hughes mentored Kaman and made him an allstar so at least Meyers has someone on the bench who can show him what Hughes is trying to teach him. After this season Meyers will be better prepared to be a backup big. TRob is going to benefit from playing with Kaman as well. Freeland is going to have a tough road to get minutes. I kind of expect him to be part of a trade along with Claver and Wright. Personally I'd keep Victor and play him more at the 3 behind Nico

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Kim Hughes mentored Kaman and made him an allstar so at least Meyers has someone on the bench who can show him what Hughes is trying to teach him. After this season Meyers will be better prepared to be a backup big. TRob is going to benefit from playing with Kaman as well. Freeland is going to have a tough road to get minutes. I kind of expect him to be part of a trade along with Claver and Wright. Personally I'd keep Victor and play him more at the 3 behind Nico

Freeland improved more than Meyers did last off season, he could easily improve more than Meyers does this off season.

 

[riverman]

Freeland improved more than Meyers did last off season, he could easily improve more than Meyers does this off season.

I wonder if Freeland has a clean bill of health seeing as how we went after bigs right off the bat. He still seemed hobbled in the playoffs. We also need bench scoring really badly and Joel isn't an offensive threat

 

[SlyPokerDog]

We also need bench scoring really badly and Joel isn't an offensive threat

He put up good numbers in the Euroleagues, I liked that he worked on defense and rebounding. Scoring will come.

 

[BBert]

I think we went after 'bigs' because we needed a better backup. Kaman is a bigger, better center than Joel (who is more of a forward). The Kaman signing makes Joel expendable and gives Meyers another year to develop without us having to rely on him.

 

[Hobbesarable]

Freeland improved more than Meyers did last off season, he could easily improve more than Meyers does this off season.

I would keep Freeland if I had a choose between them.

 

[MARIS61]

Teammates, most of whom gushed publicly about his skill and potential at the end of the season, know what he’s capable of. Most important, the coaches in Portland believe the 245-pound freak of an athlete will soon be a solid contributor.

“He does have great potential,” said the 62-year-old Hughes, a former Wisconsin standout who played for the Nets, Nuggets and Cavaliers. “I think he’s going to be very good.”

The 6-foot-11 Hughes, a former Nuggets and Clippers assistant who was the Clippers’ interim head coach for 33 games in 2010, said Leonard deserved more minutes last season than he got, but with the team making a playoff run, Portland didn’t use its bench much.

Hughes said Leonard’s outside shot is solid, and his still-developing post game is serviceable. It’s at the defensive end where Leonard needs to make his most improvement.

“The things he has to work on is challenging shots more often,” Hughes said. “If he just assumes a presence defensively, he’s a help defender, he’ll get a few more minutes. That’s typical of big men in our league, he’s got to get minutes to get better. Until he gets more minutes on the floor, he’s going to be a little bit behind in terms of progression. But all big guys get better by playing; none of them get better by watching.”

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Funny, I took this as a sign that ML is in their plans as Kaman was given a short term contract.

edit: I'm not contradicting you, just making a tangential point.

And the Blazers sign Kaman....

This should be a loud and clear message to Meyers that the Blazers are looking for players who battle in the paint and rebound. An occasional outside shot is great but he needs to focus on playing in the paint, not hoovering beyond the 3pt line.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I think this notion is just silly. The only way to become more intuitive, get a "feel" for the game, and gain a higher BBIQ is to PLAY. Meyers don't get to play bro.

I completely disagree. Mock, tease or whatever you people need to do, but I have been a coach at a high level of high school boys basketball, and you absolutely CAN NOT teach feel. As for Bball IQ, Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Rudy Gay, JR Smith and JaVale McGee are just a few players I can think of off the top of my head that get a ton of playing time and have really low BBall IQs


All this being said, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to find out Meyers has ADHD, or like Kaman, something else. Maybe he is not on meds, or not on the right meds?

After two years of major college and two years of professional basketball, there are only a couple of reasons to say "what the fuck are you doing out there?" 1 is maybe his focus is off for a reason and the other is he sucks

 

[Mediocre Man]

Funny, I took this as a sign that ML is in their plans as Kaman was given a short term contract.

edit: I'm not contradicting you, just making a tangential point.

Short term for next summer when they will have the ability to go after a major FA. Not sure that speaks to Meyers either way.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Kim Hughes mentored Kaman and made him an allstar so at least Meyers has someone on the bench who can show him what Hughes is trying to teach him. After this season Meyers will be better prepared to be a backup big. TRob is going to benefit from playing with Kaman as well. Freeland is going to have a tough road to get minutes. I kind of expect him to be part of a trade along with Claver and Wright. Personally I'd keep Victor and play him more at the 3 behind Nico

A doctor who corrected Kaman's misdiagnosed ADHD made Kaman an all star

 

[Mediocre Man]

Teammates, most of whom gushed publicly about his skill and potential at the end of the season, know what he’s capable of. Most important, the coaches in Portland believe the 245-pound freak of an athlete will soon be a solid contributor.

“He does have great potential,” said the 62-year-old Hughes, a former Wisconsin standout who played for the Nets, Nuggets and Cavaliers. “I think he’s going to be very good.”

The 6-foot-11 Hughes, a former Nuggets and Clippers assistant who was the Clippers’ interim head coach for 33 games in 2010, said Leonard deserved more minutes last season than he got, but with the team making a playoff run, Portland didn’t use its bench much.

Hughes said Leonard’s outside shot is solid, and his still-developing post game is serviceable. It’s at the defensive end where Leonard needs to make his most improvement.

“The things he has to work on is challenging shots more often,” Hughes said. “If he just assumes a presence defensively, he’s a help defender, he’ll get a few more minutes. That’s typical of big men in our league, he’s got to get minutes to get better. Until he gets more minutes on the floor, he’s going to be a little bit behind in terms of progression. But all big guys get better by playing; none of them get better by watching.”

I mentioned this before, but I know during th Houston series Meyers was scout team Dwight Howard and his teammates lovingly called him white Dwight because he dominated down low in practice. He told Stotts when asked why not do that in games that it's not his game

 

[jlprk]

Leonard, 22, has handled the ups and downs of his career with the maturity of someone much older while maintaining his youthful, sometimes- immature charm.

“I don’t think he’s necessarily a mature kid, but I’m an immature person myself, and you just have to recognize that,” Hughes said.

What the??!!

 

[jlprk]

Q: Have you developed any close relationships with members of the Trail Blazers?
A: I have. (Trail Blazers assistant coach) Kim Hughes is a good man with a great heart. He's 6-11 and he played in the NBA and ABA -- he won the NBA title in 1975 playing with Dr. J. He was an assistant with the Clippers for nine or 10 years and was head coach of the Clippers for part of the season.
(Current Trail Blazers General Manager) Neil Olshey used to be the Clippers' GM, and he brought Kim over from L.A. to work with me. He worked with Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman over there.
We've grown extremely close. He's so knowledgeable when it comes to the game -- I've learned so much from him.
Then there's Joel Freeland. He came in as a rookie with me, but he'd already played six or seven years in Spain before me came here. We're very close.

His only friends are the asst. coach assigned as his handler, the GM who can't bring himself to trade him, and the player who stole his job. No other players?

Q: Freeland, a fellow center, was a player who took time away from you this year. How did that affect the relationship?
A: Between the lines, it's competitive between us. But we're both nice, genuine people off the court. We know it's never personal. There will never be hate or jealousy between us. It's only business.

Maybe he should forget business and make it personal!

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I think this notion is just silly. The only way to become more intuitive, get a "feel" for the game, and gain a higher BBIQ is to PLAY. Meyers don't get to play bro.

Agreed, and with Meyers not even sure if that will do it. But I am completely perplexed why the Blazers have not had him in D_league the last two seasons. They could afford to send a big man coach with him.

 

[jlprk]

I'm worried that the Blazers going after Hawes will send him the wrong message. If he wants minutes he needs to play and battle around the basket, not focusing on 3pt shots. But I like that he is putting in the work.

How could our annual summer position-to-fill send him the wrong message?
2013: Hibbert, then Splitter, then Lopez.
2014: Hawes, then Kaman.

It's just a coincidence that every single one is a center. Drafted to replace Hickson, Olshey has total confidence in him.