Boob-No-More
Why you no hire big man coach?
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Nope, I never said that. The only games I discounted were the first five games of last season, through November 5. I merely pointed out that Meyers started the season, the very beginning of the season, in a horrible shooting slump, but after those 5 games his 3-point shooting returned the the same elite level he displayed over the entire course of the 2014-15 season and the playoff series against MEM. Those five games still count, but they are a pretty small sample size compared to two full seasons, plus a playoff series. Not ignoring them, just pointing out they are the exception rather than the rule.
Again, I am not suggesting we ignore the first half of the season. Since when does 5 games equal half a season? Must be the new math they are teaching kids these days.
For the record, we were 8-10 when Meyers played > 25 minutes and Lillard missed two of those losses and a third was the infamous Clippers game where Dic Rivers wouldn't let C.J. Play because of a mix up on the line up card. More important than that though, is the fact that 7 of those 10 losses came before Christmas when the entire team was playing at a 29-win pace. You don't want to give Meyers any credit for the post-Christmas turnaround, but think it's fair to pin the pre-Christmas losses on him?
I have acknowledged repeatedly Meyers has several areas of his game he needs to improve. I even listed several of them in another post in this thread. I am not the one predicting he'll win MIP, be in consideration for the All Star game, or even lobbying for him to start. However, I am rooting for him to succeed, like I do every Blazer not named Raymond Felton. If he gets better. If he starts to put it together, even in a reserve role, it makes this team better and that's what I'm all about.
In spite of his individual flaws, which are painfully obvious, he does make a positive overall impact when he's on the court. You may find that laughable based on the eye test, but according to this article by Dan Marang, when Meyers in on the court:
"The raw on/off numbers for Leonard show that Portland as a team shoots better, rebounds better, generates more assists, turns the ball over less, and has a better offensive rating with the big man on the floor."
And, that's been the case two years running, and this is where I think you and I have the biggest difference of opinion. You simply can't compare Meyers Leonard to either a 6'6" wing man, or a traditional low post center. He is neither (hence the desire by some to call him a unicorn). A 6'6" wing player that shoots the 3-pointer at an elite level doesn't draw a big man out of the paint the way Meyers does. Nor does a traditional low post center (a vanishing breed in today's 3-point happy, guard friendly NBA). And that's the Meyers Leonard effect Dan Marang spoke of. Because of his unique combination of size and elite 3-point shooting (as I mentioned, over the last two seasons, he's been, by a wide margin, the best 3-point shooter in the league taller than 6'8") he makes things easier for his teammates. The floor spacing he creates is unique because it draws an opposing rim protector away from the rim. If you watch video, you will notice, the player guarding Meyers often ends up in no man's land. Not out far enough on Meters to contest his 3-pointer, but also not close enough to the basket to recover and stop Lillard or McCollum's drives to the basket. Meyers Leonard, even if he doesn't touch the ball creates scoring opportunities for his teammates. Other teams know they need to respect his 3-point shooting. So, merely standing out at the 3-point line draws a defender away from the basket spreads the defense and creates lanes to the basket for everyone else.
The other positive point Marang touched on is how good Meyers is in catch and shoot situations. I'm looking forward to seeing if the addition of Evan Turner will create more catch and shoot opportunities for Meyers, like I hope it will for Dame. C.J., Crabbe and everyone else.
At the very least, I hope to see improvement from Meyers in the other areas I mentioned previously. I'm not looking for him to win any awards or even advocating that he start. That's Terry's call and I'm sure he'll make the right one. I want to see Meyers make forward progress because if we can take advantage of his unique shooting and floor spacing ability, while also getting any other positive contributions from him, that helps make the team better and that's a good thing.
I always root for our guys to succeed (except that fat ass mutineer Felton), because when they do well, the team does well. I was the same way with Oden. I was thrilled when we won the lottery (I can still tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing when we won right to select Oden). When it was announced he was having his first microfracture surgery, I immediately went out and bought not one, but two, Oden jerseys to show my support. I stubbornly wore those fucking Oden jerseys to opening night two years in a row and to every game I attended while Oden was here. I didn't take them to Goodwill until he signed with MIA. Then he started hitting women and all bets were off. Point being, I stubbornly look for the good in all of our players and root for them all to reach their full potential. So, there's definitely some of that going on here with Meyers. I admit that.
BNM
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