Merged: Miller & Blake: who should start?

[Nikolokolus]

There is a big difference between hating a player and learning from your mistakes. Just because I don't think a player gets it done night to night doesn't mean I hate them. It means they aren't getting it done. Is he getting it done? Would we even be having this conversation if he was getting it done? The same for Travis, Martell, and Bayless. If they were getting it done, we wouldn't be having these conversations. They arent' getting it done. How many years of not getting it done before you advocate change? You can either dwell in failure, or you can go do something about it. So sit around and dwell in it if you want. I am done with that.

Pardon me if I missed something, I don't recall saying any person in particular was hating on Blake, I was speaking in generalities; agreeing in principle that people ought not to hate on Steve. If you took my comments to be directed towards you then I apologize.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I would contend that ignoring the "best fit" argument is ludicrous. There are and have often been many instances in which the better player comes off the bench to play more minutes than the starter because it benefits the team, or because of the skill-sets of the individual performers. Few have disputed the notion that Roy's skill set likely meshes better with Blake's, while Miller's is nicely complemented by Rudy's. That doesn't necessarily mean that Blake should start, but it creates a legitimate discussion point.



Ahh, the old, "if you disagree with me, you're an idiot" argument--my favorite.
I agree with you that Brooks is better, but it's not necessarily clear cut. I could see how one might dispute the notion.

OK, let's examine the "best fit" argument.

A big chunk of our future is tied to LMA and Oden - 2 young post players. Blake is utterly awful at feeding the post. That alone largely negates any argument that he is a better fit.

A valid point of discussion? Sure. A persuasive argument? That's a very different question. Just because someone disagrees that Blake is a "better fit", doesn't mean they reject proper "fit" as an issue. IMHO, Miller should start precisely because he IS the better fit.

 

[Eastoff]

A big chunk of our future is tied to LMA and Oden - 2 young post players. Blake is utterly awful at feeding the post. That alone largely negates any argument that he is a better fit.

I hadn't considered that. I still think Nate wants someone to create on the second team, although Sergio didn't create either, yet they managed somehow to outscore opposing benches. Perhaps other team benches are just that awful.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I hadn't considered that. I still think Nate wants someone to create on the second team, although Sergio didn't create either, yet they managed somehow to outscore opposing benches. Perhaps other team benches are just that awful.

Take a close look at most teams around the league sometime ... the Blazers by comparison to probably 90% of the league, have what I would call a very good bench in terms of raw talent and guys well suited to their positions (a true center, a true shooting guard, a true small forward, and now in Blake a solid, low mistake point guard). Most teams make due with power forwards masquerading as centers and have at best two or three quality reserves.

As for a player to create for the second unit, I wouldn't totally discount Steve; he played off the ball a ton next to Brandon last year, but against reserves he should be better equipped to set the offense and paired up with Rudy I imagine they can muster enough playmaking between them to get the job done.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

OK, let's examine the "best fit" argument.

A big chunk of our future is tied to LMA and Oden - 2 young post players. Blake is utterly awful at feeding the post. That alone largely negates any argument that he is a better fit.

A valid point of discussion? Sure. A persuasive argument? That's a very different question. Just because someone disagrees that Blake is a "better fit", doesn't mean they reject proper "fit" as an issue. IMHO, Miller should start precisely because he IS the better fit.

Thanks--that's all I was addressing. I'm glad we agree.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Thanks--that's all I was addressing. I'm glad we agree.