Nate letting Roy call the shots

[illmatic99]

Coaching: Fail.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/12/brandon_roy_coming_off_the_ben.html

Just the whole thing, from the blatant admission of a double standard ("Roy has earned it...") to letting a player call the shots have to mean that the end is near for Nate. Come on, PA. Open your eyes to see this ineptitude from Mr. Sonic.

(FWIW, I totally empathize with Roy here. He’s still young, and doesn’t want to believe that he’s done (and sadly, he thinks that being benched is a sign of that). It’s up to the coach to discuss the new role with him, and explain to him how he can lengthen his career and help his team if he comes off the bench. Nate is apparently doing none of that.)

 

[Natebishop3]

Didn't we cover this last fall when it seemed like Roy was keeping Miller out of the starting lineup?

 

[illmatic99]

Well, this seems to be confirmation of that. I didn't like Roy throwing some of his teammates under the bus there at the end of that article, though.

 

[MIXUM]

good god it just gets worse and worse.....

now roy saying we dont have the personnel he needs. translation.... trade miller and get a shooter.



Still, he had to shake his head and lament that he was even in a position where he had to answer questions about coming off the bench.

“It would hurt a little bit, because I would be wondering what’s next?’’ Roy said. “It would be like, ‘Dang, not starting already?’ What about next year - am I the seventh man?’’

This is all part of his adjustment in dealing with his knees, a process that he says has been tough.

“It would be a struggle for anybody to go through that adjustment, but losing makes it a lot worse,’’ Roy said.

Roy also continues to make it clear that the Blazers’ personnel is not suited for his play. In other words, he needs players who can make outside shots in order to create space on the floor for him to work.

“So I don’t always blame it on my knees. Some of it is, the paint is always packed,’’ Roy said. “So some of it is frustration with some of my capabilities, and some of it is personnel. It’s like I’m wondering ‘Can I not beat this guy now? Or did I beat him before because I had the space? I mean, I remember I got lay ups on game winners, and I don’t think it’s because I was the quickest or fastest guy out there.’’

 

[barfo]

good god it just gets worse and worse.....

now roy saying we dont have the personnel he needs. translation.... trade miller and get a shooter.

Or bench Roy and play him with Patty.

barfo

 

[illmatic99]

Roy's comments in the end are disappointing, but I do attribute some of that to internal frustration that he's battling because he can't do it anymore. I didn't want him to say what he's thinking out to the world, but Roy has always been too candid.

 

[RoyToy]

I think Roy playing with the bench could be a complete failure, not that the bench is any good anyways. All teams would have to do is double Roy and make any other scrub off the Porltand bench beat them.

Roy starting/coming off the bench isn't that big of issue imo, although I do like the idea of him starting the 2nd half on the bench. To start the game though I'd definitely still start him as he's still been pretty productive early in games ad the Blazers don't have a problem building a lead in the 1st half.

 

[barfo]

I think Roy playing with the bench could be a complete failure, not that the bench is any good anyways. All teams would have to do is double Roy and make any other scrub off the Porltand bench beat them.

Wouldn't it be easier for the other scrubs to beat them if they were doubling Roy?

barfo

 

[MARIS61]

Until we actually have a better player than (injured) Roy, which we don't at all, he better keep starting.

 

[BlayZa]

i r disappoint.

 

[MickZagger]

“So I don’t always blame it on my knees. Some of it is, the paint is always packed,’’ Roy said.

I call bullshit on this one. We have NO low post presence. So how is the paint always packed?

 

[KingSpeed]

Or bench Roy and play him with Patty.

barfo

Or start Patty.

Roy has been complaining about personnell to the press all season. He wants Blake and Outlaw back. He thinks he can still do his thing with the right people around him. His assists have gone down because no Blake to pass to. BUT in that game where Matthews took over as starting SF at halftime, Roy was straying to play like the Roy of old, driving and kicking to Matthews. It was the best Roy looked all season. And Matthews has started ever since. For all Roy has done, I think we should give this guy a little bit more respect and not throw him to the curb so fast. No wonder players are sometimes standoffish with fans. They know most fans don't give two shits about them.

 

[KingSpeed]

I call bullshit on this one. We have NO low post presence. So how is the paint always packed?

I call bullshit on this one. Aldridge has one of the most polished low post games in the league.

 

[KingSpeed]

Until we actually have a better player than (injured) Roy, which we don't at all, he better keep starting.

FINALLY, you agree that Rudy is inept.

 

[Blazinaway]

good god it just gets worse and worse.....

now roy saying we dont have the personnel he needs. translation.... trade miller and get a shooter.





Still, he had to shake his head and lament that he was even in a position where he had to answer questions about coming off the bench.

“It would hurt a little bit, because I would be wondering what’s next?’’ Roy said. “It would be like, ‘Dang, not starting already?’ What about next year - am I the seventh man?’’

This is all part of his adjustment in dealing with his knees, a process that he says has been tough.

“It would be a struggle for anybody to go through that adjustment, but losing makes it a lot worse,’’ Roy said.

Roy also continues to make it clear that the Blazers’ personnel is not suited for his play. In other words, he needs players who can make outside shots in order to create space on the floor for him to work.

“So I don’t always blame it on my knees. Some of it is, the paint is always packed,’’ Roy said. “So some of it is frustration with some of my capabilities, and some of it is personnel. It’s like I’m wondering ‘Can I not beat this guy now? Or did I beat him before because I had the space? I mean, I remember I got lay ups on game winners, and I don’t think it’s because I was the quickest or fastest guy out there.’’

after reading that IMO he's in total denial about his remaining abilities, I've seen him get stuffed repeatedly or just throw up an awful shot inside where the Roy of old would have easily scored. IMO this is bullchit on Roy's part and the next stage is going to be his team mates starting to get pissed off at him for these comments. I'll be blunt, what it boils down to is him saying we don't have the right "guys" to make things easier for a greatly diminished player when the rest of our team plays much better ball when going more uptempo - Houston I think we have a serious problem here.

 

[Bob Dobalina]

after reading that IMO he's in total denial about his remaining abilities, I've seen him get stuffed repeatedly or just throw up an awful shot inside where the Roy of old would have easily scored. IMO this is bullchit on Roy's part and the next stage is going to be his team mates starting to get pissed off at him for these comments. I'll be blunt, what it boils down to is him saying we don't have the right "guys" to make things easier for a greatly diminished player when the rest of our team plays much better ball when going more uptempo - Houston I think we have a serious problem here.

I have to agree here. I was watching him late in that Clippers game with Griffin on him. I was waiting with abated breath for one of his patented cross-overs. Never happened. He could barely move and couldn't shake Griffin. It was sad actually. This has to be tough on him, but if he's that limited in his mobility, he can't go blaming the team personnel.

 

[MIXUM]

jaynes.....


The elephant in the room — the Brandon Roy situation

What a crazy thing to happen to a team and a player. You take a guy who appears to be a perennial all-star and blink — and he’s a broken-down has-been who doesn’t even look as if he ought to be a starter.

And really, it’s not as if it’s all the result of a single catastrophic injury.

I don’t know what to think about the cause of all this. I’m not sure I understand how the team could have been so blindsided by this that it gave this man a long-term contract at max dollars. Obviously, these conditions in his knees existed a year ago last summer when the contract was signed.

But forget that for a moment. What’s done is done. The question now is, how can you use him? What can be done to accommodate him? What can he do?

Well, for one thing, it would be interesting to know how much of what we’re currently seeing on the floor is due to physical pain in his knees and how much is due to his mental approach. I mean, sometimes I watch and wonder if he’s playing as hard as he can. He has always been a guy playing at his own pace. He didn’t often hit high gear even at his best.

Now, he’s on cruise control virtually all the time. It’s incredible how infrequently the guy runs hard during an NBA game. A brisk trot is usually his quickest pace. And man, it’s hard to fit that into a team that wants to play faster and harder than that.

His whole game was predicated on beating his man off the dribble and finishing at the basket. He can not consistently do either of those things right now. It’s seemingly gone. And not only can’t he do it — he’s turned into a turnover machine, too — one who no longer gets assists or rebounds.

And frankly, I still suspect that’s not totally physical. He appears to me to be holding back. I don’t know if he’s uncertain about his abilities or he just doesn’t want to push things too far.

But what I do know is this — if this is all Roy has left, the team would be better off if he wasn’t in the starting lineup. Wesley Matthews is simply a better player than Roy right now. People keep saying that the Blazers ought to forget Greg Oden and just move on. I believe it would be better served if the Blazers forgot Roy as a starter and moved on. Unless he’s got more in the tank than he’s been showing.

Start Matthews at two-guard, because that’s what he is, and get Nic Batum back in the starting lineup. And for heaven’s sake, forget all those lineups without a point guard — they’ve been a total failure. I don’t care if you use a rookie point guard — you’ve got to have a point on the floor or this team will never get into any semblance of an offense.

Part of my frustration in watching this is that it didn’t have to be this way. The reason Roy is so locked up on offense right now is that for years he’s been allowed to play outside any offensive system. Nate McMillan created a monster. Everything here has been built on Roy’s one-on-one game and instead of having a system that would have helped ALL PLAYERS get good shots, everyone played off Roy.

It has been four guys standing around watching Roy play. It was a system that never worked in the post-season and couldn’t possibly be a long-term strategy of a good team.

Even Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant couldn’t win until their teams found ways of getting secondary players involved. And Roy, even in his prime, was no Jordan or Bryant.

And now that Roy is ineffective in that role, the team has no fall-back position — no default game. It is stuck and I’m not sure it can get out of this muck with Roy continuing to try to be something he’s not.

Just watch him when he wants the ball. He won’t move to get it. He stands, tries to lock his defender away from the ball, sticks his hand out and pleads for a pass. That’s not always an easy pass to make, particularly if there’s pressure on the ball. It’s led to crucial turnovers for this team in the fourth quarter. Man, you’ve got to move to get the ball. Get yourself open! Work to get open!

But we’re not seeing that.

Can Roy become a catch-and-shoot guy? Yes, I think so. He’s become a pretty good shooter. But he’d have to be willing to move — set screens, make hard cuts, play from one side of the court to the other — to get those shots. And I’m not seeing any indication that he’s being asked, or that he’s willing, to accept such a role.

And until he does, this team is going to be locked up in a slow downward spiral.

 

[Blazinaway]

absolute bull's eye by Jaynes, spot on

 

[MIXUM]

as obvious as jaynes makes this articles .... and as obvious everyone on here keeps making it.... perhaps we just dont have the roster to make roy be affective at this point.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I agree with the tone of this thread: it seems that someone needs to sit down with Roy and maybe watch some film and point out how he is playing and then ask him whether this is mental or physical, and if he says it's not metal, challenge him to prove it. I don't think any of us know really what is going on here, but I think we can see there is a problem, and it's time for the Blazers to face up to it and Roy too.

 

[LittleAlex]

as obvious as jaynes makes this articles .... and as obvious everyone on here keeps making it.... perhaps we just dont have the roster to make roy be affective at this point.

Honestly, I think it's both.

Roy's abilities are not what they were last year AND the personel is not suited to playing the style of game Roy is best at.

 

[Blazinaway]

as obvious as jaynes makes this articles .... and as obvious everyone on here keeps making it.... perhaps we just dont have the roster to make roy be affective at this point.

and given his current significantly diminished level of play and that it is highly likely he will never get better how can we do anything else but try to make our TEAM better, a team that's best chance for wins is going more uptempo, a team that simply cannot afford to build around Roy

 

[MIXUM]

i still say this team is 1 trade away from being very solid again

and a new coach

 

[Mediocre Man]

So the Blazers personel is not suited for his game?

That comment was the most disturburbing. I mean what "game" does Roy want to play? Does he really think him ISOing 100% of the time is the way to go? How I wish we had a coach that would squash this instead of saying he has earned the right to decide what the fuck to do. Coaches coach, players play

 

[Blazinaway]

So the Blazers personel is not suited for his game?

That comment was the most disturburbing. I mean what "game" does Roy want to play? Does he really think him ISOing 100% of the time is the way to go? How I wish we had a coach that would squash this instead of saying he has earned the right to decide what the fuck to do. Coaches coach, players play

well nate let and in essence encouraged this to happen, so let him reap the consequences, and so far his response in not surprising

 

[HailBlazers]

+1, in for hearing Nate's response and not Roy's, he's obviously all mixed up

Part of my frustration in watching this is that it didn’t have to be this way. The reason Roy is so locked up on offense right now is that for years he’s been allowed to play outside any offensive system. Nate McMillan created a monster. Everything here has been built on Roy’s one-on-one game and instead of having a system that would have helped ALL PLAYERS get good shots, everyone played off Roy.

This has been clear for a while, to us fans anyway! Nate and Roy need an intervention.

 

[mook]

I think this team just needs a fresh set of eyes coaching it. There's a reason most NBA coaches don't last 5 years, and it's not just the GM/players finding an easy scapegoat.

Unless you are talking about certain all-time great coaches (Popovich, Jackson, Sloan, etc) turnover at the coaching position after a few years is healthy. Players change. Nate is dedicated to Roy because of what happened 3 and 4 years ago. He really can't afford to be.

I remember when Larry Bird took over as coach of the Pacers he said he'd only coach for 3 seasons, because after that you are spinning your wheels. And that's what he did.

 

[hasoos]

So the Blazers personel is not suited for his game?

That comment was the most disturburbing. I mean what "game" does Roy want to play? Does he really think him ISOing 100% of the time is the way to go? How I wish we had a coach that would squash this instead of saying he has earned the right to decide what the fuck to do. Coaches coach, players play

I guess my question is, what is a suitable player to play with Roy? What exactly is he asking for here? Because IMO, even if we got players he wanted around him, if he isn't Broy of last year and before, what are we doing? It's like trying to build a championship team around an 18 ppg scorer who can' defend. That isn't going to work now, or ever.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I call bullshit on this one. We have NO low post presence. So how is the paint always packed?

Hush child! We don't hold with that heathen "common sense" foolishness in these parts!

 

[illmatic99]

I call bullshit on this one. We have NO low post presence. So how is the paint always packed?

I believe he's referring to defenses playing off of our "shooters" on the wings, to clog the paint. He's sorta right on that one.