Nate on why Oden didn't play and Oden's response

[KingSpeed]

Oden didn't play in the fourth quarter. He played 13:23 against the Nets, finishing with two points and one rebound. "Pick and roll defense," McMillan explained. "We just couldn't contain them with a big lineup. When we had matchup of Greg trying to guard Devin. ... It was a tough matchup." ... Oden took the short night in stride. "Of course I want to play, but when we win, it doesn't really matter. But I want to be out there, I want to help the team win, I want to contribute. But a lot of times the matchups. ... a lot of times it just doesn't work."

Can we address this so that Oden can play?? Or does he have to sit out all games against quick point guards?

 

[Rodolfo]

Let Greg bake.

 

[PapaG]

Oden just needs to regain some quickness. Jensen has him looking like Shaq in the upper body, when the reality is that Greg was never a bulky guy prior to his injury.

His body is not the body of the player that was drafted.

 

[graybeard]

Does anyone here know if Greg is still lifting weights on game day? I use to lift weights back in the olden days and found that it wasn't a good idea on game day because it takes tended to slow down my reflexes a bit. It could explain why some days he looks sharp and other days he looks like he's moving in molasses.

 

[MIXUM]

the oden excuses get better every game. meanwhile durant is beating utah.

roy, aldridge, durant...wow thats scary

roy, aldridge, oden......crickets

 

[graybeard]

the oden excuses get better every game. meanwhile durant is beating utah.

roy, aldridge, durant...wow thats scary

roy, aldridge, oden......crickets

Mixum, why do you keep making these ignorant stupid assed posts?

 

[B-Roy]

Durant wouldn't be that good here either. Nate would have a leash on Durant's shots.

 

[maxiep]

Mixum, why do you keep making these ignorant stupid assed posts?

Because he needs the attention. My guess is in his real life he's one of those people who is never noticed.

 

[Natebishop3]

Does anyone here know if Greg is still lifting weights on game day? I use to lift weights back in the olden days and found that it wasn't a good idea on game day because it takes tended to slow down my reflexes a bit. It could explain why some days he looks sharp and other days he looks like he's moving in molasses.

God I hope Jay Jensen and Bobby Medina aren't making such a simple mistake.

 

[yenniedn]

Because he needs the attention. My guess is in his real life he's one of those people who is never noticed.

Amen, Brotha!!! FINALLY, someone that understands!!!

 

[Shooter]

Because he needs the attention. My guess is in his real life he's one of those people who is never noticed.

Ouch. That's a little harsh, don't you think?

 

[BalancedMan]

Not to troll, but you do have to agree that Durant >> Oden so far. A lineup of Bayless/Roy/Durant/Alderage/Pryz is pretty scary. If Oden pans out then it'll be okay, but what does that mean. We thought Oden was the next Dwight Howard in his dominance (you know, a top 3 type of center). Do we think he'll become the next Shaq anymore?

 

[rocketeer]

Not to troll, but you do have to agree that Durant >> Oden so far. A lineup of Bayless/Roy/Durant/Alderage/Pryz is pretty scary. If Oden pans out then it'll be okay, but what does that mean. We thought Oden was the next Dwight Howard in his dominance (you know, a top 3 type of center). Do we think he'll become the next Shaq anymore?

durant has been the better player thus far but at the time oden was the right call. oden was the best prospect to come into the league since lebron.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Addresses Oden playing more...........

Stop fucking switching on every pick.



Blake and Sergio can't seem to figure out how to get through a pick to save their lives. That's the problem. The other problem is week side rotation.

Actually there is one more problem and that is Greg still doesn't know how to make it tough to score without fouling.

 

[tlongII]

Pick and roll defense is tough for any big man. Oden just needs to play defense with his feet more than his hands. He'll be fine.

 

[blazerboy30]

I mentioned this in another thread, but...

I would like to see us play some zone with Greg in the game with the starters.

We don't use the zone much with the starters, but this would be a way to get Greg some more time on the floor and not let the other teams directly attack him with the pick-and-roll.

If he can get some more time on the court, he will adapt to the speed of the game, and then he'll be able to handle the pick-and-roll better.

 

[crandc]

durant has been the better player thus far but at the time oden was the right call. oden was the best prospect to come into the league since lebron.

At the time of the draft a lot of people said Durant would have more immediate impact, being more of a scorer, while Oden would be the one to win championships in 4-5 years. KP said Durant would win scoring titles, Oden would win NBA titles.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Mixum, why do you keep making these ignorant stupid assed posts?

wouldn't it be hilarious if everybody put MIXUM on their ignore list like HCP and I?

 

[Tortimer]

wouldn't it be hilarious if everybody put MIXUM on their ignore list like HCP and I?

He is also on my ignore list and has been for a while.

 

[mook]

How many plays did Portland run for him last night? 1? 2? Certainly not 3. It's so frustrating watching him not get the ball when he's under the basket. He clearly had a huge advantage last night and yet we never delivered the ball to him.

As for pick and roll defense, well, that's the tradeoff in having such a big center. Guys like Yao and Shaq and Sabonis always get exposed on it. You make teams pay on the other end. If they are taking 44% shots on pick and roll jumpers, and Oden is taking 55% shots on dunks and short hooks, I'll take that trade off every night.

 

[BengalDuck]

Durant, through 33 games last year, was shooting 40% from the field.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Addresses Oden playing more...........

Stop fucking switching on every pick.



Blake and Sergio can't seem to figure out how to get through a pick to save their lives. That's the problem. The other problem is week side rotation.

Actually there is one more problem and that is Greg still doesn't know how to make it tough to score without fouling.

I couldn't agree more! Change the defensive scheme, make our guards slide through the screens instead of switching our big man onto their guards.

If Nate is ever fired it will be because he doesn't know how to use Greg properly on defense or on offense. Seriously I'm tired of his excuses 13 minutes is not acceptable, the kid needs to be in the game find a way to keep him in. BTW don't use the excuse he's in foul trouble who gives a shit he still had 2 fouls left so let him foul out.

 

[PapaG]

Not to troll, but you do have to agree that Durant >> Oden so far. A lineup of Bayless/Roy/Durant/Alderage/Pryz is pretty scary. If Oden pans out then it'll be okay, but what does that mean. We thought Oden was the next Dwight Howard in his dominance (you know, a top 3 type of center). Do we think he'll become the next Shaq anymore?

Oden will never dominate like Shaq did in his prime. Of course, no player since Wilt or Kareem has dominated the NBA like Shaq dominated in his prime.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

If Greg is not used and his confidence starts to slip this could be a mess. We all know that our PG's can't get the ball to him and watching Lopez get 20 while Greg sat on the bench pissed me off!

What is clear is that Greg will not resign here if he's not seeing the ball or developing. Who would? I'd fire Nate in a heartbeat before I'd let a talent like Greg end up in Boston or LA with a coach that knows how to use a center!

Nate has always worried about not being around when this team comes together and starts winning championships. Not developing your 7 foot once in a decade center would be a good reason why you'll be buying a ticket vs being on the sideline. I'm sorry but Nate is not a championship coach. His play calling is making Oden look like Ostertag or Dudley. WTF???????

There is no excuse for Greg not being an impact, cause I guarantee in LA he'd be tearing it up nightly. Phil would know just how to use him!

On a side note watching Sergio reminds me so much of Damon it's not even funny! Dribble, dribble, dribble, uh oh..... make a bad shot.... shot clock expires. Another Nate decision that is one month to freaking long and not working.


KP should be knowing now that the ball isn't going to Greg enough to make better, let alone a stand out! It's the coach bud!

 

[PapaG]

wouldn't it be hilarious if everybody put MIXUM on their ignore list like HCP and I?

I don't ever reply to his posts, but I really don't have a problem with what he posts, even though I disagree with 99% of it. If we all had the same opinions, what would be the purpose of the board? I don't believe in the ignore feature unless somebody never posts about the team.

 

[PapaG]

I mentioned this in another thread, but...

I would like to see us play some zone with Greg in the game with the starters.

We don't use the zone much with the starters, but this would be a way to get Greg some more time on the floor and not let the other teams directly attack him with the pick-and-roll.

If he can get some more time on the court, he will adapt to the speed of the game, and then he'll be able to handle the pick-and-roll better.

It really can't hurt at this point, can it? I think it's a good idea to zone up, especially since opponents are lighting it up from 3 early in games against the man-to-man anyhow. If the team could ever consistently get a decent start, a lot of these nailbiters would become comfortable wins.

 

[Kaydow]

At the time of the draft a lot of people said Durant would have more immediate impact, being more of a scorer, while Oden would be the one to win championships in 4-5 years. KP said Durant would win scoring titles, Oden would win NBA titles.

I remember that too. KP acknowledged that Durrant would be 20-25 ppg immediately back then. He didn't necessarily call Greg "a project", but I think he sensed that they would take some heat for picking Greg during the first few years b/c Oden needed a lot more seasoning. I think KP expected a larger learning curve than we did. Us fans definately thought Greg would storm the league - at least with his defense. That hasn't happened. Greg has 4 blocks in his last 11 games, and we all know how much foul trouble he's been in so far.

He had a terrific half in Chicago - that was encouraging. I know some point to that and say the Blazers need to feed him the ball more. I don't believe it's a question of perimeter players being too selfish. Greg is still learning on how to get post position AND be in a spot where there is a nice passing lane, and he doesn't seem to know what to do when the defender fronts him. Could our guards be working harder to get Greg off? Yes. I'm sure the coaches are working with Greg on using that big body so that the perimeter guys have a big target to throw to. He needs to shield off the post defender better - too many times they reach around him and slap the entry pass away. The game is so much easier when you play inside/out.

 

[drexlersdad]

I don't ever reply to his posts, but I really don't have a problem with what he posts, even though I disagree with 99% of it. If we all had the same opinions, what would be the purpose of the board? I don't believe in the ignore feature unless somebody never posts about the team.

true.

if we all had the same opinions, it would just be a huge freaky circle jerk.

i can talk to myself if i want to agree with everything i hear.

 

[maybeso]

How many plays did Portland run for him last night? 1? 2? Certainly not 3. It's so frustrating watching him not get the ball when he's under the basket. He clearly had a huge advantage last night and yet we never delivered the ball to him.

As for pick and roll defense, well, that's the tradeoff in having such a big center. Guys like Yao and Shaq and Sabonis always get exposed on it. You make teams pay on the other end. If they are taking 44% shots on pick and roll jumpers, and Oden is taking 55% shots on dunks and short hooks, I'll take that trade off every night.

I didn't get to see the Chicago game. How was Oden used in that game? Did we pass it in to him a lot or did he get his points from garbage collection? Did he switch a lot?

I'm trying to get at the contrast in his play between Chicago and Philly and between Chicago and NJ.

Chicago has no large inside presence. What else can those of you who watched both games say?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

My problem with Nate's answer to this question is that it highlights one of Nate's biggest shortcomings as a coach--he often allows the other team to dictate the game. Despite our depth and versatility, I rarely see him put out a lineup intended to create mismatches in our favor; generally he seems content to adapt to what the other team is doing and then hope for the best.