Neil Olshey 2015 Exit Interview

[Orion Bailey]

He couldn't take them off the court once it was clear they were the only ones consistently producing, but he stuck to the ineffective patterns at the start of each half and dug the team too big of a hole. There was no excuse for sticking to those patterns in game 5 after how night and day the lineups were in game 4. That's piss poor game management.

I believe it was Pop that said " The hardest thing in basketball is reaching the finals and having to throw out your strategy for the whole season because it is no longer working" Or something to that effect.

With that said, you cant expect the coach to change the starters in the playoffs because one bench player had a great first half. These players have egos and confidence levels and you have to play that angle too. Do you think starting CJ in the second half would have won us game 5? IF you think so, you didnt watch the series and how we were dominated in ALL positions, not just the shooting guard position. Maybe the coach was thinking more long term than one half of one game of a series we weren't gonna win? These guys have fragile egos. We all saw how Afflalo looked as CJ was hot. He looked like someone kicked him in the nuts sitting on the bench. I am not saying we need to be concerned about Afflalo's ego, but I am saying that there IS more to it than just starting the hot guy for the moment. You dont switch back and forth like that on whims. You make changes like that because the track record shows consistency in the upgrade of the change.

Going by your standards, we should have not started Dam games 1-3 and we should not have started Aldridge games 4-5. We should not have played CJ one minute in games 1-3 but should have started games 4-5? What does that type of nonsense do to team chemistry?


Sorry man, but you and MarAzul are way off base in your comments about Stotts.

Backseat drivers and coach potato coaches always know best though right?

 

[kjironman1]

I believe it was Pop that said " The hardest thing in basketball is reaching the finals and having to throw out your strategy for the whole season because it is no longer working" Or something to that effect

But Pop does it.....

 

[magnifier661]

But Pop does it.....

Pops is arguably the best coach in the NBA. I think that's what Orion was trying to say. Even the best coach in the NBA said its so tough to do that.

 

[magnifier661]

Let's be honest here. Players can have decent numbers but when they are off and on with their attack it's a waste. The thing that bugs me the most about Batum was how he would look like the second best player one game, then have 4 timid games right after.

It's how he's not engaged every game. That's what frustrates me the most because he's good enough to be awesome every game.

 

[kjironman1]

Pops is arguably the best coach in the NBA. I think that's what Orion was trying to say. Even the best coach in the NBA said its so tough to do that.

Exactly my point. Not only does he do it but he knows how hard it is to do. Terry Stotts is a great coach in the making IMHO. He is not the best but i think he is going to be very very good and is getting better all the time. Again this is just my opinion but Stotts has what it takes. He has evolved and adjusted every year. he is way better than his first year here. It isn't just the players that are supposed to get better. It is the team and the coach is a very big part of the team.

This is exactly why Pop gets better in the playoffs. He makes other coaches do what they intrinsically do not do. He knows what is hard for them to do and he pushes them to that very spot.

 

[magnifier661]

Exactly my point. Not only does he do it but he knows how hard it is to do. Terry Stotts is a great coach in the making IMHO. He is not the best but i think he is going to be very very good and is getting better all the time. Again this is just my opinion but Stotts has what it takes. He has evolved and adjusted every year. he is way better than his first year here. It isn't just the players that are supposed to get better. It is the team and the coach is a very big part of the team.

This is exactly why Pop gets better in the playoffs. He makes other coaches do what they intrinsically do not do. He knows what is hard for them to do and he pushes them to that very spot.

Yes I agree. The fans that don't believe he's a good coach really hasn't been paying attention.

When he came to Portland, we were so "one dimensional". When we were healthy, we were top 5 in both offense/defense and the bench slowly become one of the worst to middle of the pack. Not sure what else fans would want from their coach?

 

[GriLtCheeZ]

Obviously you haven't watched the games all season. Stotts Absolutely changed his rotations during the series. Mags pointed it out already. There were no rigid substitution patterns. From game to game it changed.
Stotts hate is not justified.
Lets look at it from another prospective.
Lets say all of you are business owners of a 12 man crew ( Small company, I know). You are the owner, manager, president.. the one making the calls.
You have 5 guys that are extremely skilled in their positions( A press operator, a shipping manager, a helper/grunt, a machine operator, and a sales rep). You have 7 more guys that aren't as skilled, but between them can provide fills for an employee who might be sick.
So now your press operator gets sick and you move things around to fill in the absence. Yes the fill in is not as skilled, but can still operate, just a bit slower. Now our production is not optimal and we are pumping out as many parts per hour as we had scheduled, putting us behind. Now have that happen to 4 of the 5 go to guys off and on throughout the year.
I don't care what changes you trey to make as the leader, you are not going to have the same output as when your employers are good and healthy.

For anyone to think that if Stotts would have done this or that and we would have had more wins, or wont the first round, are simply ignorant to all of the X factors.
This one can be put to rest because its fairly obvious the ones who want Stotts to go have no idea how a group of skilled men need to work together and how easily it can derail when speed bumps show up.

The ONLY thing I say Stotts failed at this year was not benching Lillard for rest. He should have played 75 games max and his exhaustion at the end of the season showed it. Other than that failure, I think he did about as good as anyone could considering all the crap he had tossed at him this year with injuries.

I think it is funny that the the coach who doesn't make adjustments lead the league in come from behind victories.

 

[barfo]

Let's be honest here. Players can have decent numbers but when they are off and on with their attack it's a waste. The thing that bugs me the most about Batum was how he would look like the second best player one game, then have 4 timid games right after.

It's how he's not engaged every game. That's what frustrates me the most because he's good enough to be awesome every game.

Reminds me of what people who didn't like Sheed would say.

barfo

 

[magnifier661]

Reminds me of what people who didn't like Sheed would say.

barfo

That was the biggest beef with Sheed. The dude could have been a superstar if he worked hard and was aggressive every game.

Batum would work if we had a healthy Matthews. Hell, Batum was playing like shit and Matthews was healthy and we were one of the best in the league.

 

[handiman]

I believe it was Pop that said " The hardest thing in basketball is reaching the finals and having to throw out your strategy for the whole season because it is no longer working" Or something to that effect.

With that said, you cant expect the coach to change the starters in the playoffs because one bench player had a great first half. These players have egos and confidence levels and you have to play that angle too. Do you think starting CJ in the second half would have won us game 5? IF you think so, you didnt watch the series and how we were dominated in ALL positions, not just the shooting guard position. Maybe the coach was thinking more long term than one half of one game of a series we weren't gonna win? These guys have fragile egos. We all saw how Afflalo looked as CJ was hot. He looked like someone kicked him in the nuts sitting on the bench. I am not saying we need to be concerned about Afflalo's ego, but I am saying that there IS more to it than just starting the hot guy for the moment. You dont switch back and forth like that on whims. You make changes like that because the track record shows consistency in the upgrade of the change.

Going by your standards, we should have not started Dam games 1-3 and we should not have started Aldridge games 4-5. We should not have played CJ one minute in games 1-3 but should have started games 4-5? What does that type of nonsense do to team chemistry?


Sorry man, but you and MarAzul are way off base in your comments about Stotts.

Backseat drivers and coach potato coaches always know best though right?

We didn't have better options than Lillard and Aldridge. Bad example.

If Affleck or Lopez have their feelings hurt by being benched in favor of a red hot youngster, when they're playing like absolute shit on both ends of the court, then that tells you they don't have the mentality you want to build around. I discussed it with elite coaches and players after the game and was told in no uncertain terms, to hell with them. Of course, it's easier to do/say so anonymously when you don't have to face the unhappy players in the locker room.

Yes, I do think we win game 5 by starting CJ and Meyers in the second half, and using the vets in spot minutes to keep them fresh.

 

[HailBlazers]

lol... You guys have been asking LaMarcus the same question since September, 8 times, 8 different ways.

 

[Natebishop3]

My sources tell me that Aldridge is leaving the Blazers to sign a contract with the Timbers. He wants to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a goalie.