Nurk says we need to get more people involved

[RR7]

Dame is much more efficient and makes the right play the majority of the time. CJ constantly misses open teammates to shoot contested shots, and it's gotten worse. The only time he talked about wanting to improve it, it was in the context of him making the all-star game.

I've just felt more and more watching, how awful CJ looks using picks in the pick and roll. Dame and Nurk have great chemistry there, and it's almost like Nurk feels lost off of it because of CJ's action. He's trying to read roll/pop, and CJ seems to half use the screen, and there's not much roll opportunity off of it, and it's not looked to if he tries

 

[wizenheimer]

Well I definitely don't think he plays selfishly. He's the teams 2nd best offensive player and the starting shooting guard. Is he not supposed to shoot? He has a higher percentage from the field than Damian, actually up from last year. And his shot attempts are down from last year. I don't know why a certain percentage of you have chosen to pick on him this year but it's not warranted.

I think Nurkic is pretty clearly the 2nd best offensive player, not CJ

 

[tester551]

WTF CJ?????

Not suprised in the least

 

[Mediocre Man]

WTF CJ?????

CJ and Quick have issues so his answer is not surprising. The problem here is CJ is very selfish on the court, so Nurks words hit close to home

 

[Scalma]

I've just felt more and more watching, how awful CJ looks using picks in the pick and roll. Dame and Nurk have great chemistry there, and it's almost like Nurk feels lost off of it because of CJ's action. He's trying to read roll/pop, and CJ seems to half use the screen, and there's not much roll opportunity off of it, and it's not looked to if he tries

Man CJ is CLUELESS on how to operate a pick and roll. Nevermind not passing, he hopscotches into Nurks space so consistently that I’m surprised there hasn’t been a coach to call him out on it. Or maybe there has and he just ignores it?

 

[CupWizier]

Wow, another bash McCollum thread. Golly, never saw that coming.

 

[Scalma]

Wow, another bash McCollum thread. Golly, never saw that coming.

Why don’t you answer the question instead?

 

[CupWizier]

Why don’t you answer the question instead?

and? what does that accomplish? It's the same argument that is in at least 4 or 5 other threads. This place seldoms goes anywhere as most of the time it goes in circles for awhile then the thread gets buried and then some idiot will come along and drag it back up where the arguments start over again.

Not interested.

 

[Scalma]

and? what does that accomplish? It's the same argument that is in at least 4 or 5 other threads. This place seldoms goes anywhere as most of the time it goes in circles for awhile then the thread gets buried and then some idiot will come along and drag it back up where the arguments start over again.

Not interested.

No one forces you to open threads. Literally your only contribution to this one was to derail it because you read something you didn’t like. Then when someone asks you a legitimate question, you’re “not interested.” Go away then.

 

[beast blazer]

I'm liking cj less and less. He's a worse version of la. At least la did not suck defensively

 

[Blazers Roy]

You guys are so set in your mind about CJ that you fail to take into account his relationship with the reporter, tone, context, actual meaning etc.

That question should get directed at the coaching staff anyway.

 

[hoopsjock]

You guys are so set in your mind about CJ that you fail to take into account his relationship with the reporter, tone, context, actual meaning etc.

That question should get directed at the coaching staff anyway.

Actually, several people brought that up.

 

[Pinwheel1]

So who is on the court with CJ that needs to get more involved in the offense ? Dame? (no) Nurk (no) Aminu and Harkless? (I hope not)
That leaves Jake? And he already is getting more involved.

So who are we talking about? Are we really slamming CJ in this thread because Nurk mentioned ET and Harkless need more touches?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Was just listening to the weekly podcast from Eric Gunderson with Quick and he mentioned he spoke with Nurk after the OKC game ( when Dame/CJ/Nurk scored everything) and Nurk said that they really needed to involve the rest of the team more, especially ET on his post ups and Moe on cuts. Not specifically related to that game but in general.

Quick said he also followed up with the guards about these comments and CJ's response was incredulous, "well what do you expect us to do about it?" Dame apparently agreed with Nurk and said he's trying to be more cognizant of especially getting ET on the ball more and giving Moe the ball on cuts more.

Quick said it's something to keep track of and could just be off the cuff comments from Nurk, but we can always dig deep.

Sharing time just doesn't have the same pizzazz as Lillard Time.

 

[oldmangrouch]

You guys are so set in your mind about CJ that you fail to take into account his relationship with the reporter, tone, context, actual meaning etc.

That question should get directed at the coaching staff anyway.

This is a case where 2 things can be true at once. Quick has earned the dislike of the players, and I for one don't fault CJ for that. OTOH, CJ's flippant response comes way too close to the way he sometimes play. The guy who came out of college with the rep of being a willing passer with some PG skills has developed into a player with tunnel vision.

 

[illmatic99]

No one forces you to open threads. Literally your only contribution to this one was to derail it because you read something you didn’t like. Then when someone asks you a legitimate question, you’re “not interested.” Go away then.

Every damn thread, he does the same thing.

 

[Blazers Roy]

This is a case where 2 things can be true at once. Quick has earned the dislike of the players, and I for one don't fault CJ for that. OTOH, CJ's flippant response comes way too close to the way he sometimes play. The guy who came out of college with the rep of being a willing passer with some PG skills has developed into a player with tunnel vision.

I've lost count on how many times i have watched Lillard take a predictable+impossible threes at crucial times too, but it's easier to blame the shooting guard.

We also need to remember that all this passing often leads to a dead-end were guys like Aminu dribble nervously for 2 seconds and then take a contested shot. I don't think CJ (or Lillard) are that selfish, they look at the talent level around them and they feel they need to carry the load - even if Mo Harkless is standing alone in the corner.

The real pattern here (imo) is player development and coaching: Lillard and CJ are allowed to do whatever they want, Collins and Leonard were drafted and then reduced to 3pt shooters, Aminu was groomed to be Batum etc.
It never felt as if there is a strong guiding hand in all of this. I'm absolutely confident this whole thing would not be an issue if a coach like Popovich was at the helm.

 

[B-Roy]

I've lost count on how many times i have watched Lillard take a predictable+impossible threes at crucial times too, but it's easier to blame the shooting guard.

Lmao what? Blaming CJ for being a shitty teammate has nothing to do with Dame. Even with Dame's tendency to jack terrible shots he still has a higher TS% than CJ on greater volume of shots.

 

[DUB]

The real pattern here (imo) is player development and coaching: Lillard and CJ are allowed to do whatever they want, Collins and Leonard were drafted and then reduced to 3pt shooters, Aminu was groomed to be Batum etc.
It never felt as if there is a strong guiding hand in all of this. I'm absolutely confident this whole thing would not be an issue if a coach like Popovich was at the helm.

It does feel as if Stotts is almost always in "win now" mode, as in whatever it takes to win each game, regardless of the long term consequences. Personally I take a more long term point of view, where decisions should be made based on the interests of the club/franchise; not on this game, or even this season, but on the long term impact on the club/franchise.

 

[Blazers Roy]

Brooke: Was a triple double night on your mind before the game.

CJ: "No. I just want to hoop. I know how to play basketball, i know how to help my team win."


I was a bit surprised by that answer, very defensive behavior in front of a homer sideline reporter. No doubt he is aware of the criticism against him and now i'm even more certain he won't give a fair answer to a reporter on his shitlist lol.

 

[TBpup]

Brooke: Was a triple double night on your mind before the game.

CJ: "No. I just want to hoop. I know how to play basketball, i know how to help my team win."


I was a bit surprised by that answer, very defensive behavior in front of a homer sideline reporter. No doubt he is aware of the criticism against him and now i'm even more certain he won't give a fair answer to a reporter on his shitlist lol.

I call at least partial BS on his answer. It may not have been before the game but it certainly was at the end. He got demonstrably frustrated with Curry not taking a shot and looked irritated a couple other late possessions he thought he could have got an assist. So he was certainly aware of it and and definitely wanted it.

 

[BonesJones]

I call at least partial BS on his answer. It may not have been before the game but it certainly was at the end. He got demonstrably frustrated with Curry not taking a shot and looked irritated a couple other late possessions he thought he could have got an assist. So he was certainly aware of it and and definitely wanted it.

He said he knew he needed one.

 

[wizenheimer]

Lmao what? Blaming CJ for being a shitty teammate has nothing to do with Dame. Even with Dame's tendency to jack terrible shots he still has a higher TS% than CJ on greater volume of shots.

I've bashed CJ plenty but I don't think he's a "shitty" teammate. What he is is a player who is unable, and apparently unwilling, to consistently involve teammates in the offense. He doesn't make anybody else better with ball distribution. That's not unusual, players like Harkless or Aminu or Curry aren't going to make teammates better; bu

Brooke: Was a triple double night on your mind before the game.

CJ: "No. I just want to hoop. I know how to play basketball, i know how to help my team win."


I was a bit surprised by that answer, very defensive behavior in front of a homer sideline reporter. No doubt he is aware of the criticism against him and now i'm even more certain he won't give a fair answer to a reporter on his shitlist lol.

the problem is that yes, he's been criticized...but the criticisms have been accurate and fair

 

[Pinwheel1]

I've bashed CJ plenty but I don't think he's a "shitty" teammate. What he is is a player who is unable, and apparently unwilling, to consistently involve teammates in the offense. He doesn't make anybody else better with ball distribution. That's not unusual, players like Harkless or Aminu or Curry aren't going to make teammates better; but the problem is that yes, he's been criticized...but the criticisms have been accurate and fair

Are they acculturate and fair? What is his role? Last night was to get others involved...and he did. But with Dame on the floor I think his main role changes. He needs to shoot. That is what we desperately need with the current make of this team. When Jake gets hot what do you see? You see CJ pass, and shoot less.
Everyone has a role. Get more shooters on the floor and CJ's role will change.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I agree with Nurk. Mrs. H@# is completely worn out. Time to get more people involved.

 

[SIeepwalker]

I agree with Nurk. Mrs. H@# is completely worn out. Time to get more people involved.

got it, I'll go to your house next time you're at a game, not HCP's

 

[wizenheimer]

But with Dame on the floor I think his main role changes. He needs to shoot. That is what we desperately need with the current make of this team.

and that's a big part of the problem...he's not an efficient shooter:

points/FGA: Blazers 1.25
points/FGA: All Blazers besides CJ 1.27

points/FGA: Meyers 1.43
points/FGA: Dame 1.36
points/FGA: Nurkic 1.34
points/FGA: Layman 1.30
points/FGA: Zach 1.29
points/FGA: Aminu 1.27

points/FGA: CJ 1.16
points/FGA: Seth 1.16
points/FGA: Turner 1.12

(calcs before last night's game)

CJ is shooting 18 shots a game, 7 more than Nurkic, 11 more than Aminu, and 12 more than any other more efficient Blazer shooter.

the point being that CJ is much closer to Turner in efficiency then he is to Dame. He's even closer to Turner then he is to those other 5 players. Looks like he's shooting too much

CJ has been given lots of credit for creating his own shots. But he's only average at doing it, at best. Meanwhile, he's shown elite skills at spot-up and catch & shoot opportunities, but those won't be available while he dribbles. CJ should be spending a lot more possessions off the ball moving around screens and picks; and a lot fewer possessions dribbling.

but this debate always ends up looping back to the weak synergy and heavy redundancy of the Dame/CJ pairing. A few people were questioning it when CJ was drafted. More started to question it when CJ was elevated to starter. It's now grown to a large collection of critics, and those aren't haters, like some argue, but are rather people who can watch basketball games and can see bad fits between players and units. CJ supporters keep saying CJ would shine on another team, away from Dame. CJ detractors really want CJ supporters to be able to watch him on another team...win/win

 

[Wizard Mentor]

got it, I'll go to your house next time you're at a game, not HCP's

I don't live in Portland. Drive's too long. Move along.

 

[Blazers Roy]

I call at least partial BS on his answer. It may not have been before the game but it certainly was at the end. He got demonstrably frustrated with Curry not taking a shot and looked irritated a couple other late possessions he thought he could have got an assist. So he was certainly aware of it and and definitely wanted it.

About him desperately trying to get that 1 assist for the triple dub: "What is every NBA player since stats were invented?"

 

[Blazers Roy]

the problem is that yes, he's been criticized...but the criticisms have been accurate and fair

The problem is that you can make the same allegation against most star SGs in NBA history.