Oden and Pryz Update

[BGrantFan]

He's not sure thing, but I think Cousins can be a little like Al Horford in the NBA.

Could be, I suppose. He could also be a little like Oliver Miller. Nobody knows at this point.

 

[tlongII]

I think Cousins will go #3. He has a chance to be very good though.

 

[BGrantFan]

I think Cousins will go #3. He has a chance to be very good though.

I'd hope that any top 3 pick would have a chance to be very good.

 

[Blaze01]

Um, OK. What I do know is that Aldridge has not "bombed", and is the 2nd best lottery pick from his draft class.

I don't think he has bombed, but I don't think he has proven himself to be that #2 option POR was looking for OR that he can be an All-Star caliber player and DELIVER for his team when it matters most...His playoff performance this year proved that...

I also watch basketball, for what it's worth

Do you? b\c you keep touting Aldridge's regular season and playoff PER as your defense for Aldridge, and yet you totally ignore how\when he actually affected those games...

If you dig into each of the playoff games for example...I don't think you will find that his "PER" accurately reflects his play...

 

[BGrantFan]

I don't think he has bombed, but I don't think he has proven himself to be that #2 option POR was looking for OR that he can be an All-Star caliber player and DELIVER for his team when it matters most...His playoff performance this year proved that...



Do you? b\c you keep touting Aldridge's regular season and playoff PER as your defense for Aldridge, and yet you totally ignore how\when he actually affected those games...

If you dig into each of the playoff games for example...I don't think you will find that his "PER" accurately reflects his play...

I just don't think that LA is as much to blame for the playoffs as people like you (apparently, sorry if I've confused you with others, but your post seems to be negative toward Aldridge) blame him to be. Is he perfect? No. Has he been a "bomb"? Abso-fucking-lutely not. He's been the 2nd leading scorer on 2 consecutive 50-win teams. Cousins has been what, exactly?

 

[oldmangrouch]

You "watch basketball", and this means Cousins will be a "top flight NBA center". Um, OK. What I do know is that Aldridge has not "bombed", and is the 2nd best lottery pick from his draft class. I also watch basketball, for what it's worth.

Not to nitpick, but,

A) Nobody is saying he "bombed", just that he isn't an all-star level talent and is not irreplaceable/untradeable.

B) As long as Roy and Rondo are alive, he is no better than the 3rd best player from that draft.

 

[Minstrel]

Not to nitpick, but,

B) As long as Roy and Rondo are alive, he is no better than the 3rd best player from that draft.

Not to nitpick, but he said second best lottery pick from that class. So Rondo doesn't qualify.

 

[BGrantFan]

B) As long as Roy and Rondo are alive, he is no better than the 3rd best player from that draft.

Which is why I posted "lottery pick". The fact that Rondo was picked at #21 is an argument for keeping a pick in that range instead of reaching into the top 4.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Which is why I posted "lottery pick". The fact that Rondo was picked at #21 is an argument for keeping a pick in that range instead of reaching into the top 4.

Actually isn't that an argument for trading into that exact 21st spot?

 

[oldmangrouch]

Not to nitpick, but he said second best lottery pick from that class. So Rondo doesn't qualify.

Which is why I posted "lottery pick". The fact that Rondo was picked at #21 is an argument for keeping a pick in that range instead of reaching into the top 4.

Touche' you little monsters!

(grumble grumble...picking on the old guy again...grumble grumble)

 

[BGrantFan]

Actually isn't that an argument for trading into that exact 21st spot?

No, it isn't.

 

[THE HCP]

I've mentioned this before, but only 4 PF's in this league averaged more PTS/REBS then LA. Just sayin'.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I've mentioned this before, but only 4 PF's in this league averaged more PTS/REBS then LA. Just sayin'.

I can appreciate what you're saying and I feel like there's this perception that I (and others) are bashing him or denigrating him and making him out to be a bad player (he's not) some of us just feel like the team needs more out of its number 2 guy, hopefully he can provide that moving forward ... I don't think he's getting traded FWIW.

 

[Blaze01]

I've mentioned this before, but only 4 PF's in this league averaged more PTS/REBS then LA. Just sayin'.

and where was he in the playoffs? Outside of game 4...He certainly didn't step up his game like an All-Star or a #1 option on his team...you know, max worthy salary type performances....

 

[axs88]

I've mentioned this before, but only 4 PF's in this league averaged more PTS/REBS then LA. Just sayin'.

You've mentioned this before but it's not true:
Bosh, Gasol, Stoudamire, Boozer, Randolph and Jamison all did it. That's 6 already. Then you have Lee who played C for NY but is a natural PF, and there are others.

Then there are a bunch of players who score more than him and rebound slightly less (Nowitzki) and vice versa. He's not a top 5 PF. Not saying we should get rid of him for potential (Cousins)... just saying.

I don't like these arbitrarily drawn stat lines... same stupid thing as with Evans ("only Oscar, MJ and James averaged 20/5/5 as rookies").

 

[BGrantFan]

You've mentioned this before but it's not true:
Bosh, Gasol, Stoudamire, Boozer, Randolph and Jamison all did it. That's 6 already. Then you have Lee who played C for NY but is a natural PF, and there are others.

Then there are a bunch of players who score more than him and rebound slightly less (Nowitzki) and vice versa. He's not a top 5 PF. Not saying we should get rid of him for potential (Cousins)... just saying.

I don't like these arbitrarily drawn stat lines... same stupid thing as with Evans ("only Oscar, MJ and James averaged 20/5/5 as rookies").

Gasol and Stoudemire played a lot of center this year, though. Perhaps that what he meant? Regardless, when you have to talk down statistics to advance an opinion...

 

[maxiep]

Rice said on Wheels at Work yesterday that the Trail Blazer brass told Oden they wanted him to stay in Portland and work with our trainers.

If I were Greg, my reply would be, "I prefer to be in Phoenix and work with the Suns' trainers".

 

[BGrantFan]

If I were Greg, my reply would be, "I prefer to be in Phoenix and work with the Suns' trainers".

Sure it would.

 

[maxiep]

This argument about Aldridge is kind of silly. Is he the perfect PF? No. Is he really damn good? You bet.

The problem with last year is with all our injuries, it became a lost season in terms of evaluation. I want to see Oden and Aldridge play together for an entire season before I come to a conclusion; I think that post-elbow combination can be lethal and that they're highly complimentary players. Although he's been here for three years, I don't think GO has ever gotten in a groove, nor have our players adjusted to him.

I happen to think his injuries fall into the "unlucky" as opposed to the "injury-prone" camp. I expect him to return and start playing 70+ game seasons from here on out. I also think that adjusting to him will cause us to struggle for the first half of the upcoming year. If all three stay healthy, I think our three man 4/5 combo can be the best in the league; even better than the L*kers'.

 

[maxiep]

Since this thread is also supposed to be about Przy, I think he's going to come back with the mobility of Ha Seung-Jin and will be most useful as an expiring contact. It's too bad; Przy has been one of my favorite Blazers.

 

[maxiep]

Sure it would.

You bet your ass it would. The Suns' training staff seems to work wonders. They successfully brought Amare back from MF, Nash plays like he's 28 and they got Grant Hill through an entire season.

Ours seems to make bad situations worse.

 

[HailBlazers]

My theory is AZ is more conducive to successful rehab

 

[Blaze01]

I just don't think that LA is as much to blame for the playoffs as people like you (apparently, sorry if I've confused you with others, but your post seems to be negative toward Aldridge) blame him to be

I disagree...

Aldridge was not entirely to blame for POR playoff series loss to PHX, but he certainly was a LARGE part of the reason why.

He was counted on to be that #1 option, of which he failed miserably at...He put up some hollow numbers IMO...and this is a guy who is getting a near max contract & who claims that he wants to be an All-Star, and when his team needed him to act like one, he wasn't there....

68.8% (19-64) of Aldridge's shot attempts were outside 10ft in the series....that is not acceptible if you are a 6'11 PF....and BTW, he shot a miserable 29.7% from that range...

Too often Aldridge settled for jump shots, too offten he passed up open looks, too often he was timid on offense...You CANNOT have your #1 or even #2 option PASS up shooting opportunities if you hope to win in the playoffs....

If you want to WIN a playoff series, then you need your best players to be able to STEP UP thier performance and deliver for thier team....Aldridge clearly did not...

In the 4 losses that POR had to PHX, PHX outscored POR by a combined 30 pts (avg 7.5pts) in the 1st quarter...Aldridge's combined shooting percentage was 23.5% (4-17), he shot 2-11 from outside 10ft, 2-6 inside 10ft...64.7% of his shots outside 10ft...see the trend here?


In fact in the 14 quarters where POR was outscored by PHX Aldridge shot 44.9% (22-49)...I would say respectable...However, if you subtract his stellar Game 4 performance...in the other 5 games he was 39.5% (15-38), 28% from outside 10ft (7-25), of which, again, 65% of his shot attempts were outside of 10ft...You cannot have one of your best players showing up every 3 or 4 games and expect to win a playoff series...

How about the microcosm of the 1st quarter of Game 5 for further reference?

With 6:48 to go in the 1st quarter POR has a 21-7 lead, Aldridge is 3-3...from 6:48 to the end of the 1st quarter, when PHX makes thier run, Aldridge goes 0-3, and his shots? a 16ft, 18ft & 16ft jumper....

So I don't want to hear about his playoff PER, or how he wasn't one of the MAIN reasons why POR lost thier playoff series, when a majority of the evidence proves otherwise...

 

[BGrantFan]

I disagree...

Great. We disagree.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I just need to get this off my chest.

I hold these beliefs in my head simultaneously:
1 - LaMarcus is a really good basketball player
2 - LaMarcus played some bad basketball in the playoffs this year
3 - LaMarcus was very well defended in the playoffs this year
4 - LaMarcus would have played better with a healthy Roy, a decent Rudy, or healthy Batum to take pressure off the double team
5 - Belief #4 is not a sign of anything other than some focused defense by Phoenix
6 - Because of injuries and ineffective players, Nate was unable to make any significant adjustments
7 - LaMarcus can still improve
8 - LaMarcus will improve
9 - LaMarcus does not suck


None of those are contradictory with observations of games or stats. They are a product of a mind that has accepted that Phoenix was a better team than Portland, with a focused gameplan and healthy, experienced, very talented players at their command. We had some healthy players, some experienced players, and some very talented players, but not one player that was all three at the same time. This can, should, and will change with time and patience.

LaMarcus is a piece of the puzzle. He can be 1b, 2, or 3 in the offensive scheme, depending on what he wants to do to improve. It's up to him, but I'm bullish on him improving significantly over the next three years. That's who I am.

 

[Blaze01]

Great. We disagree.

Nice out....

 

[BGrantFan]

Nice out....

Disagreeing with your opinion is an "out".

Mmmkay...