Our Big 3

[Boob-No-More]

With all this talk of Super Teams (Miami, the Lakers, Knicks, etc.), I find it interesting that our Portland Trail Blazers currently have the top scoring trio in the entire league. It's not the Heatles, the Lakers, the Thunder or the Knicks, it's the young, rebuilding Blazers.

The 91 points combined points by Batum, Aldridge and Lillard is the highest point total by three teammates so far this season.

We have three players in the top 16 in scoring average. No other team has three players in the top 20 - not the Lakers, not Miami, not the Clippers, not the Spurs, not the Knicks, not OKC and not the league leading Memphis Grizzlies.

Here's the leading scoring trios in the NBA:

Portland Trail Blazers:
LaMarcus Aldridge - 21.4
Nicolas Batum - 20.6
Damian Lillard - 19.3
Total = 61.3

Oklahoma City Thunder:
Kevin Durant - 24.5
Russell Westbrook - 19.6
Kevin Martin - 17.1
Total = 61.2

Miami Heat:
LeBron James - 24.8
Chris Bosh - 19.2
Dwyane Wade - 16.9
Total = 60.9

Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 26.9
Dwight Howard - 19.1
Pau Gasol - 14.0
Total = 60.0

Los Angeles Clippers:
Jamaal Crawford - 20.5
Chris Paul - 17.0
Blake Griffin - 16.3
Total = 53.8

Memphis Grizzlies:
Rudy Gay - 20.3
Zach Randolph - 17.1
Marc Gasol - 15.4
Total = 52.8

Looks like we found our Big 3. And our Big 3 is the youngest on that list.

Portland Trail Blazers:
LaMarcus Aldridge - 27
Nicolas Batum - 24
Damian Lillard - 22
Average Age = 24.33

Oklahoma City Thunder:
Kevin Durant - 24
Russell Westbrook - 24
Kevin Martin - 29
Average Age = 25.67

Miami Heat:
LeBron James - 28
Chris Bosh - 28
Dwyane Wade - 31
Average Age = 29.00

Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 34
Dwight Howard - 27
Pau Gasol - 32
Total = 31.00

Los Angeles Clippers:
Jamaal Crawford - 32
Chris Paul - 27
Blake Griffin - 23
Average Age = 27.33

Memphis Grizzlies:
Rudy Gay - 26
Zach Randolph - 31
Marc Gasol - 28
Total = 28.33

All stats and ages courtesy of basketball-reference.com.

OKC REALLY did sacrifice their young core when they gave up Harden. If they had kept Harden, they'd definitely be at the top of that list, in both combined scoring and average age. Kevin Martin is "only 29", but he's a very fragile 29. Harden is better, 6 years younger and much more durable. Thank god Clay Bennett is a cheapskate motherfucker. He could have built a dynasty, but he'd rather save a few bucks - even though he owns one of the most profitable franchises in the league. OKC could have maxed out Harden and still made a profit, but they elected to sacrifice on court performance to make even more money. Good job, and thank you Clay Bennett!

I know it's early (small sample size = 9 games) and our guys are playing big minutes. So, I'm not ready to declare them the best Big 3 in the league just yet, but it certainly bodes well for the future to have three young players producing at such a high level.

BNM

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Holy shit... Olshey must be creaming his shorts now that his biggest worry is finding a bench that doesn't blow chunks.

 

[ABM]

Partially due to the fact that the Blazers have zero bench (Leonard notwithstanding)

Minutes are gonna kill these guys over time. They're relatively young, though. I remember when Bird, McHale, and Parrish use to average well over 40 minutes each.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Although I agree it's early I believe those are numbers that all 3 can be close to. What pisses me off is it once again points to just how horrible our bench is. But I'm excited to have such a good YOUNG core. And 2 of the 3 are already paid.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Holy shit... Olshey must be creaming his shorts now that his biggest worry is finding a bench that doesn't blow chunks.

Yep, and we also have a very young, very raw, very active 7'1" super athletic center that can already rebound and block shots. And, we will likely have another lottery pick and a shit load of cap space to help fill out that bench.

BNM

 

[julius]

four things come to my mind when I see this.

1. sweet! Now if LaMarcus could rebound to save his life...
2. Thank GOD McMillan isn't the coach
3. The top 3 make scoring at their pace, granted it is still early, makes me considerably more secure about the future than I was 2 months ago.
4. Imagine if they had a bench.

 

[Natebishop3]

This summer I'm hoping we can add a better backup point guard, a starting shooting guard so we can move Wes to the bench, and someone that can reliably score as a reserve. I like the idea of adding Reddick.

I think we'll end up with another lotto pick, but not a good enough pick to get another star, so I suspect we'll use our mid-range lotto as a trade chip.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Partially due to the fact that the Blazers have zero bench (Leonard notwithstanding)

Very true - for now. But filling out a bench is a LOT easier than getting a trio of 20ppg scorers.

Minutes are gonna kill these guys over time. They're relatively young, though.

I'm not so sure that's true. Aldridge is already used to playing big minutes. He's been among the league leaders in MPG for several years in a row now. Everyone around here was constantly BEGGING for Nate to give Nic more minutes for the last several seasons, and Lillard was used to carrying the load, the ENTIRE load at Weber State. And, I personally believe the rookie wall is much more mental than physical. Chris Paul didn't hit the rookie wall, neither did Brandon Roy, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, etc. Those guys actually saw their productivity increase late in their rookie years. And, Lillard seems to have that same mental toughness that will get him through March and April.

I remember when Bird, McHale, and Parrish use to average well over 40 minutes each.

Yep and they were old and won 3 championships doing it.

BNM

 

[julius]

Take out the OKC game, and Nic is averaging 23.25 ppg.

Shooting 51.16% from the floor and 41% from 3 and 6.875 rebounds per game. Interesting to think about how that 1 game was such a HUGE difference from the rest of his stats.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Take out the OKC game, and Nic is averaging 23.25 ppg.

Shooting 51.16% from the floor and 41% from 3 and 6.875 rebounds per game. Interesting to think about how that 1 game was such a HUGE difference from the rest of his stats.

Yep, right now that's 1 awful game out of 9. But, by the end of the season, it will become 1 in 82 and not drag down his averages nearly as much. And, that's the best thing about New Nic. He's only had a single bad game out of 9 games. In the past, it seemed like he often disappeared for 3 or 4 games for every good game he had. Now, he's posting good, to great, games 8 times out of 9.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

double post, grrr...

 

[BrianFromWA]

The perils of small sample size Olympics...

 

[Boob-No-More]

The perils of small sample size Olympics...

Well, it is 11% of a complete season!

BNM

 

[julius]

The perils of small sample size Olympics...

thats what an old girlfriend of mine once said about m...er....I banged mrs HCP!

 

[Natebishop3]

The perils of small sample size Olympics...

I would agree, except I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that all three guys will be able to keep sustain this output. Barring injury, I think all three could be close to 20 ppg by the end of the season. It reminds me of the old Milwaukee teams with Cassell, Robinson, and Ray Allen.

Incidentally, I was looking through the stats on those old Milwaukee teams and:

Ray Allen - 21.8 ppg
Glenn Robinson - 20.7 ppg
Sam Cassell - 19.7 ppg

LaMarcus Aldridge - 21.4
Nicolas Batum - 20.6
Damian Lillard - 19.3

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Dwayne Wade is rapidly breaking down. I wonder if Lebron will be stuck on one championship.

If we had someone like Omer Asik at center, we'd be golden. He can't score at the rim like AT ALL, but he's a defensive monster, AS WELL as rebounding like JJ. (And oddly, he hits his free throws.)

Is Wes what we want at SG? His defense seems to have picked back up and he bangs down a few threes. But I still wish he could dribble a bit better.

 

[Natebishop3]

Dwayne Wade is rapidly breaking down. I wonder if Lebron will be stuck on one championship.

If we had someone like Omer Asik at center, we'd be golden. He can't score at the rim like AT ALL, but he's a defensive monster, AS WELL as rebounding like JJ. (And oddly, he hits his free throws.)

Is Wes what we want at SG? His defense seems to have picked back up and he bangs down a few threes. But I still wish he could dribble a bit better.

The problem with Wes is that he plays out of control. He reminds me of Ruben Patterson a bit. Completely out of control, which sometimes was a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

The problem with Wes is that he plays out of control. He reminds me of Ruben Patterson a bit. Completely out of control, which sometimes was a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

I don't see him as out of control.

As to our "big 3", that's fine so long as there's a bench to back them up.

 

[Denny Crane]

Here's the leading scoring trios in the NBA:

Portland Trail Blazers:
LaMarcus Aldridge - 21.4
Nicolas Batum - 20.6
Damian Lillard - 19.3
Total = 61.3

Oklahoma City Thunder:
Kevin Durant - 24.5 <-----
Russell Westbrook - 19.6
Kevin Martin - 17.1
Total = 61.2

Miami Heat:
LeBron James - 24.8 <----
Chris Bosh - 19.2
Dwyane Wade - 16.9
Total = 60.9

Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - 26.9 <---
Dwight Howard - 19.1
Pau Gasol - 14.0
Total = 60.0

BNM

I think having one of the three who can carry a team is the difference.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think having one of the three who can carry a team is the difference.

I think Lillard could be that guy. He absolutely took over in the 4th quarter last night, and it's not the first time he's done it this season.

 

[Denny Crane]

Lillard could be. I don't think he's in the discussion for being a top 3 player in the league though. He is in the discussion for ROY, and deservedly so.

 

[Natebishop3]

Lillard could be. I don't think he's in the discussion for being a top 3 player in the league though. He is in the discussion for ROY, and deservedly so.

Well that's really the whole point. Our "big three" has the talent to be one of the best in the league, they just need a little time.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I think having one of the three who can carry a team is the difference.

Well, that's not necessarily a requirement. It is still possible to win a title without a top 3 player in the league. The Celtics won with Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen sharing the scoring burden and the Pistons won without a single player averaging 20ppg.

And, as I pointed out, our Big 3 is the youngest on the list and still has time to improve.

In spite of David Stern's corruption of the game to favor certain players and teams, basketball is still played 5-on-5. The best player doesn't necessarily win the title. Otherwise, we could just skip the playoffs and give the title to the team with the regular season MVP.

Yeah, it's nice to have a top 3 player in the league on your roster, but given there are only 3 of those around at any given time, having three 20ppg scorers isn't a bad fall back plan.

BNM

 

[Pinwheel1]

We talk about how bad the bench is , and yes it does not look good, but at least there is no one who is shooting a lot with a bad percentage. Sure 0-1 or 1-3 every night will not add up very well over the course of a season, but they know who their scorers are on this team, and they are allowing those guys to shoot.

There is usually always a starter in the game with the bench, and those guys are shooting. Look at the box score and you hardly see any shots being put up by the bench. Which is fine by me until they add another scorer.

 

[HailBlazers]

Great Thread Boob! Repped. Been saying this for a while, we now have our big three.

This summer I'm hoping we can add a better backup point guard, a starting shooting guard so we can move Wes to the bench, and someone that can reliably score as a reserve.

Unless you find a starting shooting guard like Harden (who can play both offense and D), we can't afford to not have Wes guarding the opposing teams best player.

Yes Wes needs to watch some tape and smooth out his offensive game, but with the big three we don't need an epic scorer at the starting SG spot. What we need is a spark plug instant offense SG off the bench.

 

[magnifier661]

Partially due to the fact that the Blazers have zero bench (Leonard notwithstanding)

Minutes are gonna kill these guys over time. They're relatively young, though. I remember when Bird, McHale, and Parrish use to average well over 40 minutes each.

Well looking at the two below Portland; their bench sucks badly too. We need role players to work with our starters. And keep in mind we have another player averaging 14+ points (matthews).

 

[Boob-No-More]

Great Thread Boob! Repped. Been saying this for a while, we now have our big three.

Thanks!

Unless you find a starting shooting guard like Harden (who can play both offense and D), we can't afford to not have Wes guarding the opposing teams best player.

Yes Wes needs to watch some tape and smooth out his offensive game, but with the big three we don't need an epic scorer at the starting SG spot. What we need is a spark plug instant offense SG off the bench.

Of course, if we luck out in the lottery and get Muhammad, or fall ass backwards into lopsided trade like Houston did for Harden you do it. But until then, I'm fine with Wes Matthews as our starting SG. He's averaging a career high 16.1ppg (32nd in the entire league) as our 4th option and I REALLY like the defensive intensity he's bringing. The guy is only 26, works really hard in the off season, doesn't complain and brings the energy every night.

Let the young guys, Batum, Lillard and especially Leonard, continue to improve add another quality player through the draft, free agency, or a lopsided trade for cap space, and bolster our sucky bench, and this can be a VERY good team in a couple years - and all our key players will still be under 30!

BNM

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Agreed. I'm perfectly content with Matthews as a 4th-option starting 2. Sefalosha plus.

 

[KingSpeed]

Well, that's not necessarily a requirement. It is still possible to win a title without a top 3 player in the league. The Celtics won with Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen sharing the scoring burden and the Pistons won without a single player averaging 20ppg.

And, as I pointed out, our Big 3 is the youngest on the list and still has time to improve.

In spite of David Stern's corruption of the game to favor certain players and teams, basketball is still played 5-on-5. The best player doesn't necessarily win the title. Otherwise, we could just skip the playoffs and give the title to the team with the regular season MVP.

Yeah, it's nice to have a top 3 player in the league on your roster, but given there are only 3 of those around at any given time, having three 20ppg scorers isn't a bad fall back plan.

BNM

In Fantasy Rankings, Batum is 2nd in the league.

 

[julius]

In Fantasy Rankings, Batum is 2nd in the league.

sweet! Let's hang the Fantasy NBA Championship Banner!