PDX Roundball Society: "The Hard Truths"

[Nikolokolus]

A really nicely written piece on Roy and the predicament the team finds itself in

http://www.portlandroundballsociety...ard-truths-its-time-to-bench-brandon-roy.html

Getting beat Sunday in New Jersey was atrocious, but not really surprising—The Blazers have lost Hope.

That belief—if they just held on a little longer things would get better—vanished along with Brandon Roy’s meniscus and the reason why Greg Oden’s bones suddenly break. Like the American body politic, the Blazers aren’t confident about the future.

Changing that course is going to take courage and an admission of fault no one in the Blazers organization seems ready to own at this point. To accept this role would mean knowingly entering into a world that’s going to get worse before it gets better.

. . .

Brandon Roy should come off the bench.

It makes all kinds of sense. Limiting Roy’s minutes, as the Blazers already are, would give his knees time to rest. It would be a fine way to see if, under less demand, Roy could find a way to operate within the confines of his injury—one that’s supposed to dog him the rest of his career. In the last three games, Roy has been considerably more potent early in games—as if the injury and minutes become heavier weights to carry down the stretch. Certainly tired legs miss jump shots.

In a sixth man role, however, Roy could be an explosive scorer, tearing through lesser opposing bench players. The young Batum and Matthews, who looked downright Roy-like in his stead, would get time to grow. The Blazers could work on expanding their offensive schemes. In other words, it’s time to look to the future.

But a few realities, both in terms of marketing and politics, pretty much preclude this from happening. Everyone would scream: “you can’t put a three-time All-Star, team captain and max-salary guy on the bench!”

. . .

For now, the best change the Blazers could make in trying to plan for a more productive future is to bring Brandon Roy off the bench, while studying closely the limits and remedies for his aching knees.

It’d take someone cooler than a polar bear’s toe-nail to pull it off. They’d have to be super bad—the kind of person who tells an unwilling public the hard truths, coalescing acceptance that difficult sacrifices will be needed from everyone.

 

[handiman]

Everyone assumes Roy would score at will on bench players, but any opposing coach would instantly recognize the benefit of changing their normal rotation to keep a good defender on him. I don't see that it would make much difference, unless Matthews and Batum improve in the process.

 

[HailBlazers]

unless Matthews and Batum improve in the process.

Definitely needs to happen, so I say go for it. An up-tempo unit with intense defense is what we need from our 1st unit. We have to hit the accelerator when we get a lead for a change.

On offense when the ball moves they take good shots, when it doesn't they don't, it's really that simple. We've been straight up stagnant in the fourth.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Definitely needs to happen, so I say go for it. An up-tempo unit with intense defense is what we need from our 1st unit. We have to hit the accelerator when we get a lead for a change.

On offense when the ball moves they take good shots, when it doesn't they don't, it's really that simple. We've been straight up stagnant in the fourth.

The team wasn't flawless by any stretch of the imagination with Roy out, but they did play much better defense, players cut and moved off the ball and there was less standing around (and they did manage to beat Denver and Memphis)

Bottome line: Roy as a starter as the head of the spear (so to speak) is killing this team.

 

[e_blazer]

I don't know about a traditional 6th man role for Roy if that means having him play against the other team's second unit. We need his skills against the opposition's best players otherwise we're just playing lesser talent against better talent. I could, however, see him being used as a 4th quarter specialist. Play him only minor minutes, if at all, in the first 3 quarters and tell him to save his energy and knees for the 4th quarter.

 

[HailBlazers]

I don't know about a traditional 6th man role for Roy if that means having him play against the other team's second unit. We need his skills against the opposition's best players otherwise we're just playing lesser talent against better talent.

I think Roy needs to be a 6th man until he can adapt his game, and/or get his mojo back. It's glaringly apparent he needs to transform his game if he intends to be our 4th quarter closer, hell even last year it was apparent he was working too hard.

If our defense is good enough on the oppositions best players I believe we'll be able to create with an up-tempo offense on the other end. LMA commands a double team, and both Wes and Dre can create off the dribble. IF the movement is good I have no doubt we can hang.

 

[Spud147]

I don't know about a traditional 6th man role for Roy if that means having him play against the other team's second unit. We need his skills against the opposition's best players otherwise we're just playing lesser talent against better talent. I could, however, see him being used as a 4th quarter specialist. Play him only minor minutes, if at all, in the first 3 quarters and tell him to save his energy and knees for the 4th quarter.

This makes the most sense to me. Use the Houston Yao model with strict hour limitations. I think Roy can be almost as effective as he used to be if they use him more efficiently like this. It may also be a way to extend his career as well. Brandon still has the valuable leadership and basketball IQ and those are qualities are difficult to replace

 

[BlazerCaravan]

This makes the most sense to me. Use the Houston Yao model with strict hour limitations. I think Roy can be almost as effective as he used to be if they use him more efficiently like this. It may also be a way to extend his career as well. Brandon still has the valuable leadership and basketball IQ and those are qualities are difficult to replace

Interesting... so it would be something like a strict 24-minute per game limit, no back-to-backs, etc?

Though I don't get the notion that Roy has to go up against better defenders for his points to count more; they count the same regardless... to me it seems like he'd score more of those points against the other team's bench than against their starters. It's not like he's bringing defense to the table. That said, I would definitely sub him in for the last 3-5 minutes of a close game, just like we do with Rudy sometimes now, subbing out Camby and making MA play center on offense, then subbing Camby back in on defense.

I still like Roy off the bench a little more than Roy as a limited starter.