Portland Tribune discusses Andre vs. Blake

[illmatic99]

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125918372848717000

Stupid quote from the coach

McMillan says Miller is adjusting to his teammates, and vice versa.

“I think he will get better when he figures out exactly how he can run this team and be productive,” McMillan says. “For a number of years, he hasn’t played with a center or power forward. There’s an adjustment for how he distributes the ball, his touches, how he gets himself involved.”

I’m not sure of the relevance of the comment about not having played with a center or power forward. Miller seems to find Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge with his passes just fine.

Miller adds:

If allowed to, Miller would mesh nicely with Roy in the Blazer backcourt. And perhaps Roy would grow better at moving without the ball and get some nice cuts for easy layups.

McMillan isn’t making that happen, at least not yet. When I ask Miller about that, he pauses, and then seems to reveal a little too much when he answers, “He’ll probably never get an idea of how I am as a person or a player. You have to kind of feel your way through it.”

 

[ironcrotch]

What I don't get is that the expectation that the entire team needs to adjust to Miller rather then the other way around? I understand utilizing your players strengths but when it causes this kind of polarity amongst the team, fans, etc. for a 10 year veteran that arguably was brought in here as a missing piece. The way everyone speaks of Miller, he was our superstar acquisition over the summer that's going to save the team.

 

[illmatic99]

It's not the entire team that needs to adjust to Miller. It's just Roy. And Nate. Miller unarguably makes Aldridge and Oden better as a PG than Blake does, and his propensity to push the tempo will help this team against better defensive opponents in the playoffs. Starting an inferior player because of Roy's inability to accept change (even if it's good for the team in the long run, no matter how difficult it is now) seems silly to me.

Also, I don't think there's any polarity amongst the fans. Almost all of us want Miller to start and play more minutes over Blake.

 

[Luther]

It does make sense for Roy to learn to move without the ball...Does he think he is above that or something? Andre made Iggy a lot better while he was in Philly. He is a much better leader than Blake and it seems like he handles pressure very well...Blake on the other hand is not a leader and when he gets trapped he loses his cool...I don't see why Miller and Roy shouldn't play together more.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Roy is having a tough time playing with a real PG.

Hmm, maybe Ricky Rubio to Portland is a bad idea. It's becoming clear that Roy needs a backcourt mate who can just defend and hit open jumpers. And don't say that's Steve Freaking Blake.

 

[cdub503]

Roy is having a tough time playing with a real PG.

Hmm, maybe Ricky Rubio to Portland is a bad idea. It's becoming clear that Roy needs a backcourt mate who can just defend and hit open jumpers. And don't say that's Steve Freaking Blake.

tis bayless!

 

[Kaydow]

It's not the entire team that needs to adjust to Miller. It's just Roy. And Nate. Miller unarguably makes Aldridge and Oden better as a PG than Blake does, and his propensity to push the tempo will help this team against better defensive opponents in the playoffs. Starting an inferior player because of Roy's inability to accept change (even if it's good for the team in the long run, no matter how difficult it is now) seems silly to me.

Also, I don't think there's any polarity amongst the fans. Almost all of us want Miller to start and play more minutes over Blake.

The jury is still out on this for me. The last two games Dre' has looked fantastic with the 2nd unit. With Travis out, and Rudy being so hot/cold you need offense off the bench. In the last two games Miller is averaging 13 Pts, 5.5 Assists, 1 t/o, and has gotten to the line 15 times.

I don't think it's a bad idea to start Blake for now, and let Andre run the 2nd unit. I don't want to see Blake playing with Rudy, Cunningham, & Pryz. Not enough offense. I am stuck on who finishes games however. My first thought is to see how the flow of the game is going, who has the hot hand, and the match-up. But I wonder how it will affect the team continuity because Blake and Miller have such totally different games. In order to execute offensively down the stretch when defenses tighten up, you have to know where you want to go with each possession. Obviously with Blake in there, Roy is going to have the ball more times than not. With Miller in there that changes. I've seen a lot of confusion offensively this season late in games. That is a concern.

 

[BBert]

Stupid quote from the coach

McMillan says Miller is adjusting to his teammates, and vice versa.

“I think he will get better when he figures out exactly how he can run this team and be productive,” McMillan says. “For a number of years, he hasn’t played with a center or power forward. There’s an adjustment for how he distributes the ball, his touches, how he gets himself involved.”

Miller > Nate

 

[mook]

I'm becoming a bigger fan of Andre Miller every day. The guy has tried to say all the right things. Not easy when you're highly introverted by nature--when you are as shy as he seems to be, everything becomes much more magnified because he says so little, and what little is said can be so easily misinterpreted.

How many other 10 year point guards still in their prime and having started their entire career would take this kind of demotion so well? To be playing behind one of the 5 worst starting point guards in the league, in a year where that PG has been in a shooting slump....

After years of playing on talentless or poorly composed rosters, he finally gets his chance to shine on a quality team and Steve Fucking Blake (and Nate McMillan) aren't even giving him one single regular season game to show he should be the starting PG in a traditional lineup.

Imagine if it were Damon Stoudamire and not Andre Miller.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

tis bayless!

The one thing holding him back from that is his jumper. He's mainly just a slashing SG right now. Not exactly an ideal fit next to a drive-n-dish guard like Roy.

 

[Boob-No-More]

It's not the entire team that needs to adjust to Miller. It's just Roy. And Nate.

Has Roy has even had a chance to play, in the backourt, with Miller to see if any adjustment is needed? The 3 guard line-up was stupid as it forced both Roy and Blake to play out of position on offense and Roy and Miller to play out of position on defense. Roy didn't like it, and I don't blame him. It was stupid from the start and just an excuse to keep Blake in the starting line-up.

I get that Nate is loyal to Blake, but at some point, you need to do what's best for the team. At the rate we're going, we may never know if Roy and Miller can co-exist in the starting backcourt. We haven't seen it yet. We know starting Roy at small forward doesn't work well, but that has nothing to do with Andre Miller. Until we actually see a starting backcourt of Roy and Miller, I'd say the jury is still out on whether or not they can coexist.

BNM

 

[Minstrel]

I don't think it's a bad idea to start Blake for now, and let Andre run the 2nd unit.

There is no "second unit." It looks like it on paper, but when do coaches ever pull the entire starting group and put in the entire second unit (outside of garbage time)? And even if it does happen occasionally, no NBA team then subs back in the entire first unit and just rotates between the two "units."

Reserves and starters are mixed and matched throughout the game. There's no "second unit" that plays together as cohesive unit that Miller can "lead" or "run." Starters are generally just the players who play the most minutes, though there's nothing that says that has to be true. Also starters play together as a unit at the start, until the substitutions begin. Miller has been playing with mixes of reserves and starters the last two games...just as he did before that. He's not in some "new role," he's just getting less minutes than he should, as far as I'm concerned.

While it looks strange to have Miller come off the bench when he's the team's best player at that position, "starting" doesn't have a ton of game impact. What has the real game impact is minutes played. Miller and Blake seem to be getting equal minutes, which would be fine if they were equal players...but they aren't. I really don't care if Miller "starts." I want Miller to get 30+ minutes per game.

 

[illmatic99]

Until we actually see a starting backcourt of Roy and Miller, I'd say the jury is still out on whether or not they can coexist.

BNM

Absolutely true.

It's baffling to me that Nate has yet to try this.

 

[illmatic99]

There is no "second unit." It looks like it on paper, but when do coaches ever pull the entire starting group and put in the entire second unit (outside of garbage time)? And even if it does happen occasionally, no NBA team then subs back in the entire first unit and just rotates between the two "units."

Reserves and starters are mixed and matched throughout the game. There's no "second unit" that plays together as cohesive unit that Miller can "lead" or "run." Starters are generally just the players who play the most minutes, though there's nothing that says that has to be true. Also starters play together as a unit at the start, until the substitutions begin. Miller has been playing with mixes of reserves and starters the last two games...just as he did before that. He's not in some "new role," he's just getting less minutes than he should, as far as I'm concerned.

While it looks strange to have Miller come off the bench when he's the team's best player at that position, "starting" doesn't have a ton of game impact. What has the real game impact is minutes played. Miller and Blake seem to be getting equal minutes, which would be fine if they were equal players...but they aren't. I really don't care if Miller "starts." I want Miller to get 30+ minutes per game.

If Miller doesn't start, he gets fewer minutes with Oden, who we know for a fact, is more productive WITH Miller, rather than with Blake. I'd say that impacts the game quite a bit.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Absolutely true.

It's baffling to me that Nate has yet to try this.

He's perfectly willing to try all kinds of other stupid off-the-wall crap, but steadfastly against even considering trying the most obvious option.

Makes you wonder exactly what dirt or incriminating evidence Steve Blake has on Nate.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

If Miller doesn't start, he gets fewer minutes with Oden, who we know for a fact, is more productive WITH Miller, rather than with Blake. I'd say that impacts the game quite a bit.

Bingo! I'd love to see Miller feeding Oden during first six minutes of the game to get the big guy going early. I like seeing Oden dominate in the 4th quarter, too, but why not both? Get him involved and engaged early.

BNM

 

[Sedatedfork]

Question: Which makes more sense?

A. Start Blake and Bench Andre

B. Start Andre and Rudy, bench Blake and Roy

 

[axs88]

Question: Which makes more sense?

A. Start Blake and Bench Andre

B. Start Andre and Rudy, bench Blake and Roy

C. Try starting Roy with Andre for at least one fucking game before declaring it can't work.

 

[Idog1976]

Question: Which makes more sense?

A. Start Blake and Bench Andre

B. Start Andre and Rudy, bench Blake and Roy

Roy looks insane in that pic. LOL.

 

[Idog1976]

C. Try starting Roy with Andre for at least one fucking game before declaring it can't work.

WHOA WHOA, that would make sense. I think you want a different forum/team.

 

[Ed O]

I will lend my voice to the chorus that simply does not understand why Nate won't TRY starting Miller with Roy. And Webster. And Aldridge and Oden.

We've had a great opportunity to do it with this super-soft schedule. We would/will invariably have some difficulties that we could have overcome based on the weakness of the teams we play against. Instead, Nate has inexplicably (and, IMO, inexcusably) decided NOT to do that. If/when he does, it will be against tougher teams and have a lower chance of working.

Ed O.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I am convinced that Roy and Mller will work just fine together. Rice said it best when Miller hit a 15-18 foot set shot: "You don't have to stand at the three point line to spread the floor" (or something to that effect).

Plus I think with Martel, Rudy or LMA in the game, Brandon has other options to drive and dish.

On the other hand I don't give a flying f@#$ if Miller starts or not. I want him in the game at the end of the 1st/start of the 2nd and the end of the 3rd/and most of the 4th.

 

[handiman]

There is no "second unit." It looks like it on paper, but when do coaches ever pull the entire starting group and put in the entire second unit (outside of garbage time)? And even if it does happen occasionally, no NBA team then subs back in the entire first unit and just rotates between the two "units."

Reserves and starters are mixed and matched throughout the game. There's no "second unit" that plays together as cohesive unit that Miller can "lead" or "run." Starters are generally just the players who play the most minutes, though there's nothing that says that has to be true. Also starters play together as a unit at the start, until the substitutions begin. Miller has been playing with mixes of reserves and starters the last two games...just as he did before that. He's not in some "new role," he's just getting less minutes than he should, as far as I'm concerned.

Actually, McMillan was quite bad at running that mind-boggling platoon system until fairly recently. Maybe he thinks Miller can run the 2nd unit because he (Nate) still isn't used to running a more conventional substitution pattern?

My hunch is that the handling of Miller's signing/usage will be what gets McMillan fired within the year. For all the gushing over Miller's knowledge after that Vegas recruitment, what I want to know is, who exactly were they so excited about him making better? It can't have been all bench players, can it? Then why is that all that McMillan appears willing to let Miller play alongside?

 

[Boob-No-More]

I will lend my voice to the chorus that simply does not understand why Nate won't TRY starting Miller with Roy. And Webster. And Aldridge and Oden.

We've had a great opportunity to do it with this super-soft schedule. We would/will invariably have some difficulties that we could have overcome based on the weakness of the teams we play against. Instead, Nate has inexplicably (and, IMO, inexcusably) decided NOT to do that. If/when he does, it will be against tougher teams and have a lower chance of working.

Ed O.

Very well put, good sir.

I'm not usually a Nate basher, be he seems bound and determined to make me one.

He was perfectly willing to go with that idiotic 3 guard starting line-up that had 40% of the team, including our best player, playing out of position at both ends of the court, but he won't even TRY starting our best SG and best PG together, at their natural positions for a single game.

Pretty fucking idiotic if you ask me.

BNM

 

[Driew]

I really wish McMillan would just start Andre in place of Blake for at LEAST one game. I don't care if we lose that game by 200 points. I want to see Miller and Roy start the game together.

Egad...although our bench is vanilla haha:

Blake
Rudy
Bayless
Cunningham
Pryzbilla

Our second unit is going to struggle even more...

 

[Minstrel]

If Miller doesn't start, he gets fewer minutes with Oden, who we know for a fact, is more productive WITH Miller, rather than with Blake. I'd say that impacts the game quite a bit.

Yeah, that's true. Miller missing those first six minutes with Oden is a pain.

 

[Minstrel]

Actually, McMillan was quite bad at running that mind-boggling platoon system until fairly recently. Maybe he thinks Miller can run the 2nd unit because he (Nate) still isn't used to running a more conventional substitution pattern?

In past seasons I thought so, but this year he's been mixing personnel more, it seems to me. Miller seems to have been on the floor with different mixes of players. Which is fine, but I want Miller on the floor with Oden as much as possible and playing 30+ minutes (in competitive games).

 

[Boob-No-More]

I really wish McMillan would just start Andre in place of Blake for at LEAST one game. I don't care if we lose that game by 200 points. I want to see Miller and Roy start the game together.

Egad...although our bench is vanilla haha:

Blake
Rudy
Bayless
Cunningham
Pryzbilla

Our second unit is going to struggle even more...

The second unit will miss Outlaw's scoring regardless if Miller or Blake is the PG. Joel would benefit from playing with Miller, but I'd rather Oden receive that benefit. Bayless has a similar penetrate and draw fouls style to Miller. So, the two of them are a bit redundant.

Besides, other than garbage time, there will always be at least one or two starters (usually at least one of Aldridge or Roy) on the floor with the "second unit" anyway. So, it's not like we will have five guys who can't score out there together. I'd much rather optimize the performance of our starters - especially Oden, even if it means we sacrifice a little "second unit" scoring.

BNM

 

[handiman]

In past seasons I thought so, but this year he's been mixing personnel more, it seems to me. Miller seems to have been on the floor with different mixes of players. Which is fine, but I want Miller on the floor with Oden as much as possible and playing 30+ minutes (in competitive games).

Agreed. I was referring to Nate's system up through at least the middle of last year, which seems to be what he's still referring to when he talks about Miller and the 2nd unit, even though he doesn't really run it anymore.

 

[Nikolokolus]

If Nate can't devise a system that allows basketball players as talented and 'hoops smart' as Miller, Roy, Aldridge and Oden then I have not a whole lot of faith the he'll be able to make a lot of in game adjustments and game to game adjustments that a 7 game playoff series requires.

I won't claim to be some coaching expert, and know the exact answer for how to get these players comfortable and producing at maximum effectiveness, but I know it when something isn't working and right now I see some fairly glaring holes in the game plan -- either in KPs ability to assemble complimentary talent or in Nate's ability to form a system complimentary of a roster's strengths.