Quick says loss of Outlaw will kill our running game.

[Haakzilla]

TO must GO

 

[Natebishop3]

This love fest between Nate, Roy, Outlaw and Blake can't end soon enough as far as I am concerned....


I hope Allen puts his foot down again and tells Pritchard NO to resigning Outlaw & Blake....take those two crutches away from Nate\Roy and they might actually start thinking\doing what is bes for THE TEAM.....

I am Nate Bishop, and I approve of this message.

 

[andalusian]

This love fest between Nate, Roy, Outlaw and Blake can't end soon enough as far as I am concerned....

Clearly it is not working. We are only at 8-3 and at a 6 straight wins streak.

What are you, a Lakers fan?

When it stops working - there is a point, until then, enjoy the ride.

 

[BBert]

Jason Quick does like his melodrama. He seemingly can't write without it.

On another note, I am shocked -- shocked -- that nobody started a thread about this tidbit, followed by a very clever smiley:

"For me, that's my best friend on the team," So it's going to be different for me. We not only have to fill that void on the court, I will have to fill that void for me off the court. It gets lonely on the road."

"It gets lonely on the road." Indeed.

 

[BBert]

The loss of Outlaw will kill our running game? That's rich. I echo those who say Travis had nothing to do, on either end of the court, with what little running game we have.

I will concede that Travis does have the ability to get his shot off whenever he wants, which is a good thing, and that he can get on a hot streak, which is a good thing. Other than that, I just have this calm feeling that we won't miss Travis much.

Our plethora of guards isn't going to help our already thin lineup at PF. But LaMarcus can play more minutes and Howard can fill in and I won't be surprised if Dante Cunningham doesn't rise to the occassion, if he gets a chance.

No worries man!

 

[Ed O]

Clearly it is not working. We are only at 8-3 and at a 6 straight wins streak.

What are you, a Lakers fan?

When it stops working - there is a point, until then, enjoy the ride.

So everything is working because of our record? Really?

Ed O.

 

[BrianFromWA]

54 wins says so, Ed!!!!

On another note, this is further confirmation to me that I don't go to Quick for his analysis acumen. Has such good access ever been this wasted? What would Halberstam or Feinstein do with this team, this story, this ride?

 

[BenDavis503]

I am glad this happened. We get to see how our team is without the beloved Outlaw. Not glad Travis is injured, glad we get to see what the team is like without him.

 

[andalusian]

So everything is working because of our record? Really?

Everything? No. But with Blake out there our first unit is doing fine and the team is winning.

The spacing is there, the ball handling is there and someone to run after the point guards is there, to a point.

And ignoring what Outlaw brings to the table is just silly, imho. Sure, he makes mistakes, sure he is not the world's greatest defender - but that's why he is a backup who is paid like one - and he can do things that few players on our team can do. He can shoot the ball very well.

What you are telling me is: Outlaw and Blake are bad and because of that we should ignore our record. But, with the record being consistently and repeatedly good with these guys - maybe, just maybe, the results show that your analysis is wrong, not the other way around.

 

[MARIS61]

Aside from Travis, only Rudy, Greg, and Martell are comfortable with a true fastbreaking game.

Since we've not come even close to having a running game this season, I don't see that as a problem. Travis was often ignored for the outlet pass by Miller and Blake anyway, while they dribbled upcourt.

 

[magnifier661]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/11/foot_injury_sidelines_outlaw_t.html

Nate, Roy, and of course, Travis are very upset.

I don't envision Howard racing up and down the court. This really sucks. I hope we're deep enough to deal with it. I'm sorry Roy loses his friend on the road.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Roy needs to make some more friends. One of them is Oden, the other is Miller. No really, the blessing is others must step up. They all must play longer minutes, which can solidify the chemistry of the team.

It sucks Outlaw got injured, and I wish him the best. I just think sometimes you need adversity to bring everyone together.

 

[oldguy]

Aside from Travis, only Rudy, Greg, and Martell are comfortable with a true fastbreaking game.

Since we've not come even close to having a running game this season, I don't see that as a problem. Travis was often ignored for the outlet pass by Miller and Blake anyway, while they dribbled upcourt.

Do you just forget LMA, or do you think he isn't good finishing the break? If it the second, why? I don't think there's a true 4 out there that can keep up with hum.

Go Blazers

 

[Ed O]

What you are telling me is: Outlaw and Blake are bad and because of that we should ignore our record. But, with the record being consistently and repeatedly good with these guys - maybe, just maybe, the results show that your analysis is wrong, not the other way around.

Look at the strength of schedule and then look at the players that ARE playing well (Roy, Aldridge, Oden) and make the argument that Blake and Outlaw are the reason we're winning.

I can look at how they play and I can look at their stats... neither of them are good for either guy. Your argument seems to rest on the fact that the team is winning, and there are much better explanations for why we're winning than those two players.

Ed O.

 

[andalusian]

Look at the strength of schedule and then look at the players that ARE playing well (Roy, Aldridge, Oden) and make the argument that Blake and Outlaw are the reason we're winning.

When did I say they were THE reason we are winning? All I said was that they work well within the framework that has the other 3 and the results prove it.

Rudy is a better player than Blake - but he is not as good a defender against point-guards and he is not a safe and do not make mistakes kind of player - with the "big" 3 and Miller (who will push the tempo and make the daring passes) - he might not be the right role player.

And Outlaw is clearly someone that does something very valuable - he is a release valve, go make something happen and offer the scoring punch. Webster can not do it, Rudy can not do it. Bayless might do it - but it is clear that Outlaw has a nice talent that helps us with offense when everything else breaks.