Start Leonard, Sit Aldridge

[ABM]

Make some season-winding-down evaluations.

Currently, this team s fools gold.

 

[B-Roy]

I'd rather see how Aldridge fits with Leonard.

 

[ABM]

I'd rather see how Aldridge fits with Leonard.

Yeah, but Aldridge will still be here next season. Will Hickson? Basically, my premise.

 

[maxiep]

Make some season-winding-down evaluations.

Currently, this team s fools gold.

Fool's gold? We're not even fool's lead. This team is absolute garbage with two and a half decent players. I can't recall a worse bench for an NBA team. It's amazing we've won as many games as we have.

 

[B-Roy]

Rest of the season is for evaluation anyways. I'd rather evaluate the guys that will be here long term.

 

[KingSpeed]

Will any of the starters play tomorrow? I'll be pissed if it's the Nolan and Luke show.

 

[maxiep]

Will any of the starters play tomorrow? I'll be pissed if it's the Nolan and Luke show.

Prepared to be pissed.

 

[KingSpeed]

Prepared to be pissed.

Who comes off the bench for THEM?

 

[BigGameDamian]

I don't think benching benching your all star and starting a rookie just to get a better pick is a good move. It's a good move if you want to piss your top guy off. So I would rather bench Hickson he probably wont be back anyway and you don't need to shop him, everyone already knows what he can do.

 

[PapaG]

Make some season-winding-down evaluations.

Currently, this team s fools gold.

Start Leonard, sit Hickson.

Why would you bench LMA if he is healthy?

 

[ABM]

I don't think benching benching your all star and starting a rookie just to get a better pick is a good move. It's a good move if you want to piss your top guy off. So I would rather bench Hickson he probably wont be back anyway and you don't need to shop him, everyone already knows what he can do.

Aldridge is "hurt", silly.

I'd like to see what Hickson can do with some extensive minutes @ 4.

 

[PapaG]

If you're going to sit LMA, may as well sit Lillard for Maynor as well.

 

[julius]

The Blazers should just give Lillard the green light...

 

[ABM]

If you're going to sit LMA, may as well sit Lillard for Maynor as well.

Hickson is the x-factor in terms of potential value (whatever that might play out to be) for this team. That said, I believe he needs to play some meaningful minutes at his natural position.

Excuses can be made for LMA's "injuries".

 

[HailBlazers]

Yeah, but Aldridge will still be here next season. Will Hickson? Basically, my premise.

God willing. Hickson proved tonight he makes the perfect sparkplug bench player. He brings the fire, but fizzles out against strong opposition.

I think teams will realize he's not a starter, and hopefully, thanks to the new CBA keep his price manageable

 

[Sinobas]

Leonard really needs to learn how to play defense!

 

[Further]

I was at the game tonight, well, at least the first 3 quarters till my friends daughter got sick. It might not show in the box scores, but Meyers was soooooo much better than earlier this season. His defense was good, had a few lost assignments, but mostly switched very well. He is excellent at defending the pick n roll. His rebounding was shameful, but overall I was real pleased with him tonight.

Also Claver was impressive, smart and full of hustle. He will be a glue guy and rotation player in the future, hopefully with the Blazers.

Too much time this season was spent on Babbitt, Nolan, Price, Freeland, and a few others. Maynor, Leonard and Claver have solid futures in the NBA.

 

[julius]

I hope the Blazers can keep Hickson as a backup and not at a high cost. Same with Maynor.

But oh lord do they need a 5 and a SG desperately.

 

[julius]

I was at the game tonight, well, at least the first 3 quarters till my friends daughter got sick. It might not show in the box scores, but Meyers was soooooo much better than earlier this season. His defense was good, had a few lost assignments, but mostly switched very well. He is excellent at defending the pick n roll. His rebounding was shameful, but overall I was real pleased with him tonight.

Also Claver was impressive, smart and full of hustle. He will be a glue guy and rotation player in the future, hopefully with the Blazers.

Too much time this season was spent on Babbitt, Nolan, Price, Freeland, and a few others. Maynor, Leonard and Claver have solid futures in the NBA.

Leonard has looked better. He's still a little timid on offense, and raw on offense and defense (he's a charter member in the Rick Barry paratrooper club....anyone? anyone?)...

Claver is a keeper. He's a smart guy, just needs to work on some of his game and confidence.

Babbitt, Smith, Jeffires and Sasha could never set foot on the RG floor as Blazers ever again, and I'd be happy.

 

[maxiep]

Who comes off the bench for THEM?

Players just as shitty. Our bench blows.

 

[KingSpeed]

Players just as shitty. Out bench blows.

Who? If Nolan starts, who is hi backup? Me? We have no PG as shitty as Nolan.

 

[maxiep]

Who? If Nolan starts, who is hi backup? Me? We have no PG as shitty as Nolan.

You took me too literally. I meant benching our only decent players, leaving our shitty bench to play.

 

[jlprk]

(....anyone? anyone?)...

The Portland Pump-fake Paratroopers Parade. Rick would be calling out Leonard. I always thought Barry was the best NBA colorman ever, but apparently he rubbed many influential people the wrong way.

 

[STOMP]

Aldridge is "hurt", silly.

Excuses can be made for LMA's "injuries".

Questioning whether LA's dinged makes it seem you didn't watch Wednesday's game. While he shot the ball well, he was visibly limping from the opening tip and wasn't able to move like he normally can. The Nets smelled blood and finished at the rim at will.

With the playoffs pretty much out of reach, there isn't a good reason not to let him heal and put it behind him. That this allows Leonard some extra run is fine and all, but it's not the reason LA is sitting

STOMP

 

[jlprk]

I don't think ABM was questioning Aldridge's current status. He simply said that when Aldridge is no longer hurt, management should say he's "hurt" until the season ends.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Leonard is right on schedule IMO. We knew it would take 1-2 years for him to be a quality starting center. Yes he needs to learn to play better D. This summer will be huge for him. They will work with him in the weight room and on the court. Actually he is better on O than I thought he would be.

 

[ABM]

Actually he is better on O than I thought he would be.

He certainly showed that tonight.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Leonard has shown pretty much all season long that he's a soft-handed, good shooting center in the Olajuwan mold. He's raw as ore, but there's a ton of advantages to his getting a growth spurt late and having been a guard for most of his youth career. It means he never learned how to defend big men, and he looks literally a decade behind in defensive knowledge. But he's got good shooting fundamentals.

He's basically the inverse of Joel Przybilla.

There's hope yet, though.

 

[magnifier661]

Leonard has shown pretty much all season long that he's a soft-handed, good shooting center in the Olajuwan mold. He's raw as ore, but there's a ton of advantages to his getting a growth spurt late and having been a guard for most of his youth career. It means he never learned how to defend big men, and he looks literally a decade behind in defensive knowledge. But he's got good shooting fundamentals.

He's basically the inverse of Joel Przybilla.

There's hope yet, though.

Id like to have Hakeem that dominated on both ends of the floor. He was one of my most favorite centers I enjoyed watching.

 

[julius]

I wish the Blazers could hire Hakeem to coach the big men, but I suspect he's not interested in it.