illmatic99
formerly yuyuza1
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From his newsletter thing. https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/marc-stein
Q: Not a Blazers fan, but what do you think they should do next? — (Alex, Sacramento)
STEIN: I'm guessing you're asking about the roster, but first we have to deal with the status of the coach (Terry Stotts) and the general manager (Neil Olshey).
Throughout the Blazers' first-round sweep by New Orleans, there were rumblings around the league that Stotts' job was in jeopardy and that teams such as Orlando and Phoenix were ready to pounce if he indeed became available. But that talk has largely quieted since Portland's early exit.
The latest word in coaching circles is that the Blazers prefer to keep Stotts heading into the final year of his contract — as they should. (I would argue Stotts should be up for an extension, but perhaps that's a topic for a future Corner Three.)
There's a reason Stotts is wildly popular with actual Blazers fans beyond his whole "PhotoStotts" alter ego. It's largely because he's gotten the most out of pretty much every roster he's had there, particularly in the three seasons since LaMarcus Aldridge defected to San Antonio in free agency in the summer of 2015.
It's also well-known that both members of the Blazers' vaunted backcourt — Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum — are fans of the coach.
"He's done a terrific job with what he's been given," McCollum told local reporters the day after Portland's season ended.
In the wake of that humbling first-round exit, Olshey preached patience, announcing at a season wrapup news conference that he would advocate a "measured" approach to the Blazers' inability to cope with New Orleans after finishing third in a rugged Western Conference.
If it's up to him, Olshey said, Portland will "not overreact" to one bad series. (The Blazers have indeed lost 10 consecutive playoff games, but six of those losses were inflicted by Golden State.)
What remains to be seen is whether Olshey will be making those big calls, or if the Portland owner Paul Allen — now that Allen is no longer occupied by his Seattle Seahawks' business in the N.F.L. draft — will keep his lead basketball decision-maker in place amid considerable consternation in the Pacific Northwest about the Blazers' flawed construction.
I'm already on record, in the very first edition of this newsletter, as having predicted that 2018 would be the calendar year in which the Blazers decide that they have to break up the Lillard/McCollum partnership to try to overcome Portland's otherwise limited options to balance the rest of the roster. Olshey, for the record, has repeatedly made it clear that he has no interest in trading Lillard or McCollum.
The most pressing question, then, actually is: What does Allen want to do next?
And: Does Allen think Olshey deserves the chance to try to undo the damage done by the flurry of big contracts Portland handed out in the summer of 2016 (Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless) that have left the Blazers with scant flexibility to make changes?
Q: I recently read a Damian Lillard profile that said he was given more responsibility for setting up plays this year, which was notable because Terry Stotts is known as someone who likes to call plays from the sideline. Obviously, the N.B.A. is hugely different from college, where coaches basically run onto the floor to yell instructions. Which N.B.A. coaches are known for calling plays, and which coaches are more inclined to give their players more freedom? — Kshithij Shrinath (Washington, D.C.)
STEIN: Let's be clear about something — every N.B.A. coach calls at least some of the plays. That's especially true in crunch time, no matter how much freedom the point guard typically gets.
It's fair to say, though, that certain coaches (in addition to Stotts) are more known for calling plays out from the sideline than others. Those coaches include Utah's Quin Snyder, Dallas' Rick Carlisle, Detroit's Stan Van Gundy, Minnesota's Tom Thibodeau and San Antonio's Gregg Popovich.
There are a handful of coaches, on the flipside, more inclined to let players on the floor call the shots for long stretches in the game. Examples: Houston's Mike D'Antoni, New Orleans' Alvin Gentry, Golden State's Steve Kerr, Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan and Brooklyn's Kenny Atkinson.
Q: Not a Blazers fan, but what do you think they should do next? — (Alex, Sacramento)
STEIN: I'm guessing you're asking about the roster, but first we have to deal with the status of the coach (Terry Stotts) and the general manager (Neil Olshey).
Throughout the Blazers' first-round sweep by New Orleans, there were rumblings around the league that Stotts' job was in jeopardy and that teams such as Orlando and Phoenix were ready to pounce if he indeed became available. But that talk has largely quieted since Portland's early exit.
The latest word in coaching circles is that the Blazers prefer to keep Stotts heading into the final year of his contract — as they should. (I would argue Stotts should be up for an extension, but perhaps that's a topic for a future Corner Three.)
There's a reason Stotts is wildly popular with actual Blazers fans beyond his whole "PhotoStotts" alter ego. It's largely because he's gotten the most out of pretty much every roster he's had there, particularly in the three seasons since LaMarcus Aldridge defected to San Antonio in free agency in the summer of 2015.
It's also well-known that both members of the Blazers' vaunted backcourt — Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum — are fans of the coach.
"He's done a terrific job with what he's been given," McCollum told local reporters the day after Portland's season ended.
In the wake of that humbling first-round exit, Olshey preached patience, announcing at a season wrapup news conference that he would advocate a "measured" approach to the Blazers' inability to cope with New Orleans after finishing third in a rugged Western Conference.
If it's up to him, Olshey said, Portland will "not overreact" to one bad series. (The Blazers have indeed lost 10 consecutive playoff games, but six of those losses were inflicted by Golden State.)
What remains to be seen is whether Olshey will be making those big calls, or if the Portland owner Paul Allen — now that Allen is no longer occupied by his Seattle Seahawks' business in the N.F.L. draft — will keep his lead basketball decision-maker in place amid considerable consternation in the Pacific Northwest about the Blazers' flawed construction.
I'm already on record, in the very first edition of this newsletter, as having predicted that 2018 would be the calendar year in which the Blazers decide that they have to break up the Lillard/McCollum partnership to try to overcome Portland's otherwise limited options to balance the rest of the roster. Olshey, for the record, has repeatedly made it clear that he has no interest in trading Lillard or McCollum.
The most pressing question, then, actually is: What does Allen want to do next?
And: Does Allen think Olshey deserves the chance to try to undo the damage done by the flurry of big contracts Portland handed out in the summer of 2016 (Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless) that have left the Blazers with scant flexibility to make changes?
Q: I recently read a Damian Lillard profile that said he was given more responsibility for setting up plays this year, which was notable because Terry Stotts is known as someone who likes to call plays from the sideline. Obviously, the N.B.A. is hugely different from college, where coaches basically run onto the floor to yell instructions. Which N.B.A. coaches are known for calling plays, and which coaches are more inclined to give their players more freedom? — Kshithij Shrinath (Washington, D.C.)
STEIN: Let's be clear about something — every N.B.A. coach calls at least some of the plays. That's especially true in crunch time, no matter how much freedom the point guard typically gets.
It's fair to say, though, that certain coaches (in addition to Stotts) are more known for calling plays out from the sideline than others. Those coaches include Utah's Quin Snyder, Dallas' Rick Carlisle, Detroit's Stan Van Gundy, Minnesota's Tom Thibodeau and San Antonio's Gregg Popovich.
There are a handful of coaches, on the flipside, more inclined to let players on the floor call the shots for long stretches in the game. Examples: Houston's Mike D'Antoni, New Orleans' Alvin Gentry, Golden State's Steve Kerr, Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan and Brooklyn's Kenny Atkinson.
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