The Bench. (1 Viewer)

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Fez Hammersticks

Fez Hammersticks

スーパーバッド Zero Cool
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Neil Olshay talked this offseason as though getting depth was stupid, and that we needed to save our money to sign another max guy. But we could be chasing that dream forever, while having the most pathetic bench in the NBA. I can't believe how inept they all look.
 
Neil Olshey is a pretty good salesman. Looking at the bench it's plainly obvious he had no intention of surrendering his first round pick to Charlotte this year.
 
Olshey hopes to get a high lotto pick and either a good free agent or trade space for a 'needle mover'. This plan requires a sucky bench. I see nothing wrong with this plan. Even though the gamble might not work on either count, I approve the strategy. If successful, the bench will be improved by default, plus we can go ahead and sign a better class of scrub once our primary players are set.
 
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Hey, Aldridge was -28, Batum -17 and Lillard -16. None of them is a bench player.
 
Wow. Maybe they are in on Olshey's little scheme? ;)
 
Without a good bench we have no reason to think we'll ever see the second round of the playoffs.
 
BBert said:
Olshey hopes to get a high lotto pick and either a good free agent or trade space for a 'needle mover'. This plan requires a sucky bench. I see nothing wrong with this plan. Even though the gamble might not work on either count, I approve the strategy. If successful, the bench will be improved by default, plus we can go ahead and sign a better class of scrub once our primary players are set.
Click to expand...


Yeah, not quite. The Blazers will probably win enough to pick around the 9-12 range, and this draft class has been called one of the worst ever. And if you look at the FA class, there are no "needle movers" to be had. The only way this team will "move the needle" is to get some help off the bench.

I think his plan was to make a play on James Harden next year, but that fell through.
 
It does look like our starters are going to win too many games. But the season is still young. :) RE free agents, I'm hoping we can make a trade with our imaginary cap space.
 
Sinobas said:
Yeah, not quite. The Blazers will probably win enough to pick around the 9-12 range, and this draft class has been called one of the worst ever. And if you look at the FA class, there are no "needle movers" to be had. The only way this team will "move the needle" is to get some help off the bench.

I think his plan was to make a play on James Harden next year, but that fell through.
Click to expand...

They also said that last year's draft class was very weak ... it seems like they say that every year.
 
What happened last night is a perfect example of what's going to happen soon when our big 4 start to break down and get tired from all the heavy minutes. IF ALL 4 of them are are clicking and having a perfect night, we have a chance at winning some games, that's a big IF though FAMS!
 
There's a few guys on our bench that don't belong in the NBA.
 
Nikolokolus said:
They also said that last year's draft class was very weak ... it seems like they say that every year.
Click to expand...

When was it called weak? I only remember hearing how deep last years draft was.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
Hey, Aldridge was -28, Batum -17 and Lillard -16. None of them is a bench player.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Watching the game last night I anticipated another "Bench" thread and the whole time I am thinking this loss has nothing to do with them. The starters were fresh with 3 days rest and they simply got out hustled on the road. Get used to it.

Phoenix was in their face the whole game and acted like they wanted it more. The refs let them play and they took advantage. The starters had 15 of the 20 turn overs.

The announcers mentioned how bad our bench is, and conversely how our starters are one of the top in the league in terms of points scored. The reason is because they take all the shots. There is always a starter in the game.

We need a scapegoat every year. This year's focus is the bench. Is it a weakness? Yes, but it is not the reason we got blown out last night.
 
BBert said:
Wow. Maybe they are in on Olshey's little scheme? ;)
Click to expand...

Olshey's Clipper strategy is temporarily working in Los Angeles after 30 years of failing. He migrated here because Portland has the most Golden Future-myopic fans in the NBA.

"Wow, just THINK about our Golden Future!"

Hey, it worked for Pritchard and McMillan for years...
 
Bah, Olshey's "Clipper Stategy", he got a #1 pick and the NBA wanted Chris Paul in LA.
 
Baracuda said:
When was it called weak? I only remember hearing how deep last years draft was.
Click to expand...

The class was considered very strong before the NCAA season started (based on scouting the freshman class when they were in high-school). Once the college basketball season had drawn to a close many scouts and draftniks were calling it a deep, but not particularly impactful at the top spots.
 
Joel Freeland -- 1.2 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 6% FG | -3.0 PER
Nolan Smith -- 1.7 PPG | 0.6 APG | 41% FG| 2 PER
Luke Babbitt -- 2.2 PPG | 0.5 RPG | 45% FG| 17 PER
Victor Claver -- 0.3 PPG | 0.3 RPG | 0% FG | -1.6 PER
Jared Jeffries -- 1.0 PPG | 1.2 RPG | 29% FG | -0.03 PER
Will Barton -- 1.1 PPG | 0.1 APG | 19% FG| 1.03 PER
Sasha Pavlovic - 1.8 PPG | 1.3 RPG | 39% FG | 9.4 PER
Ronnie Price - 3.8 PPG | 1.6 APG | 39% FG | 6.6 PER

The bench.

Holy shit.
 
Jeffries is still a good player (one of the better +/- s on the entire team) so PER isn't everything. Conversely Babbitt is shit, but has a deceptively good PER.
 
Babbitt's underrated. I like his production when he's out there.
 
9 pts from the bench today vs. Brooklyn.

5 of those points came in garbage time.
 
At least the bench is getting us some national recognition!

The Blazers live in a harrowing reality in which Sasha Pavlovic — he of 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game — is legitimately one of their best bench players. Such is the way of it when Nolan Smith, Ronnie Price and Jared Jeffries all find a place in a team’s rotation, forcing the Blazers to arrange themselves in a way that helps mitigate the meager contributions of the second unit.

That said, credit coach Terry Stotts for refusing to use his bench as a functional second unit. Virtually all of Portland’s lineups are a starter-reserve hybrid, relying on Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews to smooth over the rougher patches of the subs. It’s worked in some cases (rookie center Meyers Leonard rotates in seamlessly for J.J. Hickson), but failed miserably in others. Aldridge’s relatively inefficient season certainly doesn’t help matters, but otherwise the challenges of offsetting such inferior playmaking (Price) and decision-making (Smith) are often far too great. Portland’s starting five has some talented players, but just lacks the firepower to adequately overcome a flock of second-unit albatrosses.
Click to expand...
http://nba.si.com/2012/11/16/nba-bench-lakers-cavaliers-blazers-pacers/
 
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