This one really hurts.

[illmatic99]

And defense.

 

[Shooter]

I'm really, REALLY starting to hate our offense. It's either throw it into Aldridge and let him go one-on-one, or give it to Roy and let him go one-on-one. Where's the cutting, the backdoor passes, the pick and rolls??? We must have the most predictable offense in the NBA, and it sucks.

 

[RagingBull04]

I'm really, REALLY starting to hate our offense. It's either throw it into Aldridge and let him go one-on-one, or give it to Roy and let him go one-on-one. Where's the cutting, the backdoor passes, the pick and rolls??? We must have the most predictable offense in the NBA, and it stinks.

"Starting" LOL. Really?

 

[KingSpeed]

Why Nate is up for Coach of the Year, despite injuries to 9 players:

1-1 vs Lakers
1-1 vs Nuggets
2-0 vs Mavs
1-1 vs Thunder
2-0 vs Suns
3-0 vs Spurs

 

[bobf]

For the love of all things good,

QUIT LETTING UP THE OFFENSIVE ATTACK EVERY TIME YOU GET A FUCKING LEAD.

Yup. That's why we lost. Like a scared turtle hiding in it's shell. Self imposed 6 second shot clock.

 

[RagingBull04]

Why Nate is up for Coach of the Year, despite injuries to 9 players:

1-1 vs Lakers
1-1 vs Nuggets
2-0 vs Mavs
1-1 vs Thunder
2-0 vs Suns
3-0 vs Spurs

You have no opinion about the offensive ineptitude this team showed not only the second half this evening but many other times this season. You don't want something better?

 

[maxiep]

So essentially you are taking a shot at me because I disagree? Nice.

Need a tissue? I said there was a reason Nate was in the running for COY. It's because he's thought of doing a good job by people who know a bit about hoops, not we internet yahoos. Lighten up, Francis.

 

[Chuck Taylor]

Why Nate is up for Coach of the Year, despite injuries to 9 players:

1-1 vs Lakers
1-1 vs Nuggets
2-0 vs Mavs
1-1 vs Thunder
2-0 vs Suns
3-0 vs Spurs

I think that people, especially national writers who don't watch every Blazers game, look at things like this and make the mistake that Nate is the reason why. Isn't it possible that KP may be responsible for this, by putting together such a deep team? Or the players themselves, for stepping up during adversity? If anything, Nate has actually had LESS control with substitutions and playmaking options when he's down to 8 or 9 players - which is actually a good thing. A monkey could push random "substitution" buttons and come up with a better rotation.

 

[EGame]

Need a tissue? I said there was a reason Nate was in the running for COY. It's because he's thought of doing a good job by people who know a bit about hoops, not we internet yahoos. Lighten up, Francis.

Okay, glad you think so, but that is not the case. I mean, go ahead and like Roy iso's and being a jump shooting team, when we are off with our jumpshots we lose 10 times out of 10 because we have nothing else. When a team like Utah is off, which they were tonight, they find other ways to win. Wish we could find other ways.

 

[maxiep]

Okay, glad you think so, but that is not the case. I mean, go ahead and like Roy iso's and being a jump shooting team, when we are off with our jumpshots we lose 10 times out of 10 because we have nothing else. When a team like Utah is off, which they were tonight, they find other ways to win. Wish we could find other ways.

Like I said, we'll agree to disagree. And most of the people that coach in the League disagree with you as well. Was Nate a shitty coach when we beat SA, DAL (at home) and PHO at home for the first time in years?

Like I said, Nate appeared to decide this was the game he was going to try to get Roy back in his groove. It was a mistake, IMO, but not a firing offense.

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

I've been at the last 3 games and the last 2 losses have been the worst, most disheartening Blazer losses I think I've seen... No one did a good job tonight. To think that you've distilled it into the 1 thing or person that isn't doing a good job is totally missing the bigger picture.

 

[maxiep]

I've been at the last 3 games and the last 2 losses have been the worst, most disheartening Blazer losses I think I've seen... No one did a good job tonight. To think that you've distilled it into the 1 thing or person that isn't doing a good job is totally missing the bigger picture.

No doubt we're going through a tough stretch right now. We'll snap out of it.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

it all started when Nate started standing up!

 

[Kaydow]

I've been at the last 3 games and the last 2 losses have been the worst, most disheartening Blazer losses I think I've seen... No one did a good job tonight. To think that you've distilled it into the 1 thing or person that isn't doing a good job is totally missing the bigger picture.

If it makes you feel better, I'm 1-6 in games I've gone to this year, and the losses I've seen are:

- Memphis x 2 (when we were down by 30 in the 2nd quarter, and when we blew a late lead)
- New Orleans (Lead the whole 4th quarter, blew a lead, Paul hits a wide open jumper from the
foul line to win it)
- Lakers (Yeah, I didn't make any of the 9 straight wins vs LA either)
- Jazz x 2 (started behind 21-2 in the 1st game, and last night . . . )

My friends don't want me to go to anymore games.

 

[Kaydow]

Woke up at 4:30 this morning. This is one of the toughest losses I can remember in a long time. Even the playoff series vs the Rockets last year didn't hurt like this. This season has given me some of the biggest highs I've had as a Blazer fan (all of the games we won underhanded vs some really good teams), and some of the lowest lows (watching Greg get hurt again, plus all of the other injuries, blowing a ton of games in the 4th quarter, blowing games with big leads, losing so many games on our home floor, the different ways we've found to lose games - sometimes no defense, sometimes too many sloppy t/o's, sometimes not executing and settling for jumpers . . . there are many more)

This season sucks, then it's great, then it sucks, then it's okay . . . I feel so invested in this now. I know they won't win in the post season, but I want to get there so bad. Give us some momentum for next year. Start another streak of consecutive playoff seasons. Get our young guys more playoff experience. We hung in there so well for 2/3 of the season with all of the adversity. Sometimes I look at you guys who have already given up on the season and it disgusts me - we haven't been OUT of the top 8 spots all season! And other times I envy being able to just not care b/c we aren't going to "compete for a championship this season". For you guys, watching the playoffs slip away is no big deal. For some of us, after everything this season has thrown our way, it means a lot.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Woke up at 4:30 this morning. This is one of the toughest losses I can remember in a long time. Even the playoff series vs the Rockets last year didn't hurt like this. This season has given me some of the biggest highs I've had as a Blazer fan (all of the games we won underhanded vs some really good teams), and some of the lowest lows (watching Greg get hurt again, plus all of the other injuries, blowing a ton of games in the 4th quarter, blowing games with big leads, losing so many games on our home floor, the different ways we've found to lose games - sometimes no defense, sometimes too many sloppy t/o's, sometimes not executing and settling for jumpers . . . there are many more)

This season sucks, then it's great, then it sucks, then it's okay . . . I feel so invested in this now. I know they won't win in the post season, but I want to get there so bad. Give us some momentum for next year. Start another streak of consecutive playoff seasons. Get our young guys more playoff experience. We hung in there so well for 2/3 of the season with all of the adversity. Sometimes I look at you guys who have already given up on the season and it disgusts me - we haven't been OUT of the top 8 spots all season! And other times I envy being able to just not care b/c we aren't going to "compete for a championship this season". For you guys, watching the playoffs slip away is no big deal. For some of us, after everything this season has thrown our way, it means a lot.

I guess I fall into this category -- I thought after Greg and Joel went down that this was a lost season, and since then the team has won more games than I thought they ever had a right to, they've gutted it out, they've battled and frankly I think this team has expended so much energy and ran on adrenaline for so long just to keep their head above water that now when they go to the well it's run a little dry.

So I guess it's your prerogative to be upset with 'the rest of us' that aren't quite as emotionally invested in this season as you are. My only suggestion would be to try and have fun watching this team win or lose.

 

[craigehlo]

Honestly i really hope this team does not make the playoffs for the mere fact that Nate will be fired, hopefully

I'm rooting for him to take another coaching vacancy this summer. He'll never get fired unfortunately.

 

[anonymous gambler]

really, it's roy's fault that we lost this game. I have never seen him play so poorly. He will come back from injury, though. Healthy, we are a much better team than Utah.

 

[craigehlo]

really, it's roy's fault that we lost this game. I have never seen him play so poorly. He will come back from injury, though. Healthy, we are a much better team than Utah.

It's Nate's fault Roy was out there slowing down the offense and playing 1-on-1. He need to make decisions that are right for the team, not just the star player.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

The only good thing about this game is that nobody got hurt.

 

[mook]

Since Roy got injured, Portland has been around a .500 team. Given the overall talent level of this team, I don't think that's greatly over or under achieving. A team with Aldridge, Andre Miller, Batum, Bayless, a surprisingly good Pendergraph, the recent addition of Camby, emergence (and then vanishing) of Webster, occasional appearances by Roy....that's about where I'd put them. Maybe Portland is overachieving a little, but not that much.

They appeared to be overachieving much more when Roy was healthy. Back then McMillan was a supposed genius. Now that Roy is hobbled, McMillan isn't as good a coach.

Truth is that the NBA is all about superstars. If you have one, and he's healthy, and you have a decent (if not not overwhelming) array of talent around him, you are going to win a lot of games, even with injuries. If you don't have that superstar, you can still win a lot of games, but guys better be pretty darned good and healthy. Either way, coaching matters, but it's far from the most important aspect.

 

[Masbee]

We'll agree to disagree. And I'll bet the people who think the way I do know more about basketball than do you. There's a reason Nate is in the running for COY.

WAS in the running. He dropped out of the conversation a while back.

 

[hasoos]

Since Roy got injured, Portland has been around a .500 team. Given the overall talent level of this team, I don't think that's greatly over or under achieving. A team with Aldridge, Andre Miller, Batum, Bayless, a surprisingly good Pendergraph, the recent addition of Camby, emergence (and then vanishing) of Webster, occasional appearances by Roy....that's about where I'd put them. Maybe Portland is overachieving a little, but not that much.

They appeared to be overachieving much more when Roy was healthy. Back then McMillan was a supposed genius. Now that Roy is hobbled, McMillan isn't as good a coach.

Truth is that the NBA is all about superstars. If you have one, and he's healthy, and you have a decent (if not not overwhelming) array of talent around him, you are going to win a lot of games, even with injuries. If you don't have that superstar, you can still win a lot of games, but guys better be pretty darned good and healthy. Either way, coaching matters, but it's far from the most important aspect.

Yep you are correct. We are going to take lumps with the younger players in, until they learn hot to step up and play at a higher level. Now folks are learning how good Rudy, Batum, and Bayless are, and learning how far they have to go. The facts are, without a star out there, they aren't that good. They have to grow into that challenge, and some of them, might not make it.

 

[LittleAlex]

And for good reason. Nate's done an amazing job this season.

He was doing an amazing job of getting the team to compete when injuries devistated the team.

He is currently not doing an amazing job now that a number of players are back from injuries. Much like his not so amazing job he was doing to start the season.

I just don't see how anyone could be impressed with any facet of the team in the last few games (outside of the game against the Suns). They have been wall to wall suck.

 

[LittleAlex]

Interesting side-topic developing in this thread (imo): Does Nate's future depend on whether or not the Blazers make the playoffs this season, or will he be back regardless? A lot of people believe he's done a wonderful job this season with all the injuries, but then again, KP clearly didn't get Marcus Camby on this team for next season...

Thoughts?

Nate's future with the team appears very secure to me even if the team doesn't make the playoffs. He has too many excuses to fall back on and KP will say something along the lines of "We never got to see Nate coach the real team and we want to see that before we talk about another coach."

Though I was completely wrong about Blake and Travis being traded so there is a little hope.