We are not a good team

[maybeso]

According to some we need better coaching because our offense is predictable and our defense illusory.
According to some we need better players because they have reached their ceilings.
According to some we need more experience and it will all come together with the current players and coaches.

My observation is that we ARE predictable and in this 2nd pass through the schedule our weaknesses will be exposed. If we adjust well, then we can credit the coaching and additional experience. If we don't adjust well then we have to point the finger at certain players and coaches.

I think we have been winning on raw talent, energy, and desire. Now that the rest of the teams have warmed up, that isn't enough. Here's where it gets interesting....

 

[THE HCP]

I'd hate to have seen how the fans reacted when, in 90-91, the team hit a patch of games where they won 3 out of 11.

Sometimes, we over-react to losses and look foolish. This is an example of that.

I was on here back in 90-91............... It was crazy!

 

[mikeg]

My only worry is that our consistently bad perimeter defense and lack of low post or easy bucket offense are indications of Nate's poor Xs and Os skills, or at least his limitations. Obviously, the assistants play a role in that as well. I don't think we have any problems that are not fixable with this roster. But I do wonder if we have the coach who can fix those problems.

 

[Kaydow]

My only worry is that our consistently bad perimeter defense and lack of low post or easy bucket offense are indications of Nate's poor Xs and Os skills, or at least his limitations. Obviously, the assistants play a role in that as well. I don't think we have any problems that are not fixable with this roster. But I do wonder if we have the coach who can fix those problems.

X's and O's? Is it Nates fault when guys blow by Blake/Sergio like they are standing still? How is NATE going to get points in the paint? LA is better than average down low . . . he's no Tim Duncan. Oden is too methodical and shows the ball to much to go to conistently in the blocks. We don't have anybody other than Roy who can get to the basket. Dribble penetration leads to defensive break downs, which leads to easy baskets or open looks on the perimeter. X's and O's are only as good as the players who execute them. Do you think anybody would talk about the triangle offense and Phil Jackson if it wasn't for MJ, Pippen, Shaq, Kobe?

Our offense and defense gets decidedly better if we had a quality PG. Same coach, same X's and O's.

 

[VenomXL]

I was on here back in 90-91............... It was crazy!

Yeah, back then it was literally a bulletin board. It was located in the hallway of a Fred Meyer's between the bathrooms and the water fountain.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

The last three games Brandon has picked up the slack by averaging 30+ ppg and we still lose. It's simple. It's clear we need to make an upgrade at the three.

10 min. of play for Batum and bone headed play from Travis is just not going to get it done. The backup PF position also kills us.

 

[andalusian]

I was at the game last night - and while it stunk that we lost - the team looked a lot better in person than it looked to me in the last game (Utah).

I think they were just dog-tired, especially at the end of the first OT.

Individual observations:

1. Greg is looking better and better. They had one ugly strip on him last night - but after that - whenever he got the ball down low he went up fast and scored with no one around him (or ZBo getting a foul and trying to tell the refs that Greg travelled)
2. Brandon was just too tired at the end of the 1st OT - he just could not do it anymore.
3. Bayless is a refreshing breath of air - but I think that we are trying too hard to make him a PG - he can and needs to get into the paint quickly and attack. Hope they give him some more freedom to do that.
4. Rudy was misfiring from the 3 for the 3rd game in a row. I think he needs a bit of a rest. He did try to get into the paint more and shot the off-balance shots all the time - they were not going down - but I was delighted to see him do it - not just camping on the 3.
5. The Blazers need find a layup coach. Obviously the shooting coach has helped Sergio with his 3P ball - but the kid can still get in the lane any time he wants to and still can not put it in.
6. It was astounding to see ZBo in the flesh - as he passed more in this game than I have seen him in person pass to his teammates during his entire Blazers career. It was nice to see that he is still a remarkable scoring machine - he uses his body reallly well to get where he wants near the basket and score - and LMA played real good defense on him.
7. Since Nate gave Bayles a very short leash - we really missed Travis over there - and with Rudy's shot not falling - Brandon had to play long minutes. It came to bite us in the end.

The 3 day rest is probably the best thing that happened to this team in a while.

 

[mikeg]

Our offense and defense gets decidedly better if we had a quality PG. Same coach, same X's and O's.

i agree with the need for better PG play. but we could also get better offensive production from running more motion offense, using more cutters in all our sets, and leaking out more for easier transition buckets. we don't do much of that compared to a lot of elit/good teams. and those are all things we could do with this group of players. i'm seeing far too much pick and roll (with the roll not really a threat) and isolation. good NBA coaches will shut that stuff down without more variation to it. that's X and O stuff.

as is playing zone against a red-hot-from-the-outside orlando team for long stretches. we are ranked pretty low in opponent field goal %. and i feel like that's, at least in part, coaching.

i like nate. i hope he leads us to a title. but i do worry about his feel for games, his ability to adjust strategies on the fly, and the slow pace he seems to prefer.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

Nate is a defensive coach yet every PG in the league that has played against the Blazers has gone to the basket with ease, back door passes for easy dunks, poor ability to communicate from player to player on picking up free man and on and on.... It's clear that Nate knows little on offense because when the games on the line it just goes to ROY to win the game. So why isn't the defense better? If Nate can't create a lock down defensive team here I don't know what he brings. I think Nates job on substitutions and offense are sub par. The defense at times is a joke! We have the players and the depth, the whole league knows it. I think the coach is our weakest link! Ya know the Spurs have maybe this year left to get anything done for another ring. I could see getting Parker and POP in the offseason. Then the dynasty begins!!!!!

 

[LittleAlex]

The last three games Brandon has picked up the slack by averaging 30+ ppg and we still lose. It's simple. It's clear we need to make an upgrade at the three.

10 min. of play for Batum and bone headed play from Travis is just not going to get it done. The backup PF position also kills us.

I have a great solution for this problem: Martell Webster. Lucky for us he is currently on the team. If he doesn't return from the injury by the end of the year, then you think about getting someone else. Otherwise, you don't.

Portland does not have a back up power forward. It would be really nice if we could get one. That is the only change I would want Portland to make this year.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

Shavlick can get ya boards and attack the glass. Might not be the worst idea to change up style when LA get tired or in foul trouble.

 

[maybeso]

Nate is a defensive coach yet every PG in the league that has played against the Blazers has gone to the basket with ease, back door passes for easy dunks, poor ability to communicate from player to player on picking up free man and on and on.... It's clear that Nate knows little on offense because when the games on the line it just goes to ROY to win the game. So why isn't the defense better? If Nate can't create a lock down defensive team here I don't know what he brings. I think Nates job on substitutions and offense are sub par. The defense at times is a joke! We have the players and the depth, the whole league knows it. I think the coach is our weakest link! Ya know the Spurs have maybe this year left to get anything done for another ring. I could see getting Parker and POP in the offseason. Then the dynasty begins!!!!!

I'm trying to remember if our Olympic team played good defense. They were known for it if I remember correctly. So Nate (and the other coaches) got the NBA elite to play defense. Why won't that work with the Blazers? Is it lack of talent, lack of experience, lack of desire, or lack of coaching? I don't disagree with you that our defense is bad. I'm just not so sure about the reason(s).

 

[craigehlo]

I'm trying to remember if our Olympic team played good defense. They were known for it if I remember correctly. So Nate (and the other coaches) got the NBA elite to play defense. Why won't that work with the Blazers? Is it lack of talent, lack of experience, lack of desire, or lack of coaching? I don't disagree with you that our defense is bad. I'm just not so sure about the reason(s).

This year's Olympic team was full of pretty damn good defenders like Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Dwight Howard and Kobe. Aside from Boozer, I can't think of many bad defenders on that squad. No credit to Nate for their defensive performance.

I think it's a lack of defensive talent on the Blazer roster and some players that don't put the effort in to improve in that area. One of the biggest offenders is Travis Outlaw who has been in the NBA for 6 seasons and still makes egregious rookie mistakes.

 

[MARIS61]

We're not a good team, we're an exceptional team.

Bake it!

 

[oldmangrouch]

We're not a good team, we're an exceptional team.

Bake it!

That's right. That intermittant hissing sound coming from the gas pipe is just a normal part of the baking process. Smell? What smell? We should all show our faith in KP by sitting in a circle striking matches!

 

[KingSpeed]

So even though this team is at .667 and still on pace for 54 wins they're not a good team anymore because they've hit a rough patch, where more than likely their schedule finally caught up with them?

I can understand the concern, but anyone who was expecting a strictly linear progression out of this team with no downturns, dry spells, or stretches of bad play is fooling themselves.

We're .600 and on pace for 49 wins.

 

[KingSpeed]

I'd hate to have seen how the fans reacted when, in 90-91, the team hit a patch of games where they won 3 out of 11.

Sometimes, we over-react to losses and look foolish. This is an example of that.

That team did get kicked out of the playoffs prematurely though.

 

[KingSpeed]

It's not the record that is troubling. I'll take 15-10 if the team is playing smart basketball, but it's not even close currently.

You are only as good as your most recent stretch, and this is eerily reminiscent of the meltdown last year after the streak ended. Same terrible perimeter D. Same bad shot selection. No easy buckets.

Let's not forget it took a lot of effort in the road trip to beat non-playoff teams like the Knicks and Wiz. There's a pattern of bad play that's been going on for several weeks.

That Knicks team is in 8th place right now. They could make the playoffs. Also- they've had some seriously high scoring game but we held them to 97. I thought that was a good win.

The Clipper loss was tough but they're better than their record and just beat the Rockets. Nonetheless, if Blake hits a couple more FTs, we win that game.

I'm very excited about the 10 games from January 10th to 28th. Only one of those games is against a better than .500 team, based on current records. That is our chance to gain ground on people. We also MUST take one of the two games against Denver at the end of this month. If we blow both of those, we're in trouble. The Christmas game against Dallas is also very important.

We'll see what happens...

 

[Mediocre Man]

The sad thing about posting this here is that there are so many people who overreact to losses. I have said this most of the year, even after wins. You can see that Portland has some glaring weaknesses in it's game, that other teams have scouted and started to figure out.

I don't think the sky is falling, or do I think I am having a knee jerk reaction. Portland is a jump shooting team that plays piss poor perimeter defense. They also draw very few fouls. We are second to last in the league in fouls drawn, and last in and 1's.


I think these are all important stats, and Portland isn't very good at any of them. I'd also like to see a stat on shot clock violations and near violations because I would bet Portland would be at or near the top in that category as well.

And of course dead last in fast break points once again.

 

[Nikolokolus]

We're .600 and on pace for 49 wins.

Yeah you're right. There's a reason you shouldn't drink and post sometimes.

 

[Public Defender]

We also MUST take one of the two games against Denver at the end of this month. If we blow both of those, we're in trouble. The Christmas game against Dallas is also very important.

We'll see what happens...

I tend to agree with your assessment of those three games. Win two out of three of them, and the Blazers can begin to be considered among the serious playoff contenders in the West. But win just one, or drop all three, and the Blazers will start to lose their margin-of-error for making the post-season.

The bottom line is that a team like Denver, Dallas, or Phoenix (anyone think maybe Utah?) will have to miss the playoffs in order for the Blazers to make it. That's a tall order. All those teams are more experienced than Portland.

 

[MrJayremmie]

I actually think Utah can be the 2nd best team in the West.

But 2-9 is going to be intense.

Houston, New Orleans, San Antonio, Denver and Utah all have a shot at the #2 seed. Injuries I think will play a huge factor in this. Phoenix, Dallas and Portland will be fighting for the last 2 spots.

Man, this is going to be a great NBA season. Its sooo different when you know your team is fighting for a playoff spot throughout the year.

 

[STOMP]

Better. Because the two headed monster of Pryz/Oden keeps them both fresh. Joel looks so much stronger, healthier, and physically (dare I say) dominant? than I've ever seen him. Keeping his minutes down has to be a huge part of that.

Not that it detracts from your overall point about the center tandems effectiveness, but Joel has never been a big MPG guy... he's averaging just shy of a minute less per game compared to last year.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/joel_przybilla/career_stats.html

He seems to take his offseason conditioning seriously and spoke about having the best core strength/being in the best overall shape of his career prior to this season. All credit goes to him for doing what it takes to elevate his game. Nonetheless, I expect Oden to start having Matrix moments here shortly. He radiates potential and (IMO) its just a matter of time before he starts to flow and play to his abilities. Thats when Joel's minutes will truly be kept down.

Heres to looking back at this thread a little later this season and laughing

STOMP

 

[noknobs]

The schedule so far this year has been ridiculous, and if Steve Blake hadn't choked on 4 of 5 free-throws we'd be sitting at 16-9. Yeah, we suck. Now that the season is officially over, who should we target in the lottery?

There's a reason you shouldn't drink and post sometimes.

No there isn't.

 

[LittleAlex]

The Blazer's ARE a good team, but they are not currently a championship caliber team. They are on their way up, so becoming that type of team is a realistic possibility. To look at the last 5 games and say the whole season is lost is pretty silly.

Like every single other team in the league, they will have their ups and downs. They will win games they shouldn't and loose games they should win. All teams do. The difference really comes down to how many games does a team loose where they should have won. The Celtics, Cavs and Lakers this year are winning most of the games they should win. Championship caliber teams do that. Portland is not going to win as many games they should win.

 

[Mediocre Man]

The Blazer's ARE a good team, but they are not currently a championship caliber team. They are on their way up, so becoming that type of team is a realistic possibility. To look at the last 5 games and say the whole season is lost is pretty silly.

Like every single other team in the league, they will have their ups and downs. They will win games they shouldn't and loose games they should win. All teams do. The difference really comes down to how many games does a team loose where they should have won. The Celtics, Cavs and Lakers this year are winning most of the games they should win. Championship caliber teams do that. Portland is not going to win as many games they should win.

I would like to point out that the OP.....me......didn't say anything about the season being lost, or simply looking at the last 5 games.

 

[oldguy]

We also MUST take one of the two games against Denver at the end of this month. If we blow both of those, we're in trouble.

A MUST WIN game in December? After all the times that you've said there are NO must win games until you're going to be eliminated, and always said it in your usual snarky 'learn the game' style? Does that mean that you're finally learning the game?