Blazers' Robin Lopez after losing 2 games to Spurs

They need to get a Tom Thibideou type of defensive coach to add to McHails staff, they need a point guard who will force the ball to be moved around avoiding the dreaded Harden isolations while letting the defenses set and they need to add 3pt shooters and a defensive specialist or two.

What San Antonio is doing to Portland at the moment is the best thing that could have happened to the young Rockets, McHail and Morey. Its an easy fix now IMO.

 

It's not easy for any point guard to outperform his counterpart if only his counterpart is getting screens to create plays off of.

 

STEVE KERR

 

Does not matter.

Rox is just an inferior organization.

How many 2nd round playoff games has Rox team played since the Dream years?
When was the last time the team went to the conference final?

Check it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...hts#NBA_Conference_Finals_appearance_droughts

 

One small problem with your excuse. McHale himself claimed that he wanted a timeout called in that situation. So why didn't he call one? Or why not at least scream at his players for one of them to call a timeout? Why did he just stand there with that typical clueless look on his face while his players stood around?

Go back and watch that play. The players did NOT run down the court to set up their offense. So clearly they were either anticipating a timeout or an intentional foul. If they were expecting a foul, then they're morons. The other team isn't going to foul you when they're only down 2 points and could get the ball back with 8-9 seconds left if they get a stop. And if they were expecting a timeout, then why didn't anyone call one?!

This sort of lack of communication or inattentiveness can cost you games. In the case of the Rockets, it cost them Game 4 and then Game 6 when once again if you believe McHale's postgame remarks, the team simply failed to execute the instructions he claimed to give them in the timeout before that Lillard shot.

 

I'm trying to stay positive and look forward to the next season. But it's just discouraging knowing the pain we'll have to endure watching our talented team struggle because of incompetent coaching.

 

Don't understand the McHale bashing here. McHale was very clear about our need to swing the ball. We just didn't get it done. It's obvious there's a little Francis/VanGundy McGrady/Adelman-like rub between Kevin and James. But it's over. The time to complain incessantly about it was while the series was going on and the team wasn't making the adjustments. They failed, they lost, it's done. Close the book on 2013/14 and look forward to 14/15. McHale is going to be here.

Let's talk about defensive and offensive solutions now. Every year it's the same thing around here. We go into the post season with a bunch of posters that don't seem to realize the post season is a different season than the regular season. They think they can just extrapolate results from the regular season right into the post season and we're going to get to the second round, Conference Finals, or Finals. We know we aren't good enough as currently constructed and currently schemed.

So what personnel changes and scheme changes do we need, what defensive assistant coach do we need to implement the defensive scheme and how does McHale and Finch re-configure the offense to make it more efficient and get buy-in from everybody especially Harden?

No sense in continuing to cry over spilt milk. It's over.

 

MAYBE YOU ARE EXPRESSING TO MUCH LOGIC FOR SOME PEOPLE.

lol, I completely agree, people are going to be upset. I hate when people try to tell me what I am thinking. The sky is falling = Fire the coach, is not what I am thinking and it's not the reason Mchale should be fired. He should be fired because he is not the right guy, sometimes it's just that simple. There is nothing wrong at all with expressing concern, I think I would argue that, that is the reason why we have a forum in the first place to express and discuss concerns about this team.

It's sad that you can't express your a opinion, an opinion which most of us has had for months now, without someone calling you a whiner or saying that you are panicking. Meanwhile they are free to express their opinions because of course they are always right.

 

This team had no problem swinging the ball with Adelman. Different coaches bring different things, Mchale is not what is needed. Saying that someone isn't doing their job properly is not bashing, when they are not doing their job properly, lol. "No sense in continuing to cry over spilt milk. It's over." That sentiment is the difference between winners and losers.

 

I think the point (for me, anyway), is that as far as we know -- he is returning. So seems more fruitful to discuss what can be done to strengthen the team going forward, rather than lamenting something we cannot change.

 

There is nothing that can be done. When we're sitting here discussing what assistant coach we can bring in to cover for McHale's obvious shortcomings or which third star we can try to acquire to compensate for the fact that apparently having the best center and shooting guard in the league on the same team just isn't enough to win a single playoff series, it sounds like we've already conceded next season isn't going to end too differently from this one.

 

That's weird. It's harder on offense when someone is following you.

It's harder on defense when the guy is moving.

But what does the math say?

 

I'm surprised Lopez didn't say something like, "This game is really hard when the refs don't pick sides."

 

The great coaches demand things like that from their players? It doesn't matter if your Duncan or Parker.. Pops will bench your @$$ if you continually do things that are separated from what he says over and over.

McHale had all year to get the team to respect him and if they don't respect him (by not adjusting to his coaching) then he is failing as a coach or doing a really shotty job at it

Example:
McHale: 'Swing the ball more!'
Players: How? In what way??
McHale: 'Swing the ball more! You need to swing the ball more!!'

As someone that trains MMA their is a relation in which you go to your corner.. you have corner men that suck and that are good..

The sucky ones say:
'Nows the time to turn it up, knock his @$$ out! submit him!! You have got to get it done!!! Take him down man! control the fight!!!! Take him down!!!! You got to get a takedown to win'

Then you have good cornermen
'Relax.. now I need you to start leaning to the left when he acts like he is going over the top, then I want you to swing an overhand right immediately. I also want more leg kicks, especially when he goes left because every time you have done it he drops his hands, so i want a leg kick followed by a left straight!'.. His footwork is shotty on his rush ins, when you see a him rush in DONT BLOCK, I want an immediate take down attempt on each rush-in- single leg it'

Their are professional fighters who have both types but the champions all have one type.. To translate the cornerman analogy to the Rockets.. we have the wrong type-

 

I think you head the nail on the head, the bad guys speak gibberish and nonsense filled with cliche's, that's Mchale. "Give me more POP" "The ball is STICKY" "Pass the ball to Harden" lol.

 

I just heard that you can run harden/howard screens harden/lin screens all you want. that there isn't a fine or penalty for doing so? pretty cool stuff! Maybe we can run more of them 4 years from now when we figure things out.

also realizing coaches are allowed to call timeouts.

 

but but but dwight likes posting up! what can you do man

 

I heard that that the coach actually has to run intensr defense sessions in order for it to work. Not just holler play harder. And that little bickerstaff, they're hyperventilating he said.

 

It is interesting that he says it was easy to defend us even though our regulation scores were :

106
105
110
106
108
98

That's not exactly shutting us down.

 

Aldridge scored 40+ points in the first 2 games, and that last shot by Lillard. That's the big story of the playoffs.