I agree and I think that's why they have a problem (of course, this is based on the assumption that scorer = talent :grin: ) Roy: scorer Aldridge: scorer Webster: jacker Rudy: scorer Outlaw: scorer Miller: wannabe scorer Oden: wannabe scorer Blake: heat-checker I think the only players they have that don't have a "i wanna score" mentality is Pryzbilla and Batum. They don't have enough hustle guys and guys that just want to do their part w/o scoring.
I completely agree with Roy. You want the ball in your best players hands. I also blame McMillan for being so dam stubborn. The team needs more freedom, they are no longer rookies and they don't need him to call every dam play.
Agreed. I thought the Blazers should have gone after Ariza for this exact reason. Combine that with then being able to trade Webster/Outlaw for PG depth or going after Ramon Sessions and they would have been better of.
I wish Houston could find a way to bring Fernandez over here. As much as I love Shane, I think he would be a great fit in Portland while Fernandez would be a fantastic addition to the Rockets.
They very well could have made a play for Trevor. I dont think he was interested in go from being second banana to Kobe right to Brandon Roy. I think our lack of all-star talent is what landed us Trevor.
Trade Andre Miller Watch begins December 15th Pietrus for Miller would help both Orlando and Portland.
It would be insane for Portland and great for Orlando. The Blazers can't allow Steve Blake to be the weak link on their team another season. If Miller goes, it has to be for another PG that is better than Blake, preferably much better. PG play killed the Blazers last season and they would be stupid to let it happen again. I think Miller can fit their team. There have been games this season where he was their best player and they would have lost without him. There have been times where he and Roy together were dynamic and explosive on the court together. I agree the Blazers need another gritty player that doesn't care about shots, but they need it most at the SF position. This is where Batum fit the bill. The Blazers are still (I think) the 4th youngest team in the NBA and that goes to the root of their problem. Too many young players trying to establish themselves and what they can do individually on the floor instead of just wanting to win games and sacrifice for the team. To another poster, they don't have too much talent by any means, but their talent isn't mature mentally. If Roy and Aldridge were more mature, secure players, they wouldn't have a problem with allowing Oden to develop during the regular season into what they might need in the playoffs. Those two need to quit looking backwards to last season and forward to what the team needs to be. They will NEVER contend without a low-post presence. In my humble opinion, for the Blazers to be the best they can be, Oden needs to develop into the #2 option after Roy or at least become equal to LA. LA must learn how to play off of Oden in addition to playing off Roy. Roy also needs to learn how to play off Oden. And Oden, of course, needs to learn (from their coaches) how to get those two guys the ball when the double-team comes. Lastly (and I don't think this is a big problem), Andre needs to focus on getting the ball to the right guy and drive up his assist total. Then when teams slack off of him, he needs to go straight to the basket and make them pay. This Blazers team can be very dangerous. It depends how much Oden continues to develop and how Roy and LA adapt to that. I've maintained from the very beginning that Oden is the bigger disruption to their offence than Miller. The issue with Miller is his relationship to Nate McMillan, which has been sour from the very beginning. Next time there is a meeting, he should be there right along with the other 3.
I agree with alot of what you posted. What bothers me most about portland is their defense. Nate was a really good defender, but none of his teams have bought into being a top defensive team. Next, as much as i like roy, i think he is being immature when dealing with miller. I've watched miller alot since his college days and he's a guy that is underrated until he's gone. He makes everyone better because he knows when and who and where to get the ball. He also is a good threat, maybe not from long distance, but he gets in the lane and midrange and produces. If i were miller, i would welcome the ability to catch and shoot. Its also not a accident that oden was coming around with miller because of the easy plays he was getting. Blake is just good enough to lose with and what going to happen is mcmillan is going to lose his job. Thats one of the best jobs and if it becam availible, there will be coaches lining up for it.
Could be getting weird... ______ Greg Oden left Saturday's game on a stretcher after landing awkwardly and clutched his left knee. The oft-injured big man was attempting to block a shot by Aaron Brooks when the injury occurred. We can only hope this isn't as serious as it seems. Dec. 5 - 10:35 pm et Source: John Hollinger via Twitter
I remember reading that Miller kind of keeps to himself off-court and hasn't made any effort to become a friend to the other players -- and has even rebuffed attempts by them to close that gap. He's had that knock for a while, that he can be a very moody guy in the locker room. I'm sure that doesn't play well with a young team like the Blazers, so I'm not surprised at all that it's spilled over onto the court. When everyone gets along, you work on-court problems out, but in this case, nobody wants to cave in or show signs of submission to the other.
Now that Oden is out, I expect that Roy will step up his game and Portland will become a more perimeter-oriented team like they were the last few years and everyone will be happy again. They will not be a serious contender, however.
You said it well. Oden was the big disruption to their offense. With him out, Roy, LA and Miller will take over and have more fun but that's about it.
The answer is yes, it's getting very weird. The addition of Andre Miller is proving to be more of a subtraction, and is taking away from the team chemistry on-court it seems. And Greg Oden, I just don't understand this guy's bad luck. Why him, and no Flopzilla?
Just like Nash and the Suns....everyone is happy now they can 'run n gun', but come June or even late May ,BOTH team will be watching the playoffs/finals on TV.
lalala and A_3PO are correct. Roy and LA are going to start beasting again. Especially B. Roy. He's gonna have a legit shot at MVP here on out.
Its not about being self-centered, its a question of fit. When you have someone like Oden clogging the paint, Roy and Aldridge can't do the stuff they're doing. The way I see it is, you can't have a good scoring pf if you're gonna have a good scoring center. It has to be one way or the other. Roy and Oden could work out ala Shaq-Bryant, and Roy-LMA could work out ala Nash-Amare, but you can't have Shaq and Amare together because their games interfere with each other. With someone like Oden, you'd rather have a half-court setting, where he can post people up and make outlet passes when he's double teamed. On the other hand with LMA you want to have the lane clear, Roy gets the ball first and they PNR the opponent to death.
