Subscribe Feed (RSS)All of a sudden, we’re being told by the media and the Trail Blazers not to panic. You know — hey, it’s ONLY five games. Well, the first question is, who is panicking? Don’t confuse panic with simply reporting what’s going on and how the team is playing.
I mean, this is a pretty confusing situation. Even the Trail Blazers seem confounded by it, judging from some of the statements out of practice yesterday. You tell me who is panicking: Bloggers? Fans? Players? Coaches? This from Brandon Roy:
“What is worrying me is I don’t know if we see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what’s worrying me,” Roy said. “I don’t know what it is. I sit there at night time and try to think about it. Who knows?”
The biggest confusion at the moment, as far as I can tell, is from the team captain and best player — Roy. Roy seems to think the solution to the problems Portland has been having is for him to have the ball in his hands even more. Jason Quick wrote this yesterday:
A variety of issues are swirling, ranging from coach Nate McMillan’s internal struggle over whether he should move Andre Miller into the starting point guard position, to star Brandon Roy wondering whether he needs to approach McMillan and ask to have the ball in his hands more.
But as Ben at Blazersedge.com proved yesterday, Roy had it plenty in the fourth quarter Tuesday. Apparently, he’s unable to tell what’s happening to him — but he’s being doubled and sometimes tripled when he tries to play one-on-one. It’s just not working.
What Roy needs to recognize is that if he has the ball in his hands LESS OFTEN he might end up scoring more. That 1-4 set Portland has relied on so much late in games isn’t working against good teams that are well prepared. Just as we said all along it wouldn’t work forever. At some point, the league adjusts — and watching what Houston did to Roy and the Blazers in the playoff series last season taught everyone a lesson.
What Portland needs to do is get the ball in Miller’s hands and let him create for EVERYONE, not just Brandon Roy. Run Roy off picks and get him moving without the ball. Put him in some different spots on the floor — make it harder to lock in those double teams.
And in the end, as the best player and the best player at crunch time, Roy will still get his shots — but they’ll eventually be better shots than what he’s getting now. And who knows, maybe the other players will get more open than Roy and might contribute, too. That’s what the real good teams do.
Why is the coaching staff not seeing this? Why isn’t the coaching staff not forcing this to happen? I have no idea. I do not understand the reluctance to try something different. It’s pretty difficult to improve if you aren’t willing to make changes. Adjustments need to be made constantly, even when personnel doesn’t change.
And I’m tired of hearing, by the way, about all the new players and all the changes. In reality, all the good teams have added new players, some — the Lakers and Magic, to name two — have added new starters. It hasn’t caused all this turmoil. Portland lost Nic Batum and replaced him with a player, Martell Webster, who has been with the franchise since he came into the league as a high school kid. Greg Oden started a lot of games last season. The rest of the starting lineup is the same.
That’s NOT a huge change, as it turns out.
It’s time to move forward, isn’t it?
Tags: Andre Miller, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Nic Batum, Portland Trail Blazers, The Oregonian
Many people here are justifiably wondering about the coaching. You’re either for or against this name: Mike Fratello? Back in 2000-01, Frank Hughes thought that Fratello would be a name for the Blazers. Doug Collins? Collins is infamous for doing a “quick fix” with teams that have talent on paper, as well as petering out after three years. And, wasn’t Mark Evaroni the #1 candidate in 2005, until Nate McMillan quit in Seattle suddenly? Thing is, on paper, this current Blazers team has talent.
Dwight,
I may start to panic a little if we don’t beat San Antonio at home on the end of a back to back. They are 0-2 on the road and underperforming. This seems like a pretty big game if we want to get things turned around early in the season.
Great minds think alike Dwight – I posted this over at BE earlier:
“star Brandon Roy wondering whether he needs to approach McMillan and ask to have the ball in his hands more…
Roy said he was not ready to move forward in demanding the ball — but he acknowledged he is wrestling with the concept.”
Please Brandon, don’t do this. Two years ago, it was a great idea and it worked. But now, things have changed. Sure, the Blazers playing even more “Give Roy the ball and let him go 1 on 1” might give us a few more wins in the short term, but it’s fools gold come playoff time. Brandon, figure out how to work off the ball more and how to play in a more multi-faceted offense. That is what is going to take you where you want to go.
I agree with the points made. Last year we needed Roy and LA to take the load. This year with Webster, Oden, Fernandez, and Miller we now have more than enough experienced people who can score
This is why it is so critical to have an experienced proven vetran like Miller lead the attack. Moreover, the REAL problem here is that both the coach and Roy have not yet given their ‘blessing’ to Miller and their stubborness in rejecting this is cost us some games…not to mention creating some really messed up chemistry
Panama, again I don’t have the NBALP, so I can’t watch every game like those of you who live in Portland, but from what you’re seeing, is Martell Webster getting a little frozen out of the offense by Roy? So far, he’s made what he’s taken, but from the box scores it doesn’t look like he gets nearly the touches a player with his potential should.
Yes at times Webster doesn’t see the ball. They will go for long periods without Oden seeing it. Fernandez at times seems like the only player willing to rotate the ball around.
A true power struggle is looming here. Do we stick with the past and what used to work or do we try and evolve in hopes of getting a ring?
Thus far were clinging to the past…and it’s not working
In all fairness, others brought up something the other day that I woke up to: I’ve been in the trap perceiving Martell as being some kind of a great shooter. Just because he has a sweet-looking stroke, and can hit a good percentage on his 3s, doesn’t automatically make him a great shooter. As the others said, he’s inconsistent. He has his moments, but it’s not there every night. Maybe, the coaching staff also needs to work harder to get him better looks.
Like Roy, Martell is a rythmn player. What this new Blazer team is struggling with is on this year’s squad there doesn’t seem to be enough touch’s to go around.
Guess it is another reason why Batum is so missed
Fernandez, Oden, Miller, and Webster all want the touches too. LA and Roy both at times seem real lost when they share the ball
what to do?
right on dwight……and start miller
there is an excellent blog on blazers edge on how steve blake should not only not start…but steve blake should basically not play with this deep roster….unless unusual circumstances exist….
How is Cleveland doing integrating a couple new guys?….
Maybe, that’s why they’re having such a hard time right now. Who’d have thought that adding one of the best centers of all time, who still has some gas left in his tank, could be a potential detriment to Cleveland?
well they could’ve referred to what just happened in Phoenix.
I am really wondering about the coaching right now. Have been told about defense for several years and the excuse was a young team that needed to learn. Right now the offense is stagnant( but thought it was alot last year too), and the team defense is weak. If my name was Paul I’d be asking KP and Nate “What’s up”?
We’re getting more and more Blazers coverage up here in Seattle, on both KJR and KIRO (the latter is our ESPN affiliate). We got visits from both Ric Bucher, and Jason Kick. Now, one of them brought up an interesting point: Under Rick Adelman in Golden State, while Tim Hardaway was definitely a better player than BJ Armstrong, BJ got the starts, because he was better for the TEAM. That’s what led to Timmy being dumped in Miami. If it was Kick who said that, he was saying that outright Andre is a better player, but Blake may be the better starter for the TEAM. Interesting.
Define “Booster.” I have friends at the University of Oregon who I call “Boosters.” But, I also have a couple of friends who are alums of Portland and Portland State, and I call them “Boosters.” At one time, I heard that there was, or were plans for something called the “Blazers Booster Club.” Define “Booster.”
Once again, Dwight pretty much summed up all of my current thoughts. The “changes” that this team had aren’t that substantial. The comments from Roy about needing the ball even more were just utterly ludicrous. He dominates the ball way too much right now as it is.
And I have to question the many comments made from the coaching staff about the effort on D. Is it really lack of effort? Or is it that the players are confused and don’t really know what they’re supposed to be doing? When that happens, players can LOOK very slow, and like they’re not giving their best effort, because they’re always a step behind. But not knowing what the game plan is (or just not having a plan) will make guys look like that. That’s not an effort problem. That’s a coaching problem.
As I’ve said many times, Brandon Roy has a very low basketball IQ. By that, I mean that he only knows how to play one style. He’s a walk-it-up, has-to-have-the-ball, player. He has never had to learn how to play without the ball. He’s never had to learn how to make his teammates better.
If he doesn’t figure this out, and he stays with the Blazers, he’s destined to be a big star on a mediocre team.
With the youth and athleticism the Blazers have, it is crazy for them to be a walk-it-up-the-floor team. But that’s what coach Nate knows, and that’s what Roy knows. If the Blazers are ever going to take advantage of Oden, it’s going to be by having him grab rebounds and initiate fast breaks. He could be real good in that role. He’s pretty crumby in a half-court game, especially on offense.
Brandon Roy == ball hog
Oden == one dimensional
Coach Nate == inflexible
Fernandez == gone as soon as he can leave, as long as Nate and Roy are still here.
That’s unfortunate. I hated him because of what he did to the Blazers, but Rudy Fernandez reminds me of Dan Majerle, and it would be awful to lose such a promising young talent like him.
I don’t think I’d say that Roy has a low B-Ball IQ, and that he can only play by dominating the ball. C’mon – did you see the All-Star game last year. He looked phenomenal, and basically did so as a complimentary player. The notion that he’s no good unless he’s dominating the ball doesn’t hold water.
I’m being melodramatic here, but before the draft, Brandon Roy was compared favorably to Danny Ainge and Jon Barry. If he doesn’t round out his TEAM game, despite his physical gifts, he’s not going to go far above the Ainge Range.
roy is shooting .400 from the floor, down from his .463 career %. Teams are adjusting to his 1-on-1 play. i agree–gotta tweak the offense strategy with Roy. mix it up a bit. its too predictable.
Good comments, Dwight (and readers). At this point, I agree–Nate needs to try SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I’ve been half-joking with some friends for awhile that he go twin towers and try LMA at the 3 or move Roy to the 1 to start the game just to see what would happen. I realize that Roy with the ball in his hands even more might not be the answer but at this point I’d rather see experimentation and failure rather than same old same old and failure.
That’s the opposite of the “whistle while you work lineup.” (quick lineup) I too wondered if LMA could play some 3 like Clifford Robinson could. LMA’s much more of a finesse shooter, than some low post demon, anyway. Your idea of starting B-Roy at the 1 reminds me of when Mike Dunleavy occasionally started Steve Smith at the 1 and Pippen at the 2. Hey, why not? It might work if the Blazers are getting beat in the halfcourt defense on post-ups.
I earlier thought that, recalling the Porter/Ainge/Drexler/Kersey/Robinson lineup, trying a Blake/Miller/Roy/Aldridge/Oden quick lineup.
Blake and Miller at the same time makes absolutely no sense. I can’t think of a single scenario where I would play them at the same time. There is just a better option for any scenario you are looking for (Rudy or Martell)
I didn’t think that the two point guards made much sense either, especially because that’s an awful small backcourt defensively. I’d like to see a better job of Martell, Rudy, and even Blake spotting up, and Roy getting them the ball when he draws his double and triple teams. Those three guys can shoot the three when wide open. I thought for a moment about using Blake as a 2-guard for short stints, to utilize his 3-point shooting, but he’s going to get beat up on the defensive end.
What reason do we have to play blake at all?
If miller or roy is in we have a ball handler.
Rudy can be the spot up shooter. So can webster.
Miller should be getting 35-38 minutes …same as roy…..35-38 minuntes
Thats 25-30 minutes for rudy.
no other guard!!!!!
On blazers edge it basically sums up how blake is one of the worst players in the league…and on our team.
He can’t guard any pg anyways…so why not play rudy with roy and rudy with miller when we are not going with our starting lineup of miller and roy
there is a lot of shooting on this team…and frankly i’d like us to shoot less threes and more penetration and post play….with an outside shot only going up after we have exhausted our inside options in the first 15 seconds of the shot clock…..inside out ball.
I would really not like blake to play at all……at all.
Amen, Dwight, I could not have said it any better. Hey coaching staff – are you listening ?? – and regarding Roy – hasn’t that always been a problem with great players ? – realizing that less can be more, and that giving up the ball can often lead to as many or more points as holding onto it. Not that Roy is in the same league, but that’s a problem MJ had early in his career….trying to be too much and do too much.
As per the norm at this site the usual suspects are blathering on and on. FYI its the bloggers and the blog sheeple who are creating this so called panic .. Get a grip people, there are 77 games left…
Jason?
I’ll agree with you on that. Back when the Blazers were still in that streak of playoff appearances, I remember panicking in 2001-02 when the Blazers started out 5-15 or so, and they wound up making a run, solidly locking up a playoff spot. I have to remember that, coming to a new team, Andre Miller needs at least a few more games to get comfortable.
I wonder what happened to my comment? Must of touched a nerve…
Don’t know. I’m not bothered by anybody’s comments, including those setting me straight. Everybody here watches the Blazers more often than I’m able to. I’m just a die-hard who lives in a different city. But, I respect everybody elses’ opinions. I just take it as exposing me to a different view.
1. There is a great piece on blazers edge that makes a terrific argument why blake should get 0 minutes a game. It shows statistically how he is one of the worst players in the league and worst players on our team getting 26 minutes a game.
It also breaks down that if we only have a 3 guard rotation with rudy as the only guard coming the bench how our offensive advantage with those 3 getting all the guard minutes would overwhelm any disadvantage we might have guarding opposing pgs. BLAKE CAN’T GUARD ANYONE ANYWAYS! SO WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE IF WE PUT RUDY OR ROY ON THE PG. AT LEAST WE HAVE AN OFFENSIVE ADVANTAGE. RUDY GOT THE BEST OF DENVERS LAWSON AS I SAW IT.
2. Miller should be getting 35-38 minutes and Roy the same. Rudy gets 24-30 minutes. Thats all. No other guard.
3. Rudy is the spot up shooter. Webster is a spot up shooter. Roy can shoot. Outlaw can shoot. So why do we need Blake? Miller will always have shooters around him…especially if is he running the offense. Roy needs to learn to play with a real point guard sometimes…..off the ball. I agree if Roy continually hogs the ball he will be a great player on an average team. I would double roy everytime he touched the ball if I was an opposing coach. That is if continues to dominate the ball like he is.
4. Do you all remember last season’s Houston series? We we all throwing our beers at blake.. He stunk…he stinks because he doesn’t add anything except 3 point shooting. He cannot be one of your main players on an elite team…he’s ok on a mediocre team.
5.You know how there are guys that help you in ways that don’t show up in the box score? Well Blake is one those guys who hurts your team in ways that don’t show up in the boxscore. He doesn’t do hard fouls to stop layups. He can’t make that pass to the post in traffic. He doesn’t hit the boards. He is useless on double teams. He is not tough. Other players in the league see Blake and say, “Im going right at the guy!”
Couldn’t reply on the above thread to “Doctor,” so i’ll continue it here. Points on Blake are duly noted. Thing is, what do you do with him now? According to basketball-reference.com, he makes $4M a year (which isn’t astronomical for an NBA player today). Do you try to trade him, or do you sit him? Would you try to trade him, and take little in return, or an expiring contract? Make no mistake, I’d rather have Miller out there more, too. Even before the season began, I felt (and I’m sure that I’m preaching to the choir) that with Miller, Blake, and Bayliss, that’s redundancy at the point. Plus, B-Roy handles the ball a lot.
KRK,
I would just sit him. I don’t think we need a trade. And there are circumstances like an injury or foul trouble where we would bring in Steve Blake off the bench. Maybe there is some matchup once in every 7 games where bringing in Blake for 5 minutes makes sense. I don’t hate Blake. He is a useful person to have on the bench…but not in my 8-9 man rotation. I would like Miller to have a gigantic chance (38 minutes a night) to contribute to this team and make the Blazers better. If Miller doesn’t work out…then deal with that in February or next season.
But Miller is a pretty good player who:
1. Gets the other four players involved and gets players the shots they want.
2. Rebounds
3. Draws fouls by penetrating to basket.
4. Knows how to double team and get back to his man.
5. Can guard 1-3 reasonably well…not great
6. Is respected by his peers
7. Ive already seem him give LMA and Oden some great feeds
8. Miller gets 16 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds jst being on the court..you don’t even notice it…and it would be nice to get the other team in foul trouble for once…Blake was last in the league at drawing fouls
Thanks Doctor. I see that a lot of concern on the recent threads is about Nate’s coaching, and the one thing that I can sometimes offer up, is that I watched, as a season ticket holder, Nate as a head coach for nearly five seasons. So, I know what the fans here are referring to regarding his “inflexibility.”
Another thing: If nothing else, Blake won’t complain about sitting. He was a second round pick for a reason, and to land the contract he has, he’ll know to be a good teammate, work hard in practice, and give his best when called upon. Sure, he wants to play and contribute, but I’m confident that he won’t be disruptive when sitting.
Totally agree.
You’re obviously a long time and big fan like the rest of us, and we’ve seen it before: Imagine how many scores of players who could have picked up another 2 or 3 paychecks, and/or a ring, had they been more willing to “be a good teammate,” and “sit without groaning.” I’m NO Lakers fan (far from it), but Mychal Thompson in his later years, and Mitch Richmond come to mind.
Who exactly is telling you not to panic? Go ahead. It won’t do anyone any good, but feel free to work yourself into a frenzy.
Dwight.
Can you make sure Nate the Sonic reads your blog and the comments? And the team should read them too.
Nailed it. Good stuff Dwight.
In terms of rotations:
1. Only Roy and LMA should be substituted with rest in mind. Like Kobe and Steve Nash and Anthony are taken out at predetermined points in the 1st.
2. Oden and Webster and the rest should not be taken out if they are on a roll. Let Oden go the whole 1st quarter if he is playing well and not in foul trouble. Consider keeping him in with fouls if he is really playing well. Who is to say that once the climate of the game changes in the second quarter he won’t pick up 3 quick fouls after getting cold on the bench. It already is happening. oden plays well…..jerked after 6 minutes with one foul……loses the flow of the game…and pick up 2 quick ones in 5 seconds in the second quarter.
Same with rudy and webster…if they are going good let them play…they are young….don’t need rests…
3. I have no problem going with essentially 7 man rotation with the eighth guy…..outlaw getting 8 minutes.
Such as:
Only rudy and Joe P come off the bench…..outlaw gets a few minutes if he is going well….as soon as outlaw misses a few shots or doesn’t rebound and defend….take him out…if that means he only played 4 minutes that night……SO BE IT.
AGAIN: ONLY RUDY AND JOE P COME OFF THE BENCH
with outlaw playing a few minutes at 3 or 4 and maybe more if we are in fould trouble…
BUT I DON’T SEE WHY YOU HAVE TO GIVE OUTLAW AN ALLOTTED 20 MINUTES A GAME….MAYBE OUTLAW PLAY 4 MINUTES…MAYBE 24 MINUTES…MAYBE 0….SEE HOW THE GAME GOES…
Dwight made the one spot on point that I just can’t get over, that I as a fan can not wrap my head around.
Why is the coaching staff not seeing this? Why isn’t the coaching staff not forcing this to happen? I have no idea. I do not understand the reluctance to try something different. It’s pretty difficult to improve if you aren’t willing to make changes. Adjustments need to be made constantly, even when personnel doesn’t change.
This whole damn thing is just so curious to me. Nate may not be a great all around coach. He is however NOT STUPID? Is he? All the minor and major problems the team is having right now. Every dang one of them lead back to Nate. He is acting so dang curious. It is baffling. It is mystifying.
Dwight also touched on one other thing that is really starting to drive me up the wall. There are many within the Trailblazer orbit that seem to be of the opinion that if you express frustration, concern or OH NO THE HORROR! criticism. Especially over there at O’live. Then they accuse you of panicking or not being a “real” Blazer fan and say you are free to jump off the band wagon. First off all you sheeple accusers. I am NOT ON any dang Trailblazer band wagon. I am a fan not a groupie. I am sorry as can be to all the self proclaimed “real Blazer fans” who seem to think if you question or criticize Portland’s one and only pro team then you are not a “real Blazer fan.” Please note the sarcasm in my tone! I do love and support the team. I have been with the team and supported the team every year thru thick and thin since 1977. It has not always been easy and comfortable as a fan either dear Blazers. It has not always been a love fest coming from the Blazers towards the fans either mind you. I’ve supported them with ticket purchase, old blazer cable, new blazer cable, leagues pass, Blazer gear and I am I am not going to sit down and shut up about it. I have praised and criticized the team when I see fit thru it all and that is how it is going to be going forward thru it all.
I have to say that I have watched Andre closely here in the first five games and seems like he has NO problem deferring to Roy. I don’t get what the problem is here. The dude is deferring to him.
Andre has received a bad rapp by many.
In all honesty, just how good is this coaching staff if we as fans and the media have to tell them how they can improve? If they make the change, it’s only when we stepped up and voiced how we felt they could improve.
To me this is mickey mouse. The coaching staff and team should have been way ahead of us when it comes to making offensive adjustments. Why they haven’t might suggest just how large or small their BBIQ is or isn’t.
Ridiculous
Got this tweet from the trailblazers
“pdxtrailblazers McMillan just said he would in fact start Blake, Roy AND Miller tonight vs. Spurs. Martell will come off the bench”
Any one think this is going to work? I don’t. Talk about making a decision that is no decision at all. I take back what I said in my earlier post. I think Nate may well be stupid. If this works I will apologize afterwards.
OK Nate, I am apologizing. It worked. Notice I am not saying he got away with it for one game. I am saying IT WORKED. The starting line up of Roy, Blake and Miller worked. It improved the motion on offense, the floor spacing, it improved the energy on defense. It worked Nate. Nothing more I can say. I swallow down all the crow I can eat. It worked. I give you credit. Will it work on thru the season? I doubt it. Pick and roll D was still atrocious. Once teams figure it out they will figure it out. It worked tonight. It at least gave the team a different look. It gave them a different vibe.
Honest to God however; the difference tonight was Oden! Dude stepped up tonight. After the 2 early fouls. He played great. Outplayed the aging yet hall of famer, Timmy Ducan. Lord have mercy. I enjoyed that. I have waited and been expecting that for three long years. Greg Oden. Ya made us proud. Nate Mac, this is a bit hard to swallow. But ya actually looked better than Pop tonight. One of the best coaches in the league. You got it done. Keep it going dude, Don’t shy away from change. Don’t hold back from putting the best players on the floor. Let Oden play. It will kill ya some nights. In the end it will keep you in the coaches seat.
MYbe more on Roy later? He played well tonight too. He played within himself. He was making outlet passes. He took over the game when the game needed taking over. Credit due to our All-Star. It is a fine line. Nate, Roy, Oden, Miller, LA-they walked the fine line it well tonight. Spurs are in a ruff patch right now. The second game of a back to back. Utah handed them their hat the night before. I give the team their due. They made the adjustments. They accepted the challenges. They beat the Spurs. Not an easy feat to do. It is a building block. It was just a flat out entertaining game.
Oh yea, Go Blazers. GO ODEN!!… this is a test…
Well I got the go Oden part right. less than 4 minutes in and Oden is gone … 2 fouls … cripes
The Blazers win when the ball is in Roy’s hands. He has to be the one to make the call whether to pass or to shoot.
If teams double Roy then his teammates need to help out and take advantage of the mismatch.
The Spurs game once again showed that Miller cannot make a shot beyond the free throw line. When the shot clock is winding down and a shot needs to be taken, the player taking that shot should not be Miller. With Roy that shot more often than not is a basket with Miller it isn’t.
Yea I dunno. I agree that Millers shot is not right at this stage. It is horribly flat and not quite right. However I Don’t think this game really had anything to do with Miller’s shot. When Miller was in with Blake and Roy. The floor spacing was better. The motion on offense was way better. Even the second unit with Rudy et. all. Was just better. Man the energy on defense was so much better. Roy was better tonight because of Oden and Miller taking pressure off as well as Blake, LA and Trout. He took over in the 4th cuz of the sucsess of Oden in the post early on. Cuz of Miller, Blake, Roy. Oden and LA playing as a first team improving the motion and energy. Don’t sell short the attacking aggressive play of Bayless either. They attacked the rim. The defense was more energized. Pick and roll D still stunk; But cuz of Miller some obvious coaching the last few days. Roy was kicking the ball out on outlet passes and dishing off to Miller, Oden and options beyond himself in the early going. It made him more effective when the time came that he needed to take over the game late. Miller’s shot? yea, it is not there at this time. But don’t sell short Miller’s impact on Roy. Oden, Blake, LA and the game as a whole.
Here’s a little clip that shows how one master player can teach another. It would be productive if Brandon would talk with MJ or if Greg spent some time with Kareem or Bill Walton:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Kobe-putting-Olajuwon-s-post-moves-to-work?urn=nba,200710