A word about all my “negativity”
People accuse me all the time of speaking negatively, raining on their parade, so to speak — particularly after a Trail Blazer win. To a degree, I think, they are correct.
But let me tell you a little story here. Way, way back — like decades ago — I bought my first new car. It was a Honda Accord, and a very nice machine. I took meticulous care of it for a long while, at least until I had it paid off. However, after that, I kind of just forgot about regular maintenance. You know, the car was running so smoothly, I had other things to do and well, stuff happens.
As you might imagine, if you go a long time without things like simple oil changes, you pay the price. And I did. The motor blew up and I had a very high tab to pay to get the thing running again. I learned a big lesson.
You see, even if everything seems to be running smoothly, you need to look under the hood once in a while. You need periodic checkups. In sports, the occasional loss is your little warning light on the dashboard. The defeats remind you to check the oil or the battery. But if you somehow evade losses, pile up a nice stretch of wins, you can forget those regular checkups. You can get carried away with your good fortune.
Before you know it, you’ve got real problems and it’s too late to deal with them. So I like to be the guy — the idiot light on your dash, if you wish — reminding you of some of the things that need attention. Sometimes you have to point out that while the car arrived safely at its destination, it may have been sputtering and kind of veering a little off the road. And yes, I admit — I also like to be the one who is telling a little different story than the obvious “aren’t-things-great?” deal you always get when a team is winning.
Pro sports are a real big-picture thing. You can’t get carried away with one game, one week or even one month. You have to keep in mind what really matters is the playoffs — getting into them first, then playing well when you arrive there. And there’s a standard of play in the postseason that’s high test.
Don’t get me wrong — winning games is great and much better than the alternative. But as the stakes get higher, you have to look beyond the wins. You have to be doing things the right way. You have to be tuned up and running smooth.
Me, NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | February 4, 2009
Dwight Jaynes, Honda Accord, oil change, Portland Trail Blazers
You’ve held many positions in your career and now you’ve made the big time…Idiot Light. Congrats.
You know, we can probably design you a nice t-shirt or bumper sticker, DJ. And you may want to slap a copyright on the whole “idiot light” thing. Just sayin’.
As a rabid blazers fan who sometimes (often) suffers from “blazermania delusions of grandeur” I actually appreciate a tempered perspective from the other side. So thanks, Dwight.
Although I’ve learned that it’s easier to swallow the day after the game…perception is less impaired after a good night’s rest.
I just remembered that I need to change the fluids in my car. Thanks Dwight!
Seriously though, I don’t like the negativity but I’m reading your blog, right? And I do agree that while everyone is predicting a big Blazer winning streak the next few weeks I am a bit sceptical. Getting past Dallas tonight is going to be tough and I got a wierd feeling the team formerly known as the Sonics could sneak up on Friday night.
I agree with you that the Blazers have had misfortune of other teams go their way but sometimes that’s how it goes in the NBA. Shoot, the Detroit Pistons won a championship in 2004 based on teams misfortune.
You are supposed to change the oil?
Dwight, do you remember that “huge” Blazers-Lakers game back in 2002 (I think) – both teams were on long winning streaks and Phil Jackson called it the most important regular season game he had ever been a part of. The Lakers won, ended up with home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Then the playoffs started, the Blazers flamed out and now that “huge” game is hardly ever brought up, except by Blazer nerds like myself. The fact is, the least important playoff game in NBA history is probably more important than pretty much any regular season game you can think of. For the serious contenders, the NBA season is essentially one long exhibition season.
Dwight,
There are two ways of looking at the “negativity” of your writing.
One is the percieved negativity of homer fans who can’t take an open criticism of their team. You can’t help this. There are many myopic fans here in this one-team fishbowl we call Portland.
The other is the words you use and the negative connotations they may have. You are usually very objective, which I appreciate and keeps me coming back to read your blog. There are times, though, that your displeasure with something really shows through, and can be a bit of a turn-off. I know it is a blogger’s job to editorialize from time to time, but sometimes it can be too easy to be critical and in the process we forget to be complimentary.
There are alot of good things to talk about with this Blazers team. Those of us who kept watching through the worst of it now feel rewarded for our loyalty. The better a team does, the more people are going to watch and the more critical they are going to be. Please don’t let that overshadow all this amazing growth that has happened so far this season.
Perhaps all that’s needed is a little positivity relish sprinkled on top of your constructively criticized hotdog? I know you like to point out what the team is doing wrong, such as winning without Oden’s special mayo, or failing to play pick and sandwich roll defense properly, but I think injecting a couple positive comments on what you like about the team would in each negative post would serve to allay the “Dwight’s a dirty blood sausage” sentiment that gets thrown in around here.
Wow, david1978pdx said it better than I ever could.
Being realistic and refusing to gloss over the negatives is great; it tempers expectations and keeps us grounded. But by peering into the microscope, focusing only on the blemishes, it’s easy to miss the big picture – we have a great, young, potential-rich team that is improving by the game, on pace to exceed all but the most myopic of pre-season expectations.
How cool is it to follow these guys right now?
Ahh. We have spent to long with a crappy car. Lets enjoy the new car smell a bit huh?
Tyler — something you said in your comment. “Improving every game.” Do you really thnk so? That’s part of my problem. I see very little defensive improvement over the course of the season. And that’s where things have to change for the Blazers to progress. It’s been a good offensive team all season, but again, improvement? Not sure.
– Dwight
We can critique Dwights choice of the percentages of positivity and negativity as we perceive things to be until the cows come home, but seriously people:
THIS IS DWIGHT’S LIVING ROOM. WHY DON’T WE ALL JUST BE POLITE GUESTS AND APPRECIATE THAT HE INVITED US OVER.
He’s invited you to come sit and chat if you feel like it. I feel it’s important to treat the guy with respect, and if you feel he’s ‘cantankerous’ or whatever, is it really truly your place to tell someone how to act in their own house? It’s not like he’s pouring gasoline on you and lighting you on fire. Let the man be the man. This isn’t a newspaper column.
I once bought a toyota celica brand new never did anything but put oil in that car and change the tires….drove it two hundred thousand miles and never had a problem, I just hope our KP is a toyota and not Dwights Honda. I do find some insight in Dwights writing although stories like the one he wrote about Rudy this summer being trouble in the locker room because he was taking his time getting to portland come off like negative fodder. take it with a grain of salt just like every other writers material.
Individually, I feel like there’s no question of improvement. He’s had a rough last 2 games, but Oden’s making smarter decisions. I remember being baffled earlier this season as to why he was unable to keep his arms straight up when going for the block, and it doesn’t seem like that’s a mistake he makes as often now.
I also remember cringing as Przybilla barked at Bayless after a series of missed defensive assignments earlier this year, and it seems like he’s showing marked improvement staying in front of his guy. He also shows a willingness to fight through picks, a trait I hope the other guards pick up on.
Which brings us to a familiar issue: the pick and roll. While I would still call the Blazers pick and roll defense mediocre at best, it really hasn’t been as glaringly awful recently.
My other pet peeve with this Blazer defense is how often the defender will help off of 3 point shooters, only to get burned time and again. The biggest offenders here are the wings, most notably Travis Outlaw.
All in all, though, the numbers back up the notion that they are improving. Two months ago, they were hovering around 25th in the league in defensive efficiency; now Hollinger has us listed as 18th. That would suggest we’ve managed average to slightly above average defense in that time, while maintaining our stellar offense. The team is gelling, and with familiarity, team defense will follow.
That said, I don’t see the defense markedly improving this year. During the offseason, I see this being a huge focus of the team that will have had the luxury of a year to figure eachother out. Remember last year, where our rebounding and reliance on jump shooting were our most glaring weaknesses? While some of the improvement can be atrributed to our personnel, the team has taken it upon themselves to rebound and to get points in the paint.
According to 82games.com, last year 75% of our shots were jump shots; this year, that number is down to 67%. We’re one of (if not) the best rebounding teams in the league.
Next year, if we don’t show a noticeable improvement, I’ll be right there with you, wondering why our team defense can’t put it together. For now, I’m going to enjoy the fact that nearly nobody thought this team could be this good this soon, even with unrealistic expectations for Oden that haven’t materialized.
Dwight, there has been statistical defensive improvement by the Blazers, albeit improvement from “Kings and Warriors bad” to “Suns and Thunder bad,” which still isn’t good, at all. (Note: The Thunder play much better D than Golden State or Sacramento but OKC struggles mightily on offense.)
According to Knickerblogger.net, Portland has the 19th best defense on a points allowed per possession basis, which is an improvement after spending a good portion of the year around 24th or 25th, but still is not nearly good enough if the Blazers want to win in the playoffs.
Portland remains 2nd in the league in offensive efficiency, behind only the Lakers.
offense:
http://www.knickerblogger.net/stats/2009/o_oe.htm
defense:
http://www.knickerblogger.net/stats/2009/d_de.htm
PS — that story about Rudy “being trouble in the locker room” … I didn’t write it.
– Dwight
Thankfully Mr. Jaynes does not suffer from the tunnel vision syndrome that many of the fragile Blazermaniacs are afflicted with…..
First of all, “idiot light” has been around forever. Our family has used that since before I can remember. It was called an idiot light because by the time it came on your car was so far gone it was in for a major repair (hence, you idiot, you should have changed the oil, already).
As far as the negativity, I see it as constructive criticism. My late Grandpa always said, “if somebody says something negative about you and it’s not true, don’t worry about it. If it is true than change.” If your enemy criticizes you and it’s true, they are better than a friend for helping you improve.
I think the biggest problem with the Blazers is the pick-and-roll. Both offensively and defensively. On one of the first plays of the Hornets game, Roy got double-teamed and Oden had nobody within 10 feet. Roy failed to pass him the ball. The Blazer’s guards hardly ever get the ball to the bigs on the roll. They use it to free themselves (which renders it 50% ineffective). In fact, I credit Sergio for trying (out of all the guards). I think the Spanish guys have helped our team become better passers. It definitely seems to have affected Blake.
Sorry so long.
dwight,
we’d appreciate it if you would stick to the talking points we distributed.
thanks.
signed,
blazers management
Yes – management is watching you.
Thankfully Mr. Jaynes shares the same intelligent/logical/rational thought process about certain topics and doesn’t constantly post redundant myopic views.
It is Dwight’s blog. He gets to share what he feels like sharing. We can disagree but we should be able to be adults in disagreeing. His perspective is his own and that is okay.
I believe in progress and not perfection. I see progress in the defense. I see progress in defending the pick and roll. Of course, there are some mismatches at times. This is a game being played by human beings. They are going to be mistakes. It takes time to get everyone on the same page each time you add someone to your roster plus to have a key player out for in an injury even makes it more compliciated. We are fortunate to have the team we have in Portland.
I think the complaints about you being negative have roots in the fact that your observations are of the glass-half-empty variety.
I don’t mind reading objective criticism of the teams that I follow, but I think most readers unconciously start to read between the lines when it is always on the critical side. If your writing is always critical, fans will begin to think you dislike their team, become defensive and place your opinion in the same bucket as those who share it.
I don’t mind your negativity when it’s based upon something. The blazers 20th ranked defense or the inability to get off to a strong start. These issues should welcome a little negativity and constructive criticism. I worry that you’re just one of the people who hope for the worst so at the end of the day you can be right. Bucking the trend of people with positive attitudes because they cant possibly have same insight as you, you have all those years of experience. Your negativity has a smug, you just wait and see flavor to it.
PS cant wait to see you at the Freedarko event next week.
Dwight:
I’ve always enjoyed your writing about the team. When I get to the end of your column,and you made an acutal point that was well thought out, I breathe a sigh of relief, even if I didn’t agree. You, more than anyone, understand this is a volitle and cyclical business that can go from wonderful to horrible in 2.3 seconds. It’s nice to have an even voice in all of it. Take care.
Dwight: Thanks for all the years of excellent writing. I’m in the process of looking under the hood myself. I didn’t always agree with you, but I read you, so wasn’t that the point.
Then again, your home team could be the Suns.
Dwight-
WW is working on an investigative piece linking you to Oil Can Henry’s.
I stand corrected Dwight and apologize, here’s the story I was thinking of http://www.dwightjaynes.com/can-someone-please-solve-the-mystery and I guess I read to much into you even bringing up a D Miles and Rasheed Wallace comparison to Rudy Fernandez which I think at this point has been proven anything but accurate. This was the fodder I spoke of …again I apologize. And after years of reading your work must admit that I may have hated lots that you had to say more then not came to pass as true.
Good Day Dwight,
PS