Greg Oden CAN score, so he should score!
I never have liked it when a coach sentenced a guy to being a one-way player. That’s not exactly what Nate McMillan is doing to Greg Oden here, but he’s seemingly leaning that way:
“I want Greg to establish us on the defensive end of the floor,” McMillan said. “I don’t want him concerned so much about the offensive end of the floor. Last year, we were able to score and we’ll be able to score this year. But I want that (center) position and Greg to focus on establishing our defense — covering that basket, rebounding that ball … really being a monster in the paint.”
More than half the teams in the NBA do not have a player big and strong enough to defend Oden. We saw some of that during the exhibition season. And the more Oden gets the ball, the more skilled he will become on offense. Long term, this team needs him at BOTH ends of the floor.
There will be nights when Roy and Aldridge will have problems — or be out with an injury. It would be nice if Oden is skilled enough by then to step up on offense. And against the quality teams, if he can create an inside presence it will make it much easier on Portland’s perimeter players.
Yes, they need him on defense. They need Aldridge and Roy at that end, too. And if you ask a guy to work his tail off on defense, it’s only fair to throw him a few crumbs at the other end, too. I’d be careful about stereotyping him as only a defensive player this early in his career. And I’d be careful about putting limits on him, too.
As much as he’s improved over last season, I think I’d encourage him at both ends of the court — and sit back and see what happens. He’ll eventually find his own niche.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | October 26, 2009
Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers
One of the many reasons why Nate is not the right coach for Greg in the long term.
I think there is a middle ground between admitting that Dwight has some good points and saying that Nate should go. He is a pretty solid coach, and I’m not sure there is anyone better available right now.
I agree, though I would substitute “the Blazers” in the place of “Greg”.
Don’t coach like a pussy, Nate. If Oden can score, give him his touches.
I think Nate just doesn’t want Greg to feel like he has to score.
But if Oden can polish his offensive game, he can be almost unstoppable.
Of course Nate always preaches defense, yet his teams hardly every actually play defense…so…
Tom – Maybe you’re right, and Nate is just trying to keep the pressure off of Greg, but I haven’t seen anyone else in this organization be careful about pressuring Greg, it’s always “leaking” out how great he’s going to be and how impressed they are with him.
I wonder if it isn’t more about Nate being concerned that with so many scoring options on this team, Roy and LA won’t be able to get enough shots to keep them happy.
I think people underestimate how much pressure there is on Roy to continue to put up All-Star numbers. Even though it makes more sense to spread the shots and keep Roy fresh, he seemed very concerned in preseason that he wasn’t getting his. I think that’s a big part of why Nate is brining Miller off the bench, and it might also be why Nate is trying to convince Greg that he’s a defensive force, not an offensive one.
I am NOT saying that Brandon is being selfish, just that when the national media is hailing you as the 3rd best SG in the league behind Kobe and D Wade, you’re going to feel the need to justify it.
Didn’t Bayno spend a good chunk of the summer working on some offense with him? I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of last season where only (the disobediant, and now traded) Sergio feed him on offense.
But yeah, i just read that article about ten minutes ago, and the same though ran through my brain: here we go again with the ‘let’s not worry about getting him on offense’ talk.
Didn’t Bayno spend a good chunk of the summer working on some offense with him? I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of last season where only (the disobediant, and now traded) Sergio feed him on offense.
But yeah, i just read that article about ten minutes ago, and the same though ran through my brain: here we go again with the ‘let’s not worry about getting him on offense’ talk.
That article worries me too. I think Nate is trying to reverse course from the “Everything is a dunk” mantra they were trying to beat into him before last season. That is literal too. You could hear the coaches yelling that to him last preseason. It encouraged little footwork and assumed that he had low enough post position which wasn’t hard to get against Fry. They found out really early that he couldn’t always get that position. When he was low enough he couldn’t always turn and dunk it because you have another center between you and the basket and he isn’t going to dunk through Ming, Howard, Shaq, etc. Finally, when he wasn’t low enough, he didn’t have the footwork to get that position.
All that was exposed when they kept repeatedly feeding him the ball in his first few games last season and they saw that he couldn’t do it.
Now they are coaching better but Nate is still scared that some other flaw will be exposed if they force feed him so he is going to let Oden take it at his own pace.
If Oden handles the scraps in the regular season like he did in the preseason, Nate will start drawing up plays for him pretty quick.
this is what i dislike about Nate .there are two ends of the court ya can’t have one with out the other.
Never understood this kind of talk about Greg. Feed the big man, get easy buckets on the inside, draw fouls on the opponents bigs and this can completely change games. Greg can and should dominate on BOTH ends of the floor.
Or wait…on second thought…maybe he come off the bench with A. Miller so that we can have a strong second unit. I think that’s the real ticket to a championship.
I remember thinking last year that if we only had a better second unit we would have easily handled Houston and possibly even competed with the Lakers.
Maybe Greg’s offensive development is ultimately unimportant once Nate has his perfect 2nd unit coming off the bench.
Maybe I’m alone on this one, but I would rather see the Blazers attack the rim offensively with Oden in the paint instead of settling for 15′-20′ jump shots by LA, Roy, Rudy, Outlaw, ect, ect, ect. The Blazers lived and died by the jump shot last year. Oden is the one guy who attacks the paint. Running our offense threw Oden will get everyone else better looks from outside too. Take the kid gloves off Oden and lets see what he can do. Oden is a special player and has the ability to be the most dominate force on this team and in the league.
Well said, Jim. There are gonna be nights when those jumpers aren’t hitting. Feeding Greg on the low post regularly will open up easy j’s for the rest of the guys.
Nate is parroting what Dave from Blazer’s Edge wrote a year ago. I disagree with them and agree with Dwight for this reason: Oden IS a defensive monster, he just needs to do it (and he will now that he’s healthy). Oden CAN become an offensive monster but only if he keeps working hard on his moves. So it would be foolish to tell him to forget about offense.
That being said, I totally disagree with the whole “Nate is the wrong coach for this team going forward” movement. The team has done NOTHING to indicate that he’s the wrong guy, so it is dumb to start piling on him already.
What gives Nate-detractors fuel is the hollow lip-service on defense. All last year, and now apparently this year.
For me, besides the 2nd round playoffs, I’m mostly interested in seeing this team beat a upper-echelon team other than the lakers this season. Last season seemed to be mainly W’s over all the bad and mediocre teams, and almost all L’s against the good teams (except for LA at home, and except for a slumping Boston at home).
The fact that they beat the teams that they are SUPPOSED to beat is a sign of good coaching that helps a team play up to its potential, not bad coaching.
I pray everyday that he doesn’t ruin this kid. EVERYDAY.
I don’t see Nate as the long term coach here for reasons like this. But there are times, I wish that the end of Nate McMillan would come SOONER rather than later. I believe it’s inevitable anyways. I think he konws inevitable due to not signing the long term ext.
But it is a process. Just have to wait it. AND HOPE HE DOESN’T RUIN GREG.
Would Blazer fans be willing to see a 45 +/- win season if it meant establishing Oden as a scoring presense? Sounds like Nate’s not willing to take that chance. Is this the last year of his contract or is it next year?
They wouldn’t take that kind of dive in the win column.
But to answer your question. I buy into the “We go as far as Greg takes us philosophy”. And because I do, I wouldn’t be disappointed. If Greg makes a 180 and starts playing like the dominant big we drafted for. To me the season is a win. No matter how they finish or what they do. It’s a win. Because the cornerstone will then be on his way.
I think if there were more signs from the coach that pointed towards a long-term winning and development strategy, versus signs and sound bytes that seem to be pointing towards short-term patchwork strategies (i.e.: let’s not bend Roy in anyway and make him adjust to new starters), most people would probably be great with that.
They need to leave Greg alone and let him play. He’s got both sides of the ball going now, let’s let him use his abilities.
Dwight is so brilliant. I really just don’t understand why they don’t offer him the coaches job, he would make such a better coach than Nate. Dwight knows everything, Nate knows nothing. Just ask Dwight, he will tell you.
I think we should be concerned about Nate and his ability to coach big men. There are coaches out there that wouldn’t think of doing something like this. Riley being one of them. The offense would start and end with the big man. That’s probably the way it should be here.
But under this coach, I don’t think it’s going to be the case.
I would watch Joel last year be open time and time again and the only ones who would pass to him where Sergio and Rudy.Drove me nuts
got andre and jawahn (?) now dude. there will be substantially more passes into the middle this year.
Believe it or not, that was some Greg Odenss “Developmental” problems.
Which is why I believe Andre Miller needs to be in that lineup. He is the only guy that looks for Greg. Brandon can say all he wants. He doesn’t for Greg when he is in the game.
absolutely agree! you saw time and again Greg flash to the middle, only to be ignored in favor of a BRoy iso or a LMA jumper.. both of which were effective weapons, but c’mon guys! THREE HEADED MONSTER!!! we can have that!
Feed the Beast!
greg IS gonna get his touches. actually nate has a point in that if greg can be quicker, and more physical on the defensive end, hopefully teams will give him a little more room on the offensive end to give them time to react. greg will be overpowering on the offensive end but im sure nate dosent want greg to forget about the “D” and continued improvement on that end. it will only help him on the offensive end of the floor. never fear, he will score more this year but will be a total monster on the defensive end.
I hated this as much as anybody here, but remember in the late 90s and early 00s, that when Shaq got the ball down low, it was all but over that he would score and/or get to the line? How close to that can Oden eventually become? Dwight said that he was unstoppable over Kenyon, Chris Andersen, and Nene vs. Denver, and those three, while more power forwards, are still no slouches on defense. As far as defense, granted this is a different era, but the only thing missing from the 1989-92 Blazers championship recipe was an interior defender who could block shots. I think that that is timeless, and a great anchor for the Blazers championship plans.
Sooooooo… When will the oden panderers who live in a fantasyland realize that oden is not the focus of the team or its linchpin???
not pandering.
Oden has to be, if not THE focus of the team, then certainly A focus of the team. BRoy, LMA, GO are our future. to say that (as Dwight put it) he CAN score therefore he SHOULD score, is not pandering. it is simple logic.
no one is suggesting that he needs a play run for him ever time down the court, but people are slightly uneasy with Nate proclaiming that Greg shouldn’t be concerned with scoring, coming immediately on the heals of a sometimes dominating offensive performance in the pre season. it almost read like a “now hold on there son…” type of reaction to me.
and coming not long after the whole Brandon “i feel like a rookie again, i dont know where i fit in this offense and the LMA “not many touches to go around” comments….. it’s just a little worrisome. feels kind of protective on Nate’s part. protective of Roy and Aldridge….
Since when are team player supporters called ‘panderers’?
I think I prefer 3 foot hooks and dunks over 20 foot jumpers. Seems to me to be a higher success rate. That’s why you need to develop Oden’s offensive game. Tired to see the Blazers live and die by the jump shot. I’ve also noticed that Oden gets more lively on the defensive side of the court when he’s more of a factor on the offensive side.
McMillan’s remarks is a clear indication that the team has outgrown the coach. This isn’t last years team… not even close.
You have 2nd year players like Oden, Batum, and Fernandez who all will want the ball more and are now firmly ready to contribute more on the offensive end.
Oden in particular is a unique weapon most teams don’t have. He is ready now to contribute 15-20 a game. More importantly, this will only open the court more for other players.
Most important, the more developed we allow Oden to be, the better chances we can actually win a championship
Why is this so hard for our coach to see???
I hate to say it folks cause overall I like our coach, but I am starting to see more and more that he has served his purpose here. I am beginning to believe that we will need a new coach who will utilize Oden on both ends of the floor. A coach who will encourage Oden to grow, and make him the centerpiece along with Roy and LA
And for crying out loud can we do a little bit of fast breaking this season? We have the players to do that, but a coach who can’t handle losing any control
The Blazers will never be a running team as long as Roy is allowed to control the tempo of the game. I really can’t remember one time last year where Roy was pushing the tempo – that was when Sergio came in the game.
What next Nate …Brandon should look pass first and shoot second. The sand is passing more quickly through the hour glass of time you have left in Portland. Sucess in any team sport is ensuring that the members of the team are given the best oprotunity to do what they do best. This is not the NATE BLAZERS. Control Freaks don’t last long in the NBA. Don’t worry the Grizz will need a coach soon.
What are y’all reading that I’m not? Especially you, Dwight? You’ve been harping about the defensive problems of the Blazers as long as I can remember. Nate’s not saying Oden shouldn’t score, or that he’s not going to get his touches. He’s saying that Greg should *focus* on expanding his defensive abilities, which to me seems intelligent.
We got scores left and right on the team! Everyone’s worried about not getting enough touches! And Nate should tell Greg to focus on offense??
One step at a time, guys.
I so agree, Dwight. I was yelling at the paper this morning. I can’t stand when coaches force people into “roles.” To me, that says the COACH is unable to adjust to the players he has in front of him. Why on earth would you limit someone like Oden? Why not develop him in all aspects of his game?
He can be a beast on both ends of the floor, and whether the powers that be in the Blazers will admit it or not, this isn’t Roy’s team – it is Oden’s. The only limit to how far the Blazers go is how much they unleash Oden and get him the d@mn ball.
First of all, yelling at the paper only scares young children and pets. I recommend that you not yell at the paper. It does nothing and scares young children and pets.
You ask “Why on earth would you limit someone like Oden? Why not develop him in all aspects of his game?”
The answer lies in your original statement. When Nate was a young child, his mother yelled at the paper a lot, and it stunted his development.
Nate thinks that this is Brandon Roy’s team, and the front office has bought into that concept. Anyone that could take over a team with their dominant physical play will create a “rift” within the team chemistry. It’s not that Nate is a bad coach, it’s just that he is not a NBA championship coach. He can get you to the playoffs, but anything past the first round is asking too much.
Ya gotta ask yourself. Can Phil Jackson outcoach Nate McMillan? How about Greg Popovich or Doc Rivers? I don’t think that he can out coach Rick Adelman either.
Nate’s priority is not winning a championship. It’s keeping certain people happy and having a decent team on the floor. As long as the team is playoff bound, the arena will sell out and Nate will keep his job.
So the Blazers are selling out every game. The team is decent – good even, but the Blazers are not going to win any championships. We’ll make the playoffs, lose and blame the refs. It’s the Blazer way. Conspiracy theories will abound about how the league has it in for the Blazers.
Don’t get me wrong. I think things are a lot better here in Portland. I remember the JAILBLAZER days. I enjoy watching the team, but championship basketball is not being played here in Portland. Sure we have competitive talent, but IMO, the current group is not the best in NBA.
Please don’t yell at the paper, your dog might pee on the rug.
Oden might someday be the #1 option on the offensive end, but if you have watched him play this preseason he is not that guy today.
He can make moves, get up shots close to the basket, and get fouled. But he doesn’t have the offensive touch yet to be a #1.
And don’t think for a minute that the team will not be giving him the ball down low. Just too many mismatches out there.
But as the wicked witch said, “all in good time, all in good time..”
That does not mean you quit going to him. He is a work in progress. The only way he is going to get better is if you push it on him. How do you do that? Establish early and often. Get him the ball in the post and let him do his thing. But just because he isn’t ready now doesn’t mean you can drop the whole idea of going to him. He is only going to get better by practicing and going through the routine.
If you quit going to him. Then you stymie his progression.
JD – take a chill pill. This is a g-a-m-e.
Dude will be fine.
JD,
I agree with you, though I think it’s often awkward for centers when they’re force-fed the ball at the very beginning of games. I hope Oden will be allowed to work into the flow of the offense, rather than see the ball on the first 4 possessions of the game, when he is not loose yet and the other players might be prone to standing and watching.
Nate would bring Lebron off the bench if we signed him as a free agent next year. Nic Batum compliments Roy better and Lebron would mesh with the 2nd unit well.
Now that’s funny! Chris Paul probably wouldn’t start for us either!
Chris Paul is a dick. Lol.
Wow, not much respect for Nate or Oden on these boards today. First, I agree with whoever said that Nate was deflecting pressure as opposed to limiting touches. Secondly, Oden’s per minute numbers weren’t that bad last year. He just fouled every play. He’s pretty good already. He just needs minutes.
And criticizing Roy was not pushing the ball? C’mon. We’re not building a running team here. With Roy, Aldridge and Oden as your key players, that’s half court basketball. Open your eyes.
I have to disagree. Every time I saw Roy bring the ball up the floor he was walking. People critisized Blake for bringing it up slow, but Roy litereally walks up the floor. He’s a half-court PG/SG – he’s not Steve Nash. I’m not saying I don’t like Roy, but he is what he is, and a runner he is not.
Greg can be (and will be) an incredible offensive player. Maybe not here- but somewhere.
Based on his performances this year, some within the Blazers organization are concerned that Greg Oden is developing into a multi-dimensional force who can put up all-star numbers at both ends of the court. As his coach, Nate may be determined to put a stop to this, for fear that it could derail him from achieving his full potential as a one-dimensional rebounder and defender.
Nate seems to think that last year was as far as the Blazers can go. More Blake, more Outlaw, Batum either starts or doesn’t play at all, no fast break, crap defense — that’s how you finish way behind the Lakers. That’s how you spend the whole season neck and neck with Utah and Denver. The Blazers are not a project team any more. It’s time to gather up all the talent and go somewhere. Or not.
Oden will leave portland if Nate keeps his Roy philosophy!
Oden better be a force on defence the way Roy and Miller’s men get around them so easily. But come on, it would be crazy to bring in a player like Miller and not get Oden at least 3 legit post touches a quarter. All the rest of his attempts come off put-backs and free throws. Do that and they have a 15 & 12 beast in the post. I mean why else did they sign Miller?