It’s simply gotta be Batum time
Finally, there is no other choice.
Yet it’s still taking some measure of agony, apparently, to get that starting lineup changed. Martell Webster to shooting guard, Nic Batum sliding in at small forward, right? What other choice is there with Brandon Roy out?
Yet, here we are again, with Coach Nate McMillan doing the same old waltz when it comes to an obvious lineup change. Just do it, man. What’s the delay? What are we waiting for?
This should have been done a couple of weeks ago, but hey — what do you expect. Lineup changes around here come hard. At the start of the season, if Andre Miller had just been put into the starting lineup alongside Brandon Roy — one point guard, not two — the team would have probably picked up three to five more wins by this point of the season.
Instead, we were subjected to all the hand-wringing involving Steve Blake and the problems of the “second unit” and who Brandon Roy could play with best. All of it was silly. The best point guard was Miller — from Day One. But it sure took a long time to get there.
Batum was the starter all last season and his improvement this season is obvious. Man, he’s needed at both ends of the court and he needs to get a lion’s share of his minutes alongside Miller — who will reward all his off-the-ball movement.
Just do it, Coach.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | February 9, 2010
Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Nic Batum, Portland Trail Blazers, Steve Blake
Miller, Webster, Batum, Cunningham, and Aldridge. Will we ever get it right?
I love this line-up as well. Hopefully this will become the 4th quarter line-up until Brandon gets back. I love Cunningham’s defense. I think he really made KP’s decision on whether to resign Travis an easy one. Right now Dante doesn’t score much, but he does it in the flow of the game and he certainly doesn’t give up as many on the defensive end with blown assignments or get his teammates in foul trouble because he’s not staying with his man defensively.
Very Close.
Rudy is better than Webster and more consistent. Granted since being back from injury he has had ups and downs, but not as bad as Webster.
Substitute Rudy for Webster in that lineup and it looks great.
Also, I would be open to Aldridge in Cunninghams spot and have Pendagraph in there, since he runs the floor really well too. Have to leave one runner in that Second Unit
Yes, there would be substitutions, but the concept that I am trying to emphasize here is size combined with speed, strength, and athleticism. Jerryd, Rudy, Jeff and maybe even Patty would all get appropriate developmental playing time if I was calling the shots. Juwan, Travis, and Steve would get time only when needed–no more long purposeless stretches of ineffectiveness and mistakes.
Juwan is very effective against certain line ups…SAN Antonio for one. He kept Duncan away from his spot under the basket. Also Juwan knows many veteran tricks that go unnoticed AND he can score. Do not lump him in with Blake (who is ok off of the bench for spot up 3pt shooting ONLY) and Travis..who is out and we don’t know what he can do this season.
You make a good point about Howard’s defense. Also he is a plus when hitting his shot and spacing the floor. But he is a definite situational sub to me.
Yup..it’s all a no brainer! Change does NOT come easily for Nate…VERY indecisive and controlling…sigh.
Agreed!
Hopefully, the ‘change’ Nate makes won’t be to start Batum and then only play him 13 mins a game again like last year.
Hey look! It’s Nate’s Basketball Ambassador, trolling here each and every day on the site he dislikes soooo much, repeating his same generic rants against all the critics!!! What a surprise!!! Your devotion to your role is getting unprofessional tho…your sarcasm and hostility contradicts your intent…careful..Nate may have to fire you and hire someone knew!
the above post was a response for DOOFTRON.
Exactly… “Controlling” is a great point.
You have 21+ year old men that can do anything in the world they want…. EXCEPT, they cannot wear headbands.
haha, that’s controlling and rigid.
I think Nate deserves the heave-ho, but not for being cautious with Batum. Bringing Batum back slowly has made sense in terms of making sure he is healed before subjecting him to more minutes.
Martell missed 2 wide open 3′s in the Laker game before halftime. So did Blake. Batum gave me my EggMcMuffin.
Dwight thanks for being the only voice of reason in regards to the team eventually trading Rudy. He is a decent player but you gotta get value while you can.
Here’s a question for you. Do you really think the Blazers are willing to go into next question with two centers that both underwent season-ending knee surgery? I think if they do that, they are NUTS!!!
I dont think it *has* to happen in trading Rudy.
You need to make room, by getting rid of the excess weight.
Martell, Outlaw, Bayless and Blake would be good for for getting rid of – for a prime time PF/C and backup SF. The PF/C would replace Pryzbilla … would backup Oden and Alrdige, so would still get 36+ minutes a game.
The SF would be backup to Batum.
It would then leave Rudy, Roy, Miller and Mills for the guard spots. Roy replacing Miller at point when out or maybe Rudy running it temporarily. Rudy slides to off guard when that happens.
So easy to see, but Nate would never guess it in a million years.
I don’t think you are going to get rid of Martell, Travis, Blake and Bayless without giving something else up. There is no team out there that will take all four or a combination of these guys and provide a high-quality player in return. At least not one that we would want. You just aren’t going to get a near All-Star caliber player by not giving up that same level of potential. So who would you rather see go – Batum or Rudy?
You’re thinking too much.
SF’s and 1 underized SG and 1 PG. Lots of teams could use them and yes, you would need multiple trades.
Bayless + Travis + Martell could net you a very solid and upcoming PF/C.
Steve Blake + Draft picks or Euros can get you an “ok SF” … good enough for what we need.
Not something I’m typically accused of, but OK.
If he puts Batum in there now, it makes it easier to keep him in there when Roy comes back. Of course that leaves you with 3 6th-men in Bayless, Martell and Rudy….then your REAL 6th man gets back in Outlaw and you got more juggling. What a year!
Make the move KP, ease Nate’s pain.
I got a better idea…ease Nate’s pain by putting him out to pasture during the off-season and bringing in a coach who shows some creativity and flexibility. How many boneheaded decisions like the Miller/Blake one – and now the delayed Batum start – does he have to make before KP wakes up and smells the coffee?
Not going to happen Raftman. When it comes to nate, KP is Glowing.
Ain’t no way he is leaving. You all need to deal with him.
I’m not sure about that. KP didn’t look AT ALL happy when Nate put in Miller with 5 seconds left in the 1st qtr. against LA. He was standing at the end of the court SCOWLING. RICK ADELMAN FOR BLAZER COACH!!!!
He also spent over half of the interview with Haarlow gloating about Nate.
Don’t see it happening.
I don’t even want to think about Outlaw coming back. I might have to boycott games if Batum, Webster and even Cunninghman start losing signifcant minutes to Travis.
A team cannot have 4 “6th men” and win. We know Rudy is never going to be a starter on this team, if he (or that Agent of his) is going to bitch about at least not being the main man of the bench-then you may as well move him.
Same with Outlaw…and he is in a option year.
Nate’s concept of two complete units will never work. KP has to clear things up by making a deal to streamline the bench. Travis with Bayless or Travis with Rudy has to get you some good return. Right?
I’m really looking forward to this Batum vs Durrant head to head tonight, and for the next 10 years. Two players with contrasting styles, yet very similar body types. Batum won’t shut him down, but he will make him work very hard to get his points.
> If you have to baby Martel because he is a head-case, that is a bad sign- I really feel it would be better for Martel and the team for him to go and play for somebody else.
> You rarely see a dude’s shooting percentage increase dramatically over their career. So who do you want to keep?
Cunningham – 49.6, Batum – 46.4, Outlaw – 44.3, Bayless – 42.5, Rudy – 41.8, Blake – 40.9, Webster – 40.6
I think Martel has a great story. He had a great January and has shown that he’s a capable defender. Not sure where you got the head-case thing and I’ve never got the impression that the Blazers have babied him.
Posting percentages without taking into account the type of shot being taken is quite misleading.
Has Dante taken a three point shot? Rudy, Blake & Webster are the Blazers designated three point shooters. Their shooting percentage will be lower because of that!
When a guy has consulted with a psychologist because he was having issues with his confidence, that does make one wonder.
Going from high school to the NBA before being ready might necessitate a need for a sports psychologist. Having your mom disappear when you are four might also necessitate this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_river_killer#Victims
I’m happy to hear Webster has consulted with a psychologist as he recognizes he has a problem. GOOD FOR HIM. How do you know he HAS done this?
FG% is an antiquated stat, while TS% is a more effective way of analyzing a player’s shooting efficiency.
That, by the way, is because TS% mathematically incoprates 3P% and FT% along with FG% in it.
Oh, and if you want to find up-to-date TS% numbers for players, you check out the wonderful http://www.basketball-reference.com website.
Whatever stat you want to use, Martel and Blake are poor defenders, have no skill in getting past their men off the dribble, AND do not shoot the ball well.
Steve Blake is an overmatched defender, yes. For some reason, Blake reminds a bit of former Seattle Seahawks FS Brian Russell, who was a similarly overmatched defender — as his lack of athleticism negated him being technically sound — and that led to him being a liability.
Regarding Martell Webster, he’s a solid one-on-one perimeter defender. Webster, however, is slow to rotate on switches and isn’t a threat at creating turnovers; thus, he doesn’t provide much of anything on help defense.
On the other hand, Nicolas Batum is a pretty much complete defender — even though he’s too physically weak to contain the likes of, oh, LeBron James — so I agree that his potential is much, much greater than that of Webster.
Batum, for whatever it’s worth, reminds me of a young Tayshaun Prince defensively. That’s a good thing, too.
Offensively, Webster and Blake are solid spot-up shooters from beyond the arc. You, however, are 100% correct that they’re both unable to successfully create their own shots. Webster has that flaw due to his poor handles, while Blake has that flaw because he’s too slow to drive past his man effectively.
Stats don’t always tell the tale.
Cunningham – not many shots taken. FG% could change. He looks to have a solid shot though.
Batum – Who knows, he might have turned into a pure shooter since last season.
Outlaw – Give him a year and that % wont be as high.
Bayless – % is skewed by the amount of cheap buckets he gets at the end of games. Based on his low number of attempts vs made over the course of a season, take away 20 cheap buckets and you have a much different story.
Rudy – Wild in many shots, but % is still high for what he shoots and has to do at times.
Blake – Forget %, this guy just needs to go.
Webster – 3 makes in a row? Great. Airball the next 2 … Hmmm. Inconsistent.
Martell’s been solid this year. We don’t have to start bashing him just because Nic’s more versatile. Ideally, they both get big minutes at the expense of lesser defenders like Blake and Rudy.
And it’s nice to see you firmly on the Andre Miller bandwagon, Dwight.
No.
Martell has been semi solid for a stretch of about 10 games. As you saw with the last game, he still is inconsistent.
This isn’t Martells first year, second year or third year in the NBA….What you see is what you probably will see in the future. Very, very streaky…. Very poor defensive lapses at times, that are not made by someone in the league that has played as many minutes as he has.
Dwight has always been firmly on the Miller bandwagon.
Well, there are feelings to consider Dwight.
I think many of us are overrating Nic Batum. I question the idea of him being better than Martell right now and that he should be put in the starting lineup ahead of him. A lot of you have him as the second coming of god knows what. I think it’s early to be jumping. How many of these other players on this roster have we had as the second coming of who knows what? All of them. Have they shaped up? NO.
I don’t think Dwight is talking about Batum starting ahead of Webster here. He’s talking about Batum essentially starting ahead of Bayless.
As far as in the future, I’d like to see that competition happen in training camp. And if you think Batum is overrated, I don’t know. I think he’s got the potential to be an extremely good defender (like all defensive team good) in the future. The offense that he’s working on is just the cherry on top.
Seriously? Have you watched Nic play at all since he’s been back? I’m not bashing Webster – he’s had his best season as a pro. But Batum has looked phenomenal. It IS a no-brainer.
He has looked phenominal is some games but not all. Remember his two point performance against Dallas? Or his 6 point perfromance against NO? Nic is no different than any other player on this roster that goes off big one game and struggles in another. I don’t think that kind of consistancy makes him the next big thing.
Has he struggled yet? That Hornets game…he played 10 minutes and made 3-5 shots. Dallas? Batum’s defense on Dirk helped win that game in the closing moments.
Nicolas is making 59 percent of his shots — and they haven’t just been putbacks like most people with high shooting percentage. The reason he doesn’t score more is because nobody’s looking at him as a scoring option.
And they should be. Batum has only been back 8 games and he’s already the most consistent player on this team. And the Blazers could truly use some consistency because everybody has been up and down.
JD with all due respect I have to think you’re looking primarily at his stat lines. Batum simply does things during the course of the game that doesn’t show up there. He’s our best perimeter defender, hands down. Webster has been good, but rather spotty on the defensive end of things, but Batum really knows HOW to play defense, and that’s just something someone can’t quantify by looking at how many points a player scores.
Ummm… The way I look at it is just like a game.
You ride a player till he goes cold then you replace him.
If Batum is producing and defending the way he is now, he gets 48 minutes a game until he comes back down to earth with the rest of the team. If he stays up in the clouds shooting the lights out, well – we at least benefit from it.
Batum>WebSter.
Obviously you aren’t watching the Blazers play.
In just the LA game…Batum comes out Webster goes in with 5 seconds left in the 1st qtr. Webster’s man…Artest passes the ball to Brown who scores. Batum comes out and Webster goes in with about 2 mins left in the 2nd qtr. Artest scores 3…that’s right…3…3pt baskets.
Yeah…Webster is probably better than Batum.
That Laker lineup of Fish, Ron, Odom, Gasol and Bynum was insane. I would like the see the Blazers do something to get all their length on the floor. Although I guess our bigs can’t handle the ball like Odom and Gasol. Maybe Cunningham but Aldridge isn’t the greatest at putting the ball on the floor. I wonder why they aren’t developing that aspect of his game more. It was always frustrating that they didn’t run the high-low post game with GO and LMA more when GO was healthy. It is like no one on this team has heard of a re-entry pass. But I digress that is no longer an option. I would like to see something like Dre, Webster, Batum, Cunningham and LMA. That lineup could switch practically everything. And Rudy and Bayless could provide a spark off the bench. Also time to end any 3 guard lineup (although it seems that this is being done)… how about that for the rambling run-on post of the day?
Batum hasn’t shown that he’s ready to play a full game yet or to provide anything more than limited support. He’s had to leave and seek treatment for two of the games he’s been back. Can the Blazers really rely on him to be a starter? There’s no evidence that his shoulder can withstand big minutes or even a bigger role than that of a reserve. At some point in the future his shoulder’s no longer going to be an issue for him so why force the issue?
Does it really make sense for the Blazers to put both of their small forwards in the starting lineup?
If you start both Batum and Webster, who gets sent to the bench once Roy comes back? Maybe it’s inevitable that Batum starts but Webster has played well enough to be a starter.
I would rather see the Blazers start Rudy at shooting guard while Roy’s out.
dwight, this is the only problem that i have with nate as coach. when changes need to be made he tends to side step, and dance around the problem rather than just stepping up and making a change. now i do realize the value in not making knee-jerk and quick decisions but i do find it curious when the pundits, afficianados, and fans alike can see the need for an obvious change and he still refuses to make it. it is deffinetly batum time. and to tell you the truth even tho lamarcus’s stats say hes having an nice year, i almost would sit him down for a couple of games and let him think about his desire and heart. really i think that hypnosis might help lamarcus with the hesitation he shows going inside to the basket both on offense and defense.
Dwight,
I heard you on the MSP this morning asking who the best two-guard was in Roy’s absence. You and Gavin went back and forth on Webster or Bayless. To me, the answer is clearly Rudy. He shoots better than Bayless, penetrates better than Webster, and passes better than both of them combined.
Bayless may be the most over-rated player on the roster. He has had maybe 12 games in his whole career where he has been effective at all.
Dude throws his Summer League teammates under the bus, cant shoot consistently, is turnover prone, plays hand-sy defense and his demmeanor on and off the court stinks.
I keep Rudy over Bayless if it came down to it.
Not only does Jerryd Bayless play overagressive man-to-man perimeter defense — which leads to ticky-tack fouls on his part — his short wingspan also makes him useless at defending the passing lanes. Additionally, Bayless couldn’t fight through a screen to save his life.
Shoot, I wish that a defensive stalwart like Kirk Hinrich was playing the 1 for the Portland Trail Blazers. Along with Hinrich being able to top-notch defense, he’s also capable of effectively playing the off guard spot on offense next to a ball-dominant backcourt teammate.
Alongside Brandon Roy, the Trail Blazers need a low-usage, defensive-minded 1 who can spread the floor when necessary with long-range shooting ability. Hinrich, who’s one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA, could bring all of those skills to the table.
Hinrich? You’ve got to be kidding. The dude is streaky, slow-footed, and a poor playmaker.
He might have been a decent defender before the hand-check rules changes, but not anymore.
Wow, dude, you’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me.
Kirk Hinrich is easily one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, bar none.
That, without a doubt, is due in part to Hinrich being remarkably fleet-footed regarding lateral quickness. In addition, Hinrich always works his ass of when it comes to fighting through picks and closing out shooters.
Oh, and apropos of speed, I’d rather have a mobile, agile defender with deceptively quick lateral quickness like Hinrich versus an overhyped bum who’s only got straight-line speed like Jerryd Bayless.
Statistically, moreover, the Chicago Bulls allow 3.5 points less per 100 possessions (104.7 to 106.9) and hold its opponents to 0.7% less from the field (47.5% to 48.2%) when Kirk Hinrich is on the court compared to when he’s off it.
Those are solid numbers, pure and simple.
Now, with that said, it’s true that Hinrich is “streaky” on offense — which is indicated by his up-and-down shooting percentages from both inside and outside the three-point line — but he’s a solid playmaker.
Sure, Hinrich doesn’t dish dimes at an insanely high clip like Chris Paul or Steve Nash; however, he’s still fairly adept at delivering the ball to a guy who’s rolling to the cup.
At any rate, though, Hinrich continues to be criminally underrated by people here, there, and everywhere. Alas, I can only do so much to dispel such ignorance.
In my above post, that should read as 103.4 instead of 104.7 points per 100 possessions.
So, yeah, that’s a stupid typo on my end.
Anyway, here’s the link to cite the stats that I mentioned in my above post.
http://www.82games.com/0910/09CHI4.HTM#onoff
At any rate, though, my original point in defense of Kirk Hinrich remains the same.
All of this quibbling over who starts doesn’t take care of the real elephant in the room – When will the Blazers get some help in the middle?
LMA and Howard are eating some real minutes and playing bandaid center defense which will end up costing the Blazers health down the line. Cunningham and Pendegraph are running on pure rookie adrenaline, and you can see teams are figuring this out by pounding the paint. The Lakers had an open highway to the hoop because there’s no real big man to worry about.
Its gonna suck when LMA busts his knee and Juwan gets a hernia trying to hold the middle on guys that should be guarded by a Haywood or Camby.
KP is going to fail them. To me, I would think it would be important “to get my guys” some help in the middle. They all are working so hard to keep this season relevant. Working their tails off just to stay in the playoff picture and really, what is this so called GM doing to help them keep it relevant? What is he doing to help them reach their start of the year goals?
From what I can see. Nothing.
This we do know, he won’t bitch when his team is fighting for a top three in the pick in the lottery.
Got to the love the man.
JD, again, with all due respect, you can’t possibly know what KP is doing behind the scenes. This time of year, every single GM in the league is fielding phone calls about trades, and probably making some as well. I think your distain for KP is misplaced here.
I don’t believe he any intent in moving “any of his guys”.
He’s going to position himeself and talk about the deadline correctly. That doesn’t mean he is going to do anything. I don’t believe he will.
but again, JD, how do you know that? there’s no way for any of us arm chair guys to tell what’s going to happen until it happens.
If he does pull the trigger my guess would be Blake/Outlaw for Haywood. However, I wouldn’t bank on a mid-season trade as there are often better opportunities in the off-season
I’m with you on this one Panama. Although since this is a Blazers trade, you need to throw in the requisite $3 million in cash to the Wizards.
I think if the Blazers lose the next 2 games that KP will get a big man. I agree with Merlin on this one.
to be fair though no team can hang with the Lakers inside. Odom and Gasol are skilled players that can do everything and Bynum is a beast in the middle.
True. But here’s my biggest concern – Look at LMA’s minutes per game in just this last week:
vs Charlotte: 38 minutes
vs Utah: 42 minutes
vs San Antonio: 41 minutes
vs LA: 39 minutes
Dudes losing years on his NBA shelf-life by the game, and while I think its good for him to get the minutes and toughen up, the other part of me thinks its gonna take its toll in the form of an injury or exhausting come March/April.
And I don’t see his minutes decreasing even when Roy comes back.
I disagree. Portland treats their players like they can’t handle it.
They are young men.
how many minutes a game did Malone average? What about Barkley? What about Jordan? What about Pippen? What about Stoudamire? What about Nash? What about Kidd? What about Lebron? What about Kobe?
A lot of 1st tier players, but you can go on to the second tier. It doesn’t really matter…
Unless the person is 30+ years old and it’s hard to produce minutes like that consecutively in a back to back. In a break before games, no prob.
I wouldnt mind the minutes if he was playing against other power forwards and not taking on what wouldve been Greg or Joel’s assignments.
Bottom Line is we need a BIG.
The one problem with Martell Webster and Nicolas Batum starting alongside each other is that neither fits the prototypical mold of a ballside wing (i.e., the 2) within the high-low zone offense.
Regarding Webster, he lacks the handles, driving ability, and skill at creating his own shot off the dribble that are necessary to play the 2 within said offense. Regarding Batum, he’s not exactly adept at creating shot opportunities for others. As it is, those skills are necessary for a ballside wing to be successful within the high-low zone offense.
Now, if Nate McMillan wants to depart from his elementary high-low zone offense, then he should call for more pro-style pick-and-roll sets with Andre Miller truly running the show at the 1 — which is a position that’s normally an off guard rather than a pure point within “Sarge’s” system — as well as install plays for Rudy Fernandez at the 2 and Batum at the 3 in which they cut off the ball and are hit with sharp passes in good scoring position.
Sadly, as it pertains to actually running high pick-and-rolls and side screen-rolls, there’s nobody who’s healthy at the 4 or 5 on the Portland Trail Blazers who’s apt at rolling to the hoop after setting hard screens. LaMarcus Aldridge, Juwan Howard, and Dante Cunningham are soft, pussified pick-and-pop pansies, while Jeff Pendergraph is more of an undersized back-to-the-basket scorer at the pivot.
Ugh, it’s times like these I’m glad to not have any emotional investment in the Trail Blazers. Quite frankly, this organization is stuck in neutral.
Enjoyed this post! Good breakdown and recognition of the limitations of Nate’s offense and the point about the 4/5′s not being able to set solid screens and crisp rolls. I do think Batum has the ability to be more of a playmaker than you give him credit for tho. Got to give him a chance to get comfortable with his teammates and get some chemistry cooking.
Martell doesn’t have the ability to get his own shot. Our offense needs that out of the shooting guard. Bayless or Rudy are much better choices.
Nic is still coming back from injury. It’s only been a handful of games. Once he is back to full strength, he’ll start. Everyone knows he is our small forward. You’re not telling Nate anything he doesn’t know.
How do you know that Nate “knows”? Are you Nate? Are you his son? Are you David Lucas? <— My guess.
Batum has already played significant minutes. Outside of one discomfort period, he is fine. If he is not ready to come back and play significant minutes, HE SHOULD NOT BE BACK.
You defend McMillian sooo much, I just don't understand. So what was the excuse with Blake over Miller earlier in the year? Took him months, while the fans knew WAY before then? What's the excuse there? What about this Bayless starting problem, which has never been setup for success? What about the 3 guard lineup? What about running 3 PG/SG in a lineup, when you no longer need to?
Comon, excuses only go so far. I shall now start referring to you as David Lucas.
why do you bash him so much?
You say you have all the answers, yet you suggest something different every time you post, so you really have no answers at all.
He is on many people’s short list for coach of the year for a reason, get a clue
Dooftron…old news, your Ambassador for Nate’s c.o.y stand has been discussed in all your previous blogs..try something new eh?
from the guy who only bashes nate and offers up nothing but recycled suggestions by Dwight
LOL ..
You’re link is from ONE writer:
Maurice Brooks
Who are all of these other people? Enlighten us.
You seem very challenged in reading, digesting and discussing information.
Why do I bash him? That is not the intent. My intent is to point out his short-comings FAR exceed his value.
I do not suggest something different everytime I post. It’s all clear, please – since you seem to think this – show me where I have contradicted myself.
Lastly, as usual – your message has no substance other than being a troll.
Guess what, Ron Paul was on people’s short list for President and guess what, didn’t even get a percentage point when push came to shove.
Since you seem to be SOOO in the know, could you please tell me WHOM (want names) has him picked for COY?
here is one link
http://espn.go.com/nba/notebook/_/page/Awards-100209/nba-awards-watch
Finish Nate’s laundry yet or just taking a break to post?
good one. glad i thought of it
I like the idea of Rudy starting the 2 and have Bayless come off of the bench. I think Jerryd best fits this team as a Jason Terry type who should look to score why giving the starters a rest. He may also be asked to join the starters to end games with.
Batum as a starter is a no brainer. I truly believe he will be an all-star as well as an all defensive team player.
If I was playing GM there would be no way in hell I would let Rudy/Batum go. You make time for these great players
by the way LMA is soft I rented him one night from a mattress store.
Dooftron..yes we know its you..your reallllly getting desperate now trying to post under a similar name of your critic..your ambassador role for Nate is in serious jeopardy…he wouldn’t like the elementary school level tactic. Shame shame, tsk tsk. hahhahhahhh
Why are you called dee kay anyway? Are you an ape who walks around naked in only a tie?
Several people hinted at the key part of this situation – whether or not Martell Webster can be effective at the two guard. If he can, this makes it a whole lot easier for the Blazers to swing a deal involving any 2 or 3 of our tradeable assets (JB/Rudy/Outlaw/Blake… or Martell, for that matter) without causing any long term disruptions.
PREDICTION FOR TONIGHT:
While Nate has announced that Batum is going to be the starter, don’t expect anything but the proper team playing together for a SHORT time period.
Just like earlier in the year with Miller, he won’t go full board.
I BET the first substitution will happen by the 6 minute marker in the first quarter. Too rigid for change.
I CALLLLLED IT.
9:01 first substituion (too early to even see if the team is out of synch. Replaces Blake FIRST (over Rudy) for Webster.
5:58 second substitution pulling out Miller.
Called it.
Next half, Batum wasn’t in the starting lineup.
nate is a tool plain and simple.
holy freakin cow! what a bunch of immature, snotty, little brats! man this fan base is just becoming more and more juvinile every friggin day!
I stopped watching the games. This coach is the biggest idiot. If you need to start somebody in place of Roy, Rudy is the guy. Not Webster the 6 year pro that still plays like a rookie. I want to get behind this team soo bad because they have a lot of talent, but it’s just not being utilized the right way. I will not be able to do this until they get Mcdufus out of there. Unfortunately this won’t happen anytime soon. He needs to pick a 8-9 man rotation and stick with it. If Webster, Outlaw, Blake are pissed because they are not playing, tough chit. I would rather see Dante, Rudy, Bayless and Pendy. Sorry fans but this head crotch is not taking this team anywhere.
Blakesux – sad but all too true, McMuffin – like LeMarshmallow, I am afraid we are stuck with. Though many can see their weaknesses, it appears KP loves ‘em both. So sad, so frustrating….we’re not going anywhere with either in place.
Batum no Batum, Roy no Roy not going to matter. Blame it on whatever you choose. This team is dead in the water. Being out coached, out defended, out hustled, out shot out played by the Lakers and Utah is one thing. They just got schooled by the Thunder. That is another thing all together. Not beat in a hard fought, playoff atmosphere game, the got SMOKED … by the Thunder. At home. DOA
Even if it’s only as a stopgap, the Portland Trail Blazers desperately need to somehow acquire a stout, hard-nosed man-to-man interior defender at center (e.g., Brendan Haywood)–especially if this organization wants to make any waves during this upcoming post-season.
Suffice it to say, though, it’s improbable that the Washington Wizards would agree to trade Haywood and Fabricio Oberto for the expiring contracts of Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake, as well as $3,000,000 in cash considerations.
The Wizards, as it is, are reported to have been driving a hard bargain in trade talks involving Haywood, with a name like Rudy Fernandez having alledgedly entered discussions.
Obviously, including Fernandez in this instance is a flat-out deal-breaker for the Trail Blazers — even though I don’t consider him to be altogether untouchable — since this’d essentially be a short-term rental of a defensive-minded center.
Yet, if push comes to shove around the trade deadline, maybe the Wizards brass will buckle and settle for Outlaw, Blake, and a fat check straight from Paul Allen’s bloated bank account.
Now, the only way I can see that happening is if the front office in D.C. decides its crucial to open up playing time for youngsters Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee due to development purposes.
The team’s ownership — which is currently in flux due to the recent passing of Abe Pollin — being inticed by the incentives of $3,000,000 in cash considerations would also probably need to come into play.
Hell, it’s not as if acquiring Oak Hill Acadamy (VA) and University of Maryland alum Blake or Outlaw — who’s like a poor man’s Antawn Jamsion, even down to the similarly poor defense — would help win games, sell tickets, et cetera.
In the meantime, though, starting a washed-up, over-the-hill Juwan Howard out of position at center — along with using an overmatched, undersized rookie in Jeff Pendergraph as his backup — is downright killing the Trail Blazers. It’s definitely bad times, with a fix-up — even if it’s just of the patchwork variety — in order here.
I still can’t get over the Slobfather. Holycrap whoever came up with that is hilarious.
sinking sinking and we are back to being a joke…nice one and out but natroy….
but i will call Karma cus Mr. Allen kicked the Beavers opening a stadium at the MC so karma bites his team in the butt….plus he is part of the flounders…boooo.
RCTID!
Ha-ha!
Dude, I’m sorry, but I had to drunkenly chuckle at you bringing not only superstitious bullcrap like “karma,” but also freakin’ soccer into the equation. It’s all good, though.
In all seriousness, however, the Portland Trail Blazers are in a definite quandry. In addition, I’m not sure if Paul Allen, his sis’, Bert Kolde, Tod Leiweke, and all those other bigwigs in upper management — as well as the guys in middle management and lower management, particularly Kevin Pritchard and Nate McMillan — are up for the task of fixing it.
Let’s just say that, well, my faith in the Portland Trail Blazers bringing the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy home to the Rose City at any point this decade is next to nil.
It’s unfortunate, eh.