Truth be told, I don’t specifically go out looking for teams to be annoyed at. They just kind of come to me. I mean, I’m definitely the old guy waiting for his lunch who is then mad you put carrots in his soup because I HATE CARROTS. But the Jazz conflict we had last year was born out of a misguided overestimation by pundits and fans about their team being a legit title contender. Having had that dream cruelly yanked away, we’re back to digging Utah with its Mansapp, AK, and Deron the Dodgeball Ninja action.
I’m even more reticent to accept my newest prey, the Trail Blazers. Small market team, progressive general manager, The Big Nifty LaMarcus Aldridge. Lots to love. But this summer has been rough. Got played by Hedo. Lost out on Odom. Didn’t make any big draft moves like in years before. Fernandez getting twitchy. Then used their one big move on Andre Miller, an aging point guard who I’m not sold on as a missing piece.
And now comes the start of camp. And apparently, Nate McMillan, who is my biggest question mark about this squad, is preaching “chemistry.” Which is odd, given the team’s personnel moves.
They locked up Brandon Roy, which was certainly a good move. But they’ve let Aldridge drift in the wind, not locking him up. It’s got to feel to Aldridge like he’s not a top priority. I’m sure the talks that have gone on have been made to assure him that he is, but the fact remains he’s without an extension, one which he’s happy to sign. There have been rumblings about Fernandez being unhappy about a great many things. From Euroball to his role with the team, to how he’s been coached. Which wouldn’t be such a big deal if Fernandez hadn’t played so brilliantly in spots.
Then there’s the point guard fiasco. Team members are all big fans of Steve Blake, even though he’s obviously not the answer at point. Yet, Blake’s still around. Watching, waiting. Missing (UPDATE: He hit 43% from three last season, so basically the lesson is, never trust your perceptions) three pointers. Jerryd Bayless (swoon)? Stewing. Waiting, watching, probably planning on cutting Steve Blake’s brakes. Bayless may not have done enough to earn a spot in McMillan’s rotation (whenever the words “must improve on defense” are said about Bayless, on that crap defensive squad, my blood boils), but surely he’s valuable enough to trade, right? If you’re not going to use him? And that’s all before you get to the veiled threats from Andre Miller. You know, “the missing piece?” Miller doesn’t seem to be integrating. Mostly because he hasn’t been able to practice since he failed his conditioning test, which is an awesome way to start the season. Getting out-conditioned by 58 year old Greg Oden. Conversely, Roy keeps talking about how comfortable he is with Steve Blake.
Maybe that’s what McMillan’s getting at, though. This team needs to improve its chemistry, to dedicate to a team winning formula, since so many are either fresh off of or on the crux of new contracts. And that winning formula includes something that is highly dependent on chemistry, defense. This team must improve dramatically on defense if it’s going to contend for a further playoff push. They’ve got the talent, they have to put it together.
But with this coach, this frustrated sub-franchise power forward, this surly point guard, and we haven’t even broached the subject of Greg Oden and the Hype Machine of Glory versus Joel Pryzbilla and the Cult of Actually Doing Stuff, they’ve got a long way to go.
But then, that’s really the best part about the Blazers. No matter what happens, or how long they’ve been together, they are imminently, incredibly, and impressively watchable.
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The Andre Miller move is absolutely an upgrade. It means Blake is playing the backup minutes instead of defensive sieve, Sergio Rodriguez. It means more easy buckets for the big men, since Blake was a spot up shooter and not a penetrator/distributor.
And I don’t think any Blazer teammates will lose any sleep over Blake going to the bench if they continue to win.
In terms of Aldridge, you’re assuming fire when there isn’t even smoke. He’ll get his money (and it’ll be big money) but they’re still finessing out the details. Nobody’s unhappy yet.
Nice Mad Men reference, btw.
KJN, it’s not so much that he’s not an upgrade. But with everything they had coming off the books, all the pieces they had to move, all the opportunities they tried for, they walked away with a point guard who has been less than impressive in dealing with the media. I’m just saying.
And check out the Blazers’ edge piece. Aldridge may not be UNhappy, but I would definitely classify him as “not happy.”
Aldridge will get the money, though. KD said in his chat today that they were fine giving him a big payday, but they didn’t want to give him so much that he was untradeable down the line. I’m inclined to agree – they’ll settle on something reasonable soon.
It’s absolutely true that the way Portland will improve is on the defensive end, but they’re not nearly as bad on that end as they’re made to appear in this post. Last year, they were 13th in the league. That’s slightly above average, not “crap”. However, that is why getting Miller was a bit puzzling, as he is an upgrade, but not really in the areas they need upgrading. Still think they improve on last year’s mark, though.
VDZ: I’m sure they’ll get a deal done. This is not me saying they won’t get a deal done. Hell, wouldn’t surprise me if they got a deal done tomorrow. It’s the combination of factors that is distressing. I also kind of feel like they need to shit or get off the pot with Aldridge. They’ve been wavering on if he’s their guy for so long, and they’re still more devoted to Greg Oden than they are to Aldridge, from what I’ve seen.
On the defensive end, you’re probably right that 13 in DE isn’t THAT bad. It’s a rare situation where the stats give a hint of what’s true, and then anecdotal evidence confirms it. I saw so many problems on the defensive end towards the end of the year for them. I’m unimpressed with any of their defense in the frontcourt. Maybe Miller can help in that regard, but I wasn’t blown away by his defense last year, either.
Normally I disagree with this stuff but, since it supports my position:
http://dberri.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/the-jazz-play-the-same-tune
How good do you think the Blazers will be if they lose Roy and Aldridge for significant stretches?
How do you figure the Blazers have waivered on Aldridge as their player? Because there were rumors coming from Phoenix that we wanted Amare. HA! We never wanted Amare, he’s Aldridge without defense. And if you did some research you would know that LaMarcus’ answers were not implying he’s upset. The way some of the media wrote his answers made it appear he was angry. http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/09/blazers_notebook_aldridge_stil.html That’s just one article I could find in 2 minutes of looking. But if you actually paid attention to media day you would know LaMarcus is not upset, just disappointed.
As for Hedo, he didn’t play us, his wife made the choice. Second about SHedo, look at him now. Can you say the Blazers dodged a bullet? Because everyone in Blazerland is thinking so. The guy can’t even practice and you think we’re upset over here? That’s laughable. And just so you know, we never made a true play at Odom. ESPN even had to take out that info from their report because our GM and President denied it. Everyone knows Portland HATES Odom, he wouldn’t have been accepted here and we never wanted him.
As for Fernandez, he’s fine. They’re working him into some time at the PG spot, which will up his minutes. How ignorant are you? Is this a real site or a blog? Veiled threats from Miller? Are you on crack? He said “me and Roy don’t have any chemistry right now. But that will come with playing together.” WOW bigtime threat. And Miller can still practice, he just has to do extra conditioning with Bobby Medina, strength and conditioning coach, after practice. And referring to Greg Oden as 58, seriously grow up. You have a national website, be somewhat sensical and not ignorant. This whole article is an ignorant take on a team from someone who looked up what ESPN said and wrote their own take. Take your bias out of your writing, because right now it’s an opinion piece, not a true article.
The Blazers have been wavering on LMA? Since when? He is a franchise cornerstone and has always been regarded as such.
What’s wrong with Bayless learning from the bench? PG is a difficult transition to make from college to the NBA, so why not give the kid some time to learn before throwing him out there?
By the way, your Greg Oden is old joke is actually older than Oden himself.
[...] right: Wayne Winston, Mark Cuban’s stats expert, sure isn’t bashful. 10th: Hardwood Paroxysm. Moore: The Blazers must improve dramatically on defense if they’re going to contend for a [...]
I wonder how much Bayless is a myth. I know you have a serious “potential” hard on for Bayless but his play has been very spotty, on both ends. I’ve been reading “basketball on paper” and I am at the chapter where he mentions how bad teams have incredible roster “instability.” I hope that when Nate is talking about chemistry much of what he is hoping for is going to be a natural side affect of the stability this roster has finally had.
Awesome. Another sweeping indictment of a team based on 24 minutes of interweb research. This is why so many blogs (and sports radio) make me nauseaous. I guess there’s some kind of a chance you’ll be right, but if you’re wrong, you won’t be held accountable, so it’ll be cool. I bet you use the link, “like I said back in xxxxx,” when you’re right, huh? Do you link back to previous posts when you totally missed the mark by a mile and are proven wrong in time? Do you?
We try to. It’s difficult, because I think as a writer you never actively remember all the things you’ve gotten wrong. But I certainly try to. It’s entirely possible that I’m way wrong. Oden could explode and Miller could be the perfect fit and most of all, LaMarcus could be signed tomorrow. But my job isn’t to be right all the time. It’s just to spur conversation.
And why is it so hard to imagine for even a second that there could be things wrong with this team? What’s wrong with that? The Lakers were significantly flawed last season. Didn’t slow them up enough. I can tell you that we’ve linked back to stuff when we’ve been wrong.
If I’m right, will you leave comments to that effect? Will you?
Wow, that was a waste of time. An undereducated opinion piece not considering all the facts. Hint: when writing an opinion piece, try to address each issue of contention from both angles so as to not appear biased.
In order to end your torrid raid on people’s free time, I recommend some information to consider for your doubtless corrections/editorial suggestions:
Nate McMillan, who is my biggest question mark about this squad, is preaching “chemistry.” Which is odd, given the team’s personnel moves.
-McMillan doesn’t sign contracts with players. Nate manages personalities and coaches. Thats it. Yeah, he has input on personnel decision, but doesn’t make them. That is the general managers job.
From euroball?
-what? Vague.
Then there’s the point guard fiasco
-fiasco? Because two players want to start? Because Roy feels more confortable with Blake? Because, McMillan feels more comfortable with Blake? It seems safe to assume that since Blake has been in Portland for 2 years, players and coaches will be more comfortable with him at least ’til the end of training camp. It all seems like a stretch to call it anything other than situation that won’t be worked out on day 1.
There have been rumblings about Fernandez being unhappy about a great many things. From Euroball to his role with the team, to how he’s been coached.
-unhappy about the Hedo non-signing? Quotes help. Vagaries are self fulfilling. He wants more minutes… yes. He wants an expanded role next season… yes. Unhappy… no… unless you know something that hasn’t been reported.
From euroball?
-what? Vague.
Jerryd Bayless (swoon)? Stewing. Waiting, watching, probably planning on cutting Steve Blake’s brakes.
-It seems like you’re not a Blake fan. I like Bayless, but until he can run an offense McMillan won’t be letting Bayless “cut” anyones “brakes”
“must improve on defense”
-Bayless is liked for his defensive tenacity in Portland. Its his ability to hit shots and lack of on court communication is what hurts him.
Hes surely he’s valuable enough to trade, right? If you’re not going to use him?
-His trade value is substantially lower than his value in Portland right now. When your not getting played, then most teams assume you can’t play. It’s just a fact in the NBA. When was the last bench player to get traded for significant value?
Miller doesn’t seem to be integrating. Mostly because he hasn’t been able to practice since he failed his conditioning test…
-Miller is, in fact, practicing with the team. He is integrating just fine to my knowledge. But, the media doesn’t love him in Portland. Much like how things were in Philly.
Greg Oden and the Hype Machine of Glory versus Joel Pryzbilla and the Cult of Actually Doing Stuff
-this is accurate… I just thought it was funny.
Man, you missed a lot. They did not miss out on Odom – they offered Millsap. The conversations with Odom went no further than a call to his agent, according to agent and Portland management. And did you watch Jerryd Bayless play defense last year? He managed to combine being over-aggressive and prone to fouls with allowing boulevard-wide paths to the lane. Both can be improved but must be improved. He was terrible.
And on LMA’s contract, they are in talks. There was more than one article on this on Blazers Edge. His agent has said publicly he’s satisfied with the progress, the management is confident it will get done. LaMarcus himself is naturally edgy – why wouldn’t he be? So was Roy earlier this year.
The Blazers were better when Oden was on the floor. That is potential realized (the same can’t be said of Bayless). Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble. But Portland is already a better team with him than Przybilla. Oden’s foul trouble is also correctable.
I understand that you don’t have to be right all the time. I’ll be happy to come back and say I was wrong. I suppose your job is to spur conversation (increase traffic). But uninformed musing “spurs” uniformed chatter.
Matt,
Okay, I accept that your whole point here is to “scratch the annoyance itch.” Like a mosquito bite or something. Thing is, your mom told you not to scratch those mosquito bites for a reason. Add on to the molehills all you like, but you stretched the truth a bit to make a point:
“Miller doesn’t seem to be integrating. Mostly because he hasn’t been able to practice since he failed his conditioning test, which is an awesome way to start the season.”
Miller has not been withheld from practice at all. Those who fail the conditioning test get some mandatory extra time with Bobby Medina. But don’t take my word for it:
http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/1/1065531/blazers-training-camp-day-3-report
http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2009/10/blazers_podcast_with_jason_qui.html
Part of me wants to address your criticisms in more detail, but since you find our Blazers impressively watchable, we’ll let the upcoming games disabuse you of these notions. ^_^
Hahahah Matt Moore is awesome!
Good article Matt, you touched on some legitimate points – you left out the fact that McMillian is on a one year deal and preaching “chemistry” to go along with Aldridge’s lack of an extention. I’m also not convinced they care more about Oden than Aldridge, but they *have* to give more attention to Oden given the fact that he’s the bust so far… with that said, last year was Oden’s rookie year. He’s what? 21-22 years old (“hahaha, he’s really 58″ – it’s not funny anymore, and really wasn’t to begin with – I doubt you’ve got a Brad Pitt-esque look to you, eh)? While he’s shown flashes of power and talent, the better part of his game last year was adjusting to the speed of the game.
I was actually happy that Turk decided to go to Canada and he can choke on a sub-.500 team up there. I’m not convinced on Andre Miller being a great fit with Portland either – although you can’t deny he’s an upgrade over Steve Blake. You’d have a hard time convincing me that any other playoff team had such poor play at PG as the Blazers. Sergio Rodriguez might be the worst point guard I’ve ever seen – bad decisions, no defense, and more bad bad bad decision. I can count on one hand the number of good plays he made last year.
Miller is definitely a get-into-the-lane PG, but it seems to me he’s always had his best years getting into the lane and then kicking out to spot up shooters. I think his best statistical season was playing in Cleveland years ago with two great outside shooters (Wesley Person and Lamond Murray)… I think he’ll work great with Aldridge in that respect as Aldridge can hit from 19 feet out, but how he produces with Roy will be a question mark.
Think of it like this… We (Portland fans)had been eating dog poop for dinner every day for several years. Things changed a little and instead of dog poop, we then started getting fed stale cereal (rice krispies?), better than the poop, but still nothing to write home about. Since last year we have been eating good cuts of meat (no steak yet, but definitely a pork chop or two) with fresh organic greens. We’ve seen the menu for upcoming dinners and there will be dessert and wine too.
It will be good and even if the waiter forgets my horseradish and the dish washer doesn’t become the next Chef, I’m still going to be eating well. All the rest of the dog poop eaters will be envious of my delectable spread.
weird, my comment was not published. Reasonable responses to the article, and even a promise to write back and say I was wrong if I was wrong
Bayless is a rookie. They were willing to give Oden all the time in the world when he was rotating like a hippo, why not Bayless?
None of your point about Aldridge dismisses the fact that Aldridge is still uneasy about it. There’s no smoking gun here, I’m just pointing out a series of elements that seem to be out of whack for a club that’s supposed to contend for a Western Conference title and is talking about chemistry.
The Blazers were NOT better when Oden was on the floor. http://www.82games.com/0809/0809POR2.HTM . The numbers are pretty damning for Oden. I’m sure he can improve, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves on Oden. He’ll get there. Not there yet. And meanwhile Pryz played damn well. Low usage, high +/-, that’s exactly what you want for a team featuring scorers at the 2-3-4 spots.
Why the violent dislike of any criticism towards the team?
You didn’t research for this article at all. How can you publish an article with so many blatant untruths? Does your blood actually boil when it is mentioned that Bayless sucks at D? Because he does suck a defense. I like the kid and think he will get better but right now he is worse than Blake on the defensive end. Management is negotiating with Lamarcus right now and he seems fine with it (don’t believe me go and talk to him like I did last week). Name one point guard that you feel would play well with Roy? It is always a challenge when you have an all-star that requires the ball to be effective. Historically PGs playing along side stars have to play a diminished role. Why don’t we see how things work before you call it a failure. I am impressed that Roy has been loyal to Blake. Why did you waste time criticizing a team when you don’t have a frame of reference based in actual fact. I have enjoyed your post before but this was pitiful you need to step up your game.
Blazers fans are rabid, what can I say. They’re really damn smart on average as well. You run a great site Matt, so please don’t take the hate to heart!
My biggest problem is posing Oden as a Hype Machine. This blog right here? That’s part of the hype machine. Greg Oden? He wants nothing to do with your hype machine. He just wants to improve and play and then not read the retractions and “aww shucks I was wrong”s from just about everyone who writes about the NBA.
But I’m glad that unlike so many people who write about NBA basketball, you actually admit to enjoying watching a team you’re (kinda) criticizing. That’s what it’s all about, right? If it isn’t entertaining, what would be the point of watching? I, for one, read the sports page today and heard about the immediate comfort between Miller and Roy (while on a scrimmage team with Outlaw, Howard, and Oden!) I can’t wait to see all of McMillan’s combos this year. Bring on the preseason!
It is the progressive GM and not the Coach that spouts corporate jargon like “chemistry” and “culture”.
Talk to me about Aldridge drifting in the wind after Oct 31st. Unless he’s been signed of course.
Bayless didn’t come into the league with an NBA caliber shot or the vision to run this squad. He’s a tweener guard who butters his bread scoring on drives to the basket. Lovely in college but he’s too short to effectively play the 2 in the NBA and too green to play the 1. Sit on him for the time being because his trade value is not high right now.
No one in Portland over looks Joel’s work.
Greg is looking better and seems to have a much better out look. Forget the hype. His defensive presence is undeniably a game changer and this is what leads people to state that the team is better with him on the floor.
Steve Blake led the team to 54 wins. He has a far superior shot compared to Bayless and Miller.
Miller has been practicing. He’s a private fellow.
1. Taking shots at the Blazers drives traffic to your site.
2. ???
3 Profit!