Game 13 Portland vs Minnesota 7:00pm

[DusterBuster]

Clingan looking this good against one of the best defensive C's in the game is pretty exciting.

[DusterBuster]

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Honestly haven't seen a C with this good of defensive timing for blocks since the Blazers had Camby and Ratliff.

[PDXKnight]

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Honestly haven't seen a C with this good of defensive timing for blocks since the Blazers had Camby and Ratliff.

Yeah and this is a rookie not even 20 percent through the season. I think we are in good shape at center. Hopefully ayton will be moved to the bench but not gonna get my hopes up

[JRoy]

Wow, my opinion of the team without Simons and Ayton is vastly different. They play some really great team basketball, aside from some hero ball by sharpe at the end, which worked out.

I still think Edey will be the better player long term but Clingan is looking like all defensive team already. Holy smokes, the guy looked like he was gonna have a triple double in blocks, how many people have done that?

Banton plays with an edge I haven't seen in a long time on this team. I wish Sharpe had his motor.

Only caught the second half because i was watching the uap hearing...

I missed the hearing due to work but I will be watching it on YouTube.

[monopoman]

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Pretty good company when Clingan pulls off something only 8 centers have ever done as a rookie. Even more so when this entire list is all HoF incredibly good C's that have been extremely good. The only guy on that list besides Clingan that hasn't proven to be a HoF yet is Wemby but most think he will be also.

[DaVoiceMaster]

I'm hoping Ayton and Simons are out for a bit. I want to see this team a few more times to see if they can keep this play up. They o
Don't play again until Sunday so that gives Ayton and Simons time to come back (sigh).

[monopoman]

Banton also had a very underrated game tonight.

PTS 13
FG 4-7
3PT 1-1
FT 4-5
REB 2
AST 5
TO 1
+19 to lead all Blazers in this stat.

We might have really found a potential damn good player that just wasn't given enough time to show what he could do with other teams.

[Blazinaway]

Banton also had a very underrated game tonight.

PTS 13
FG 4-7
3PT 1-1
FT 4-5
REB 2
AST 5
TO 1
+19 to lead all Blazers in this stat.

We might have really found a potential damn good player that just wasn't given enough time to show what he could do with other teams.

Nice to see he can play "under control" well in addition to being "instant offense", the Banton/Scoot/?Shae combo did pretty good, no Ant is a plus, Shae was great

[BlazersBroncos]

I’m still not quite buying Banton stock but having an instant offense guy that is oversized rather than undersized is pretty nice.

[Pattycakes]

Banton also had a very underrated game tonight.

PTS 13
FG 4-7
3PT 1-1
FT 4-5
REB 2
AST 5
TO 1
+19 to lead all Blazers in this stat.

We might have really found a potential damn good player that just wasn't given enough time to show what he could do with other teams.

Dalano has always been worth keeping and playing. It’s not a revelation

[DusterBuster]

I’m still not quite buying Banton stock but having an instant offense guy that is oversized rather than undersized is pretty nice.

I mean, he's been a pretty ideal change of pace backup PG off the bench. I think you can buy stock in him being rotational, 7th/8th man role. In the role he's being asked to play for the Blazers, most teams just want someone who doesn't actively hurt the team, keep the ship aright. If they actually give you something positive off the bench, that's icing on the cake.

I wouldn't want Banton as a starter role, but off the bench he's pretty much exactly what most teams would hope for, you can buy stock in that.

[Walton1one]

I will not be joining the Dalano Banton fan club. That guy is fool's gold IMO.

People love to praise him when he scores a few points, conveniently forgetting however, that he continuously drives out of control towards the basket, often 1v3\1v2 or hoists up shots like he thinks he is Kobe Bryant.

He is a career 41% FG shooter for a reason (he takes way too many bad shots) and a career 29.8% 3pt shooter over 5 seasons. The guy does not play winning basketball. He should not be playing over Scoot\Murray who play much better WITHIN a team.

The fact that Billups praised Banton's play after that 45pt loss, just confirms how clueless he is as a coach. That game BTW, Banton went 4-18, 0-5 from 3pt (just keep shooting dude!) and had the nerve to take offense when Edey blocked his shot when he was trying to "pad" his stats at the end of the game. Also, if I recall when he came into the game there were 4 straight possessions where he drove recklessly to the basket, where he was blocked (twice) or missed badly.

Players like him are not "winning" players, they are the exact opposite.

Does no one remember one of the many gems he posted LY (vs SAC)?
6-26, 0-15 from 3pt, NBA record I think) but hey he scored 17pts...

The fact that Billups prioritizes playing him over Scoot\Murray in the 4th quarter is a joke.

[BlazersBroncos]

I mean, a guy like Banton reminds me of a Tony Delk or Eddie House - that specialist who scores in flurries but is basically a 8-10th man. I like having a specialist like that - something different than a 3PT specialist like say a Sam Merrill.

But the issue comes in terms of contract and acceptance - the guy needs to be OK making a low salary and understanding his minutes are likely to vary wildly.

If Banton can accept that - I would like him to stick around for a while.

I certainly like the idea of Banton as the microwave bench guy over Simons who I am just over watching.

[DusterBuster]

I mean, a guy like Banton reminds me of a Tony Delk or Eddie House - that specialist who scores in flurries but is basically a 8-10th man. I like having a specialist like that - something different than a 3PT specialist like say a Sam Merrill.

But the issue comes in terms of contract and acceptance - the guy needs to be OK making a low salary and understanding his minutes are likely to vary wildly.

If Banton can accept that - I would like him to stick around for a while.

I certainly like the idea of Banton as the microwave bench guy over Simons who I am just over watching.

Of course, we're in agreement.

Banton is expendable but plays a good role. I'd throw a Seth Curry in that example group. Post rookie deal, he should only be in the 5-10mil per year range, as is common for backups of his talent level these days. He's also not someone you go out of your way to overpay and keep.

[Runner300]

Banton is not a specialist in anything.
He's a journey man thinking about his next contract, having a nice shooting streak.
Check his stats, he's a forever 47%TS guy.

[mighty_duck]

DC had a fantastic night with a near triple double - 17/12/8 (blocks), in 31 minutes. And even that understates his impact - for every block, there were two shots he altered. And for every one of those, there were drivers that were thwarted before they even started.

The surprising thing is that these numbers aren't very far from his full season per 36 numbers:
13/12.5/4.7
The only thing preventing him from doing it nightly is Chauncey giving him only 15 minutes a night.

[Pattycakes]

Banton is at least better than Simons. I think we should give the man respect.

Make your argument on a per min basis, I don’t want to hear anything else

[mighty_duck]

Banton is at least better than Simons. I think we should give the man respect.

Make your argument on a per min basis, I don’t want to hear anything else

Do you think Banton's 47.9% /41.7 % shooting is going to last?
If you do, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.