3/11: Blazers @ Warriors - 7:30PM on TNT

[benefit1970]

lmao. this is over. what a joke

holy eff batman. Webster is garbage

DON'T SAY IT 'TILL IT HAPPENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anything else you wanna say? Dewey defeats Truman? Gore over Bush? Eh? EH??!

But all in the name of good fun, 'cause we won!

[whatchaknow]

Batum adds 1 more to his list of chase downs... creeping up on Lebron for the league lead. He would have 2x as many as everyone else if he was playing all season. These are consistently the most exciting plays of games, when you see Batum at halfcourt and the guy on the fastbreak starts slowing down

[Agenda42]

Side note, is Dante Cunningham injured? He played 2 seconds this game? I thought he'd be good at this kind of game. I'd like to see Nate increase his and Batum's minutes, and I'd like to see a little less Webster (preferrably none).

It's pretty clear that Nate is trying to tighten the rotation for the playoffs. Dante can do some things but I'd prefer not to play him in the playoffs. Of course, if Webster continues to be so awkwardly inconsistent, Cunningham is going to need to see some action.

Also, I'm pretty happy with how Nate is trying to get the team to push the pace when it's there, even if the results have mostly sucked so far. These Blazers no longer have the three point shooting to do what they tried to do with Houston, they're going to need to add another dimension to the offense if they have any hope of winning a series.

[RUDYxBLAZERS]

Rudy hasn't had a turnover in his last 6 games and has to be shooting over 50% from 3 over that stretch. He's been solid. Hopefully he's back to form because we need it for this end of the year run and for the playoffs.

And Martell...I have no idea what's up with him. He seems totally out of wack.

[PDXKnight]

I have decided to temporarily break my self suspension on this note:
HOLY @$&$!!! IT'S OVER!!! I'm not gonna say that it didn't take a lot of good luck, but finally, we won in Golden State!!! This is nothing short of amazing.

(returns to self suspension till Monday)

[whatchaknow]

Rudy hasn't had a turnover in his last 6 games and has to be shooting over 50% from 3 over that stretch. He's been solid. Hopefully he's back to form because we need it for this end of the year run and for the playoffs.

And Martell...I have no idea what's up with him. He seems totally out of wack.

Definently. He was HUGE tonight! Nice to see Bayless play solid and see Rudy back to his real form, it makes us a completely different team if our bench plays well. Now if LA can get it going and Dre never plays GS again, i think we are "figuring it out" like Roy was saying last week

[Wizenheimer]

the progression of commentary in this thread as the 2nd half unfolded is pretty funny.

great 4th Q by the Blazers was enough to overcome 3 fairly stinky previous quarters

Portland had 3 starters...Aldridge, Miller, & Camby who combined for 9-36 shooting...yuck

Batum only played 21 minutes. He needs to play more then that

[benefit1970]

Batum only played 21 minutes. He needs to play more then that

Isn't there a way to get text bigger than that? Because that's pure, condensed truth.

[Pattycakes]

I think some TNT dude spoke the truth...Webby got hot when our roster was depleted, but when we're healthy he's nowhere to be found. It's unfortunate he never learned how to be aggressive and stand out on a healthy roster. He just is what he is, we can't get bad at that. Spot up shooters will really suck life out of the building when they stink it up, and have the potential to catch fire just as easily. I don't think we can blame Martell for not being an all around player, he just isn't. We can't wet our pants when KP overrates the hell out of a player for too long, we've done the same thing with Martell and Lamarcus. If we can't accept average all around play from role players then we need to redefine their value. Aldridge is obviously capable of much more impact, but c'mon. I haven't seen a fire in Aldridge's eyes since the day he got here. He's isn't gonna be a hall of famer, he isn't ever gonna be a 1st option. He is a solid, developing big man. And we need to finally accept he will never be a superstar 2nd pick big man. He's gonna have a couple of superhot stretches here and there and will never hurt a team to take him out of the starting lineup, but not quite good enough to carry us through a playoff series. I will admit my opinion is based on nothing but regular season play...and there is so much room in the future for Aldridge to become a all star big man.. but still as my favorite player on the team, I must just have a different view of Aldridge. I love him for what he is as a passive, yet fluid ball player. And I don't know if what he is in this role..is what he seems to some people. I need to see a lot, lot more passion out of Lamarcus Aldridge (has the tools!!!) and Martell Webster (much closer if he could translate it to his play). I love them, and this post has just been a general feeling I have.

[Shem]

Here's an interesting stat.

Portland outscores Golden State 27-9 in the 4th.

As much as I want to say great job to the Blazer team, Golden State choked big time.

[EGame]

We won? Am I dreaming?

[Caravaggio]

Could someone please explain why Batum only played 21 minutes? Were there any comments about his health in the post game? Was there an interview with Nate that I missed where he said they are trying to bring him back more slowly?

I just don't get it.

[Klinky]

I could only stand so much of LaMa's fade-away bullcrap. Take it inside, you're 7ft, use it. I'd rather LaMa bulk up, even if it makes him slower. He's fast, but he doesn't use his speed or agility in the paint. Perhaps adding on some extra muscle will lend him confidence to take on PFs in the paint.

[The Sebastian Express]

I would prefer a new coach that could teach him to do those things and take advantage of the skills he already has.

alas, it is but a pipe dream that such a coaching change would occur.

[dYYYh.k²]

lamarcus has to dedicate the upcoming summer solely to his handles. he cant take it inside and use his speed as long as he fumbles the ball after one dribble. he would be so much better with good handles, it would elevate his whole game!

[Sinobas]

I agree with what others say about LaMarcus, but we've beat that one to death already this season. This team, minus Greg Oden, is simply not an elite level team in terms of overall talent. We have one all-star Brandon Roy, he is not a super star, just an all-star. The rest of our roster is very average.

If you were to rank Miller, LA, Batum, Camby on a list with other starters of their position, they'd come out near the middle. Same for our bench unit, it's not nearly as good as some pundits claim.

We're a lower tier Western Conference playoff team, not an elite team. The only one who can make us elite is a dominant Greg Oden.

[d-train]

I can't watch the game until Saturday night. I'll be watching off my HD DVR. I miss some of the games live because my schedule is screwed. I think the bipolar Blazers fans would improve their health if they only watched games when they know the final outcome beforehand.

[Billy]

Could someone please explain why Batum only played 21 minutes? Were there any comments about his health in the post game? Was there an interview with Nate that I missed where he said they are trying to bring him back more slowly?

I just don't get it.

Oh man. It's simple.

Reality: Batum = SF who can play SG through PF. Rudy = SG who can play a little PG and a little SF.

Nates thinking: Batum and Rudy can NOT play at the same time. Way too much... uh... duplication? No... maybe they play the same position? Well I guess they could play the same position. Yeah that strings together

In all seriousness, that's the only thing I can surmise. Batum and Rudy rarely play together it seems. What makes it doubly frustrating is the fact that the last 2 weeks have been very good to Rudy and Batum (in his more limited minutes). But rather than playing them together they usually sub for one another. It was a very physical game, but I heard no mention of injuries (luckily).

[Wizenheimer]

Could someone please explain why Batum only played 21 minutes? Were there any comments about his health in the post game? Was there an interview with Nate that I missed where he said they are trying to bring him back more slowly?

I just don't get it.

Oh man. It's simple.

Reality: Batum = SF who can play SG through PF. Rudy = SG who can play a little PG and a little SF.

Nates thinking: Batum and Rudy can NOT play at the same time. Way too much... uh... duplication? No... maybe they play the same position? Well I guess they could play the same position. Yeah that strings together

In all seriousness, that's the only thing I can surmise. Batum and Rudy rarely play together it seems. What makes it doubly frustrating is the fact that the last 2 weeks have been very good to Rudy and Batum (in his more limited minutes). But rather than playing them together they usually sub for one another. It was a very physical game, but I heard no mention of injuries (luckily).

I think you're correct except that you're also missing the critical part of the equation triad: Roy = SG who can play SF.

Roy + Rudy + Batum = too many players for the same 2 positions especially with Miller and Bayless available for the PG minutes and Webster around for some SF minutes.

This is the roster-crunch train wreck that has been inevitable since the season began. All it took was all the players being healthy. Trading Blake and Outlaw wasn't going to solve the problem and it obviously hasn't.

Compounding the problem is the simple fact that none of Batum, Rudy, or Bayless has really laid claim to the lion's share of available minutes by preforming on a consistent level. That's going to fuel Nate's apparent indecisiveness on roster issues. Further compounding it is Nate's apparent loyalty to players who have been there a while, meaning that Webster still gets plenty of obligatory minutes when his overall play hasn't warranted that floor time.

There are 3 players that essentially duplicate each other positionally: Batum, Rudy, and Webster. SG & SF. Thinking that the PG or PF position offers a relief valve for the minutes conflict is nonsense. Discard the notion. Roy is going to get at least 38 of those 96 available minutes, leaving 58 minutes available. That divides nicely by 2, but poorly by 3. And I don't think there is any question which player of the 3 has by far the most potential and versatility.

But Nate isn't going to make any decision here quickly. This may be an issue that will have to be solved by KP rather then Nate.

[Agenda42]

In my view, the story on Batum is pretty simple - he didn't play up to his usual standards. He got beat backdoor in a zone, he wasn't on the same page with Camby on some picks, he didn't do well with Maggette, and he mostly wasn't a factor on offense.

Meanwhile, Portland had good Rudy and good Jerryd on the night. Not everyone can get the minutes they deserve.