Preseason game 1 Portland vs Golden State 7:00 pm

[zzaj]

Deni with the bench mob is just painful. Put Jerami with the 2s and let him bomb away. He plays much better with ISO ball, and it'll improve his trade value.

Agreed. Let Jerami cook in that role...

It's amazing how different the team looks with Jrue out of the lineup/rotation. He adds so many little intangible things.

[DusterBuster]

Looks like Clingan may have tweaked an ankle...

He seems to be moving fine off the bench at the end of Q3, hopefully just Billups being extra cautious.

[DusterBuster]

Warriors must have forgot to pass of the Toradol pregame.

[Dame Lizard]

God I can’t stress how annoying it is Grant is pushing Deni to the bench. I get this might not be the starting lineup on night 1, but it just sucks it’s even in the realm of serious possibility.

It absolutely makes my blood boil. Deni has poured his blood, sweat and tears into carrying this team, and Grant is there getting paid more than double the money to be a flog.

If Billups has any backbone he'll make this swap and move Grant to the bench. He's an absolute flop.

[zzaj]

Warriors summer league team is better than the Blazers summer league team.

[zzaj]

Looks like Clingan may have tweaked an ankle...

He seems to be moving fine off the bench at the end of Q3, hopefully just Billups being extra cautious.

Yeah, came up a bit gimpy on a couple plays before he came out...probably just caution, yeah.

[zzaj]

One thing that hasn't changed? Billups' unbelievably bad control over end game situations. lol

Let's all hope that Sharpe shows some consistency with this level of play moving forward.

Yang is going to be a long process. I'd like to see more of him in cut sets at the top of the key like we saw in SL. His complete lack of athletic ability was glaring tonight.

I would have liked to see a little more of Clingan offensively. His touch around the rim looked slightly better. Not a big block night, but he made opposing paint shots tougher in his minutes.

Grant looked mostly the same to me as last season--the thing he's good at got taken away. I still hold out hope that he'll play decent D and hit from the outside at a good clip.

Deni getting to the FT line is going to win the Blazers a couple of games this season. I'd like to see him involved a bit more as a primary initiator.

Jrue is going to help this team. So many little things. Such a difference between him and Simons.

First impression? I like Wesley...seems to process the game at a fast pace.

Camara looked a touch more comfortable with the ball in his hands, and showed confidence as a shooter. Overplayed on defense a bit, but whatever. It's a meaningless game.

--------------------------

Overall? Going to be a fun season! Lots of little things to track...decent job generating good shots off of assists tonight. Let's hope that trend continues.

The offense looked basically the same to me as last year...I didn't really see any of the "don't get caught in the corners" that's been touted--in fact I saw a lot players get caught in the corners. The defense seemed similar too. I didn't see any of the Zone-to-Man combination defense that has been mentioned. But whatever...it's a long season.

I hadn't heard the news that Matisse was injured or being held out for some reason? That's actually kind of a big blow to the defense.

[monopoman]

I have a feeling Yang will spend a decent portion of the season in the G-league it will help him get more up to speed with the NBA game.

This was a solid game though all things considered, the starters and the typical backups were playing pretty damn well, the 3rd string of the Warriors vs. our 3rd string is what won it.

[monopoman]

God I can’t stress how annoying it is Grant is pushing Deni to the bench. I get this might not be the starting lineup on night 1, but it just sucks it’s even in the realm of serious possibility.

It absolutely makes my blood boil. Deni has poured his blood, sweat and tears into carrying this team, and Grant is there getting paid more than double the money to be a flog.

If Billups has any backbone he'll make this swap and move Grant to the bench. He's an absolute flop.

Billups said he is trying a different starting lineup in every single pre-season game the notion that the players we see out there are the for sure starters on day 1 is bull.

[Black and Blue]

God I can’t stress how annoying it is Grant is pushing Deni to the bench. I get this might not be the starting lineup on night 1, but it just sucks it’s even in the realm of serious possibility.

It absolutely makes my blood boil. Deni has poured his blood, sweat and tears into carrying this team, and Grant is there getting paid more than double the money to be a flog.

If Billups has any backbone he'll make this swap and move Grant to the bench. He's an absolute flop.

Billups said he is trying a different starting lineup in every single pre-season game the notion that the players we see out there are the for sure starters on day 1 is bull.

I just came in here to post this same thing. The Blazers are a surprisingly deep team this year so there will have to be some tough decisions on playing time. This is part of an effort to manage that. If anything, Billups had his one player who will likely get the most PT on the bench as a goodwill message that players should feel they have the ability this preseason game to earn time in the rotation.

Agree with the sentiment Yang may have time in the G League, especially with strong center play elsewhere on this roster. He has nice skills but man is he several steps slower than anyone on the court right now.

Sharpe and Camara looking like they want to get PAID. Both were stellar tonight.

[Shem]

One thing that hasn't changed? Billups' unbelievably bad control over end game situations. lol

Or they were just really bad players... maybe???

[zzaj]

I don't really see Yang in the Gleague...not with the only other playable Centers on the roster being Clingan and Duop. I just assume RWilliams will be less available than he was last year.

I expect Yang to average around 10-15M per game.

[Shem]

God I can’t stress how annoying it is Grant is pushing Deni to the bench. I get this might not be the starting lineup on night 1, but it just sucks it’s even in the realm of serious possibility.

If you were actually listening to the broadcast, you would have known that they're experimenting with different lineups and this is no indication on who will be the starters on opening night.

[zzaj]

One thing that hasn't changed? Billups' unbelievably bad control over end game situations. lol

Or they were just really bad players... maybe???

If it's on the players then it's on the Starters too--because all too often in games that count, it looks like there is no semblance of play calling in the last 2 minutes of games. So either the players are coming nowhere close to executing what Billups wants, or Billups is drawing up stuff that is beyond the grasp of what his players can execute. Or Billups just sucks at play calling the last 2 minutes of games.

And this is nothing new--I remember the same issue when Lillard was last on the team. So we're talking probably 30 players cycled through those end lineups. The only constant? The guy drawing up the plays.

[Wizenheimer]

pre-season is more important and more predictive than summer league. Still, it doesn't mean a lot, especially game 1. That's a big reason why over the last 10-15 years the number of pre-season games have been halved. That, and the grind of the regular season

* even the Warrior announcers said it: "the best player on either team was Sharpe". He did continue the elevated production he displayed last season when Simons wasn't around. And I'd think a big majority of Blazer fans are really happy Simons isn't around anymore. One game doesn't mean Sharpe's efficiency has spiked up. He may regress to crappy shooting. But if he doesn't, and he continues to have a similar impact as last night, all that chatter about getting him for 20-25M/year will seem loopy

* I never bought into the Yang hype. And I'm not impressed with the Blazers using two straight lottery picks on slow-footed 7' C's. They can't play together, and there's not enough minutes for two drop-coverage C's n the modern NBA. It won't matter much when they are both on rookie scale deals. But IMO the Blazers will have to make a choice when they graduate to 2nd contracts and I can't see Yang ever being as good as Clingan. That said, I think he'll be better than he was last night

Sharpe/Camara/Grant/Avdija....only 3 can start. I have a suspicion that what most Blazer fans want to see isn't what the coach is leaning toward

[dckingsfan]

Sharpe/Camara/Grant/Avdija....only 3 can start. I have a suspicion that what most Blazer fans want to see isn't what the coach is leaning toward

Since Jrue will probably only play 60 games - I can see those 4 starting together in a bunch of games.

I think Thybulle & Williams will also get time off...

The things I was most impressed with were:

Sharpe's efficiency on offense, passing wasn't all that but who cares
Camara's passing.
Deni leaving off where he left it last year (and maybe he figured out the TOs?)
Defense with the starters and Jrue is really good
Murray looked decent on both sides of the ball

Offense is still a work in progress - others pointed out how players were stuck in the corner.

[monopoman]

pre-season is more important and more predictive than summer league. Still, it doesn't mean a lot, especially game 1. That's a big reason why over the last 10-15 years the number of pre-season games have been halved. That, and the grind of the regular season

* even the Warrior announcers said it: "the best player on either team was Sharpe". He did continue the elevated production he displayed last season when Simons wasn't around. And I'd think a big majority of Blazer fans are really happy Simons isn't around anymore. One game doesn't mean Sharpe's efficiency has spiked up. He may regress to crappy shooting. But if he doesn't, and he continues to have a similar impact as last night, all that chatter about getting him for 20-25M/year will seem loopy

* I never bought into the Yang hype. And I'm not impressed with the Blazers using two straight lottery picks on slow-footed 7' C's. They can't play together, and there's not enough minutes for two drop-coverage C's n the modern NBA. It won't matter much when they are both on rookie scale deals. But IMO the Blazers will have to make a choice when they graduate to 2nd contracts and I can't see Yang ever being as good as Clingan. That said, I think he'll be better than he was last night

Sharpe/Camara/Grant/Avdija....only 3 can start. I have a suspicion that what most Blazer fans want to see isn't what the coach is leaning toward

We have to hope this is the season that either Sharpe or Scoot really break out if we expect this team to be a contender at any point. If both end up being great that would be incredible for the future, but I need at least one to prove they are a top 10 player or at least approaching that.

Right now we have a very solid team, but to hit that next level and start being a dominant team we need at least one perennial all-star.

Both players are still really young, but I would not be surprised to see a big jump for either player.

[Walton1one]

Agree with the sentiment Yang may have time in the G League, especially with strong center play elsewhere on this roster. He has nice skills but man is he several steps slower than anyone on the court right now.

G-League is not going to help with that....

Or they were just really bad players... maybe???

Agreed, both things can be true though.

I caught the last 3 quarters of the game, stupid antenna...

Sissoko is not an NBA caliber player, neither is Love for that matter or 26yr old Cook, and yet all are on 2-way contracts.

b\u center figures to be an issue this year, and if DC goes down for any time, oh boy....

Reath looked ok, but he is a 3rd string center. The more he plays, the worse he looks. I have zero faith in Williams staying healthy for any amount of significant time and Yang....well, he is a LONG way from helping, if at all.

[dckingsfan]

* I never bought into the Yang hype. And I'm not impressed with the Blazers using two straight lottery picks on slow-footed 7' C's. They can't play together, and there's not enough minutes for two drop-coverage C's n the modern NBA. It won't matter much when they are both on rookie scale deals. But IMO the Blazers will have to make a choice when they graduate to 2nd contracts and I can't see Yang ever being as good as Clingan. That said, I think he'll be better than he was last night.

So, I don't disagree with the final assessment. But...

If Clingan is a 28 min per game guy and and Yang is a 20 minute per game guy - you have your C rotation down for a few years. That isn't a bad thing.

I also noticed that Clingan was moving really well until the ankle thing. I am not sure I will concede Clingan as "slow footed" at this point. Is he going to go out and pickup fast PGs - no. But he is a solid defensive anchor.

My expectation was that Yang wouldn't be this far along at this point - so, maybe a different perspective.

[monopoman]

* I never bought into the Yang hype. And I'm not impressed with the Blazers using two straight lottery picks on slow-footed 7' C's. They can't play together, and there's not enough minutes for two drop-coverage C's n the modern NBA. It won't matter much when they are both on rookie scale deals. But IMO the Blazers will have to make a choice when they graduate to 2nd contracts and I can't see Yang ever being as good as Clingan. That said, I think he'll be better than he was last night.

So, I don't disagree with the final assessment. But...

If Clingan is a 28 min per game guy and and Yang is a 20 minute per game guy - you have your C rotation down for a few years. That isn't a bad thing.

I also noticed that Clingan was moving really well until the ankle thing. I am not sure I will concede Clingan as "slow footed" at this point. Is he going to go out and pickup fast PGs - no. But he is a solid defensive anchor.

My expectation was that Yang wouldn't be this far along at this point - so, maybe a different perspective.

Clingan might not be the fastest but he was part of the team massively improving on paint defense, he was one of the best at protecting the rim last year and that's despite being not the most agile. He has a great BB IQ and that's just evident watching him play, I believe he was easily the best pick at that point.