How Good Was Steve Blake?

deepeeenn · Post #21 » by **deepeeenn** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:14 pm

I’d say watching him as a Blazer, he was a solid but limited player. He was a sound, team first, low turnover guard but could have big assist games that developed his outside shot over time. Became dependable there. He was able to play off ball because he didn’t need to dominate it to be “effective”, hence why he did okay alongside BRoy and Kobe. Pesky defender that didn’t back down because he studied MMA. At one point in the league he was Top 3 in player voting for likelihood of becoming a coach. Honestly, he was really capable of fitting in because of how team oriented he was and how natural he was as a player/coach on the bench in the later days. It’s no surprise to me he was in the league for so long, in that way, he’s much like Jared Dudley.

Johnny Bball · Post #22 » by **Johnny Bball** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:22 pm

This record isn't going to be beat the way the game is played now. Really impressive to watch.

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jk25 · Post #23 » by **jk25** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:26 pm

He was not the most talented or athletic guy. He was a very heady player, and pound for pound, he may have been one of the toughest guys in the whole league.

Wigginstime · Post #24 » by **Wigginstime** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:32 pm

deepeeenn wrote:I’d say watching him as a Blazer, he was a solid but limited player. He was a sound, team first, low turnover guard but could have big assist games that developed his outside shot over time. Became dependable there. He was able to play off ball because he didn’t need to dominate it to be “effective”, hence why he did okay alongside BRoy and Kobe. Pesky defender that didn’t back down because he studied MMA. At one point in the league he was Top 3 in player voting for likelihood of becoming a coach. Honestly, he was really capable of fitting in because of how team oriented he was and how natural he was as a player/coach on the bench in the later days. It’s no surprise to me he was in the league for so long, in that way, he’s much like Jared Dudley.

This - Steve Blake is the exemplar for what good character, hard work, and selflessness can do for you. I remember when the Nuggets traded for him. His talent was drastically lacking, but he was definitely a character boost from a team that at the time whose back court consisted of Iverson, Melo, Boykins, and JR Smith.

Bulliever2020 · Post #25 » by **Bulliever2020** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:33 pm

Rich Michmond wrote:The guy was not afraid of anybody

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Yep. Funny this was against the Nuggets. Saw him get into it with Nene during a Nuggets practice once. Did not back down at all.

mhd · Post #26 » by **mhd** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:37 pm

He's a beloved player at Maryland. Tough as nails:

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HoopsterJones · Post #27 » by **HoopsterJones** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:06 pm

Letsgokings · Post #28 » by **Letsgokings** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:42 pm

Out of all the players to ever play in the nba Steve Blake was sure one of them.

theforumblue · Post #29 » by **theforumblue** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:48 pm

solid backup guy, occasional starter for the right situation and team makeup. i love his mentality though.

John Murdoch · Post #30 » by **John Murdoch** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:48 pm

Basically if u put Pritchard on say like Orlando

Ruma85 · Post #31 » by **Ruma85** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:50 pm

John Murdoch wrote:Basically if u put Pritchard on say like Orlando

Would be great if pritchard becomes as good as steve.

mastermixer · Post #32 » by **mastermixer** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 5:58 pm

He was a guy you expected to be a solid/dependable role player but could never do any one thing consistently.

On the surface he had good playmaking ability, could should from 3, play defense, was tough, would accept his role, and had good bball IQ but he would never be all of these things at once. He would also never even do just one of them reliably.

He Was very frustrating to watch because you would think there’s no reason why this guy couldn’t be a dependable player on a winning team, but he never would be.

TGW · Post #33 » by **TGW** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:01 pm

Steve Blake is one of my6 favorite point guards of all-time. It's because I was at Maryland when he helped lead the team to a chip. Great times.

Uncle Mxy · Post #34 » by **Uncle Mxy** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:16 pm

He outplayed Spencer Dinwiddie as a backup PG for the Pistons.

BNM · Post #35 » by **BNM** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:27 pm

mastermixer wrote:He was a guy you expected to be a solid/dependable role player but could never do any one thing consistently.

On the surface he had good playmaking ability, could should from 3, play defense, was tough, would accept his role, and had good bball IQ but he would never be all of these things at once. He would also never even do just one of them reliably.

He Was very frustrating to watch because you would think there’s no reason why this guy couldn’t be a dependable player on a winning team, but he never would be.

As a POR fan, I got to see him play for the Blazers three separate times. The first time, he was a solid player on a bad team (paired with his former college teammate Jaun-on-Five Dixon). The second time, when paired with Brandon Roy, he had the best, most consistent season of his NBA career.

He was the starting PG on a 54-win team. He averaged 11 ppg, 5 apg and shot .427 from 3 on the highest volume of his career. Nate McMillan LOVED Blakey. He loved him so much, he kept starting him after the Blazers signed Andre Miller. Blake was a much better 3-point shooter than Miller, so he could play off the ball and spread the floor, creating space for Roy to operate.

So, for at least one season, he as a dependable player on a good team. As a OR fan, I'm probably biased, because I got to see Blake at his best. His first thee seasons in POR he shot .413, .406 and .427 from 3-point range. For at least those three seasons, he did (at least) one thing consistently well.

LAL1947 · Post #36 » by **LAL1947** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:33 pm

Liam_Gallagher wrote:He played 14 years in the league with many different teams. Every team liked him on their squad, even Kobe.

Was he any good? What were his strenghts?

Blake was a dependable back-up PG. He seemed like a nice guy and team-mate. Jovial off the court but feisty on it, and a good shooter of corner threes. That helped with spacing and since he was the smallest guy on the team, it meant he didn't have to be the first responder on defense for turnovers.

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Post #37 » by **Harry Garris** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:51 pm

Uncle Mxy wrote:He outplayed Spencer Dinwiddie as a backup PG for the Pistons.

Well the Pistons gave up on him and Khris Middleton too right before they got good. Maybe the issue has more to do with the Piston's player development program.

Beethoven · Post #38 » by **Beethoven** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:56 pm

He was decent. Not good enough to garner his own thread; the dude is not some memorable all NBA level player or anything, but when he was on my team he was decent enough to be a starter, he took his shots, wasnt afraid to be the scapegoat, has a lot of mental toughness (Kobe liked him a lot), he played good defense most of the time, and was a hustle player. However he wasnt very athletic and didnt move well laterally. I did enjoy having him on the team though.

pr0wler · Post #39 » by **pr0wler** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 8:24 pm

Not the most skilled ball handler by any means, but was actually pretty quick in a straight line and a good set shooter. Definitely a career backup PG who was miscast as a starter at various points in his career.

Ballerhogger · Post #40 » by **Ballerhogger** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 8:26 pm

He was decent laker for sure last time he was seen a ast coach for the blazers 2019-2020.