Post Entry Passing

[Billy]

Now that Oden has been getting more and more minutes and getting better and better by the game, I've really began to notice (again) how bad we are at the post entry passes.

When we had Zach we weren't all that great, but he was big enough and fleet of foot enough to give up position, get the ball and then back a guy down. Of course, more often than not he settled for the 16 footer, but that's beside the point. There were still many times where he'd seal his man, back him down and never receive the ball--not because we didn't want to pass it, but because we couldn't figure out how to get it down there.

Last year when we were screaming at Aldridge to establish post position we still had a hell of a time actually getting the ball to him. Part of my reasoning behind the poor post entry passing last year was that Aldridge was not a back to the basket guy and thus didn't know how to hold position--not to mention he wasn't as strong as most other guys. But many times Aldridge held position for ample time but never got the ball.

This year, Greg has slowly began to show that he can completely seal off his man and put up his free hand to receive the entry pass--but again Portland IMO hasn't figured out how to get him the ball.

Part of this I think is just getting used to playing with Greg. I think Portland's offense is so predicated on moving the ball around the perimeter that some players just get into the mode of "ok, I have the ball, I don't have a shot, time to swing it."

But, I also think that Portland hasn't shown the patience, or the collective IQ to get the ball into the post. I know it may sound harsh, but after observing a couple of games this year (with a 100% legit post presence) coupled with the last couple of years it seems that it's an area we are definitely lacking in.

Rudy and Travis IMO are our best post entry passers. Both are patient and wait for Greg to get set before throwing the ball in, and both work on moving after the pass knowing there will no doubt be a good chance for a kick out. Both also seem willing to re-enter the ball on numerous occasions to see who can get the best look.

On the other hand, surprisingly Roy and Sergio seem to be some of the worst at post entry passing. Both are great at the drive and kick and drive and drop, but neither have shown the ability to get the ball into the post--which considering their skills has been surprising to me. Roy seems to be impatient, much rather opting to drive or swing the ball than he is to wait for Greg to fully seal his man. Sergio is much of the same., but IMO is a little better than Roy at it.

The rest of the team seems pretty average at this IMO. Blake is probably 3rd best on the team, but he's not quite as good as Rudy and Travis at this.

I think for Portland to take the next big step in their development that these guys have to all learn how to dump the ball into the post. I know that a lot of it is just getting accustomed to Greg and figuring out what works best, but there have been a lot of needless post entry turnovers since Greg has been back, as well as many missed opportunities. Also I feel that Portland misses a lot of good mis-match opportunities with Aldridge due to the poor post entry passing.

Am I off base here?

[J~Rush]

You're on base.

[SabasRevenge!]

Maybe my favorite play of the season was:

Rudy entry pass to Oden.
Rudy's man cheats a bit in on Oden.
Oden pass to Rudy.
Rudy's man gets back up on Rudy.
Rudy pass to Oden.
Rudy's man cheats a bit more in on Oden.
Oden pass to Rudy.
Rudy nails three.

[Soulyss]

You're on base.

+1 it's just a comfort zone thing.

[AKBlazerFan]

Man, i am glad someone else noticed this. We throw in these sorry ass lame passes to Oden that get picked off, or we throw it away from Oden or into traffic. Thats where like 1/2 our TO's have come from in the last few games...

[Agenda42]

Man, i am glad someone else noticed this. We throw in these sorry ass lame passes to Oden that get picked off, or we throw it away from Oden or into traffic. Thats where like 1/2 our TO's have come from in the last few games...

Don't worry, we'll get this fixed.

We'll also get LaMarcus to play some decent basketball with Oden in the game.

[Milkdud]

100% agree with your post Billy. As for the overall issue I think clearly time will help so I'm not to worried about this being a big issue. I think its an issue of game experience and knowing when and where Greg wants the ball.

[blzrfan]

I think you're putting too much blame on the post passers. Our post players, especially Aldridge, do not get good positioning in the post. When the post player is positioned 15 feet from the basket, that's the fault of the post player. Even Nate acknowledges this is something the team needs to work on as well as post passing.

He said this in the post-Bulls game interview.

How do you feel about your ability to get the ball down to Greg (Oden) on the block?
"That's a matter of reading. We're still working on that. The one thing we want to do a better job of is our (front court players) getting deeper post position. I think at times we are positing up too far off the block. That was one of the things we talked about tonight; getting deeper in the paint. And really working to seal and hold that position. And then our (guards) have to get the ball into our (post players) when they do have deep post position."

This was very apparent in the Warrior game when Aldridge was denied deep post position by Maggette. The post players need to fight and hold position, because it takes more work to dribble the ball 4-5 times than 1-2 times to get near the hoop for a shot.

I also think Nate should find more creative ways to get the ball in the post. Some more cross screening instead making the players work individually to get the position. Also, I noticed a few times they spread the floor and allow Oden to post right in front of the hoop. While the team is doing really well, they can still improve in many fundamental areas which is scary to think about.

[JD45]

Practice and experience will solve a lot of the issues. Nate needs to figure out where everyone is most comfortable. Then chemistry will develop between the passers and post players if they keep forcing the issue. The problem comes when the perimeter player gives up and shoots or drives. Then they don't develop the chemistry.