PG: Portland Trailblazers (126) - Oklahoma City Thunder (121)

Thabo Sefolosha · Post #1 » by **Thabo Sefolosha** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 3:36 am

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

• http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400900341

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spearsy23 · Post #2 » by **spearsy23** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 3:59 am

Fire presti and Donovan or trade Russ. Don't give a flying **** which, but he deserves better.

NaturalThunder · Post #3 » by **NaturalThunder** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 3:59 am

3-4 since the All-Star break. We're 3-4 with an extremely soft seven game start post-ASB.

This team is a dumpster fire. We have to be the worst defensive team in the NBA right now and no on one on this team is contributing enough at even a respectable level sans-Russ.

I'm so pissed at myself for giving another Thunder game a go after I said I was done with Thunder basketball for awhile after the Phoenix loss. But yeah, I'm definitely done. I'm taking a 10 game hiatus and we'll see where are then.

Screw our incompetent GM and even more incompetent head coach.

InTheSabonus · Post #4 » by **InTheSabonus** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:04 am

spearsy23 wrote:Fire presti and Donovan or trade Russ. Don't give a flying **** which, but he deserves better.

That's pretty much it. He goes out there and plays harder on a nightly basis than anyone in the league. And this is what he gets.

I really want to keep Russ. I love watching him play. But he deserves at least a competent coach.

The depressing part is, Presti is more likely to trade Russ than fire Donovan. And if that does happen, which I think it would, than that should be the nail in Presti's coffin, but he's not going anywhere either.

Presti can redeem himself by firing Donovan. I just really think it won't happen for at least a few more years.

Osirus89 · Post #5 » by **Osirus89** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:19 am

I took a nap and missed the game, then I looked down at my phone to see Russ had 58 pts on 21-39 shooting.
Our defense and coaching sucks flat out. Victor played 26 min and was productive, but Donovan always had he and Russ play together for some reason. No staggering from what it saw. All bench lineups don't work for this team. They didn't work when it was Durant/Russ. It definitely won't work with how this team is built.

Not as mad since I didn't watch the game unfold. Might have to do this more often with how this season is going to go.

Post #6 » by **ThunderBolt** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:27 am

I didn't get to watch this game. I see our soon to be $25 million center put in 4 points and 3 rebounds. Money well spent.

Old Man Game · Post #7 » by **Old Man Game** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:28 am

This was a bad loss you guys. I don't know what to blame but I'm inclined to blame coaching. That lineup to start the fourth quarter was just brutal. Semaj shouldn't be playing. The fact that Donovan feels like he has to play him, either says a whole lot about Donovan or a whole lot about Norris Cole. I'm not sure which.

Old Man Game · Post #8 » by **Old Man Game** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:29 am

Knrstz wrote:I didn't get to watch this game. I see our soon to be $25 million center put in 4 points and 3 rebounds. Money well spent.

He has been borderline horrible lately. Really have to wonder if he isn't dealing with some nagging injury or something.

spearsy23 · Post #9 » by **spearsy23** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:37 am

Knrstz wrote:I didn't get to watch this game. I see our soon to be $25 million center put in 4 points and 3 rebounds. Money well spent.

It's okay though because he's not making the max!

Post #10 » by **ThunderBolt** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 4:50 am

spearsy23 wrote:
Knrstz wrote:I didn't get to watch this game. I see our soon to be $25 million center put in 4 points and 3 rebounds. Money well spent.

It's okay though because he's not making the max!

Just be patient. If he keeps progressing at the current rate he'll be averaging over 24ppg by the time he's 36.

Post #11 » by **retrobro90** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:10 am

Hey I think we should keep Presti, Donovan, and Russ. These losses have been bad (especially because of our lackluster defense) but the teams we've played are better than their records would indicate. Phoenix just beat boston and nearly beat washington tonight. They have a new look at this point in the season playing all their young dudes and guys like Alan Williams and Tyler Ulis have stepped up considerably. Dallas has slowly upgraded over the season and just brought in a huge piece with Nerlens. Them along with Portland are in desperation mode too trying to steal that 8th seed over Denver. The real concern we should have is about our team defense and what Donovan can do moving forward to prevent situations where our bigs are being dragged out of the paint to guard the perimeter. Not sure what the exact solution is but just as an example tonight was rough watching the twin towers lineup go against meyers leonard. If they don't get to abuse him on offense then its wrong to play both stache bros against a real stretch 5. Every look meyers got was uncontested and he hit most of those shots.

spearsy23 · Post #12 » by **spearsy23** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:19 am

When you're mentioning Alan Williams, Tyler Ulis, and Meyers Leonard as reasons it's okay to lose then someone has to go. If our players are worse than those guys then presti is the worst gm in the history of ever, if our players are better then it's on coaching.

Kizz Fastfists · Post #13 » by **Kizz Fastfists** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:33 am

spearsy23 wrote:Fire presti and Donovan or trade Russ. Don't give a flying **** which, but he deserves better.

Presti is one of the best at his job. Donovan I'm not sold on. Russ needs to be traded because this team can't be rebuilt before he is too far past his prime for it to mater. If Presti doesn't get screwed in FA by cupcake this team is better than it was last year. The problem is there is no way to replace that player because they have no cap room and no one with that upside to develop and they can't get one for any package they could offer that doesn't include Russ.

Post #14 » by **bondom34** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:37 am

Been avoiding posting because frankly I'm stressed elsewhere and don't feel like the negativity. But needed one vent.

This team isn't talent wise worse than Portland, Phoenix, or Dallas but they're coached miles worse. Fire Donovan yesterday. Big lead? Try Kanter/Abrines to defend CJ and Lillard on the pick and roll, oh and don't stagger that with Russ so they at least can score, play damn hockey lineups so Cole is out there and they can't score either.

Gonna go at anyone saying this was Russ's fault for shooting too much that's total bull ****. Glad VO's back, played very well. Adams something's up. Don't know what but Kanter's better right now.

But after all this, totally unacceptable, not even from all the players but the coach is a moron and should be fired. He hasn't developed youth, hasn't gotten effort, hasn't figured out lineups. The only thing he does as a coach that's useful is keep a seat on the bench warm and if you want that done just buy a pack of hand warmers and put them on the bench, they'd provide about as much help basketball wise too.

spearsy23 · Post #15 » by **spearsy23** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 6:54 am

Kizz Fastfists wrote:
spearsy23 wrote:Fire presti and Donovan or trade Russ. Don't give a flying **** which, but he deserves better.

Presti is one of the best at his job. Donovan I'm not sold on. Russ needs to be traded because this team can't be rebuilt before he is too far past his prime for it to mater. If Presti doesn't get screwed in FA by cupcake this team is better than it was last year. The problem is there is no way to replace that player because they have no cap room and no one with that upside to develop and they can't get one for any package they could offer that doesn't include Russ.

Presti was one of the best at his job 8 years ago. Since drafting harden he's been bad at best.

NaturalThunder · Post #16 » by **NaturalThunder** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 7:30 am

Having a four game losing streak to the Blazers (twice), Suns, and Mavs is inexcusable. That should be a four game winning streak stretch, a 3-1 stretch at worst. Something is seriously wrong with this team right now.

Pillendreher · Post #17 » by **Pillendreher** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 10:15 am

Knrstz wrote:I didn't get to watch this game. I see our soon to be $25 million center put in 4 points and 3 rebounds. Money well spent.

Our 80 million dollar wing also spent most of the 4th quarter on the bench because we went with the worst PG in the league, Semaj Christon.

Pillendreher · Post #18 » by **Pillendreher** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 10:26 am

Watching Kanter and DMD defending at the same time gave me eye cancer. McDermott really is the wing version of Kanter. Both have absolutely no idea what to do on the defensive end and avoid contact at all costs.

Bergmaniac · Post #19 » by **Bergmaniac** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 10:34 am

This one is on Donovan even more than usual, why the hell did he left a lineup where the best offensive player was Abrines for 6 minutes out there at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth quarter? They scored 2 points in the first 5 of these minutes, just as expected.

Pillendreher · Post #20 » by **Pillendreher** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 10:37 am

NetRtG without Russ on the floor: -53.5

I don't even know what to say. Something's gotta give and I fear it will be Russ, not Presti and Donovan.

Player(s) of the Game