[gregoden08Participant]

I’m sorry…I had to make this thread.

I am a big Blazer fan. Probably the biggest on this site (live in Portland) and I have watched/been to every single game, but I will admit the Blazers are easily the most overrated NBA team in the NBA.

First off, Brandon Roy is not playing like an all-star…He is whining constantly and there is obviously something brewing between him and Miller…It’s pissing me off.

Secondly, Lamarcus…What the hell? You are one of the most talented big men in the league, yet you are only averaging 15 and 7.5 rpg? You aren’t going to be an all-star any time soon. You want to be Rasheed Wallace or Chris Bosh. Make up your mind.

Lastly, Nate McMillian…The most fraustrating coach ever. Portland fans, we will never, ever win a title with this team if he is the head coach…I’m sorry, quite frankly I want him gone…NOW. I don’t care if we go on 10 game winning streak. I think Roy is the coach in the 4th quarter honestly. Nate does a terrible job with substitutions.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN:
1.START MILLER! I am sorry Blake, but you are no better than instant offense off the bench…Miller brings qualities that Blake simply cant. He also makes Oden a better player.
2. Oden needs more touches. I don’t care if he doesn’t have a great post game. He is the one of the most physically dominating big men to come around in quite some time and he shoots 80% from the FT line.
3. DO SOMETHING WITH WEBSTER…Either start him, and make excuses to why he plays bad like he does every year or trade him. I’m sorry, he is a spot up shooter with good athleticism/strength. Nothing more.
4. Make a trade…something…soon. We don’t need spot up shooters Pritchard. We need tough players who can play defense (Gerald Wallace etc). Portland cannot make a stop when they need to. That’s a problem.

I know Portland has a 12-7 record which is solid and all, but our scheldule has been so EASY. We’ve lost to all the good teams we’ve played and we were down by 30 against Memphis AT HOME (I WAS THERE). Pathetic. A 30-2 run. Our record should be much better than what it is. At least win at home Portland.

I hate bashing my team, but I see some serious weaknesses in Portland. Trust me, Like I said earlier, I’ve seen every game this year. I’ve been unimpressed with every one so far besides the one against SA AT HOME.

Thoughts? Feel free to add anything.

[SlimParticipant]

portland is an offense first team there are not too many defensive centerpieces in the league

lebron is one gerald wallace ron artest is one

there are not too many 2 way players at the SF
gerald wallace would fit in perfectly

[SlimParticipant]

it is not that easy to fix the Blazers bcuz they need a physical defender to complement Roy if they want to play a defensive style

[Dhamp2Participant]

The team needs to consistently start Andre Miller at point guard. Why sign him and not start him??? Look at what he’s done for every team he’s played for since his college days at Utah. Let him run the team and they will win. Listen, I’m a big time Steve Blake fan (he can really play and he’s vastly underated), but I think Miller is the better guy for the team right now. Also, several people on here say Miller doesn’t/can’t play defense and there is nothing further than the truth.

Dhamp2…the greatest basketball mind in the world. Next to Hube Brown anyway.

1. R.I.P. Earl Manigualt.
2. Carmelo will lead the NBA in scoring.
3. The Lakers will 3peat.
4. Wesley Johnson is a top 15 draft pick and the best transfer in America
5. Dwight Howard is overated.
6. There’s no way Steve Nash should have 2 MVPs, while Kobe Bryant has one.
7. Brandon Jennings will win ROY.
8. Eric Devendorf will be drafted (sorry about that)
9. I DON’T ALWAYS DRINK BEER, BUT WHEN I DO, IT DOS EQUIS….STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS.

[gregoden08Participant]

I agree…Miller plays scrappy defense and plays the passing lanes well. I love Steve as well, but he is a better fit coming off the bench.

[juves4783Participant]

problems
1. they just can’t hit shots right now (oden, aldridge and roy are the only scoring threats shooting above 45%).
2. there are too many low percentage shooting wing players (outlaw, fernandez, webster) that want to score.
3. starting 2 pg’s is a matchup nightmare.
4. batum is injured and is their best perimeter defender.
5. no post prescence since aldridge wants to be a perimeter shooter all the time.
6. andre miller and roy don’t play together well. both like to have the ball in their hands. miller can’t shoot and doesn’t help spread the court for roy drives.

solutions
1. revert back to their old starting line-up with webster or outlaw starting instead of batum for now.
2. have miller come off the bench with oden and shooters. spreads the floor for both oden and miller.
3. trade webster, outlaw, fernandez or bayless for a post presence.
4. tell aldridge to play in the post and stop taking so many jumpers.
5. stop trying to turn bayless into a pg. it’s only hurting his trade stock.

[RickyRubio9Participant]

LOL @ DHamp about the Dos Equis. “He is the most interesting man in the World” LOLOL. Man, that made me give you a point, but to be honest..I’m like in love with Rudy Fernandez game…I really would love for Portland to offer up Joel Pryzbilla & Rudy Fernandez for Shane Battier, but…I mean, I love Shane too…I hope Rudy leaves Portland and goes somewhere to start, being behind Brandon Roy is understandable, but dude should be getting more minutes then Webster. He’ll get time with Outlaaw and Batum out though. Portland does seem overrated though and Oden is always being said to be the “Missing Piece” and “If he can get it going” blah blah blah BS. I hope they do something this year though, if they lose in 1st round – Disappointment. Great Post though and It’s great that you weren’t afraid to bash your team.

[bobbybParticipant]

stop crying you have nets fan over here, i would love to have your problem, we have had trenton hassel at pf . Ill take aldridge any day of the week

[RUDEBOY]

I love it when guys vent!!! their pinup frustrations comes out..hahahaha…But u are right on the money about Portland…..They really need a solid small forward..And trading for Shane Battier isnt the answer..

[NYK2010Participant]

Relax try being a Clippers, Grizzlies, Knicks, Nets or Twolves fan.

I’m not sure why they signed Andre Miller that was a mistake. Missing out on Turkoglu hurt them his stats are up and he can handle the ball well too. You can live with Blake as a PG till Bayless is ready or till they trade him for a vet PG. There GM will probably move some players based on how far they get in the playoffs.

[FrankBlackBoi]

this guy has suffer already play him or trade him for a defsensive player

[quincey hodges]

at least they defend in the paint since as of last week they were the best in the paint defensive team in the leauge. i think they probably dont start him because he cant hit the open jumper which is critical with the blazers when you have someone drive and kick out. when hes int he game they can play off of him more and help on roy or who ever sf is in there. just my theory

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

The Blazers aren’t overrated, but they definitely have some issues right now concerning their team chemistry. IF they don’t get it figured out, they could be in trouble. They were the 4th seed last season and the expectations are bigger this season. That’s the difference between them and the Clippers, Grizzlies, Knicks, Nets or T-Wolves… EXPECTATIONS. The Blazers have a lot of talent and the chemistry isn’t there… That’s why fans aren’t in relax mode right now.

Roy is in a funk. Everyone has different opinions on what’s going on with him and why, but it’s obvious something is bothering him. Honestly… I think there are a few things.

1st – The amount of time it took the Blazers to sign him to a max deal. I think this bruised his ego. This wasn’t widely reported, but they wanted Roy to pick up Turkoglu from the airport when they were recruiting him. Roy turned it down and said that he wasn’t helping them recruit/sign another player to a big contract when he didn’t even have a contract himself.

2nd – It was clear from the get-go during training camp that he didn’t really think he and Miller were a great fit. He basically said he liked playing with Blake more than Miller because Blake could play off the ball and stretch the floor. Miller isn’t really effecitve without the ball in his hands and that takes away from Roy’s game.

3rd – Miscommunication with McMillian during pre-season. After playing off the ball more than usual and Oden getting way more touches, Roy complained that he didn’t know his role in the offense. McMillian told Roy that him and Lamarcus were still the focal points and that he was just trying to get other players’ confidence up.

4th – Roy hasn’t been in his comfort zone all season. When McMillian moved him to small forward and started Miller and Blake in the backcourt, I think that really pissed him off. He ended up complaining to McMillian, which led to McMillian saying “I’m going to give the team back to Roy and move Andre to the 2nd unit.” McMillian and Roy both said some things to the Oregonian that gained them BOTH a lot of criticism from fans. Roy has actually been getting a lot of criticism from fans since training camp concerning the situation with Miller.

5th – Portland fans have somewhat taken Miller’s side and thinks that Roy is being selfish, etc. I truly think that Roy’s feelings are hurt that the fans, etc aren’t siding with him. Him reading the Oregonian and listening to the media so much is a surprise to me.

6th – Deep down, I think Roy is disappointed that the Blazers have made changes. He feels that they should’ve stuck with what made them successful last season and improved upon it. He’s not happy that he’s had to adapt his game to Miller’s when he’s the superstar on the team. Honestly… I don’t even think that Roy likes the fact that Oden is being more involved on offense. He’d start Pryzbilla and move Oden to the bench if he could.

Miller is definitely a better point guard than Blake and is great at throwing the entry pass to Oden, BUT… He’s not a good fit for the team. He doesn’t mesh well with the team’s star player, which is a problem any way you put it. I think they should trade him as soon as he’s available to be traded. They need a backup power forward who’s tough and can defend, rebound and score around the basket.

Roy needs to start involving Oden more, which is something he rarely does. Roy rarely even throws an entry pass, which needs to change. If the Blazers are to go far this year, Oden will have to play a big role. Oden has gotten better with his isolation post offense, but I still think they’re using him wrong. They need to penetrate and then dish it to him for easy buckets… Not try to iso post him 99% of the time.

McMillian needs to grow a pair and gain control of this team. He needs to be decisive and consistent. His substitutions patterns have been terrible. He seems to be struggling communicating with the team as of late too. The foul limit rule on Oden is silly… He’ll never be able to learn how to play through foul trouble if he’s not on the floor. McMillian needs to gain control of this team. I thought he was an authoritive figure, but he’s not.

I really think he needs to take a look at the Lakers and how they’re able to involve Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Artest and Odom.

[SlimParticipant]

It was clear from the get-go during training camp that he didn’t really think he and Miller were a great fit. He basically said he liked playing with Blake more than Miller because Blake could play off the ball and stretch the floor. Miller isn’t really effecitve without the ball in his hands and that takes away from Roy’s game.

tezo83 hit it right on

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