SB Nation User Blog: Earl

Blazers are better fans.

Earl — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:24:20 -0000

I hopped on over to the Cavaliers sister site on SB Nation and was surprised. The last fanpost was 7 days ago. And their last ten span from that time to 2 months ago. The community on this Blazers fan site is WAYYYYY better than you find on other team's sites. I take it for granted but I just want to say thanks to everyone that makes this an awesome site. I haven't posted in a while, but I'm on here reading quite a bit still, and you know what... Blazer fans just rock.

Earl

A Blazer Fan's Foreign Policy

Earl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:33:34 -0000

We need a change

As a Blazer Fans, we're all over the board about our Team. Some believe that we are destined to own the NBA for the next 10 years, while others believe we'll contend in a few years. Some believe that Brandon Roy's ceiling is so high we can't even see it from here, and some believe he's already reached it or is very close. Some believe Greg Oden is the next coming of Wilt Chamberlin, only better (and without the sex addict thing), and some believe he'll just be a good defender in the paint. But it doesn't matter what we each believe, that's what makes America fantastic, this is not a post about why Greg is the man or why Brandon will be MVP next year.

This is a post about our official foreign policy. What does that mean? Why should we care? Do we even need one? All will be addresses below.

What is a foreign policy

Officially that is a plan for how you relate to something not like yourself. For a country that means how you relate to other countries, for us it means how relate to fans of other teams, the media (excluding Dave and Ben), non fans, etc... What I'll be talking about in this post in particular is... How we relate to fans of other teams.

There are all sorts of aspects to consider for this subject alone; far too many for one post. But since we are on this forum let's just talk about that. With the blogging world blowing up out of control we have access to what people are thinking at any time, and it's only becoming more available. Things to think about as you read on are: How do fans of other teams see me? How do they perceive I think of them? If a L@ker fan was drowning whould I save him or her?

Why it's important

Well, every country has a foreign policy. It helps them make fast desicions about what they should do in any given situation, ensures that they live by a set standard, and gives other countries an idea about how to perceive them. We need one for the same reason. We need to know how to act at any given moment and how we want fans of other fans to see us. Do we want their respect? Do we want them to despise us? We have to decide the answers to these questions before we say or do someething contradictory.

Let's use a sports example, Raiders fans. Their foreign policy: kill. Act unstable. Never refer to Mom as Mommy. Don't cry if you stub your toe. You get the idea. They have a reputation. That's what we need, but hopefully a better one than this example.

Why should we care

Well we don't technically have to. But consider this, how do we talk about other fans? We make fun of L@ker fans all the time, do we want them to make fun of us? Do we want to be considered homers with no touch with reality?

Right now on other fan sites L@ker fans are saying that the next 5 years belongs to K*be, and they'll have 3 rings easily. Hornet's fans are saying they're the best up-and-coming young team in the league and they're on their way to multiple championships. As we know (because of their statements in general) L@ker fan's are delusional, and they think they are owed championships. They're the freakin' L@kers! The league owes them for past greatness. I'm hoping the Hornet's fans's are wrong too, but they're a good team.

The point is, I don't think either of these teams fans that say this can think outside their own team, but we say the same stuff on this site sometimes. I've seen claims of "More rings than fingers" and "Roy is better than K*be!". In the end we might be right, you never know, but I don't want to be seen as someone who's opinion can't be taken seriously because I'm so incredibly biased.

I agree, but now what?

If you've read this far then hopefully you see my point. Now we need to come up with a plan though. Should we trash talk other fans whenever we want or should do unto others as we'd have done to us? Do we fall in line with other delusional teams fans and say right now, before Greg Oden has ever played an NBA game, that we can sit back and let the championships roll in? I think we can come up with a solution that will apease everyone.

My humble opinion

That doesn't mean we should be quite about our love for our team, or never have a homer moment or two. And it definitely doesn't mean we shouldn't be loud at the Rose Garden (we should be the loudest fans on the planet, we have a great team and a great staff). It just means that it's okay to play some thing close to your chest.

Also we should never trash talk about other fans (except L@ker fans, I don't care if they hate us). We don't want to be hated around the league, we want to entice other people to come be fans of our team. We want to have the biggest fan base of any NBA team. I know that's a tall order, but I'm willing to hope for it. If we are perceived as gracious to others not as fortunate as us, articulate and intelligent, undyingly loyal to our Blazers, and grounded we at least have a chance. Those are my thoughts on our foreign policy, but I'm still not quite sure what to do about that drowning L@ker fan... guess I'd throw 'em a couple water wings.

Your turn

Jarryd Bayless a jump shooter? A critical analysis.

Earl — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:47:45 -0000

Well as the title suggests this is a critical analysis of Jarryd's jump shot. Why did people harold him a great shooter coming into the NBA only to find out there that they were wrong? Well I'm going to try to break it down for you the best I can.

What he does well

I don't want to just tear his shot apart so we'll start with what he does right

To start with he has a good base. He sets his feet well, and about shoulder width apart. This is important because it's the foundation of your shot. If you have a weak base you'll have a weak building.

He squares himself up to the basket. He makes sure that his feet are pointing at the basket and that his shoulders are square to the basket very well. In all of the shots I've seen him take he has not failed on this yet. This is another important step (a reacurring theme) to a good jump shot. It helps with consistancy and making sure your shot is online, which most of his are.

He gets GREAT elevation on this jumper. My goodness, the guy can leap and that is evident when he shoots his jump shot, which creates great seperation. Seperation is a magic basketball word that just means the distance you get between you and your defender on a quick pull-up jump shot. However as you'll see below this is part of his weakness too.

He keeps his elbow in. This is so so very important because you have so much more control of your shot when you keep that elbow tight against your body. As soon as it flairs out your shot becomes inconsistant, which leads me to my next point.

He is very consitant. While there are some problems (which we'll go over in a moment) he shoots the same way every time. There are no variations which means if he can figure out what he's doing wrong he could become a very good shooter.

What he's doing wrong

Well we've covered what he is doing right with his shot, but now we have to be critical.

We'll start with his leaping ability which I mentioned above as a strength. There is a problem with how he gets that elevation though. He bends his legs somewhere between a 45 and 30 degree angle which means he bends way down to get that explosiveness and presumably to get his timing right on his release. The problem with that is that it takes him a long time to do this. By the time he's getting in the air the advatage his quickness gave him has been made up by the defender so often he's shooting right in someone's face. Big problem, because good shooters get their shot of much faster.

His release. Where do I start, there are so many problems. The first problem is he pushes his shot a bit. Yes he flicks his wrist but if you'll notice after reviewing the tape (which I did, wasted almost an hour anylizing his shot today via DVR in slow motion) right before he starts his wrist flick he pushes the ball forward. Pushing the ball is never good first of all (unless you're Peja) because you don't have as much control. Second it breaks up your shooting motion. He has a smooth motion bringing the ball up over his head and then he pauses... and pushes the ball forward before releasing. This is part of why you see a lot of his shots hit the back of the rim.

The second problem with his release is that he doesn't hold his follow through long enough. He pulls the string on it, meaning that right after the ball leaves his hands he'll often pull his hand back a bit. This can cause all sorts of problems with a jump shot. Bad rotation (or no rotation), leaving ball short, over compensating and pushing the ball (which he does), etc... He really needs to fix this one fast because it will make a huge difference in his shot immediately.

The last problem I noticed in his release that he leans back as he lets go. He goes up straight, completely vertical, but then as he's releasing he leans back with his upper body. You NEVER see good shooters do this (also see why Lebron is not a good shooter, he does the same thing). When you lean back you no longer have great control of your upper body because you're off balance a bit, plus it puts you a bit farther from the basket then when you left the ground (I admit not by much). Jarryd makes up for this by pushing the ball a bit though which compounds his problems (see reason 2).

Is there any hope?

I know what you're thinking right now... ok, maybe I don't but I'm thinking after writing this, is there anyway that he can turn this around? He was such a great shooter in college (though that 3 point line is a few feet closer to the basket in that league).

My thoughts on that are that the defense in college was nothing compared to what he's seeing now. Those gaurds were too short and slow to bother his shot so it was easy money in college. When you don't have a fundamentally sound shot it makes it very difficulty to make contested jumpers. Also I think the shots he has had that are wide open (very few) he's rushing too much.

So is there hope? I think there is. We've been told his likes to spend time in the gym getting better, which is good because fixing his jumper will take some work. I think it'll take time because he has shot that way for so long that it's ingrained in him. Shooting motions can be difficult to correct, but I think he can definitely do it with the help of the Blazers shooting coach (look what he's done for Channing Frye!).

To conclude I'd like to say that I am no expert for sure, I just love basketball and love the Blazers. But I've been playing for 25 some years (since I was little, I'm 29 now), and I am a student of the game and it's mechanics. I think that Jarryd needs to work with that shooting coach and not worry about his pride when he realizes that he needs to change his shot to be effective. I hope Jarryd is reading this because I'd love to see him succeed and a consistant jump shot coupled with this great slashing ability would make his a lock for starting PG next year IMO.

If you think I'm wrong let me know because I'd love to discuss it.

Memphis get's a bit more from the Gasol Trade

Earl — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:47:00 -0000

They get the other GASOL!!!

Marc Gasol was signed to a contract with the Griz the other day so he'll play in the NBA next season. That's a big deal because Marc Gasol (Pau's little 7'1" brother) was the MVP of one of the Spanish ACB league last year and helped Spain to the World Championship in 2006.

Apparently his draft rights were included in the trade that got Pau Gasol to the Lakers. Does this make the trade a little more Even? Well still lopsided but does it at least make a little more sense for a rebuilding franchise to get a 23 year old 5 year professional MVP of one of the top leagues in the world?

I think it does. What do you guys think?

Here's the link to the Yahoo! story.

Poll

Does this help the trade make for sense for Memphis?

Yes I suppose it does.

26 votes

A bit more but it's not a big difference. The guy could really suck.

31 votes

No, it was still a conspiratorial trade!!! BOOO L*KERS!

32 votes

I already knew this. Don't post stuff I know.

62 votes

151 votes | Poll has closed

Fire Michael Holton

Earl — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:30:39 -0000

It's been a while since I've posted because I'm very busy with college, work and wife. However, my only spare time goes to watching every Blazer game I can, and Michael Holton is ruining it for me.

Could this guy be any less intelligent? Wow. If anyone else has Comcast Sports Net and watches the halftime and postgame shows (which I now turn off because I can't stand the "color commentator") you know what I'm talking about. This guy has a stupid grin on his face that never budges, spouts ridiculous one liners all the time, almost always gets the highlights wrong when he's talking about them (ie. saying someone took a charge when it was actually called a blocking foul), uses more cliche's than Bill Walton, and if I have to hear the two of them say "Tell 'em what they've won Michael... A Basketball Game!" even one more time I'll kick my TV.

This guy knows next to nothing about basketball, less about the Blazers, and can't go ten seconds without throwing a cheesy, stupid cliche out. I am formally starting a petition to get him fired and put someone that knows something about basketball besides who won or lost on the show. I would like a postgame show that I can stand watching. Post a comment if you're with me.

Poll

What are your thoughts?

I think that he's insightful and I appreciate what he contributes to the Blazers.

7 votes

Yes! Fire that guy for the love of all things good! He hurts my brain!

8 votes

I don't really mind him, he's annoying but I could care less.

5 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

Extra Ticket ot tomorrows B.E. meeting

Earl — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:46:09 -0000

I can't make the game tomorrow, something came up so if someone wants my ticket they can have it free of charge. I still want my bobble head though! Let Nate know if you want to go, I asked him to find someone from Blazer's Edge to go in my stead.

email him at naterocks 4u at yahoo dot com if you want to go. First come first serve.

Earl

The fate of New York (and Randolph)

Earl — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:32:28 -0000

This is per Tim56's request. This was in another thread but I was asked to repost this portion.

The fate of New York:
New York will have trouble, they will argue, Eddy Curry will stop playing hard again because he won't get the ball as much, and Stephon Marbury will reveal on the Martha Stewart show that he believes he's the second coming of Christ and Zeke should restructure his contract accordingly. No playoffs again.

On a side note, I'm a bit worried about the stability of the universe. Having two black holes in such close proximity to one another (Randolph and Curry) could cause some instabiltiy in the fabric of space and tear the world apart. If that happens how will I watch the Blazers? I hate Isiah Thomas.

My East Coast Predictions

Earl — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:57:36 -0000

I was asked to repost this in it's own diary so here it is.

My Easter Conference Playoff predictions, I think fatties West Conference predictions are pretty decent (minus Houston taking home the prize) but here are what I think the east will look like come playoff time.

The Heat will limp into the playoffs if at all. Shaq's days of dominating at will are over, and Dwayne Wade is having trouble staying healthy. And what else do they have???? Nothing.

New York will have trouble, they will argue, Eddy Curry will stop playing hard again because he won't get the ball as much, and Stephon Marbury will reveal on the Martha Stewart show that he believes he's the second coming of Christ and Zeke should restructure his contract accordingly. No playoffs again.

Cleveland, they'll be one or two. Lebron is just too good. Best player in the league. Could reappear in the finals.

Chicago will take the 2nd or 3rd spot I think. Although that won't translate into playoff wins for them. They need a scoring big to win playoff games. 2nd round oust.

Boston will be in the top half of the playoff tree this year, but they'll be so tired due to their 6 or 7 man rotation that they won't get out of the first round.

Toronto will be around the 5 spot, they're good but not as good as the teams ahead of them. Chris Bosh will be a monster, and look out for T.J. Ford, because the cats got skills.

Washington will make the playoffs but Gilbert will try to stand alone as always and fail them in the playoffs. Caron Butler will have another great year quietly.

Detroit is done dominating their foes. They will win a lot of games and make the playoffs but only because of experience. They need a good defensive center to make their defense suffocating and I don't think they'll find that this year.

New Jersey (Brooklyn?) whatever they'll be called next year will be the final playoff team, just ahead of Miami which will get ousted in the first round. Kidd is still better than any other point gaurd in the league except Nash (they have different skills, not sure which one is really better at the moment) and Carter can help, but they haven't got anyone else (including Jefferson) that will get them out of the first round.

Off Season Winners and Losers Blazers ranked 2

Earl — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:10:55 -0000

According to David Aldridge over at Philly.com the Blazers had the second best offseason including the draft, free agency, and trades. This list is pretty interesting, especially considering who he thought number one was... I won't ruin it for you. Check out the link Off Season Winners and Losers. It's a good read, plus I like when people rank teams for things other than wins. Gives my team a chance to be on top for once!

Poll

Is this list even close to accurate?

I agree with nothing. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

2 votes

...What? Are you kidding, this guy gets paid to write this crap?

3 votes

He hit the nail right on the head. He should come to the Oregonian.

12 votes

He wasn't too bad, I agree with some but not all.

54 votes

I agree with a couple, but that's about it.

15 votes

86 votes | Poll has closed

Because I can't wait until the season starts!

Earl — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:10:41 -0000

I was browsing Youtube and found these cool videos of Roy. What a freakin' stud! Just imagine what he can do with Lamarcus and Greg garnering attention next year. It's going to be so awesome!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!! AAAHHH!!!!

cough cough so, anyway I just thought I'd share these videos with you so you could be as excited as I am. I hope you enjoy.

Roy in the Clutch
Roy Tribute

GO BLAZERS!!!