I’m surprised that this hasn’t been written.

I fully expected Faried when he slipped. Then I refresh my browser at work and what?? Nolan Smith?? My immediate guess was that Smith was a ‘Nate guy’ and a after their success with Roy he was the type of player that management would consider in the future. I didn't like Nolan Smith as a pick from day one though I’m a person that has to check my own inventory when I don’t like something. I had to ask myself, weren’t you wrong about Brandon Roy for the same reasons?

Really I was only half wrong about Roy. I thought he was a good pick where we got him I just did not like the thought of him going where we pick Aldridge. Where I was wrong is that I didn’t see any star qualities to his game and I watched him play all through college. It seemed like we were getting an Aaron McKie with a better J.

So I eased off of Smith. I didn’t rule him out as a PGotF candidate. Before the draft I listed the guards I liked. First it was Mack then Jenkins, Jackson, and finally Shumpert (wow did the Knicks reach on him) but I threw in a maybe on Smith.

So why the maybe? Two reasons. One he is a Duke PG. If he was playing on another team he would have been on the list for sure. Disregard one and dones like Irving, guys that last in Duke put up numbers that don’t always translate well. I keep thinking about how great William Avery looked at Duke but besides him and maybe Dawkins if you want to go back that far who has really underachieved? Its been guys that weren’t that talented or off the court injuries. I didn't even think Duhon would make a team. The other reason was the similarities to Roy. That brought Smith back near the list.  

Beyond the obvious of them both being 4 year guys who started slow there is a lot more. Roy was a SG who played a lot of PG in college. Smith is a PG who played a lot of SG. They are both versatile and that is often overlooked when you are trying to find a gem in the draft. That is what separates him from the typical PGs that are labeled busts or cant stick in the league. Its always guys that lack versatility. They have one great strength that doesn’t translate at all, or its taken away when team’s key on it. PGs that lack versatility can lose their entire game when one aspect is removed.

Most overachievers have weakness and a key strength. Jack of all trades types rarely pan out so the odds of Nolan being the PGotF are still slim. Roy is proof that it can work out. Perhaps Smith’s biggest weakness is his age and the fact that he isn’t great in one area besides ball handling. Again that was Roy’s greatest asset but that is often ignored for guards. Its not sexy because this isn’t an And-1 video right? Speaking of sexy. You could go on and on about how boring both were in college. Neither were known for the big dunk yet both will bring it on occasion. Neither are uncanny athletes especially now with Roy's knee.

Both Brandon and Nolan have a strong self awareness off the court but their ego is tied to winning. People are flawed and they make mistakes the ’character’ guys just avoid them far more often because they are self aware and humble enough at the same time.

The most prominent thing that both Brandon and Nolan now isn't their character. They share a jersey though they might not wear it together this year. They are now Trail Blazers. People often mention that Roy slipped in the draft because of his knee. Before his SR year and for much of his SR year he wasn’t even slotted in the top ten of a weak draft so Roy actually went higher than he expected through much of his college career. I wonder if Smith will have a similar epiphany. Slated for the late 1st and maybe 2nd round he is declared a ’Nate guy’ and picked near the top twenty. It should give him some confidence.

The T-Blazers need a PG and a big. They could really use a speedy guard with a shot. Kemba Walker would be a godsend but he moved up for good reason. You look at the rest of the PGs and while there is depth and talent there isn’t anyone that I would trade up for in the 1st. I like Mack if they cant get Faried. I don’t care if a PG is pure or a combo I’m interested in frame, range, rebounding, swagger, then overall talent. I would say Mack is the best fit in the late 1st round but I don’t think he is much better than Charles Jenkins and Jenkins can be had in the second round. Also I think any PG after Irving Knight, and Walker is a risk and Knight is still a project. So don’t take a point. Move up and get Faried. Faried adds pick and roll defense, shot blocking, rebounding, and transition. His post defense might translate too. More importantly he adds needed depth.

After Faried you have to ask yourself is it worth it to shoot the moon for Selby? Selby might be worth a 2nd round ching$$$ching Paul Allen style. Selby is a nice project for a 2nd rounder. He could be pretty good in a few years. People will wonder why he slipped. Then I say draft Jenkins. He has the frame the range the rebounding and the swagger.

It is easy to say after a good performance that proceeded one of legend. I was saying this after game 2 (here) and believing this before the playoffs. My thinking was that the Trail Blazers needed Roy to make a run for the finals. Roy needed a boost of confidence that might come if he was asked to start again, and having lost a step athletically Roy would actually fit better as a hybrid of the Roy of old and a spot up shooter slash facilitator. The lesser Roy might be a better fit for the team. I was especially hoping that this would be true after the Wallace trade; with Crash’s chaos opening up improvisational opportunities for Roy.

The last two games haven’t changed my opinion much. Physically Roy looked better after the surgery. He isn’t grimacing, he isn’t icing swollen knees. He is just a step off behind what he was. The same could be said for Kobe so I’m thinking Roy can still produce, when or if he could get right mentally. Mentally he was a mess in game two. It seems like he wasn’t shooting to score he was shooting because it’s a good shot in the offense. That’s how roleplayers play. Roy cant play like that. He has to play as a scorer. He has to play like a star. A star with a lesser more team oriented role but a star nonetheless. And stars start for a reason. For the Trail Blazers to beat Dallas in Dallas or defeat the Lakers or Thunder they need Roy-evolved playing off of Crash, Miller, and Aldridge.

I don’t see anything wrong with this team that doesn’t have a counter balance. If you try to correct something it will mess up something else. Nothing but brains, and heart can help this team. So let it play. Let them loose and see how they respond. Dont give them an excuse by switching coaches, or making trades from a point of weakness.

Let Nate see whats wrong with his system. Better that he improve as a coach than the alternative. Lets remember Nate has changed things and his changes haven’t worked. The team is averaging more fast break points and points in the paint than it did the last two seasons. They are switching on less picks too. Soo. Things are a lot finer than it may seem. Its not something a sweeping change can correct. It has to be meticulous. Hatd work and time. Maybe Nate cant do it- at least when it comes to fixing the brains in the equation, but one thing is for sure nobody else can in short order. So let them play through it. If they play through it they will be stronger for it or they will lose and you can rebuild with maybe two lotto picks and a new coach. I’m saying they will lose anyway.

As Joanna Newsome puts it The Book of Right-On is right on

In the NBA wins and loses are determined by how well a team follows a system (Right on) and how well they improvise (Right-On). There is no switch for chemistry, effort, thought. Roy isn’t going to change his game in a couple weeks. Aldridge isn’t going to learn how to score deep, and defensive rebound like he has to do without Oden maybe at all but certainly not right away.

Losing teams fail to follow a system and to efficiently improvise.

McMillan’s offense favors controlled improvising which is almost absurd in a way. This is the test it needs though. The weapon that comes out will be sharper so let it burn.

The good news.

The Hornets have fallen to 5th

Lots of PGs in next years draft and most of the teams above Portland are set at that position. Irving and Selby are the only draftable PGs that I could see staying because of the new CBA.

The CBA itself is good news. It ought to ease the burden of max contracts and a strike shorten is great for an unhealthy squad. I’m not for tanking but if there is any chance at missing an entire season and double dipping the lottery I’m for tanking especially if the team is fighting for a 7th and 8th spot. If that’s the case tank. I hate tanking but if tanking equates to having to shut down Roy for a saline meniscus or another injured player then its not really the type of tanking that bothers me.

Freeland has NBA talent… Oh who am I telling we’ve got Sean Marks in the rotation...

Matthews looks legiter and legiter each game. Maybe he could start. Memo to Batum. Put on 12 pounds of muscle and take Cunningham’s minutes.

Nothing against Miller I just see it as an easier path to defeating the Lakeys. The Lakeys seem to be the team to beat again. If Miller gets off to a slow start and Bayless comes a roaring I hope Nate isnt afraid to pull the trigger. To beat the urine and lavender they are going to outplay two positions and rock the bench.

Kobe is better than Roy

Artest and Batum are a push. Artest has the experience Batum has the upside and shot.

Gasol should have an edge over Aldridge but Aldridge always plays him straight so I give Gasol a slight edge. Camby should also help keep this one close

Oden and Camby or Oden and Pryz tops Bynum. As long as Oden is there thats a mean combo.

So you have two slight edges to the urine and lav and one to the Trail Blazers. Bench goes to Portland too. Sorry Odom. So what you are left with is a win for the urine and lav if the Trail Blazers cant hold the PG matchup and hold it strong. The urilav have too much chemistry. You cant win a stalemate.

If it comes down to who can outplay Fisher I have to go with Bayless. Phil Jackson's teams have always matched up well against pure PGs. Fisher would rather face a player that comes to him like Miller. Miller punishes smaller guards so the more he gets to face Blake the better.

 Bayless could make Fisher look old. Thats the type of advantage that my good Trail Blazers are going to need.

I have a hard time admitting that HBO Real Sports is a good show. I love HBO. Real Time with Bill Maher, Real Sex, Curb your enthusiasm, True Blood, Treme are great shows. Treme's intro music sucks though. Its sounds like a wannabe New Orleans Good Times. I'm not sure exactly what I have against Real Sports. Maybe its because the show has so many tear jerkers and I'm too much of  a sap, maybe its how Bryant Gumbel comes off as an old know it all who takes a common sense stance just so he can be right about everything. My own internal guess are the show topics. If its not tear jerker or knee jerker reactionary stuff, man bites dog or the inane show with a topic like barefoot running. Maybe I'm alone or maybe you can say it with me. You hear a topic like barefoot running and you think. I don't want to watch this $#!T. Then you watch and again you are wrong. It was a interesting. And it got me thinking. Whenever I ponder what Oden can do to stay healthy I always assume he should use more cushion in his shoe. Really after this season I wonder what the whole team can do to stay healthy.

That show was awfully convincing. There was a real case made for reducing injuries with less shoe between foot and floor. It brought me back to when I use to run the 40 barefoot. I ran a 4.8 barefoot and a 4.9 in cleats. Pretty good for a fat body.  I remembered Nike's "run barefoot" campaign. I didn't know what it was inspired by. Maybe the Trail Blazers should consider restructuring endorsements  and manning training camp with the barefoot shoe.

Oh here are my top five draft steals.

First let me define what a steal is. I'm no expert so I'm going to make the criteria uniform and base. A steal is anyone that should have been drafted a lot higher. A guy picked in the 2nd round that plays a long productive career is a steal. You don't need to be Carlos Boozer or Gilbert Arenas. I think even a player like Bobby Brown is a steal. I don't even think he was drafted so you can name players that should be drafted in the second round. You can even name guys like Cousins who will likely be picked in the top 5 if you believe he is going to be the next Moses Malone. If Cousins is the next Moses Malone he is a steal at 5.


I have been right and wrong in the past. The guy I was most right about was Kobe. The guy I was most wrong about was Shelden Williams.

OK so here art yon top fiveith.

1. Xavier Henry
I normally don't trust Jay hawks but this guy just seems underrated. He is a one and done but people are acting like he is a safe pick who can help right away. Well if he is a safe pick that can help right away doesn't that mean he could really really help down the line. He is built like Josh Howard and brings like defense but he has more soft skill on offense. He can play the 2 and the 3... I think he should go top 5 but some have him outside of the top 10.

2. Quincy Pondexter
When evaluating college players I'm a big fan of FG%. I love players that can score easily. Pondexter averaged close to 20 points on 52% shooting. I live in the northwest so I saw how he did it. Pondexter scores a lot like LeBron. He sets up his shot with drives to the basket. This guy wasn't shooting 52% off of great setups though he did play with a good PG. He went and got his own shot. He could spot up for three but that was more of a compliment. When you can shoot 52% while gangstering so much of your offense it says a lot. I also like the fact that he is a great teammate and he just stinks of a late bloomer who responded well when given the chance to be a star. He is slated for the 20s I think he should go high teens.

3. Luke Babbitt
Again the shooting stats are off the charts. He can also rebound. He has an NBA body with a 6'11 wingspan. He can get his own shot. Luke was a McDonald's All-American who played up to expectations. I think he deserves more of a buzz.

4. Brian Zoubek
OK he is a senior that could barely score 6 points a game. I think injuries had a lot to do with his disappointing college career. Disappointing until he won a championship as a starter. He was one of the main reasons why they won. He reminded me a lot of UCLA's George Zidek but damn Zidek seemed to be a liability until he shut down Corliss Williamson in the championship game. Zoubek never looked like a liability. He was a real force when he got his minutes. Ah but Duke is Duke... Still the guy isn't even in the top 60 on most draft boards. I say he is at least worth a mid to late 2nd round pick.

5. Patrick Christopher
When he is hot he is hot. PC is a volume shooter who scores in bunches. There is a lot thats wrong with his game. He has little potential. His shot is flat, the release is low, and he is a tad small for a SG. Outside of his jumpshot he doesn't have that many redeeming qualities and his shot is flawed but I still see him as a potential steal because I expect his game to transfer to the NBA. He is a walking heat check who is athletic enough to play with fire. He can move and get his shot on the break so he doesn't have to take bad shots. He might shoot himself back to the bench but so do many other guys. Its worth the risk when he drops 10 points in a qtr and breaks open a game. Like Zoubek he isn't even a sure bet to get drafted. If you want a shooter off the bench I would give him a look. Its always nice to have two last or two first names. Grant Hill, Michael Jordan, Brandon Roy etc etc

If the Trail Blazers want a back up for Oden and Aldridge and the real insurance that you have someone who can play big minutes at two positions, I don't know if there are two better candidates than Cousins or Monroe. I don't see many bigs in future drafts. And there was one report that the Trail Blazers might move up.

I reckoned that if the Trail Blazers had any chance of moving up it had to start with the Wolves falling out of Evan Turner's range. The Wolves need talent period but Turner was the money pick who had the talent and filled their most pressing need. Rudy would be more valuable to them than anyone. So alas its something that I considered. Would I trade Rudy for Cousins? What if I had to sweeten it with Cunningham, or straight up Rudy for Monroe? My instincts say yes. Post haste in fact.  You always trade big for small if the talent is relative. Oden is going to need a backup sooner than later and unfortunately he may need a backup that can really play and if that player can really play he is going to want to play so they might as well find a C/PF that can play a lot of minutes and Cousins fits well. So does Monroe but then I pause..........

On the other hand I'd say there isn't a Trail Blazer with more potential than Rudy. With Oden's per-minute numbers its obvious he just needs to be on the court. He doesn't need to improve that much so while his potential maybe easier to realize we have seen Oden dominate for at least a half of basketball  while we are not close to seeing what Rudy can do. I know its been said a few times that we probably wont see it too. Here is where my take it is a little different. I think its Rudy's fault.

Why?? Because I believe Nate's offense is perfect for Rudy. Rudy has a strong feel for the game and a good basketball IQ but I often see him being directed where to go or thinking about where to go with and without the ball. He moves like he believes the movement doesn't matter. He doesn't look lost he just doesn't look committed which is a common NBA look but rarely under such conditions.

Its seems like the prevailing wisdom is that Rudy wold augment an offense with more off ball movement so he has to move less with the ball and is more likely to get room without having to create it off the dribble himself. Thats true. If you take a closer look at the Trail Blazers offense you can see how Nate has tried to accommodate Rudy but its subtle and Rudy certainly isn't buying into it. If he did buy into it I think he would surprise himself because after all contradictions are so difficult to guard. Its like if you put Alex Ovechkin in a possession offense. Imagine the anxiety until he realized that yes he will get less chances but the chances he gets will be unexpected, they will come from difficult angles and furthermore once he learns the system and how teams defend then he will have opportunities to improvise and it will come natural.

When Rudy is playing they run Flex isos instead of 1-4 isos, they send him off picks more than Brandon. Its adjusted for him but he hasn't mastered it. Until he is able to read the defense and improvise naturally I don't think he is going to feel comfortable and I'm not sure he believes there is a light at the end of the tunnel especially if he wants to leave. I don't know if he understands just how great he could be coming off the bench with Nate McMillan coaching him.

Management

Sign LeBron... jk

1. Sign Pritchard

2. Trade Webster or Rudy to move up and get a top big man or trade euro farm for a middle pick big. If Rudy or Martell can score you Monroe or Cousins you make that trade if not look to snag Whiteside. Washington might make that move because they have young talent at Center. If the Wolves slipped to 3 Rudy could help them sign Rubio and like the Wizards they have good young big men. Personally I think any team that makes that deal is a bit crazy but some teams are crazy and Rudy has more skill than Cousins. But Cousins is just a great fit. Oh how cool would it be to have a Marcus, a LaMarcus and a DeMarcus?

3. Sign a defensive veteran guard. Someone like Tony Allen.

Nate

1. Sure up weakness. I'm all for conservative coaching. I just watched my beloved Washington Capitals with their high scoring free flowing offense get damn near shutout by a conservative 8th seed and lose the series too. The problem with the Trail Blazers is that they don't excel well enough in their core to runover to their weak spots. The team is last in points in the paint, and second to last by .1 points in fastbreak points. You don't want to be the worst in anything. Even if you have a slow pace rebounding and execution should spill over into the fastbreak and get you easy baskets in the paint, The team also needs to address the pick and rolls on defense and offense.

2. Perfect the strengths. Develop a money zone and a money press. Two years ago the Trail Blazers had one of the best zones, In the 08/09 season the Trail Blazers had a pesky fullcourt press that they used to boost their defensive intensity. Nate needs to stop going away from what works. I realize that you cant run too much zone and press too much. Thats not my point.

3. Get some post plays for everyone. Remember when the Trail Blazers had 4 players that could post. Sheed, Arvydas, Pippen, Wells... Batum should have posted Nash on the first poession. If Rudy gets traded Webster may play more 2 and if they put a small guard on him he needs to post.

Aldridge

1. Rest rest and more rest. Been a tough season.

2. Shoot 10k shots a weak. If his shot can improve from good to great the Trail Blazers will win 5 more games off of that alone.

3. Watch how Dirk puts a body on people. Nowitzki rebounds well for a perimeter player. Watch hockey. My coach used to tell me that defensive rebounding is the only chance you get to hit people. Learn the hip check.

Batum

1. Rest the shoulder

2. Work with Andre Miller on the post game

3. Work with Roy. Pick up some ball handling tech.

Bayless

Bayless should have maybe the easiest path to real improvements. He already has a great work ethic and now he knows exactly what he needs to work on. Wasn't game 6 the epitome of his young career. Had moments where he closed his eyes, tight in fact but still finished with 7 assist.

1. Eye the starting spot. Andre Miller was a better player than Bayless for most of the season. Miller's ability to abuse smaller guards is uncanny. But is he the best fit next to Roy? Isn't he a slow starter?

2. Think Defense. His foul rate improved throughout the season everything else seemed to get worse. He needs to trust his quickness a little more, pester the ball better and time his flops with more wisdom. Then he needs to study how teams run the pick and roll.

3. Relax his shot. Someone made a great point that he does over elevate. Blame Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant for that legacy. Oh and he should shoot 1,000 fts a day and maybe shoot half while stoned.

1. Have a hotlink meal with Miller

2. Make himself at home. Buy some rural property, Find a crew to camp/hike/hunt with.

3. Work with the young bigs and while he is at it take 1000 three pointers a day.

1. Develop a crossover

2. Learn to shoot off the dribble

3. Weight training.

1. Community service.

2. Grant an interview with blazersedge.com

3. Anything else to be know as a good team guy. (Help his trade value).

1. OD on Spain. Go home and get sick of family.

2. Join a streetball circuit. Bang with some kids that have the NBA dream.

3. Study Sprewell. Spree was proof that you could average 20+ points with a stutter step and less quickness than Rudy. Of coarse Spree could shoot off the dribble which is the thing that Rudy can practice on the street.

1. A close door with Nate. Ask why Batum didn't post Nash, why did he have to guard Nash, As you can see I'm not that low on Nate. I only had a few issues with his handle of the series.

2. Work with the youngsters

3. Challenge Camby to see who can better improve their bench press max.

1. Take Oden to LA eat junkfood and sleep

2. Close door with Nate on how to get more off ball stuff going to the hoop

3. Mentor Batum and the bigs on how to post and pass out of it

1,2,3. See Diener

1. Jump rope to develop muscle memory and quickness

2. Get some custom shoes with memory foam and take some

Hyaluronic Acid

3. No hoops until a month before camp.

1. Ask EA and Take Two if he can use his black eye picture in the video games.

2. Hit the weights

3. Study Rick Mahorn

1. Install a bathtub

2. Ask Miller to bring him some Hot Links

3. Send Oden the jump rope he used when he was doing the boxing training.

Watching Pippen on the Bulls I came to the conclusion that a lot of Jordan rubbed off on him. Roy needs to rub off on Batum and Webster.. and they all need to start studying film like Batum.

1. Work with Batum and Bayless

2. Make up his mind to become a leader/floor general on defense

3. Mail the blowouts playoff loses to Miller and request the Hotlinks.. extra spicy.

1. Work on his post game

2. Work on his handles

3. Take 100K shots

I have no pony in this race. My favorite college hoops team is the Razorbacks. I dont even think they made the NIT. I'm from Los Angeles and I live in Seattle. Oh and by the way I hate the Lackers. I have never cheered for the Pac-10 just because I'm a west coast guy. Matter of fact  being a Bruin hater I have spent more time cheering against the Pac-10 than for.

First I want to say the Pac-10 was pure D crap this year. It was as weak as ever. They barely deserved two teams. That said both of the teams that made it have real talent and probably would have or should have made it on a good year. I watched a few Bears games where Cal was just ridiculous. Christopher is an NBA guard. Randall isn't really built for the next level but he has big time skills. He is the type of player the really shines this time of year and really I may be wrong about his NBA game because he plays a lot like Aaron Brooks. I saw that game where they just destroyed Oregon. Their bigs play mean and they have two utility guys in Robertson and Gutierrez that do what needs to be done. After watching Cal play a few times I told my buddy the Pac-10 may be weak but they have one good team and another that could be good.

The other team was the Huskies. They simply needed to replace Brockman. They needed some bigs to step up. Their guards have talent. Isaiah Thomas is cool solid and explosive. He is listed at 5'8 but he plays big. They have a real stopper in Overton too. Overton's defense was the key their win against Marquette. Then they have Pondexter who's progress reminds me of Brandon Roy's. He is shooting 53% while averaging 20 points. He makes it look easy. When the Huskies made it to the conference tourney I figured they must have come around and when they beat Cal I knew they were real...

Then I listened to the talking heads. Three so called experts Jay Williams, Seth Davis, and E Tu Brute Greg Anthony were talking about how Cal shouldn't even make the tournament after winning the regular season in the Pac-10. Jay Williams was really trying to sell it too. This is when I became a Pac-10 fan. I knew they didn't know what they were talking about. I knew how good Cal was. I may be from the west coast but I spent three of my high school years on the east coast. I know the east coast bias is founded in that same breed of proud ignorance that you see when a teacher calls on a kid and doesn't know the answer but wants to remain cool. I remember when coach Jere Quinn (google him he is a great coach) asked my class to predict the final four and the champ and one kid predicted UNLV, who slaughtered Duke that year. Quinn laughed at the kid; "Las Vegas" he asked? I remember thinking "Las Vegas" has a basketball team? Thats why I expect more from Anthony.

Here is to Cal giving Duke a beating or at least more madness.

I say it is.

He has a little Dennis Rodman in him. They need a dedicated rebounder/defender. His jumpshot isnt much worse than Howard's, he plays with energy, he gets under peoples skin, he wont complain if he gets pulled early, he is really fast, and he scores in the paint. I know Howard's playing well and 11 men rotations are indeed ridiculous but he fits. Simply put he fits. He is the closest thing the team has to a Center.

The victory over the Mavericks was the 40th straight victory in which the Trail Blazers held their opponent to under 90. Its hard to word but you know what I mean.

I know this is probably going to jinx the team, but everything is tenuous with all of the injuries and you cant take away that streak. Its time to celebrate it while it last. I know that most coaches believe that  it's easier to teach when they can point out something wrong. I'm a firm believer that the best decisions in life come from strength.

To me its obvious when this team plays defense it wins. It's like I was saying after the lost to the Grizzlies that started the losing streak. The defense wasn't there throughout that streak and that was what it was.

This is what Nate does. I live in Seattle and it seemed like the fans and the media wanted the Sonics to run more and play to a faster tempo. When they tried to speed things up they lost. When Nate left they tried to speed things up again and they lost. The good thing is WE HAVE A FRANCHISE PG!!. Bayless is up there. I was so high on him that after missing the draft and finding out later that we got him I must have repeated "Oh my god we got Bayless?" 20 times and you know what he is playing better than I pictured. His ability to get to the stripe is valuable for a team that prospers while playing at a slow pace and he has the tools to be decent defender and decent is damn good at PG.

That a nice combination. When we get Batum back we can see some Triple B action. Oh it will be nice. Say in the mean time a shot blocker would be swell. Why not sign Steven Hill? I admit I'm partial. I'm a Razorback fan.   

When I tuned into the Grizzlies game I was hoping that the Trail Blazers would play the same type of pressure defense that they played last season when they beat the Bulls by 40. I knew that they probably wouldn't and even if they did they probably wouldn't do it well because they haven't played fullcourt defense this season. I figured if the Trail Blazers didn't come out aggressive playing pressure defense they would play a poor defensive game. I know the team well enough to sense stuff like that and unfortunately I was right.

That right there is a red flag. If you are good enough to shock a team with a fullcourt defense that helps spur a 40 point victory then you have to make that a part of your arsenal. This is especially true when you have so much depth. They should force teams to run just to get it up the floor. That should be a staple for the Trail Blazers. They don't need to pressure to force turnovers they need to press to make their opponent work and to boost their own intensity. They didn't press until they were down by 20. They simply need more aggression in their scheme. It wouldn't hurt to trap the pick and roll every now then too.

Two years ago in the 07/08 season the team played some of the best zone defense in the league. They did a fine job of finding the shooters around their zone and defensive rebounding. I remember they played zone for the majority of the game against a healthy Hornets team and didn't give up many uncontested threes. When they play zone this season they give up many more open shots and offensive rebounds and they did when they were 41-41.

Nate should have never let their zone defense regress and they should have been comfortable pressing in the preseason.

With the offball movement I have always wondered why Webster doesnt run off of picks like Richard Hamilton or Reggie Miller. Now I wonder the same thing about Rudy. Rudy does it but I would like to see more with him and Roy. The Blazers have so much talent that they generate a ton of open shots without good movement. The extra movement will help them get open shots against good defensive teams which the Trail Blazers haven't faced, it will help them score in the paint which is lacking, and it will make their oponents work which again plays well with their depth.