SB Nation User Blog: MattyDread

Big Deals

MattyDread — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:11:38 -0000

Big Deals

Chad ford puts RLEC chances of being traded at 50/50. The whole "will other teams deal with us after the Miles email?" thing rears it's ugly head again here. Pretty ridiculous really. That's a lot of money in Reaf's "super-expiring" contract to snub you're nose at all because of one email. Any GM that would do that should be fired by their team. That's just not good business practice.

Behind the 8-Ball

MattyDread — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:18:23 -0000

Behind the 8-Ball

Kenny Smith says it is Portland that winds up in the 9th spot and watching from home come the playoffs.

A question about pace

MattyDread — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:55:05 -0000

In his most recent blog entry Henry Abbot talked a little about pace and used Portland as an example:

Last night, with 9:26 left in a game against the Lakers, Travis Outlaw made a 3-pointer for Portland. He is credited with 3 points for that one possession, and Portland cements its reputation as one of the slowest-paced teams in the NBA. Thanks to four consecutive offensive rebounds, that shot came at the end of a possession that lasted an entire minute.

My question is: Is this accurate? Do they really count that whole trip down as one possession when the shot clock reset every time the ball was rebounded? I'm not a statistician, but if I was the one deciding when a possession starts and stops I would certainly have counted that as 4 (or maybe five) possessions. So does anybody know for sure? Is The Blogfather wrong on this one? Is there a universal way that this stat is kept, or does it vary from source to source?

Rudy vs. Bayless (updated with Poll)

MattyDread — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:23:38 -0000

This really has seemed like one of the longest off-seasons ever. With the promising increase in wins from the season before, and the addition of some exicting new talent in the season to come, I have been chomping at the bit for them to tip the darn ball already and actually WATCH some new blazer games. But, since we are just under two months still till the first preseason game, all we have for now is speculation and discusion. So here is a topic I have been kicking around a little lately:

Who do you think will help this team more in the upcoming season, Rudy Fernandez or Jerryd Bayless?

A lot of people are of the opinion that Jerryd''s intensity and determination and sheer fire will FORCE Nate to play him, and I tend to agree with that to some extent. But Rudy plays with a fire of his own. It doesn't come off as the same kind of killer instinct, nobody stands in MY way, kind of fire, but SOMETHING keeps that man moving all the time on the basketball court. Rudy never seems to give up on a play and never seems to wear down.

Positionally the door seems more open for Bayless. With Roy holding down the shooting guard spot with a big exclamation point, Rudy getting any significant minutes soley as back up to Brandon doesn't seem very plausible. (I have mentioned before that I am an uber-optimist, and I refuse to think of the possiblity of Rudy as our "Roy injury insurance policy.") The point guard spot is obviosly up for grabs with Blake as our guy right now by default. Also, it may seem that Bayless (while most agree is not a true point guard) is a great fit to play along side Brandon. He can bring the ball up, and could be that tough nosed defender that gives opposing point guards fits, therefore allowing Roy to conserve some energy and focus more on running our offense.

All this seems to point to Bayless as the one that will contribute the most next season, but I am not so sure. There is something about the way Rudy plays that makes everyone else better. Between all the backdoor cuts and coming off of screens Rudy is down there setting picks off the ball on opposing big men. I think he is a more complete player and the team will perform better when he is out there as opposed to when Bayless is on the floor.

So what do you think? Does Rudy do enough of the intangibles to command more minutes even though Bayless' position would apear to more open? Can a three guard line-up work for significant stretches (maybe utilizing a zone defense to make up for the lack of size with Rudy, Blake/Bayless, and Roy on the court) allowing both Rudy and Jerryd to play more minutes?

I just cant wait for the season to start so we can have some REAL answers to these questions. Untill then, I'd love to hear your input/predictions.

Poll

Who do you think will contribute the most in this up coming season?

Rudy (He is a more complete offensive player and more experienced)

97 votes

Bayless (He will push his way into the rotation with his drive and determination)

98 votes

195 votes | Poll has closed