SB Nation User Blog: Oppy

Coaching Issues

Oppy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:24:11 -0000

I should preface this post by first saying that I've been a long-time fan of Nate and that I'm not advocating his immediate removal. However, I used to think that Nate was our Jerry Sloan - the guy that was going to be there for us for the next 10 years and (unlike Sloan) win us a few titles. But even though it's early in the season, the total lack of improvement (or in some cases, regression) since last season makes me think that Nate's ceiling may be much, much lower.

Pick and Roll Defense - Obviously, this has been discussed ad nauseum around here, but it bears repeating. Our P&R defense is atrocious. It was terrible last year, and it's no better this year. I know that it's only 5 games in, but we had all last season and this offseason to see that it needs improvement. At what point does Nate stop with this "switch on every pick" idea and start getting our big men to jump out on the ballhandler? If you watch top defensive teams against the P&R, you rarely if ever see them switch the big man onto a small guard like we do. And we do it almost EVERY TIME. How often do we need to see Greg Oden guarding Mike Bibby at the 3 point line before Nate realizes this doesn't work?

Playing Rotation - I'm willing to cut Nate a little more slack on this one, simply because it's still so early in the season and he's adjusting to having Miller and Webster in, with Batum out. Obviously, there is some room for experimentation at this point. But still, the set rotation with Oden regardless of how well he's playing just doesn't make sense. It keeps him from staying in a rhythm and God-forbid - actually rolling on offense. We've all seen Oden get yanked the moment he gets that second foul, but he will have to learn to play with fouls at some point. And then to watch Miller, Roy and Blake out there for minutes on end, with Josh Smith and Al Horford killing us in the paint? Painful. Yes we have a lot of talent, but Nate should take a page out of other top coaches' playbooks and ride his horses. He is so committed to bringing in his line changes that he doesn't seem to notice when it kills our flow of play.

Offensive Play Sets - While some might point at specific players for this next part, I put the blame squarely on the coaching staff. First of all, Brandon Roy is a great offensive player. But him scoring 25 - 30 points a night is not the best way for this team to win consistently. If he's not willing to take a step back offensively (at least in the short-term) so that other players can get some touches, Nate should step in and coach. As much as I love watching Roy, it is really frustrating to watch him ignore the screener on every pick & roll, only for him to either 1) back up with the double team in his face, only to swing it around the arc to someone 30 feet from the hoop or 2) to put his head down and drive without ever looking for a pass inside. And as many on here have noted, he and the rest of the team are apparently incapable of feeding the post when the big man is in a good position. Tonight was slightly better, but Oden and Aldridge are still getting the ball when they are 10-12 feet from the hoop. Hit them when they have gained position 5-6 feet from the hoop and watch the difference.

Also, our movement off the ball has really regressed this season. I thought that Rudy might rub off on some of our guys and start coming off screens more often, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be happening that much. Instead, I see Outlaw, Webster, Blake, Roy, all swinging the ball around the perimeter predictably, leading to easy tips for the opposing defense. The fact that guys like Rudy, Roy and Outlaw make some really tough shots doesn't only disguises the fact that they are routinely taking contested mid-range jumpers. Those shots dry up in the playoffs.

Conclusion

Obviously, we don't know what Nate is telling these guys every day in practice. Maybe he is constantly on them to look for the cutter off the screen and maybe he tells them to feed the post. But all I see is that we are what Sir Charles thought we are - a jump shooting team. We're the same team now as we were last season, so it's not like these issues are new.

It's still early, so I hope Nate can correct some of these issues. But given the lack of improvement over the past season and change in all three areas, I'm starting to doubt whether Nate is our guy long-term. We may have seen his ceiling at this point, and this season will tell us quite a bit about whether we need someone new to take us to the next level.

Thoughts From Tonight's Game vs. Clippers

Oppy — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:37:25 -0000

[Bumped to Front Page]

Since the game wasn't televised, read through this great account of Blazers/Clippers down in LA from reader Oppy.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

Well...that was a definitely some preseason basketball. It's hard to take away a lot from this game, I suppose, mostly because Nate played some lineups we will NEVER see in the regular season, and also because most of our team seemed incredibly out of synch. I'll try to give a few general thoughts about the game and team in general, then follow with some individual observations.

General Points:

Portland looked very out of rhythm tonight. There was no flow on offense, guys seemed to be running into each other on multiple plays, and there were a lot of stray and lazy passes that resulted in turnovers and Clipper baskets. Our poor transition defense was back in full force and our zone/man defense really lacked communication, often leaving Clippers with wide open looks.

It really seemed like the team was uninterested in this game. A few guys (Ime, Rudy, Juwan Howard, Cunningham) seemed eager to play, but I was pretty disappointed in Roy and LMA. There was a noticeable lack of effort from those guys, and the body language was terrible. Granted, I was sitting up in the 300 level, so maybe I misread things, but I never got the sense that the starters were fired up to play or to win, and the game felt more like summer league than it did preseason, at least in terms of intensity.

The refs were actually pretty decent. Given all the reports of how bad the refs have been so far, I was actually satisfied with them. While they did call the game a bit tight at times, their calls were actually based on violations. It's just that many of those fouls or violations aren't called in regular games.

The Staples Center was empty. There were maybe 5,000 - 6,000 people in the stands, but unfortunately for the Clippers, they just have a very weak home atmosphere. I've been to regular season games as well, but the truth is that everything that organization does just feels a little second-rate. Maybe it's not fair to compare them to teams like the Lakers or even the Blazers, but it's pretty obvious that it is a team run to make money. They definitely don't come across as a top-flight organization.

Individual Players:

Brandon Roy - I'm not sure what to think about his performance. In all honesty, he didn't look good out there. He was sloppy with the ball, had no touch from outside, and didn't have much of a rhythm on the floor. He didn't seem to mesh well with the lineup on the floor, as he never could get a clean pick-and-roll or any other offensive sets going. He did manage to draw some fouls, and at least a couple of times he drove, collapsed the D, and then dished out to someone for an open look. But on the whole, he was not sharp at all. I'm not sure why it is, but he still seems pretty rusty to me. I don't doubt that it'll come back, but he didn't look like a star tonight.

Greg Oden - I tried to temper my own expectations before the game, knowing that Oden's performances against Sacramento had to be taken with a grain of salt, but it was hard not to get caught up in the "Greg is so much better!" hype. So even though I told myself not to get my hopes up too much, I couldn't help hoping to see him dominate tonight. Truthfully though, I was (wait for it...) underwhelmed. Yes, he looked a little quicker around the hoop. Yes, he cut down on the unnecessary fouls. And yes, he definitely looks leaner and sleeker. But honestly, his hook shot was badly off the mark every time. He struggled to get good looks against Kaman. And he wasn't as quick off the ground as I had wanted to see.

He did do some good things though. He pulled down rebounds whenever they were near. He made some nice passes out of the post when double teamed. And he had a good put-back jam off a miss. In fact, that play was one that I think this team should make its bread and butter. Greg set a pick for Brandon at the high post, Brandon drove the lane, dished out to LMA along the baseline, who then had a mid-range jumper over the out-of-position defensive player. As the Clippers raced to close out on him, his missed shot was right there for Greg, who was pretty much waiting untouched by the rim. Easy put back. We should see that all year, hopefully.

Andre Miller - Again, I was hoping for much more. He did a good job of getting entry passes to the post, making sure Greg saw the ball often. But his defense was pretty weak, and he had some sloppy turnovers. His shot is iffy, at best, and his only attempt at a post-up ended in a turnover. He logged more minutes than anyone else on the team, but I honestly can't remember much that he did. He didn't seem to affect the game much, but I will reserve judgment because the whole team looked pretty terrible tonight. But it's obvious that he and Brandon haven't played a ton together.

LaMarcus - Only had 2 rebounds. TWO. There's a simple reason for that appalling stat. LaMarcus was allergic to the paint tonight. Maybe its because he was trying to free up space for Greg, who was posting up regularly, but LMA just drifted around the perimeter all night. He took a lot of jumpers, and never tried to really back anyone down. Even when Griffin was on him and I figured he'd take him to the block and school him, he let himself get muscled out to the perimeter. He did have one nice play where he did that long step into the key for the extended hook/layup, but other than that, his game was reminiscent of Sheed towards the end of his Blazer tenure. Like Brandon, I expect him to step it up, but he also didn't seem too interested in dominating this game like he can.

Batum - I would have liked to see him play a little more and be a little more assertive. He disappeared for stretches while he was on the floor, although he did have a monster jam along the baseline at one point. His defense was ok, but I was surprised by how easily Gordon was getting around him at times. But he played so few minutes that it's hard to draw any real conclusions or to expect him to have gotten into any kind of groove.

Bayless - Truthfully, I didn't pay too much attention to him, mostly because I was focusing on some other players. He did seem a little more comfortable moving within our offense, and he didn't seem so lost on the court as I saw sometimes last season. His shot is still pretty atrocious, and although he drew fouls, he only converted half of his free throws. And even though we all think he has the physical tools to be a good defender, he just has not picked up that part of the game at all. He pressures the ball when it's not effective, and picked up a cheap handchecking foul way outside the 3 point line. He also got burned several times by his man. Based on what I saw tonight, I can't imagine him getting much time in a rotation including Miller and Blake.

Juwan Howard - A surprisingly effective post defender. Even though he doesn't have the athleticism to keep up with guys like Blake Griffin, you could see him using lots of veteran tricks to win better post position and keep Blake off the block. I think he'll serve us well in spot minutes on the defensive end.

Travis Outlaw - Looked like the same old Travis most of the time. I think he showed some improvement on his ability to beat his man off the dribble. He had two nice moves that I can remember where he got himself by his man and got a good look at the hoop. But he still seems to have very poor court awareness. His spacing is ok when he is setting himself up for a spot up 3, but at other times he seems to have no idea where his teammates are. I think we know what we are getting from him at this point, honestly.

Rudy/Udoka/Blake - None of these guys caught my eye, to be honest. Rudy seemed to play with more energy than most of the team, but his shot was still a little off. Blake didn't create much and turned it over 4 times in 16 minutes. Ime is just what he was before. He's a pesky defender who will set up shop in the corner, but he's not creating his own shot.

Conclusion

Overall, it was a rough night for the team. Definitely not my favorite live performance from these guys, but I still enjoyed seeing the team in person. You probably didn't need me to tell you what the box score makes pretty clear, but this was a terrible game by the Blazers. I wouldn't read too much into it, though, given the lineups on the floor and the lack of energy from our key players. Hopefully that is only temporary, but that's just how it was tonight.

The New Mike and Mike...

Oppy — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:33:56 -0000

suck.

Honestly, I've had League Pass for a couple of seasons now, and I've had the opportunity / misfortune to listen to a lot of bad announcers. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that the Mikes aren't always great. In fact, even some Blazer fans can sometimes struggle with them.

But seriously???!! The Houston commentators have to be hands down the biggest pair of homer announcers I've ever had to sit through. They would not stop moaning about every call that didn't go their way, and they just could not shut up about the Blazers "flopping." I completely agree that Joel is very good at drawing charges, and he definitely flops on occasion, but come on...these guys just would not stop. Even after they won the game, they were interviewing Luis Scola and asking him about the Blazers' flops and the refs' bad calls.

Ummmm...Luis Scola? Foremost authority on how NOT to flop?

Good Lord that was painful listening.

Oppy

The Mind of a Blazers Fan

Oppy — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:20:02 -0000

I've noticed that a lot of people on BE and O-Live seem surprised at how quickly the fans become worried or despondent after short stretches of bad play or tough losses. Even Jason Quick has mentioned that he is surprised that more people don't seem to be enjoying the team's success. I think these people are not familiar with one thing: the mind of a Blazers fan.

See, anyone that's been a Blazers fan is so used to seeing his team somehow screw the pooch that we're all just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I love this team, and I'm loving this season, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm always a little nervous about us falling apart, getting injured, melting down or choking in key games, etc. I watched the Blazers come up on the losing end of so many big games and so many crucial situations that it's impossible not to have that mentality ingrained into me.

Watching us come up short against the Pistons, seeing Danny Young hit the shot....AFTER the buzzer, watching Magic launch the ball downcourt as time expires, Jordan hitting six threes in one half, Sean Elliott and the Memorial Day Miracle, the JailBlazers, the Game 7 meltdown in the 200 WCF, etc. etc. Having been born too late to enjoy our only title, my life as a Blazers fan has been one long stretch of us being not quite good enough. In fact, it's been a lot of watching us look like we're good enough only to get punched in the stomach with last minute collapses and terrible decisions.

Part of my joy in this team the past couple of years has been watching us change so many of those trends. Suddenly we're "clutch" in late game situations, we have awesome character guys, young talent, limitless potential, and the dream that we're finally going to be the team that comes up big when it matters most. But despite all that, it's going to take more than a few win streaks and .500 seasons before I can let go of all my old fears. The truth is, being a Blazers fan teaches you to expect the inevitable collapse, so it's only understandable that so many get so down after tough losses like last night. It's not that loss in itself, but the shadow that it seems to bring up in the back of our mind...that it just might, possibly, maybe... be the beginning of the next downward spiral.

I don't think (hope) it is, but with this team, it's hard not to worry just a little bit. So for everyone surprised that some of us worry a bit too much, let's keep in mind where we've been for the past two decades.

Here's to the next decade of dominance, memorable wins, and titles.

Oppy

TV Commentator Review Series: Washington

Oppy — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:44:36 -0000

Since the subject of teams' commentating crews has sparked so much discussion lately, I thought I'd get something a little more regular going for everyone that has the (good?) fortune to listen to the Mikes every game. Like many others here on BE, I follow the Blazers via NBA League Pass, so I get to hear the opposing team's feed a lot of the time. In the interest of offering a little comparison between The Mikes (who haven't been getting the best publicity lately) and the rest of the field, I'll try to offer my take on the opposing crews when I hear them on League Pass. Any other League Passers are encouraged to chime in.

Tonight's crew: Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier of the Washington Wizards. Detailed bios of each can be found here.

Knowledge: B

Clarity: B+

Energy: B-

Objectivity: A

Overall: A-

Summary: These guys might have been the most unbiased crew I've ever listened to. If not for their obvious familiarity with the Wizards, a casual observer might not have known which team they worked for. They called the game very evenly, with almost no complaints about the referees. They were quick to acknowledge missed calls that would have favored the Blazers, and they were very evenhanded in their assessment of our talent and our organization.

They seemed to have a solid knowledge of the Blazers' players, and it was clear that they had discussed the team with the Mikes beforehand (which they even mentioned). They weren't the most excitable crew, which might be for the best on television, but for those of us accustomed to the energy and enthusiasm of the Mikes, that was a small negative. Otherwise, they were on point, objective, and very easy to listen to.

Conclusion: This is a very solid, if somewhat unexciting, crew that knows the game and the teams well. One of the best I've heard all season.

Opposing Announcers

Oppy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:54:34 -0000

Like many other unfortunate Blazer fans stuck outside of Portland, I watch all the Blazer games on NBA League Pass. As a result, I get to watch a good number of our road games from the opposing team's TV feed. A lot of times, I enjoy the break from the Mikes just because it gives me a good chance to hear what other commentators have to say about our team. And even though it can be a mixed bag in terms of quality, I've found it pretty gratifying to hear so much praised heaped on our team by so many of these commentators.

With that said, I've also had the misfortune to listen to some absolutely terrible crews. Tonight was one of those nights. Walt Frazier has to be one of the most annoying commentators I've heard in a long time. It's like he sits there with a dictionary and a thesaurus, blindly opens to a page, points at a word, and then tries to get that word into his next sentence, no matter how idiotic he sounds.

So this all got me thinking, and for all you other League Passers out there, which opposing commentating crews do you like, dislike, despise, etc.?

I've seen a ton of crews over the past few years, but even though I despise their team, I have to say the Celtics crew do a pretty good job of calling the games evenly. Detroit also has a solid crew, and when Seattle had Kevin Calabro, they were always easy on the ears.

On the other hand, I've found the Denver commentators to be pretty ignorant, the New Orleans guys have been hit or miss, and of course the LA guys couldn't be bigger homers if they paraded around in Kobe jerseys during the broadcast. Just painful to listen to.

Anyone else?

Oppy

2 Better Than 1

Oppy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:42:22 -0000

I already touched on this subject once when I mentioned the name of our championship-caliber PG Stevio Blakeriguez, but I think it's worth examining in greater detail.

In a lot of ways, the Blazers are a team of the future. They are young, full of potential, and seemingly have years of dominance ahead of them. But just as importantly, I think the structure and makeup of this team is also an example of where the league is headed. As we've seen the NBA develop in the post-MJ era, we've seen how it takes more than one superstar to win a title. The Lakers needed Shaq AND Kobe, the Pistons needed Sheed, Billups AND Co., the Spurs need Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, and the Celtics needed their "Big Three." The Blazers have continued this trend with our own (hopefully) version of a Big Three, but I think we are also taking it a step farther.

This team (with a few notable exceptions) seems to rely on multiple players to fill the individual positions on the team. We use the combined powers of Blake and Sergio to satisfy the point guard duties (with a dose of Brandon, as necessary). We use GregZilla to man the center spot. We use Batum, Outlaw and (soon) Martell to fill the 3 spot, and LaMa gets key help from Outlaw and Frye to add some scoring punch to the 4. Apart from Brandon, and possibly LaMa, this team doesn't have any one player that really gives us everything we need by themselves. And even though many of us clamor for trades to give us the all-in-one-package PG/Small Forward/etc. the truth is that the Blazers' depth is moving us beyond that sort of setup.

This team is all about diversification. We're not putting our eggs in one basket. If Blake is getting torched and is cold from distance, Sergio can hit the occasional 3 and push the pick and roll more. When LaMa loses his stroke or can't rebound, let Frye or Outlaw spread the defense more. Martell can run and shoot, but if he's cold, so can Batum (and Rudy and Travis). Having one guy that can do all of these things is great, but when that one guy is off, who picks up the slack?

With this team, we're spreading the minutes enough that full-time starters are a thing of the past. Guys might start and then not come back in. Bench players might play more than starters. It's a new NBA, and that requires a new way to win. I think this Blazers team is going to win multiple titles, and in doing so, they are creating the blueprint for NBA success for other teams.

Let's just hope we stay healthy and get ours before other teams get wise.

Oppy

New Orleans fans/team

Oppy — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:50:54 -0000

Hi all,

I've been reading and enjoying BE for a couple of seasons now, but I've held off on posting until now. Mostly it's because I'm too lazy to post, or because other people pretty much cover whatever I was planning to say, but something finally prompted me to get off the couch and type.

I've noticed that a lot of people are more than willing to share their hatred of the L*kers around here, and some of us also seem to openly hate the Celtics, but what's with the respect/love given to the Hornets?

I hopped over to AtTheHive to check out their recap, and much like their team, their fans were all whining and moaning about how they handed this game to us and they lost it and it was them, not the Blazers, blah blah blah. Finally some BEdgers stepped in to lay some truth on them, and when they get annoyed, other Blazer fans felt compelled to step in and apologize. Seriously? Is that necessary? Apologizing to fans of one of the most annoying teams in the league? A team that has Chris "I sucker punch college oppenents in the balls" Paul, Tyson "I would be nothing without CP3 but I still talk trash" Chandler" and David "soft as TP but still mouths off like Garnett" West? Their team and their fans are fairly poor losers, and if they are unwilling to admit that a better team whooped them, then they deserve to have a few people enlighten them.

I'm all for not being obnoxious fans, but at the same team, we have to grow with our team. We shouldn't be backing down to anyone, just like our team has to step up and get physical at times. We're cheering for one of the best teams in the league, and no apologies are necessary if we feel like letting people know. I've heard plenty of crap over the years (I live in L.A.), so it's only fair to dish it out a little. Let's show a little solidarity and not help opposing fans talk trash on our fellow BEdgers.

Oppy