SB Nation User Blog: Winchester

The minute crunch is much worse than last year. Go ahead and try to stick that Martell Webster...

Winchester — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:12:32 -0000

The minute crunch is much worse than last year. Go ahead and try to stick that Martell Webster slice back into the lineup. It’s pretty much impossible. Do you want Batum to play more than 14 minutes a game? Me too.

Last year when I posted the first pie chart, most people came to the conclusion that Jack and Jones were the most likely to leave the team. Looking at this new chart I would say Outlaw and Frye have the biggest chance of getting the boot, but maybe not both of them. It also seems pretty clear that we have way too many point guards.

The most accurate (low-noise) adjusted plus-minus ratings ever to appear in the public domain.

Winchester — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:13:38 -0000

The most accurate (low-noise) adjusted plus-minus ratings ever to appear in the public domain.

I love this measure of a player’s worth. It takes a much better look at the impact a player has on defense, something that Hollinger always seems to ignore. Apparently 82 games tweaked the formula to make it more accurate although there are still some obvious anomalies. Some things I noticed:

1. Devin Harris is 8th overall. His defense counts for a lot more with this particular formula.

2. LaMarcus Aldridge is ranked 22nd defensively. This might have more to do with our lack of options when he is off the floor, but it’s nice to see none the less.

3. Gerald Wallace is ranked 23rd defensively and Tayshon Prince is 18th. I love those guys.

As with any rating system it has a million flaws, but it seems a little better than the normal plus-minus statistic.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Darius Miles' life.

Winchester — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:20:00 -0000

"Adding insult to injury?: While the Celtics have been praising Darius Miles, two NBA general managers said the Blazers have been bad-mouthing the free agent forward to potential suitors. "He can still play and he also hasn't played in two years, so you have to understand that he will get better," one NBA GM said. "Too bad Portland is putting out bad information that he is not a good kid. Anything and everything they can say bad they are. It's too bad. He's a nice kid with a bad injury who has fought back. Right now, he's still an NBA player and he's going to get better. He's going to improve. It will be a smart pick-up for someone." The Blazers declined comment on the accusation. When asked about Miles being waived by the Celtics, Blazers coach Nate McMillan said, "That situation, it's behind us. What he was doing in Boston, that's behind us. He's no longer with us."-Boston Globe

Normally I wouldn't put much stock in this, but it makes me uncomfortable that it's coming from a general manager. I would be very curious to know who's saying it. Could it possibly be coming from one of our future competitors in the West? Hopefully everything is cool with the Blazers and the Bobcats. I want to see Gerald Wallace in a Blazers uniform.

I still don't think Darius is coming back, especially to a team that would actually benefit from us losing cap space.

Veteran center Joel Przybilla said Nicolas Batum has made "huge strides" since arriving in Portland...

Winchester — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:59:17 -0000

Veteran center Joel Przybilla said Nicolas Batum has made "huge strides" since arriving in Portland last month to play pickup games with teammates at the team's Tualatin training facility.

"It's not like he was struggling, but what he's doing now ... wow," Przybilla said. "He's kind of like a Andrei Kirilenko. He can do a bit of everything. He's long, athletic and agile. And he's young. He's going to keep on improving."

With starting small forward Martell Webster out another 7-9 weeks following surgery for a stress fracture of a leg, Nate McMillan may look at Batum to fill a starting role.

"Once he is hitting his shot consistently, I think he would be a forward you could start," McMillan said. "Because defensively, he's ahead of the game." -- The Portland Tribune

This blew my mind.

I think right now, Nic is NBA-ready defensively. I really do," McMillan said. "I think his feet are...

Winchester — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:41:26 -0000

I think right now, Nic is NBA-ready defensively. I really do," McMillan said. "I think his feet are good and his positioning is pretty good. What he has to learn is about the hand-checking and all that. But for a young guy coming into this league, he defends well. Not only is he on the perimeter guarding, but he is blocking shots, he's getting offensive and defensive boards, he's starting fast breaks. He has a lot of talent. I like him. He's smooth. Really smooth.

McMillian on Batum

A few notes I made while watching the Celtics training camp on NBA TV.

Winchester — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:08:30 -0000

A few notes I made while watching the Celtics training camp on NBA TV.

Darius looks funny when he runs. He sort of just plods along at a decent pace. I thought he was supposed to look "smooth"?
One of the commentators loves Darius. He always uses the words "exciting" and "promising" when he mentions his name.
I have yet to see Darius attempt a basket. He is barely used in the drills and mostly just watches from the sidelines. He looks really, really nervous.
Holy crap, he is actually playing pretty good defense (He's guarding Glen Davis for some reason). He has a couple steals, a few rebounds and maybe a block. He doesn't really do anything on offense, which is really strange for a guy who used to be pretty much 100% offense.
Darius Miles would not make the 15th spot on the Blazers. I'm not sure he could make the 15th spot anywhere. Watching this really put my mind at ease.

I really hope he makes the team.

Winchester — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:15:41 -0000

I really hope he makes the team.

Shavlik Randolph looks super tough. He reminds me of this guy who tried to fight me at a gas...

Winchester — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:11:12 -0000

Shavlik Randolph looks super tough. He reminds me of this guy who tried to fight me at a gas station yesterday. Apparently I made eye contact too long. That's a big mistake. Guys who don't wear shirts in public really hate it when you look them in the eyes. Hopefully Bayless won't look at him too long or Shavlik is going to go crazy.

According to his agent, Shaun never worked out for the Heat nor is a workout scheduled. This means...

Winchester — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:08:16 -0000

According to his agent, Shaun never worked out for the Heat nor is a workout scheduled. This means the Blazers and Minnesota are the only two teams who are still in the running to sign him. Livingston claims his knee is close to 100% and he can't wait to show people how well he is doing. I don't know how well Livingston fits with Minnesota. Kevin Love makes the team perfect for fast breaks, but can Livingston still run the floor like that for 82 games? If the Blazers sign Livingston and he actually makes a come back, I think KP will have officially creeped me out with his near perfect judgement calls. That would be some good luck, as in, he made a pact with Satan sort of luck.

Image FanShot

Winchester — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:02:34 -0000