First Nicolas Batum was the starting small forward, then Nate McMillan decided to go with Travis Outlaw at the last minute in Los Angeles. And now it has come full circle. According to McMillan, Batum will get the start against the Utah Jazz Wednesday night.
"(Batum) has done a nice job of just guarding his man and weakside help," said McMillan of his reasons for insert Batum into the starting lineup. "If he can stay with that, which is what I want from him, just concentrate on defending, rebounding, going to both boards -- the offensive and defensive boards -- run the floor, if you're open shoot the ball. But don't worry so much about scoring. Make sure you defend, you bring that scrappy play, that weakside help, loose balls, those things. I think if he can do that for us, it'll give that first unit something that we don't have with that group.
"I think he's got three games -- not a lot of games -- but defensively, see if he can come in and give us some of that dirty work on the defensive end."
Travis Outlaw now goes back to the second unit, where, according to McMillan, he'll play both small forward and power forward.
"Travis will still come in at the three," said McMillan. "We may slide him to the four some. I think it just depends on how we want to attack that team that they have in there. So he'll play some four, but he'll be going between the three and four. Mainly the three.
"I think Travis has played OK, but we'll get him coming off the bench."
Batum and Outlaw swapping units might not be the only change to the rotation. According to McMillan, Rudy Fernandez, while not necessarily starting, could get extended minutes with the first unit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
23 comments:
If you gonna start Batum, we need more fire power other than Steve Blake. I would suggest starting
Roy, Rudy, Batum, Altridge, and Pryz
or
Roy, Blake, Batum, Altridge, Frye
Roy, Altridge, Blake, Pryz, and Batum looks VERY weak on the offensive end.
I completely agree with what sy said:
Roy at point,Rudy at SG, Batum at SF, Aldridge at PF and Pryzbilla at C.
This would work very well at both ends of the court. This lineup is long and would be very difficult for teams to handle. Blake is not an asset at all and i would really like to see Roy run point if need be, but get Sergio and definitely Bayless who both have WAY more upside and talent to develop than Blake does. We need to get rid of Blake, i like him, we just need to utilize the talent we have now before its too late. And Bayless could definitely if he gets minutes with the starting lineup make our starting lineup the best in the NBA next year. So get him and sergio in there and Blake out. Dont pull a jermaine o'neal and not play a player like Bayless for years and then get rid of him where he then becomes an all-star. Obvious stuff, we have to see that!
Lets go McMillan, send these guys to the top! GO BLAZERS!!
I agree for the most part. Its gonna get alot better when Oden and Webster returns. We just gotta be patient with this very young and oh so talented team we have. Oden has so much heart you gotta love the big kid..and we got to let him grow into the great center he will be in time. This team is scary good and Nate is a fantastic Coach and with alittle mix and matching well find the right ingredients for success. Im so proud to be a Blazer fan. As for Steve Blake...yeah hes never gonna be a big time player..but he is a solid player you want on your team..I dont agree getting rid of him,But to come off the bench and shoot 3's and give the offence a extra spark would be nice. I think Pryz needs to stay at as starting center instead of frye cause you need those offensive rebounds and gritty play that Pryz offers,Though Frye makes the defence come out of the paint more due to his outside touch. Regardless I think were in great shape with this organization. Just one step at a time. Let these young kids grow and know each other and themselves, and in time I think were gonna have something very special :)
You mean... Roy, Rudy, Batum, Aldridge, and Pryz
Going small off the bench... Sergio (shooting guard), Bayless, Outlaw, Frye, and... Randolph or Diogu... take your pick
Upon his return, slide Oden over to the bench... minimize the pressure, maximize the second team potential.
McMillan continues to be wishy-washy and indecisive. The team's performance reflects his decision-making skills. I am not convinced that he has the basketball IQ to take this collective to the promised land... could be time to look at a more "progressive" and "creative" coach that can "tap" the potential of this team, instead of holding it back. This team needs to run. This team needs to create. this team needs to win.
Wow, you guys have really said exactly what I have been thinking. Why McMillan continues to start Blake is beyond me as well. What does he bring to the floor other than a jump shot that hurts my eyes every time I see it?
Rudy is new to the team but that is no reason to be holding him back. He can flat out PLAY. But instead McMillan continues to play Outlaw the black hole and Blake who simply doesn't belong out there.
To tell a young guy he is going to start and then change your mind last second for no reason is terrible coaching. To allow Outlaw to through up crappy shots every time he touches the ball is bad coaching. To limit the Blazers to a half court game when they clearly have the personnel to run is bad coaching, and when you don't start the most creative and exciting player on your team... you know you are a bad coach.
Hey prof5, who do you think got this team to this point? Maybe I should remind you that Nate was also on the coaching staff of the GOLD MEDAL WINNING OLYMPIC TEAM. When will Blazer fans admit that we still have one of the youngest teams in the NBA. We have 6 new players that are active as of right now. The nature of the starting offense is to run through Roy and Aldridge, therefor it makes no sense to start Roy at the point. He runs it when it's clutch time. If he was point all the time it would make no sense to have Sergio,Blake,and Bayless also. We have played 3 games and you called Nate wishy washy? Learn some patience. I can't believe Blazer fans can't find more joy in this team considering the Jailblazers we had to deal with for years. We have come a long way and most of it started with Nate so to make him the scapegoat is the most ludicrous thing I have heard from a "so-called" Blazer fan. Pay attention, Blazers win from defense not offense.
YES!! Less Blake and much more RUDY!!! RUDY RUDY RUDY!!!!!
Yes!!! less Blake and much more RUDY!!! RUDY RUDY RUDY!!!!
I definitely agree with you jason. What Im trying to say though is Blake is not helping at all. And sergio and bayless are two points that I would love to see get a lot more time not necesarily roy playing point caus I dont really want to see that unless some crunch time situations of course. Get rid of Blake and develop a guy like sergio who has proven hes getting better he just needs significant time with starters and with rudy caus those two together have shown a wicked combo on the floor. Blake isnt really a push the ball point, and I think we need that with a young team. If we need to go to half court off than roy and oden will make it happen, no problem. I just dont want to see while were developing still young talent us miss out on developing more. Why not you know. First year with Oden, first year with rudy, develop a even more rediculous team. Bayless has way more upside than what Jarrett Jack had. Lets go Portland, Rip City is back and better than ever!
go batum on starting it's great!
allez nico!
Continue de monter comme cela en puissance!! Je t'ai suivi toute la saison dernière avec l'équipe du Mans et avec les potes on faisait l'aller/retour de Tours pour venir vous encourager dans la salle d'Antares!Maintenant on a tous acheté ton maillot aux Blazers dans les trois coloris differents!
Profite d'être dans le 5 majeur pour tout défoncer!!!
GO BLAZERS!!!
GO BATUM!!!
I too agree that Blake is a liability, especially on defense. There could be trades this year but who knows. I would give more minutes to Sergio and bring Bayless in sparingly until about mid-season.
Hey Jason-
Let me repeat what I said... "Wishy-washy" and "indecisive". This is nothing new... it's a carryover from last year and the year before. Admitted "indecisiveness", deer-in-the-headlights look from the opening tip in Los Angeles. "The team reflects the coaches attitude and demeanor. Light a fire under this passive, quiet coach and perhaps the players will follow suit. A little edginess and cockiness may transform this "young" group into a formidable basketball team. Playing scared and confused doesn't seem to be working.
Hey prof5, I read what you wrote the first time but when you have nothing good to say I guess you repeat what you said before. Is that programmed? You obviously are not a true Blazer fan and you don't have a clue about basketball. The fact you are hung up on the first game of the season still is funny. The Lakers are the defending West coast champions in case you forgot. You just don't get it. We still have one of the youngest teams in the NBA and we aren't just going to climb from the basement to the top in two years. Wishy-washy is so vague anyways, make a real critiquing point. You probably are a Laker fan and are just talking smack on here. Gee, I wonder who drew up the play so that Roy got the shot with .8 seconds left to win the game. I have this feeling it's Nate. NATE MCMILLAN BROUGHT US HERE! What have you been watching? As soon as Nate came to Portland everything turned around, go look at the stats before he was here. You are lucky this blog site actually posts your ridiculous and ignorant thoughts. Just admit it, you really know nothing about basketball. Maybe you should watch soccer or something. While you are crying about Nate, the rest of us Blazer fans are celebrating that we won two out of 5 games against the best teams out of the West last year and competitive in all except game one. When we get deep into the season and are making our way to the playoffs maybe then you will realize what a good coach Nate is. Why do you think they put him on the Olympic team? This is the dumbest person I have ever argued with.
Hey Jason...
First of all, I have to assume that your young, with limited life experiences, since you're choosing the "defensive"and "rambling" posture. A LESS mature basketball fanatic usually resorts to insults rather than respecting anyone's entitlement to an opinion... and your talking points are weak at best.
"Friendly" banter and differences of perspective in blogs is commonplace. Don't assume for one moment that your points are backed by anything more than pipe dreams and delusions of grandeur. Don't take yourself too seriously.
If you miss that "prayer" and the Spurs knock down the last second shot, your win-loss record begins with a goose egg. Third and fourth quarter breakdowns and allowing the opponent to "bully" you shouldn't get you too excited about the current 2 and 3 record... or what the future holds for this team. Until this team decides to "man up", demonstrate more offensive and defensive consistency, control its own "game destiny" and mature dramatically, the better teams will continue to kick their butts, especially when they're on the road.
As for McMillan, making the playoffs once in nine tries doesn't impress me in the least... even as a bench coach with a compilation of the best players in the world who, at times had difficulty burying countries stacked with 18-22 year olds that just moved over from their junior division. Truly, where has McMillan brought us, Jason? Nowhere yet. KP has done most of the work.
So basically you are a pesamist. You are hung up on the negatives and ignore the positives. Where did you get this age thing? I wish I was young. Like I said you are not a true basketball fan. Your whole reply was like getting lectured from an English professor..... Hmmm prof5= nerd that can't play basketball and therefore doesn't understand the game. Boo hoo here are some tissues since you are crying.
So prof5 are you going to talk about how the Blazers almost didn't win tonight? While you do that the real Blazer fans will be celebrating a hard fought win. Enjoy it or leave it. Many NBA fans would love to have the Trailblazers as their home team. I don't think you know how to give credit where it is due.
Hey p-town go eat a Snickers bar you don't know what you're talking about. Rudy does not play defense and Blake knows how to win.
What rock did you crawl out from LOL! That is the lamest post I have ever seen, even worse than prof5's ahhahaha. Blazers can play with any team in the league. People are jealous haters. We get to enjoy a team that will be in the playoffs for years. What was the streak before? Oh that's right 21 straight years of making the playoffs. What other teams can say that? I can see this team being a force for a long time to come. Get use to it haters, BOOMSHAKALAKA!
Hey Jason-
Not a pessimist... cautiously optimistic and a realist. I've been to all three home games, and with the exception of some "ridiculous" game-ending shots (made and missed) the games have been pretty dull and uneventful. Did you notice how many lay-ups Minnesota had? I counted five during a six minute stretch. Where's the defense? They beat a 1-4 team by four points... and a back-to-back for the Wolves!
A -10 differential on the road and a +2 @ home. One of the worst in giving up points in the paint... one of the worst in scoring in the paint. With the exception of Joel, and possibly Oden, this is a soft team, and until the Blazers pick up an "enforcer", they will continue to be around a .500 team. I can't imagine you'd be satisfied with that. Set the bar higher for this team, Jason.
The best player in next summer's free agency is Boozer. He would be a solid player for this team. He can play the 4 or 5 spot. I guarantee you that KP has his eye on him. The possibility of that happening is something to get excited about.
By the way, I predict a 2-3 road trip @ best. Now that's optimistic!
FYI- You're right on track with the "professor" notion. Hardly a nerd, and I coached and refereed the game for nearly 20 years.
I am still waiting for an intelligent argument without an insult.
So you obviously don't enjoy watching these games. WHY DO GO TO THEM? You are one of those fans that can't enjoy a win. A win is a win and stats never matter as long as you get the win. Gee, I wonder if they gave a lot of lay-ups to the Wolves because they don't have Oden back. I'm pretty sure they drafted him just for that reason. I think Boozer is overrated by the way. Look at his stats from the playoffs last year and you will see what I am talking about. For someone to have coached and make the ridiculous comments you have made I can only assume you had losing teams. You were probably too worried about having an attitude and not about the win. Do the other Blazer fans a favor and quit going to games. I'm sure people are celebrating the win while you are crying about stats. You are a true pessimist just face it. You have only pointed out negatives but zero positives. What about the fact that this is still one of the youngest teams in the NBA and we are .500 after taking on the toughest teams out of the west. A lot of young teams wish they were .500, even some of the more experienced teams wish they could say that. It sounds like you are trying to live back in your days of coaching or whatever. Learn to be a real fan. We don't need haters like you. By the way I will not respond to your posts anymore. I want to talk with people that are within 30 years of my age who understand today's basketball. The NBA is so tough you can't just create a winning team with 22 year olds in a couple seasons. It takes time but at your age you might not have the patience.
By the way prof5, you started your posts with insults about Nate. OhI guess it's ok for you to insult Nate but you can't take it when someone insults you for your negativity. You are not like any Blazer fans I have met. Go watch another team and do us all the favor. Nate his here to stay so take it or leave it.
Here's how we solve our rotation issues: trade Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Rudy, and Martell Webster for Gilbert Arenas. This makes our rotation Arenas, Blake, Batum, Aldridge, and Pryz with Outlaw coming off the bench. It may seem like we're giving up a lot, but we get a proven scorer and floor general for a leader (Roy) and unproven ability. We need to try to get something for a couple of busts in Webster and Oden while we still can and before Oden gets hurt again and to make the salaries even out. Rudy will be tough to get rid of as a rookie but it won't be long before defenses figure him out. Even though we overachieved last year, we still have a long way to go to overtake the Lakers in the West. They will be better than us for the next 5-10 years if we keep the same lineup so we have to do something if we want to beat them. Making this trade would help us get Boozer this offseason as well.
You are so ridiculous. Get rid of Roy? What Blazer games have you been watching? Roy is the leader of the team. Did you forget he was an all star last year. Why would we want Arenas? He is injured all the time, right now as we speak even. I am so tired of the Oden bashing as well. He has not had a chance to prove himself and I can't wait until he puts to rest all the doubting. He will be a dominant big man. How can you make an assumption that he will never pan out when he is all of 20 years old. He has so much time left and people write him off like he doesn't have a chance. I would not get rid of Martell either. First off I would get rid of Diogu, Lafrentz, and Blake. Getting rid of Rudy makes no sense either. He is one of the leading rookies in the NBA. Thank god some of you Blazer fans aren't making the deals or we would be terrible. Getting rid of Roy, and Rudy is the dumbest post I have seen on here. You need to learn how to be a fan and quit pretending you have a clue about being a GM. The Lakers will not be solid for 5 - 10 years either. 2 to 3 at most. Our goal should not be about the Lakers right now. They have proven all star veterans and probably will win it all this year. These lame posts are killing me as a fan. It is almost like people aren't watching the games.
Post a Comment