Things move pretty fast here at Trail Blazers HQ. Less than 24 hours ago, we still had dreams of coming back to the Rose Garden with a chance of making the second round of the playoffs. Didn't turn out that way, so today we're back at the practice facility wrapping up the season. Funny how quickly things can change.
There will be more time to reflect on the season in the next couple of day, but at this moment, I'm far too physically and emotionally drained to put the 2008-2009 campaign into proper context.
So in the interim, listen to what Kevin Pritchard and Nate McMillan had to say today after conducting exit interviews with some of the players.
Kevin Pritchard
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Nate McMillan
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14 comments:
Here are my post season thoughts.
Look, Blazer fans are goign to have to man up and accept that Travis Outlaw has to go. AS great s his offense can be, his defense and rebounding are suspect, and I don't see the championship aura that surrounds some of our other guys in him. So, Outlaw goes, as does Sergio. Bayless needs minutes handed to him next season. With minutes and a half of season under his belt he's going to be solid. Either that or you trade a few guys for an elite point guard without interfering with the core group. Batum is a keeper and Webster will be back. Outlaw has to go. Just about everyone else on the team is a keeper though. Rudy stays, Blake stays, Oden and Pryzbilla stay. B-Roy and LA stay. That's obvious. Our bench is suspect however, and Outlaw and Sergio need to be traded.
Can we get a Chris Paul!?
Great interviews.
Once more it is great to be a Blazer Fan
hg
I agree Outlaw has to go!!! He doesn't play smart enough basketball to help us with our ultimate goal...a championship!!! I am done with him taking dumb shots when Rudy and Roy are standing all alone and are much better shooters, that's dumb basketball IQ. We've given him 5 years and now it's time to package him with Sergio and get some one solid and smarter. Bayless should get the back up point gaurd minutes next season so he can develop! I also hope Nate changes his coaching style a little because some of his decisions are suspect!! The Blazers have to tweak certain positions and sacrifice liked players to get to the goal!!!
Very cool Casey. Great work this year. Always enjoy your posts and your fun attitude that comes across on the blog. Have a good summer. :-) Peace out bro!
That's BS Travis didnt do well in the playoffs do you all just assume that;s the only problem. He;s one of the leading scorers off the bench in the leage and he will continue to get better. Sergio, yes we could do better with a different #2 Point G, but as far as Travis, he stay's!!!! You all will regret what your saying as soon as he was traded and kicked ass. then you'll all be kicking yourselves for saying he has to go. Kevin P And Nate will make the best decisions on there own, so shut your traps and let them decide without any of your in put, cause obviously you don't know what your talking about!!!!
Zach From Ridgefield
It's not BS. We have better scorers in Rudy and Martell and both are smarter than Travis. Time for him and his dumb decisions to go. Who cares if he plays great for another team!! We want a championship and he's not a part of it. I personally am sick of him making every shot harder than it needs to be!!!! Leave your emotions out of this. We don't need your input either!!! Because obviously your opinions are based on emotion and not fact. Kp and Nate will trade him away and we'll say thanks and move on!
Travis is a great player and has earned his spot on this blazers team. He has been there through it all. He works hard and is easily coachable. He knows he needs to improve and add a little variety too his game. It's all about consistency, and every player in the NBA is inconsistent at times. Look at Kobe against utah in game 3. They're human beings, this isn't NBA 2K9. Travis is more than capable of improving and getting more and more comfortable in his role on this team. Just let it ride.
I believe that the Blazers are in a position to really elevate their team next year without loosing too much youth. As with the common denominator, Travis Outlaw has to go. I like the Chris Paul idea, but we all know he's not going anywhere. I think our best move is to get Steve Nash for his last few years. That will bring scoring, leadership, awareness and depth to this team. Have him come off the bench and get a backup PF to trail Aldridge that brings great defense and rebounding that Outlaw is just simply not capable of. We are one Chancey Billups away from being a championship contender. Who do we get for a backup PF?
Travis definitely has to go. All he ever does is chuck up these awful 20-foot fadaway prayers that make me cringe. I don't see why Nate loves him so much more than Batum.
Just to recapture the 2008-2009 season, I think overall the team work well together. There’re rooms for improvement in defensive and offensive games strategies. From the Huston Rocket games, very little effort of rebounding and confusion among players on the court of their roles and natural reaction to games. In other words lack of playing experiencing.
The Blazer as whole team needs to improve on their inside perimeter game and better flow of the ball on the offensive side. One individual doing all the scoring will not win games. It requires a higher level of contributions from all teammates. (Greg, Travis, Chenneing, and bench players)
I would like to see more activity from players likes: Greg, Travis, Chenneing, and bench players. It doesn’t have to be all about scoring. Contribution could come from rebounding and defensive plays. How about being more proactive on the court, don’t just stand there and be a spectator.
John – Blazer Fan 2009-2010
corybauer: No sure I agree with your thesis (i.e, Outlaw, Serg must go) but you make some well-reasoned arguments. Much appreciated.
And no, I don't think we can get Chris Paul.
HG: Much appreciated. Thanks for being one of the steadfast patrons of the blog this season, and beyond.
marcass: Travis does take some bad shots. But he makes a lot of those shots too. He shoots 45%, which isn't great, but it's not terrible either.
I think Nate changed his style quite a bit from last year, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him continue to tinker in 09-10.
aneebaba: Thanks for the kind words, but the blog isn't going anywhere. I'll have lots of stuff to peruse in the offseason.
Zach: Agreed. Travis is taking a lot of heat for his playoff performance, but he's hardly the only guy who was unable to come through.
BJ3Price: I'm confused. You want Steve Nash to back up LaMarcus at PF?
Matthew: Reason Travis plays more is that he can create his own shot, something that is needed in the second unit when Roy and Aldridge are getting rests. Batum isn't to the point in his career where he can be counted on for consistent offense.
John503: You hit it right on the head. Everyone needs to take a step next year, and it starts with defense and offensive execution.
Thanks to everyone for the comments. Keep 'em coming!
Casey: Thank you for the acknowledgement.
I read all the blogs and listen to you, Dave and Jason on center court.
I don't always respond because sometimes I don't know what to say. I am always learning.
Since I have your attention, Do you think Travis has reached his potential? I know he has been in the league for 6 yrs. He was a project much like Jerryd, he got little to no playing time at first. He suffers from asthema which IMO comes from performance aniety. and I think he is just a slower learner than some.
Therefore, I don't think he has came close to his ceiling. But I wouldn't know that for sure.
I am glad you are going to be blogging thoughout the summer. I will look forward to it
I thank you
hg
I don't think Travis has reached his potential yet. I think it's up to Trav whether or not he continues to improve, but I think people need to realize that the first 2 years of his NBA career were basically a wash. Almost no minutes his first year, then his second year was the end of Cheeks' run as head coach.
So when I look at Travis, I see a 24 year old with 4 years of NBA experience. Just speaking for myself, I don't think that's sufficient time to say what kind of a player someone is or isn't going to be.
I thank you sir; you have confirmed what I feel, now I can argue or debate my views with more conviction.
hg
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