majic_sean

Since this season isn't looking too bright why don't the Blazers look to the future and start Telfair and Outlaw giving Damon and DA minimal minutes?

I don't know what goes on in practice but in games I would reward hustle with minutes and turn to the Darius and Patterson (with Telfair worked in) fast break style basketball style.
yes!

Xericx

Because it makes too much sense. I don't know how well Outlaw is suited at the 2, he's still a little bit awkward on the court.....

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majic_sean

I was reading an article in the Oregonian about how Cheeks took out Telfair in the final minutes of a game because he thought it would be hard on him if the Blazers lost. I disagree and think he in man enough to take it and the experience would do him great.

Outlaw is a 3 naturally but imagine
1)Telfair
2)Outlaw
3)Miles

Those three could run all over teams with Patterson coming off the bench. As the numbers show, offense wins games.

Schilly

I like the idea, but I'm not sure it would be as succesfful as we all would like, and given that the team which is been criticized for not trying hard enough to compete for a playoff spot, would be facing some harsh criticism. Many would accuse them of mailing it in prematurely.

Ed O

Considering none of the four can shoot a jumper to save their lives (or, rather, can MAKE a jumper to save their lives), I don't know how much offense they would provide.

They can run and dunk, but good offense is predicated on the ability to make jump shots, and the four guys you mention just aren't there (yet).

Ed O.

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"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

RP McMurphy

How is the season not looking too bright? Portland is a .500 team that is only half a game out of the playoffs in the West.

I don't see how it would be a good idea to stop playing a group of players who have you in the thick of the playoff race, and start playing a group of players who would make you the worst team in the NBA.

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Blazer Freak

Have you been watching Blazer games lately. Alteast the ones that TO has been playing in? He has a pretty nice J. Give him another year or 2 and it should be a solid J, and I could imagine him being our 2. Telfair, I don't know why everyone says he can't shoot, he shot 44% from 3 in HS, thats a midrange shot in the NBA. Telfair is shooting 38% from 2 right now in limited minutes, which is pretty decent. Around where DA and Damon are, and his J can only get better.

Miles J has also improved from last year with the Cavs. He was shooting 43% and is now shooting 46%, so he has a better J than last year thats for sure. You can even watch him in the games, DMiles is hitting J's father away than he was last year. He has a lot more confidence in his J too.

Ruben I'm not even going to try and defend.

Now, I'm not trying to say that TO and DMiles are the 2nd and 3rd comings of Peja, but they are not as bad as shooters as a lot of people make them out to be.

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Ed O

Yes, I do watch the games, and I can say with certainty that none of those four guys have demonstrated themselves to be good jump shooters.

Outlaw's only made 10 shots all season, and three of them have been dunks. Has he made a couple jumpers? Absolutely. A couple jumpers from a guy who's never demonstrated at any level a consistent perimeter shot isn't impressive to me.

As for Miles: this is the same wishful thinking that had someone (I can't recall if it was you or not) saying that there was "nothing wrong" with Miles's jumper at the beginning of the season. EVERY YEAR some fans convince themselves his jump shot has improved, and EVERY YEAR he's a poor jump shooter. He might still get to where we wish he will be, but he's nowhere close yet.

The two pieces of evidence you cite seem to be shaky at best. His FG% is up from his days in Cleveland, but it's down from (a) both years as a Clipper, and (b) last year.

Further, about the range on his jump shot and his confidence level: he's only attempted 1 three-pointer in 585 minutes. Last year, in fewer than four times the minutes he attempted 40.

Am I glad he's shooting fewer three pointers? Absolutely. But is fewer three point attempts evidence of a guy who's got less confidence in his perimeter jumper? I would argue yes.

As for Telfair: his 3 point percentage in HS is useless. Getting off a shot against even top-level prep players is entirely different than getting it off in the NBA, and especially so for shorter players. I agree that his jumper will probably improve, but right now it's at Omar Cook level and Omar's jumper never improved so there's no guarantee that Sebastian's will, either.

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

mook

Telfair/Outlaw/Miles/Randolph/Ratliff? that's only one real veteran starter in the lineup. and Ratliff has no offensive skills.

the Chicago Bulls have been running this style of ball for years. ask the fans how they like it.

I like all those guys, just as I still like Brad Miller and Ron Artest. but you can't just lump them together without any veteran leadership and wait for stars to emerge. we'll lose, guys will lose confidence in themselves, the players will grumble, chemistry will fall apart, we'll have to rebuild again. around and around we go.

Telfair and Outlaw have done nothing to earn starting positions. give them a little time.

Schilly

I'd say telfair by defautlt could possibly be given a shot, but Outlaw hasn't shown me enough yet to start him, give him more PT as the sesaon continues, yes, but start?

Playmaker0017

Actually, that just isn't true.

Miles is scoring on layups and dunks on the fast break. He rarely drills jumpers.

Don't know about outlaw, but Miles IS that bad.

Play.

Schilly

You have zero credibility on this to me. You will say that about any pllayer you perceive as a threat to Shareefs playing time, period. You can't deny that whatsoever, every poster on this board sees it day in and day out.

Of course you prefer Outlaw to Miles, Outlaw is less of a threat to cut into Shareefs minutes.

Schilly

Scoring is scoring, if you get the job done at 46% your getting the job done at 46%, last time I checked a DUnk or layup even on a fastbreak still counts for the same total points on the scoreboard.

Schilly

Someone wake up the Hamster