Boob-No-More

OK, I know it was mentioned in the game thread, but I just wanted to give Josh a separate thread in honor of his first NBA points. With 4 points, on 2-2 shotting, 1 reb, 1 steal and 1 TO in 1:45, he may now be leading the NBA in PER. Talk about making the most of an opportunity.

Seriously, I LOVED the way the crowd gave him a HUGE ovation when he entered the game (Portland fans are just so classy and smart) and the way they erupted when he scored his first basket. But, what was even cooler to see was the way the guys on the bench reacted. They were absolutely thrilled for him. That was great to see. This is the first time all season, even with a 13 game winning streak, that the Blazers have won a game by more than 12 points. There hasn't exactly been a lot of garbage time minutes to go around - especially for a guy who's buried behind LaMarcus, Channing, Travis and even Raef on the depth chart.

I thought he was an absolute steal at the 37th pick on draft day. He's a smart player and a good passer with a soft shooting touch. I hope they can find some way to keep him around for the long haul. I know he's our 12th man (at best, and probably 14th once Darius and Oden come back), but I think he'll end up being a good role player for somebody four or five years down the road. I just hope it's the Blazers.

BNM

alext42083

I don't really see him being a rotation player ever, but it's a great guy to have around it seems like. Good guy, good character, cares about the team, is a good cheerleader on the bench, hasn't sulked at all.
Every team needs that one 12th man, where when he gets in, you really know the game is over. Crowds go crazy when that 12th man comes in.

The Blazers haven't had many recently other than like Ha, Jermaine was in his early years, Elmore Spencer, etc. That's all I can remember. "The Cigar" as they call it.

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Hector

McRoberts had many detractors in college as an underachiever. His weaknesses will become apparent here, too.

Boob-No-More

Thank you Mr-every-silver-lining-has-a-cloud. Do you EVER post ANYTHING positive. Perhaps you haven't noticed but the team has won 13 in a row. Can we PLEASE try to enjoy it? Give us a break, would ya? McRoberts was drafted with the 37th pick and has played a total of eight minutes. Exactly how has his performance disappointed you to date? Sheesh. Many guys picked that late never even make and NBA roster. So far, McRoberts seems to be a decent pick up for a second round pick. And even if he never becomes anything better than an NBA 12th man, I'd hardly call that underachieving considering where he was picked.

BNM

2k

Mind you I always overrate Duke players but I really didn’t see anything in his game that was weak except for the fact that he just didn’t seem like a guy with the focus to carry a team. I cant really name a tangible weakness beyond the mental stuff. He always seemed like a good all-around type of player.

Boob-No-More

Problem was "people" expected him to lead Duke to the promised land. He's just not that guy. He'll be a fine NBA role player off someone's bench. Likely a solid 8th or 9th man a few years down the road, depending on who he's playing for and what that team's needs are. That's not bad for a second round pick in my book. Of course, if you're expecting him to be a superstar and lead a team to a championship you're going to be disappointed, but that's more a case of unrealistic expectations than him under achieving.

Is it even possible for a second rounder to under achieve? Seriously, I know a few over achieve (Michael Redd, Monta Ellis, etc.), but is it really fair to expect much at all from a guy taken 37th?

BNM

Hector

If he's so good, why was he drafted 37th? Why has he played only 2 games (6 minutes) all season? Because he hasn't shown anything. He's a scrub. Maybe some day he'll shock us all and prove the scouts wrong. But you act like he's already done this. Since he hasn't earned any minutes after a half-season, the probability of his ever busting out all over as you envision is very, very low.

Nate Dogg

I was working at the game and the crowd loved him when he stepped in and played. They went beserk when he made that fade-away jumpshot 37 seconds in the game ending with 4 pts with 58 seconds of court play.

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2006 OSU Beaver Football finished w/ #22 BCS ranking.
Highlights: defeated #3 USC & UH #24
2006 Sunbowl Champs 39-38 vs Missouri (comeback)

Boob-No-More

Where did I say he's "so good"? I said "I know he's our 12th man (at best, and probably 14th once Darius and Oden come back)". I never acted like he's done ANYTHING but score four points today and that it was really cool the way his teammates and the crowd reacted.

YOU act like if some guy taken 37th in the draft doesn't become a superstar he's an underachiever. Seriously, the guy made an NBA roster. That's already a decent accomplishment for a 37th pick. It's not like we passed up a bunch of future stars to take him.

BNM

2k

He showed a lot more than Saer Sene and look where that guy was drafted. Do you know why he slipped? I honestly don’t know why McRoberts slipped. I understand why he slipped out of the top 10 but not out of the 1st round.

Hector

To open this thread, you said you loved the crowd reaction. I agree. You said you wanted to honor him with a thread. No problem from me. You said, "he was an absolute steal at the 37th pick." That's where I ask, what has he done to merit that statement? Okay, I don't want to belabor the point, no need to carry this on. I'll give you the last word. This isn't that important to me. I hope you're right, I just think you're jumping the gun.

crandc

Manu Ginobili
Monte Ellis
Michael Redd
Clifford Robinson
Jerome Kersey
Dennis Rodman
Chris Dudley
Kevin Duckworth
Steve Blake
Kyle Korver
Gilbert Arenas
Larry Hughes
Rashard Lewis
Stephen Jackson

If they are so good, why did all these guys go in the second round?

(insomnia time, 2:20 AM)

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It's_GO_Time

Well, you honored him with his own thread, you say he has the highest PER, that he smart, a good passer and has a soft shooting touch, that he will be a good role player in 5 years and that he was a steal at the 37th pick . . . so yes I'm expecting a lot from him now.

Webster's Dictionary

Well, he looked better than Jason Smith last night.

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2005-2006 Give it time.
2006-2007 The time is near.
2007-2008 The time is upon us.

BBert