[craigehlo]

Wow, Jack was brutal during that stretch. TO is stinking up the joint as well though.

[VenomXL]

No easy buckets.

[Dan]

Whats sad about the whole thing is that Jack is pretty much a crappy player, yet he still plays better than Sergio.

Also, it seems that Battier gets reputation calls sometimes.

[VenomXL]

McGrady is going Kobe on us. Jones is still ice cold.

[Dan]

One thing that the Blazers are lacking is a player who has no conscience. McGrady, Kobe, LeBron, all those players can just go off for like 15 straight points and not be much of a surprise.

I don't know if Roy has that in him, or if Rudy does, but the team needs someone who can do it. Rudy seems to have it based on clips we've seen, but I don't know if that will translate to the NBA.

Of course, this is not a good game to base anything on, considering we're missing Roy and Martel (esp Roy).

[MARIS61]

Originally Posted by Hap

Whats sad about the whole thing is that Jack is pretty much a crappy player, yet he still plays better than Sergio.

In some ways yes, in others no.

I put more value on the others.

I also truly believe had Sergio been given the minutes that Jack got the last 2 years he would have proved my point.

[VenomXL]

Well, it was fun while it lasted. McGrady has taken a page out of Kobe's book and gone crazy on us. I agree, not having a player you can just feed like that is a real disadvantage. You need a total team effort to combat that, and unfortunately we haven't seen much of that since the winning streak.

[Dan]

I do think there is some truth to the fact that certain teams/players NEED to have that kind of player, and maybe we don't.

But it'll be nice if Roy could be more of the player that you just can never leave alone...although I freely admit I might be misremembering that he is because he's injured tonight and there have been so few games on TV this year (for Dish/Direct viewers).

[VenomXL]

He CAN be that guy, but he's so concerned about getting the other guys involved that it tends to not show up until late in the game. If there's one knock on Roy's game, it's that he needs to be more aggressive trying to score the ball. Maybe he'll develop into that kind of a player, but it seem like it's against his nature to be selfish enough.

Another AWFUL offensive performance. This is so hard to watch, at least a nice up and down game would be more enjoyable.

[craigehlo]

I can't see Roy ever being a guy that scores in bunches like TMac or Kobe. Those guys are tall, fast and match-up nightmares. Roy is a tad slower, shorter and is more of a distributor anyway.

I'd still like to see Maggette play that role of "no conscience" scorer for this team.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by VenomXL

He CAN be that guy, but he's so concerned about getting the other guys involved that it tends to not show up until late in the game. If there's one knock on Roy's game, it's that he needs to be more aggressive trying to score the ball. Maybe he'll develop into that kind of a player, but it seem like it's against his nature to be selfish enough.

Good point. Also, having a young team makes it difficult for that aspect to be as clear and obvious. Oden being there next year, is an inside presence that teams can't leave to double outside..same with LaMarcus. That'll make Roy (and maybe Rudy) more able to be that player. Maybe not to the degree that McGrady is, but how many titles has McGrady won?

[VenomXL]

The best medicine for a superstar player like that is great team ball. We may never have a Kobe/McGrady/Lebron, but the pieces are falling into place to be a great team for years to come. How many times has Kobe scored 40+ and lost in these last couple years? Right now we need a long term answer at PG and SF. I'd love for Martell to be the SF for us, but that has yet to be seen. I love Blake's game, and he would be a fantastic backup point for us. It's going to be a great time to be a Blazer fan.

[B-Roy]

LOL, Lamarcus hits his first ever 3-point shot.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by VenomXL

The best medicine for a superstar player like that is great team ball. We may never have a Kobe/McGrady/Lebron, but the pieces are falling into place to be a great team for years to come. How many times has Kobe scored 40+ and lost in these last couple years? Right now we need a long term answer at PG and SF. I'd love for Martell to be the SF for us, but that has yet to be seen. I love Blake's game, and he would be a fantastic backup point for us. It's going to be a great time to be a Blazer fan.

I think the addition of Rudy to the team will be significant enough to make us not worry about the SF spot.