Game 45: Hornets vs. Blazers Open Thread
by Rohan on Feb 2, 2009 5:48 PM CST
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vs. Offensive Efficiency: NOH 109.7 (8th), POR 113.6 (2nd) Defensive Efficiency: NOH 106.1 (12th), POR 109.2 (20th) >>> Nicolas Batum Frontcourt LaMarcus Aldridge || Gregory Oden 30.2 (10th all time) Chris Paul PER Watch
New Orleans, LA, 7:00 CST
28-16 AP 29-17
Wednesday a Potential Return Date for Tyson
Opposing Perspectives: Blazers Edge, Bust a Bucket
247: Q&A with Henry Abbott
Christopher || Razwall
Backcourt
Sergio Rodriguez || Brandon Roy
JuJu || Hultan
L W W L L (most recent)
Last Five
L W W W W (most recent)
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I get the feeling that this will be a really tough game to win
You have to credit Byron a lot for the great defense the Hornets have played, using the junk defenses he’s tossing out there. But against the second most efficient offense in the NBA? Yeah… I dunno. I’ll be surprised if we win this game. Anyways, Chris Paul turnovers in the last 8: 5, 5, 4, 4, 5, 6, 4. Don’t think he’s ever come close to doing that before, and I doubt it corrects itself completely until Tyson returns.
/Sigh
Niall noted the other day that Tolliver’s contract has expired, and it doesn’t seem like we’re in a rush to sign anyone else soon.
/Double sigh….
An analysis on how to beat Portland
1. Run the high pick and roll to exhaustion, which the Hornets do anyway. One of the side effects of Oden’s microfracture is that he is nowhere near his usual speed and agility. David Thorpe estimates that Oden has about 50-60% of the athleticism he will have after full recovery. This means that the Hornets need to pick with Oden’s man, and then come off the pick like their hair is on fire. Drive quickly, right into Oden, and he will get whistled for even a slight bump. Rookie centers are treated quite harshly in the league, and Oden is prone to foul trouble.
2. Goes along with the first: get Oden in foul trouble. He is either good Greg or bad Greg, and that is always decided by his foul situation. If he has less than two fouls when he checks out in the first, he is a consistent double-double type guy. Portland is 11-3 when he has a double-double. He has not yet had a good game after starting in foul trouble though; drive early and often. I’m looking at you, Hornet wings.
3. Play off of Sergio Rodriguez, expecting the pass, and onto Jerryd Bayless, expecting him to take the shot. If you force either guy to get out of their comfort zone, they will make mistakes. Also, you can confidently leave either guy open for three point shots. They don’t hit them consistently.
4. Don’t double Oden in the post, but double Aldridge. Oden has been excellent at passing out of the double team, but Aldridge struggles in that area.
Interesting
I wonder just how much we can take advantage of the pick and rolls. Marks and Armstrong tend to roll off the screen way before Paul can be set loose by it, taking away so much of the effectiveness. This is something I dunno why Byron hasn’t drilled into their heads yet that it’s wrong. Marks especially… he rarely rolls to the hoop any way. Why slip the screen early, when all he has to do is hang out where he is to receive a pass for a jumper? That just puzzles me.
I haven’t watched much Bayless at all this year, so I’m excited to see him play. Ditto on Sergio. And this will be one of the first games in a while where “iso Peja and let him shoot 20 footers over his man” won’t work, due to Batum’s size and length.
It's weird, but for me the best thing for the Blazers has been Batum's development
he is an absolutely incredible defender, though he has some rookie lapses. He shut Deron Williams down, after Williams had already torn the Portland defense apart for 30+. After Batum went on him, he only had a few field goals for the rest of the game.
Bayless is interesting. He is a great fastbreak player, and makes good decisions in that situation. He needs work on his halfcourt offense initiation, though. I think he’ll be a good fit with Roy. He plays good defense for a rookie, even forcing LeBron into a bad shot when we played Cleveland a few weeks ago. He draws fouls, plays defense, and is the most intense player that I can remember ever being in Portland. He is literally first to the practice facility and last to leave.
If Sergio is in the game, pick and roll every time. He has no idea how to defend it… which is part of the reason Oden is in foul trouble a lot. Bayless is much better at fighting through the screens.
Hmm
So Batum may end up on Paul then? That seems reasonable, and in line with what most teams have been doing anyway (Ariza, Jeffries, etc.)
Yeah, they did it for a few possessions last time the two teams played in NO.
The scary thing for the rest of the league is that, if Batum can defend point guards, then the Blazers can put in a lineup of Roy-Fernandez-Batum-Aldridge-Oden.
I don’t think there are many point guards with enough strength to guard Roy. If they choose to guard Batum with the PG, he is a very effective slasher.
One of those very rare cases
Where the offensive-defensive matchups aren’t necessarily the same on both ends, but it isn’t because one defender is being “hidden” like a Nash or a Kidd. Huh.
Batum is a great piece
He can dunk from the free throw line, nail the three, and play defense. Not a star type player, but a terrific role player that will cause teams matchup issues.
Phoenix sold the Fernandez pick
and the Batum pick was our second rounder and the Hornet’s no.27, traded for the no.25. Batum was going to San Antonio at 26, so Pritchard worked a deal with Houston and stole him. Interestingly, Batum was a top twenty draft prospect who fell because of a mysterious heart ailment. Some have speculated that it was a ploy by the Spurs and Batum to let him fall to them at 26.
So many mistakes today
I think I forgot how to write. I usually know how to correctly use apostrophes.
That's why they got Shaq!
Who better than the Shaqtus to teach the young Amar’e how to keep his head straight??
Eh
The Hornets pretty much presented it as either we sell that pick or we don’t get James Posey, in terms of making the dollars work for George Shinn. The validity of that idea is certainly open to question (as is the notion that Shinn doesn’t have a few other millions lying around), but given how stingy Shinn has been in the past (esp. Charlotte years), just getting Posey was great. Even if the selling the draft pick excuse is bogus.
Yeah
I don’t really think that selling draft picks is fair to your fans, personally, no matter the circumstances.
There have been great players in the late first round. It’s rare, but they are definitely there.
I would've KILLED for Marreese Speights
I was salivating over him months before the draft… if he had dropped down to the 27th pick and we had sold our pick, I might’ve had to switch team alleigances.
It's a very weird situation
two of Portland’s best fastbreak initiators and defenders are Bayless and Batum, the two rookies.
we have the worst pick and roll defense in the league
if we keep allowing offensive boards at this rate, its going to be a blowout.
Boomshakalaka
A few questionable officiating calls
but the Hornets are just outworking the Blazers. I think Chris just slipped on the floor though… not a foul.
pathetic basketball by the Blazers so far
just absolutely getting out hustled for every loose ball.
Boomshakalaka
I'm used to the bad pick and roll D
I’m not used to allowing the other team to rebound over half its misses. Turrible.
Boomshakalaka
one of the quickest in basketball
he has some fastbreaks where it looks like someone has an angle, and BAM, he goes by them.
Now if he will start hitting his outside shot… that would be nice.
Just about the best quarter we could have asked for...
Smooth, efficient team basketball by the Hornets. Good stuff… hope the bench can keep it up.
Nightmare quarter for Portland
very fortunate to only be down 8. Przybilla and Oden— two of the 10 best rebounders in the league on a pace and playing time adjusted basis (ie Hollinger’s rebound rate)— have a combined ZERO boards.
Yikes.
Boomshakalaka
Seriously, why does Sean Marks shoot?
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
He didn't have much choice...
The Hornets O was sputtering… and he found himself open. That’s a shot I’d expect anyone with atleast a semi-decent jumper to take… and Marks’ can supposedly hit that shot, though we haven’t seen much of it this season.
Key word; supposedly. I want to find out how many baskets he's made from outside the paint this year.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
I hear ya...
I’m just sayin… I don’t blame Marks for taking open jumpers like that, especially when its late in the shot clock like I think it was.
It wasn't. There was about 15 seconds left in the clock.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Good play from our bench so far. Only flaw is Outlaw's shooting but good thing he just picked up his third foul
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Definitely
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Wow I can't believe how badly Roy is playing
He’s ignoring wide open teammates and taking terrible shots.
Someone needs to tell the Hornet announcers that Portland has the 4th lowest turnover rate in the league (this game notwithstanding).
Boomshakalaka
HAha
These guys are among the biggest homers in the league, up there with Boston. I dunno that they’d listen very much…
Which all leads to the point that
NBATv needs to stop using local commentators for their games. Local guys are always gonna be a little biased… it’s just stupid.
I don't care what anyone says, I love Bob & Gil. They're "Lamarcable". Gil's puns are so corny that they are somewhat funny.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
wow
our offense is not usually this embarrassing. Our defense yes, but this is some seriously terrible Portland offense— some credit to the Hornets but not all of it.
Boomshakalaka
I wish they would stop saying "All Star Brandon Roy has 0 points"
as if they’er mocking that he’s an all star
yeah its annoying
allstars have bad halves too.
Meanwhile, Portland continues to switch every pick and roll, leading to hilarious mismatches. I would be laughing if it wasn’t my favorite team.
Boomshakalaka
Oh boy
3 by Paul. Blazers need a miraculous second half.
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
they need to guard somebody
Roy can score 25 in the 2nd half and if they keep allowing the Hornets to create absurd mismatches and rebound a third of their misses, it won’t matter.
Boomshakalaka
Very nice half for the Hornets...
We really do seem like a very inconsistent Jekyl & Hyde sort of team sometimes… but I’m very pleased with how the Hornets are playing.
Only a single digit lead though… game is far from over.
Not that the Hornets aren't playing well
but the Blazers are switching on defense. Peja will definitely score on Sergio, etc.
Haha
just read that the color guy said that Portland is the worst defensive rebounding team in the league. Are you kidding me? Pace adjusted stats?
worst, 8th best... same thing
I haven’t heard him give Portland credit or their amazing defense… on a points per game basis aren’t we like top 5?
How many years until announcers know about pace adjusted stats? 5? 20? 50?
Boomshakalaka
I don't know if it will ever happen.
Not enough of them are numbers people… so many are obstinate toward any change that uses math other than adding up points, rebounds, and assists.
I was listening to Minnesota announcers last week
First commentators I’ve ever heard use pace adjsuted stats. They were breaking it all out… turnover rate, assist rate, effective field goal percentage. It was awesome.
wow!
If they weren’t in Portland’s division I might be tempted to become a Wolves fan.
Boomshakalaka
Oh yeah. They were doing the same for the Minn. v Hornets game too.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Like a lot of folks around here...
That’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Pace = a very easy and obvious concept. And these people are paid to understand basketball…
What's more sad is that we've seen Devin Brown instead of JuJu.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
A good question
With no reasonable answer.
Basically, Byron Scott has a doghouse as vast as the Atlantic Ocean.
He has been playing the last few games.
But early in the season Byron decided he was a turnover/mistake machine and decided to cut him out of the rotation for a long time..
Utah has been asbolutely crushed by injuries this season...
I mean, I’m glad they are lagging a bit in the standings but I feel for their fans.
horrible pick and roll defense
Aldridge completely leaves West alone, forcing Oden to foul. Aldridge is one of the most overrated players in basketball.
Boomshakalaka
Blazers don't look like
they got any boost from the halftime rest.
I'm proud of my damn strong football team. Have a great day!
just an inexcusable, embarrasing, pathetic display of basketball by the Blazers
Hornets playing well, Blazers going through the motions.
Boomshakalaka
Sool and Peja got it going on from beyond the arc. Very nice to see.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Something is off with Roy tonight
It’s weird… I’m trying to remember a game where he’s been like this.
I'm sorry about your announcers
Hearing them makes me feel sad for the fans here. You have an incredible team, and deserve to have some quality announcers to call the game for you.
The ones talking smack while roy gets hacked inside are bad enough, but the additional idiot saying rudy is mad about the gold medal game? Is he stupid? That man isn’t qualified to clean a locker room.
On the upside
You do have the best PG in the NBA, and he may carry the distinction for a long time.
Calm down. Bob and Gil are just having fun.
If anything you guys have the most biased announcers in the league. When the Tyson-Pryz fight went on, they whined like little girls. Just calm down. I agree though with the Olympic comment, very stupid. On another note, Hornets fans, doesn’t it feel good to be in total control of a game against a good team. Hell, doesn’t feel good to be in total control at all.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Roy is going through the motions
He is making absolutely no effort to get himself going. I think he’s done for the night.
Boomshakalaka
I saw the trainer looking concerned about his already injured pinky in the pregame
Dismissed it, but I’m getting more worried
I hope cp3 is okay. even as a blazer fan, cp3 is awesome.
I’m shocked the baddie couldn’t finish the shot.
Hope CP3 is alrite. If this is any serious, we are SO SCREWED!
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
I think he pulled his groin.
Before that play while he was at the free throw line he was grimacing. Hope he is ok.
Stupid call to favor dani
That was a double foul, bayless arms were extended but danials pushed off.
PS. Bayless is our mini-cp3.
Bayless commits a stupid foul
Somehow I’m not surprised. Memo to Jerryd— it is possible to be too agressive.
Boomshakalaka
that call is going to be made against Bayless every single time
if he is using his hands in the backcourt like that.
Boomshakalaka
Peja's playing very good defense.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Man... our the injury gods really pissed at the Hornets or something?
They’ve already killed the Jazz this season… now they are coming after us.
Seriously though, hopefully its not serious.
my ideal scenario as a Blazer fan
is that he doesn’t come back, we steal a win, and then he’s fine and 100% for the next game. I’d feel a little guilty, but I’d take it.
Boomshakalaka
Paul is channeling his play into bayless
GO mini-CP3.
Bayless is like Monta Ellis
He’s a great penetrator and finisher in close, but he doesn’t look to pass the ball at all… and therefore CP3 is a terrible comparison for his game.
Boomshakalaka
He's got a few years to go
cp3 is his ceiling.
go minicp3
If Bayless became Ellis
He would win the 6th man award on our championship team.
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
I seriously doubt
We’ll see another CP this generation…
by m-W on Feb 2, 2009 9:01 PM CST up reply actions
Ridiculous...
I’m still regularly stunned by how helpless the Hornets are without CP3.
Arghhhhhheglaehgaeewywr
You sound like a sergio fanboi
At nineteen, it’s hard to establish that he can never learn to pass. In the fourth quarter, he has been by far the best player on the floor, and is the reason the blazers are back in this game.
don't get me wrong
I love Bayless. Love the intensity. Love the ability to draw contact and finish. With Roy on the team, he doesn’t have to be a pure PG.
Bayless is going to be really good, just a totally different player from CP3.
Boomshakalaka
I don't know, I just have a feeling if necessary CP3 would come back.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
You don't think that's impressive?
It’s like shooting a free throw with your eyes closed. When you get it right, it’s just way cool….
/sigh.
It will be really hard to pull this one out....
The offense just breaks down without Paul to facilitate. Where’s the ball movement? Too many bad shots. West may have to do his best to take over… take it to the rim David.
if every team in the nba lost their best player
the hornets would be a lock for a top 4 draft pick
strained groin.
he went down, the team crumbled.
I knew Chris Paul was great and an MVP candidate
I didn’t know he was THIS crucial to the Hornets.
Boomshakalaka
Im disgusted.
Heartbreaking… they had total control of this game… and then a complete meltdown.
If I was Chris Paul I would be really pissed.
Im pissed anyways
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
Wow. Just Wow. How we could totally melt like I don't even know. Unbelievable.
Devin Brown is a basketball God!
This is a great example
of how Scott can’t coach. There is no excuse for getting creamed like this in the 4th, even with CP3 out. 38-13 without Paul? Paul is covering up Scott’s incompetence.
I'm proud of my damn strong football team. Have a great day!
"Paul is covering up Scott’s incompetence"
Hmmm. Never thought of it this way, but I think you may have just nailed it
Been saying this for a while. And now it's evident.
They are dead men walking. Will fall in the standings if he’s out even a couple of games.
I don’t want him trying to be superman though. CP cannot try to come back if it’s still bothering him. You don’t want to make it worse.
When you said that earlier
I laughed. Looks like you were the reason the Hornets lost though. You or Antonio Daniels.
Yeah I was pretty unhappy with Daniels...
I’ve liked his play generally, but not tonight. The effort was there… but he threw up a couple of ugly shots and didn’t do much to try and get the offense working.
Well
I feel guilty as a Blazer fan, obviously. I’ll take it. Bayless and Outlaw deserve a lot of credit, but obviously it all changed when Paul went down.
As an NBA fan, I hope its not serious for one of the “big 4” (CP3, Kobe, Wade, LeBron).
Boomshakalaka
Not really
If he can ever curtail his fouling, he’s gonna be awesome. He’s already a ridiculous rebounder, and he’s still playing injured
Seeing as how
none of the blazer guards can play D, Oden’s fouling will never curtail
that's kind of a big problem
although his fouls didn’t come with Bayless in the game. It was Sergio letting Chris go every time, right to Oden.
I still die a little inside when I watch his pre microfracture footage
And then I remind myself of what David Thorpe said. “50-60… 50-60… 50-60%”
…
he actually played well today
credit to McMillan for realizing that Przybilla was the best defender against West— that’s why Oden didn’t come back in the 4th.
Boomshakalaka
eh.
He’s up and down. Hollinger said, after pace-adjusting and such, Oden is the best rookie. He’s at 50-60% athleticism, and while it is painful to watch, it will get better.
Go youtube his summer league and McDonald’s All-American game. He’ll be pretty darn good.
I'd rather youtube
Iraqi Soldiers Doing Jumping Jacks
reminiscent of the hornets when paul isnt in
"no making fun of my team"
“wahhhhhhhhhh…. we are good!!”
No, not in reference to that
Just the “Oden sucks” deal, all that. You can make fun of the Hornets, I really don’t mind.
this particular poster
makes a habit of antagonizing every fan base. He had a run in with LibertyBallers the other week… not to mention seemingly every other SBN blog.
"oden sucks"
counts as antagonizing the hornets fan base?
you need to rethink the way you spend your time
i get warned
because people tell me to “cool my tone” for no reason, then someone else calls me out for no reason, then I get warned
us BEers won't mind if your shiny button can ban him from our site as well
PS. Sorry about CP3. Glad we took advantage, but I really hope cp3 isn’t out for long. I felt it showed what bayless can do when he doesn’t have cp3 guarding him. When cp3 isn’t directing the offense, the hornets don’t get to the rim the same way either. Then again, this entire team is built around cp3. He IS the system.
He (a troll of the male species) shows up on whatever blog the Blazers are facing.
Purely to spout crap about any and all players on either team. One can only hope he somehow gets permabaned.
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
by Sabonis4Ever on Feb 2, 2009 11:55 PM CST up reply actions
Well personally...
I’m going to refuse to acknowlege this game and will consider the Hornets to have won the series 3-1. That’s just me though.
True
But I think the Blazers have shown that they can still play well without Roy. The Hornets have not done that in regards to Paul.
I could see this as the 4/5 matchup, or possibly 3/6
and if it happened, I would pick whoever gets homecourt advantage.
Boomshakalaka
Or
applaud the Blazers bench?
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
by Sabonis4Ever on Feb 2, 2009 11:56 PM CST up reply actions
I hope Chris is all right for a bunch of reasons
the least of which is that I love watching him and Roy in the all star game… the biggest reason is that I love watching New Orleans play, and seeing them lose because of injury sucks.
Forgot about all-star. If this keeps him out of season games, I can see them sitting him for the all-star game.
which would suck
definitely
He’s an incredible player and I am a big fan… I really hope it isn’t serious. Roy had a hamstring pull and only missed four games.
He could've had much more than 61 I think
I watched most of the first half, and he was passing quite a bit
I'm really curious to know the non-Blazer perspective on Bayless
he is potentially the most polarizing Blazer there is.
he's not usually this good
He’s had 4-5 games like this where he was huge, but he also has had some real stinkers. You can see the Monta Ellis potential, or perhaps a better Leandro Barbosa (if Bayless can develop a 3 pt shot).
Boomshakalaka
Right down to the short arms
He actually plays defense, though. A while back you said you would take Sergio as the backup point. Did his defense tonight change your mind?
"he's not usually this good"
You mean when Blake is healthy? He has been nothing but stellar in Blake’s absence.
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
by Sabonis4Ever on Feb 2, 2009 11:58 PM CST up reply actions
It should be the opposite!
With me “on the floor”, we’re +17, without me we’re -25, guess I should’ve gotten that contract instead of Posey…
I signed up just to post this:
THE HORNETS HAVE NO DEPTH.
How long is it going to take for George Shin to realize this? It’s pathetic. It’s sad. For two years, the lack of bench production has been a problem. What was done in the post season to remedy this problem? Posey can’t do everything by himself.
The Blazers did not rally for a win. What they did was not impressive. It is sad to see a team fall apart like that. And what does management do about it? Nothing.
can't go that far
IMO, no kind of melt down takes away from a 38-13 showing. Losing cp3 stinks. It’s terrible. He’s one of the best ballers alive. Saying it’s not impressive is just absurd.
Yes, the hornets need depth. They could use a decent backup PG for when cp3 goes to the bench. If he’s out long, home court is gone. With CP3, the hornets have a shot at the two seed. Without him, they were terrible. However, dropping 38 in the fourth is still a powerful rally.
They dropped 38 against a high school team. The fact that the Hornets rely on Chris Paul that much is infuriating. We sucked out their. We had no direction. We had no confidence. We had no Chris Paul.
So you have no bench. That does not make you a high school team.
All of those players are professionals. The best player got hurt and it was up to his teammates to finish the job he started. The Blazers smelled blood and attacked like a team years beyond their age. You could just give credit where it is due.
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
by Sabonis4Ever on Feb 3, 2009 12:00 AM CST up reply actions
38 points in one quarter not impressive?
Ok…..
"Only dunk and go to the defense." Rudy Fernandez
by Sabonis4Ever on Feb 2, 2009 11:59 PM CST up reply actions
This is a BIG FAT <3 for Chris Paul
my most beloved non TrailBlazer.
Sophia
Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. - William Shakespeare
Roses are red
violets in bloom
Sophia’s in love
with Nicholas Batum
-Bow4Meow
by BlazerFan1 on Feb 2, 2009 10:09 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
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