Who's the leader of the Blazers?

[lil_penny]

Shane Battier for Rudy Fernandez and fillers

Rudy is by far my favorite player.. but nate doesn't know how to utilize him properly and if that trade took place id be all for it cause I wanna see him do good, the rudy that most people want to see and has been seen in spurts at portland and will have the go to in houston and I think he would flourish... however nate would find some way to make battier non existent on the team like he seems to do with most toehrs.

[Lars]

pssh Rogue, you can't really guarantee an opinion.

[ElNono]

TBH, Oden had a great game if you only look at his offense. Miami was going inside like there was nobody there and scoring every time. This Portland team has regressed considerably on defense. There was not a single moment in the 4th quarter last night when you thought they could make 3 or 4 stops and get back in the game.

[urunobili]

lol Blazers

[Darthkiller]

Rudy is by far my favorite player.. but nate doesn't know how to utilize him properly and if that trade took place id be all for it cause I wanna see him do good, the rudy that most people want to see and has been seen in spurts at portland and will have the go to in houston and I think he would flourish... however nate would find some way to make battier non existent on the team like he seems to do with most toehrs.

Id rather see him go to New York tbh. Portland wont trade him to a conference rival.

[djohn2oo8]

No matter who leads the Rockets, he's gotta be a dumbass imho, guaranteed.

Whoever owns the mavs, you can guarantee he's a dumbass

[Mel_13]

Some have openly worried about touches. Some have privately griped about playing time. Alliances have been formed by certain key players, and there have been more player-coach meetings than ever at this time of the season.

"I think we just need to get our heads on straight and chill out," Oden said.

At the forefront of the team's struggles is its leader and star, Brandon Roy.

As has been the case throughout the team's sputtering play of late, Roy on Tuesday had several chances to make a big, momentum-changing play, only to fail dramatically.

On Tuesday, the Blazers had cut a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to 100-91 and had the ball when Roy was stripped by Mario Chalmers with 1:49 left. Two games ago, Roy was in a similar position -- the Blazers having cut Memphis' 29-point lead to eight when a pass was stolen by Zach Randolph.

Roy finished with a team-high 25 points Tuesday, but he was 9 for 25 from the field and from late in the first quarter to late in the fourth, he was 2 for 13.

"I've been thinking too much ... instead of just looking at myself," Roy said. "I have to get back to worrying about just playing, instead of going out there and playing and pointing fingers and worrying about this and that. I started to realize that over the past couple days, especially tonight."

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindbla...0_now_its.html

[myhc]

Roy has bought into his own hype. We'll see if this new found realization will lead to results.

[SenorSpur]

Lol @ Blazers

Rightly or wrongly, Roy considers himself the resident team superstar and thereby considers himself to be bigger than the team. However, he's starting to look and behave more like Arenas every week.

With such a young group of talented players, you just had to know that eventually the "green-eyed" monster would eventually rear its ugly head.

It's hard to ask talented players, who have been the man at all their previous levels of compe ion, to subjugate themselves for the "good of the team". Young players all want PT. They know that PT=$$$. Every player feels the need to showcase themselves so they can get get paid.

It's easier to lead a talented horse to water, but it's another thing to make him drink.

It couldn't have happened to a better GM.

[Allanon]

Andre Miller's the odd man out.

Blazers (finally) brought in a veteran player; something they should have done 2 seasons ago.

But Andre Miller is a veteran player

• That is unfriendly
• Hasn't won any rings
• Is only a decent point guard
• Can't shoot
• Hasn't brought any wins to Portland
• None of these young dudes grew up wanting to be Andre Miller

Brandon Roy feels like he's making "the biggest sacrifice" on the team. He only feels this way because he doesn't respect Miller's game.

This Andre Miller era isn't going to end well; Blazers would have been better off bringing in Iverson.

[ginobili's bald spot]

Roy is really coming off as a selfish r this season. His ego is out of control and it seems like that's the Blazers biggest problem.The bottom line is the Blazers are still a non issue, just as I predicted.

lol tlong

[The Gemini Method]

Roy is definitely believing too much of the hype, but in sports that is expected when you achieve even the most marginal of successes.

Dare I say it, they've got to make a decision on Miller/Blake...neither one is doing this team justice...also, this team is mostly a jump-shooting team sans Oden. Perhaps there needs to be someone who augments Oden and bangs down low?

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I think Pritchard is good at assembling talent, but not really a "team".

This. It's just a bunch of talented players with no real chemistry, cohesion or iden y.

[Strike]

This. It's just a bunch of talented players with no real chemistry, cohesion or iden y.

One of the things that ended the Bob Whitsitt era.

[The Gemini Method]

I would agree with DOK, but how would you explain the Lakers, Magic, and Celtics? They're all immensely talented and tons of ego--but they seem to get it. I think it has to do with leadership. The Blazers don't have it. Andre Miller is not that type of person that can command control like a Kobe or a KG can. Well, I don't know whom that person is on the Magic...although SVG might be that person for them...

[nkdlunch]

whoever got the most chronic that week

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I would agree with DOK, but how would you explain the Lakers, Magic, and Celtics? They're all immensely talented and tons of ego--but they seem to get it. I think it has to do with leadership. The Blazers don't have it. Andre Miller is not that type of person that can command control like a Kobe or a KG can. Well, I don't know whom that person is on the Magic...although SVG might be that person for them...

That too, but IMO that the Celtics and Lakers have talent that meshes a lot better than Portland's does. Regardless, that has a lot to do with veteran players who know when it's time to put the ego away, listen to the coach and win the game.

I feel bad for Oden, he's an extremely humble player who's never gonna about anything, yet he's the one who gets robbed by Roy and Aldridge's egos.

[Mel_13]

Lol @ Blazers

Rightly or wrongly, Roy considers himself the resident team superstar and thereby considers himself to be bigger than the team. However, he's starting to look and behave more like Arenas every week.

With such a young group of talented players, you just had to know that eventually the "green-eyed" monster would eventually rear its ugly head.

It's hard to ask talented players, who have been the man at all their previous levels of compe ion, to subjugate themselves for the "good of the team". Young players all want PT. They know that PT=$$$. Every player feels the need to showcase themselves so they can get get paid.

It's easier to lead a talented horse to water, but it's another thing to make him drink.

It couldn't have happened to a better GM.

Yep. It was all fine while they were all on their rookie deals. The values of the extensions this past summer designated Roy as the Franchise player and LMA as the Sidekick. Oden's extension will come this summer. Does he get max money, too and become a Co-Franchise player? How will LMA react to third star status?

Others have said it, but they really blew it with the Miller signing. They had a one-time chance to use cap space in the summer between the end of most of the Jailblazer contracts and the beginning of the new player extensions. The cutthroat move would have been to offer Hedo's deal to Odom. Even if he decided to stay with the Lakers, the move would have at least forced Buss to dig much deeper than he wanted to. Instead, they forced the Jazz to dig deep, only the Jazz don't stand between the Blazers and a championship.

The question for the Blazers now becomes:

Can the Roy/LMA/Oden core catch the Kobe/Gasol/Bynum Lakers before the Durant/Green/Westbrook/Harden core catches the Blazers?

I would bet against that proposition.

[The Gemini Method]

correction: Kobe/Gasol/Bynum/Artest Lakers...don't want to upset the "crazy" one (and no, I'm not talking about the Culbster)

[Mel_13]

correction: Kobe/Gasol/Bynum/Artest Lakers...don't want to upset the "crazy" one (and no, I'm not talking about the Culbster)

Could add Odom, too. Either way, these Blazers aren't beating those Lakers in a playoff series.

[Allanon]

Yep. It was all fine while they were all on their rookie deals. The values of the extensions this past summer designated Roy as the Franchise player and LMA as the Sidekick. Oden's extension will come this summer. Does he get max money, too and become a Co-Franchise player? How will LMA react to third star status?

Damn solid Post.

If it were me, I'd keep Oden, Rudy, Batum, etc and jettison LMA & Roy to Cleveland for LeBron.

Can the Roy/LMA/Oden core catch the Kobe/Gasol/Bynum Lakers before the Durant/Green/Westbrook/Harden core catches the Blazers?

I would bet against that proposition.

Durant/Green/Westbrook/Harden have an accepted pecking order. The Blazers don't.

[Mel_13]

Durant/Green/Westbrook/Harden have an accepted pecking order. The Blazers don't.

Bingo

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Damn solid Post.

If it were me, I'd keep Oden, Rudy, Batum, etc and jettison LMA & Roy to Cleveland for LeBron.

I don't think that trade would ever happen. Aldridge I agree with trading though. Mediocre defender on a good day, horrible rebounder given his size, and his offense consists of chucking jumpers. I wouldn't trade Roy, he's a still maturing and he was a top 10 player last year. McMillan needs to go, it's clear the players don't respect him very much.

[Brazil]

what is funny is now Oden begins to deliver solid games, the rest is a mess

[lefty]

This is a good thread.

To this point, no Blazer has stood out as the leader of the team; if there is one, it's the head coach.

Miller is new in this team, so he may establish himself as the leader in a few months