Bayless is a bum and Nate isn't the coach to get the Blazers over the top.

I was afraid they'd lose this game by trying to keep pace with the Warriors run 'n gun offense. In the first quarter, they did pound it into Oden and Aldridge, but then went away from that. Jeez, Golden State has no big guys. It's not rocket surgery.

Gil, thanks for my best LOL of the day. I'm afraid they played it like it was "rocket surgery."

Jerryd Bayless, Sebastian Telfair, Josh Childress, Kwame Brown and others sure make those NBA players with less than 2 years experience in college ball look spiffy.

All these duds have, right now, as a legacy is their draft number with Kwame Brown possibly being the greatest dud out of all of the ones I listed.

The NBA needs to smarten up, not take the "Kobe and KG came straight out of high school" argument as the rule, and not allow eligibility in the NBA draft for players with less than 2 years experience in college basketball.

Bayless had one year in Arizona and looked how that helped him in Portland. If he was such a freaking phenom like all these straight to the NBA players are, then his numbers and minutes would show it.

They don't and my point has been made.

You know what dazzled me tonight: the maturity of Stephen Curry. I knew he had a silky smooth shot in college but you never know if they're going to belong in the NBA.
I saw an old vet out there dealing on our people, making them look bad. I saw the Blazers tighten up and lose their composure, while a 20-year-old looked like a potential all-star. That kid is going to be outstanding. He already is outstanding. He might even be better than Dell, although the Dad could really shoot. Did you see the release on his shot tonight?
Scary fast. He's in that super smooth category with the old school greats like George Gervin or Andrew Toney.
The Blazers sucked.

Brandon Jennings needs no stinking college ball

Miller had what 7 turnovers in limited minutes. I actually think Bayless is the key to moving this offense into a higher gear. Roy and Miller are strangers on the court together. Give Bayless a chance and some minutes and see what happens. I'm not sure Miller really wants to be in Portland, and is playing down to a trade.

The Blazers looked tired and at times confused. Golden State looked hungry. Roy showed why he'll always be a very good player, but probably not a truly Great player. Very good players have runs of good and bad nights, and games like this. Great players find a way to score and win, no matter what. They overcome. Oden won't ever be Great either--someday Very Good.

And once again, it was clear how critically the Blazers need a Great Point Guard in the starting lineup. They lack leadership right now, both on the court and the sideline.

Next year--maybe even this year--look for some trades. I don't expect to see McMillan back next year, either.

Give Bayless a chance and some minutes and see what happens.

The Blazers need to stop experimenting. Nate has been experimenting for three years, including with Bayless. It's time to settle on a lineup and make a run for the title with it. You can make Bayless your second-string point guard if you must, but then bench Blake. You aren't going to get anywhere with three point guards playing every night.

To me, the Blazers should be starting Miller, Roy, Webster, Aldridge, and Oden. Behind them should be Blake or Bayless (not both, and I'd take Blake), Rudy, Juwan, and Joel. Regular NBA substitution patterns, mixing it up as matchups and game conditions warrant.

playing down to a trade

Miller's not playing enough to do any such thing. Roy doesn't want to play with him, and Nate isn't going to make it happen. Why did Pritchard bring Miller in, then?

Roy wants Blake to dribble around, hand him the ball, and get out of the way. That's what they did all last year. It's a first-round exit strategy.

Right now the Blazers need a small forward. Turkoglu would have been great.

The first quarter Blazers were great. Unfortunately they sat out the other three. Miller turned both ankles and that may have more to do with Nate pulling him, than his performance. The agressive play in the paint is their forte, now they need to extend that play to all four qts. The only performance worse than the Blazer's melt down were the refs. GS was allowed to manhandle at will assisted by lack of officiating. It was a bummer.

Miller turned both ankles and that may have more to do with Nate pulling him, than his performance.

I thought I saw Miller start the second half and get pulled after about a minute. I didn't see any ankle turns, but I hope that's why he sat out, instead of more Nate the Sphinx.

Take a look at what Channing Frye is doing in Phoenix. Shows what a good fit he'd have been here if Portland had the slightest semblance of an up-tempo game.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fryech01.html

Miller suffered an ankle sprain the night before against Detroit as well. In reading this article, perhaps Nate was saving him from himself?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/11/blazers_andre_miller_finds_the.html

I don't think we realize how much we're missing Batum. He was a surprise last year, but he was poised for a breakout year. Anyone see how he absolutely owned the Euro tournament this summer? He keeps adding muscle mass to those long arms, and it shows.

The problem is, these shoulder injuries tend to linger... Especially when you have to fight through screens in the NBA. Get well Nicolas.

I disagree about Batum. The people I talk to and myself were practically running a Nic Batum fan club last year. We knew exactly how great the young man was and we knew he'd be a huge loss for the Blazers.
Most talks about the Blazers future focus on Greg Oden, but last season the fans I know spent a lot of time discussing the incredible potential Nic Batum brings to the game.
Plus, he is just cool. Did you see him visit those kids at the French School last year? Nic Batum is a rock star.

There are all these promising pieces, but does anybody have a vision of how to make them all work together and continue to grow? If the crunch time offense is Blake hands off to Roy who either makes a play for himself or kicks it back to Blake for a 3, it doesn't really matter who the other three guys are standing around watching.

The Celts, with 'Sheed, lost on the parquet to Orlando last evening, 83-78. They missed their final five (5) shots. Their 1stQ offense was abysmal.

Jack, I agree with your starting line up except that I put in Rudy instead of Webster and have either him or Roy play small forward (as they are doing now). Both are a bit undersized, but we have really quick big men in Oden and Aldridge who should snare the rebounds. Rudy is clearly demonstrating he should have more playing time. And so far, Webster hasn't.

One thing that hurt several times last night was when Oden or Przybilla rotated to check a driving Warrior player, nobody stepped over to cover the man they left.

I sure hope Batum heals soon and well. He's a savvier player at 20 than Outlaw ever will be.

Brandon Jennings didn't need no "stinking college ball" because he chose to play over in Italy.

I have to give every player who opts to play in a foreign country major props. Not only are they leaving everything they have known behind them to live and work in a foreign country, they are also learning a different style of play.

I am of the opinion that 1 year of pro ball in a Euro league is equal to 2 years of college ball due to the different system, language differences, and cultural differences.

RyanLeo,
Dwight Howard C
Kevin Garnet PF
Lebron James SF
Kobe SG
Tony Parker PG
VS
Andrew Bynum C
Amare Stoudemire PF
Carmelo Anthony SF
Kevin Durant SG
Brandon Jennings PG

I would pay to watch this all day.
Jennings left after 27 games in Euro sitting on the bench.