Game 4: Portland vs Toronto 4:30pm Root+

[soobias]

i called the victory but i said by 3-5 points
but i'll take a win anytime but i still want to tank and get 1st pic lol , yeah im greedy like that lmao

[monopoman]

Scoot really needs to work on his 3s if he doesn't want to be Andre Miller. He doesn't need to shoot like Dame but I hope he can eventually keep the other team honest as right now teams are daring him to shoot

I read he was working with Steph Curry in the off-season so I'm pretty sure that is a point of emphasis for him. He was working with basically the best to ever do it throughout NBA history.

[PDXKnight]

Brogdon took 21 shots tonight and grant 18. Each took about as much as scoot and sharpe combined. Not sure I like that usage in regards to development

Development takes a long time. Honestly I am not even sure how useful major minutes at the beginning of this season is for them long-term. A lot more of that early career development happens in practice and away from prying eyeballs and the pressures of game time IMO. FWIW I do think Sharpe is ready to be getting significant minutes but even he is not ready to be the guy and get many more shots than he had tonight, it builds bad habits to give a player too much too early.

In some ways it really is better for Portland's veterans to put up good looking numbers and for us to win a little bit behind them this early season so we can get them shopped as soon as and for as high a price as possible. We can tank later into the season as we give the young guys big minutes and throw them into the fire then.

Good point on shopping them, hopefully their value is high enough to deal them by the deadline. Brogdon for a first would be nice maybe grant as well but honestly if someone offered a salary dump for grant and that's the best offer I'm taking that to the bank

[PDXKnight]

i called the victory but i said by 3-5 points
but i'll take a win anytime but i still want to tank and get 1st pic lol , yeah im greedy like that lmao

Feels like the worst team rarely wins these days but being in tbe bottom 4 sure would be nice because of odds

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Scoot really needs to work on his 3s if he doesn't want to be Andre Miller. He doesn't need to shoot like Dame but I hope he can eventually keep the other team honest as right now teams are daring him to shoot

I read he was working with Steph Curry in the off-season so I'm pretty sure that is a point of emphasis for him. He was working with basically the best to ever do it throughout NBA history.

I know almost absolutely nothing about the technical part of jump shooting but man Scoot's gather looks so broken.

[DaVoiceMaster]

Victory GLB pics

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

That first one is OUTSTANDING!!! Great job BC.

[zzaj]

Oh, it’s going to be THAAAAAT kind of season?!!!

Nice to get a W, even if surprisingly so. Now let’s not make it so much of a habit that it interferes with a Top 3 pick. Nice to have Scoot get more Assists than Fouls or TOs for once!

[monopoman]

Oh, it’s going to be THAAAAAT kind of season?!!!

Nice to get a W, even if surprisingly so. Now let’s not make it so much of a habit that it interferes with a Top 3 pick. Nice to have Scoot get more Assists than Fouls or TOs for once!

If we win 25% of our games we would end up with 20.5 wins, I have a feeling that is easily a top 3 worst record in the West.

[Shem]

Brogdon took 21 shots tonight and grant 18. Each took about as much as scoot and sharpe combined. Not sure I like that usage in regards to development

Development takes a long time. Honestly I am not even sure how useful major minutes at the beginning of this season is for them long-term. A lot more of that early career development happens in practice and away from prying eyeballs and the pressures of game time IMO. FWIW I do think Sharpe is ready to be getting significant minutes but even he is not ready to be the guy and get many more shots than he had tonight, it builds bad habits to give a player too much too early.

In some ways it really is better for Portland's veterans to put up good looking numbers and for us to win a little bit behind them this early season so we can get them shopped as soon as and for as high a price as possible. We can tank later into the season as we give the young guys big minutes and throw them into the fire then.

I wouldn't be surprised if Brogdon is gone at the trade deadline. Hopefully by then Scoot will have some of his kinks worked out and let the real tank start.

[The Sebastian Express]

Scoot being in a flow by not having early foul trouble helped him a lot tonight. He had some teammates brick wide open shots or he would've had a double-double.

You can see his ability on his drives and pass offs, it's there. He's only 19. He's young and he's a point guard, it'll take time. And that's okay. We've got time. I'm not worried about Scoot at all.

I actually am kinda starting to really love Brogdon. It's a shame he's thirty because he would be great a few years down the line as the sixth man. I hope we get him to a contender who'll love him and give us a first back too.

I think we might have something in Camara longterm. That's the kind of guy I want to see at the three and four.

Shaedon

Ayton did really well tonight.

Our guys are mostly pretty damn scrappy and energetic, love seeing them get into it.

[RTG HD]

Brogdon took 21 shots tonight and grant 18. Each took about as much as scoot and sharpe combined. Not sure I like that usage in regards to development

Development takes a long time. Honestly I am not even sure how useful major minutes at the beginning of this season is for them long-term. A lot more of that early career development happens in practice and away from prying eyeballs and the pressures of game time IMO. FWIW I do think Sharpe is ready to be getting significant minutes but even he is not ready to be the guy and get many more shots than he had tonight, it builds bad habits to give a player too much too early.

In some ways it really is better for Portland's veterans to put up good looking numbers and for us to win a little bit behind them this early season so we can get them shopped as soon as and for as high a price as possible. We can tank later into the season as we give the young guys big minutes and throw them into the fire then.

I wouldn't be surprised if Brogdon is gone at the trade deadline. Hopefully by then Scoot will have some of his kinks worked out and let the real tank start.

I hope we keep Brogdon for the season at least. The young players learn more from winning and Brogdon gives us at least a chance to win a few games.

[Norm2953]

Amazing to see the Toronto board with 77 pages devoted to this ugly, early season game

I continue to think if the Blazers can somehow keep their heads above water into February,
they could make a little run for there is some talent. What they need is one of the three
young forwards to develop into a starter.

[zzaj]

Oh, it’s going to be THAAAAAT kind of season?!!!

Nice to get a W, even if surprisingly so. Now let’s not make it so much of a habit that it interferes with a Top 3 pick. Nice to have Scoot get more Assists than Fouls or TOs for once!

If we win 25% of our games we would end up with 20.5 wins, I have a feeling that is easily a top 3 worst record in the West.

Could be…the good news is, looking around the league I have a real hard time believing the Blazers are going to win 1 out of every 4 games. I think it’s going to be more like 1 out of every 6 or 7. Especially if Brogdon gets moved.

[zzaj]

Scoot being in a flow by not having early foul trouble helped him a lot tonight. He had some teammates brick wide open shots or he would've had a double-double.

You can see his ability on his drives and pass offs, it's there. He's only 19. He's young and he's a point guard, it'll take time. And that's okay. We've got time. I'm not worried about Scoot at all.

I actually am kinda starting to really love Brogdon. It's a shame he's thirty because he would be great a few years down the line as the sixth man. I hope we get him to a contender who'll love him and give us a first back too.

I think we might have something in Camara longterm. That's the kind of guy I want to see at the three and four.

Shaedon

Ayton did really well tonight.

Our guys are mostly pretty damn scrappy and energetic, love seeing them get into it.

I’ve always liked Brogdon. He and Valentine were my sneaker pick guys in that draft…they just fit an archetype that every team needs. I actually pushed for Brogdon last year and everyone on here poopooed me on the idea, lol.

The trick is health and apparently some attitude issues. Right now he’s apparently being a good soldier, which I guess is commendable.

[Goldbum]

I expect Malcom will be traded within about 3 games of Ant being back. They could let Ant get hus sea legs, or they could even let Mays be the 3rd guard for a few games.
I think there's a good chance they are waiting until Malcom can be aggregated in a deal.

[DC_Melo]

Scoot really needs to work on his 3s if he doesn't want to be Andre Miller. He doesn't need to shoot like Dame but I hope he can eventually keep the other team honest as right now teams are daring him to shoot

They’re daring him to shoot and I’m not even sure he’s aware by the way he rushes into his shots. They’re letting you shoot kid, take your time and step into it! Lol. He had a tendency in g-league to leave rushed shots short and I’m noticing it happening on a lot of his 3’s.

He just looks uncomfortable out there in general.

Last night’s game was a positive step forward tho. Yea, still a lot of mistakes (4 TOs, fouled out, poor shot selection in the 4th) and a total dud from outside, but he at least looked more comfortable handling the ball. He was doing a little bit of exploring in and around the lane, which was encouraging to see and much more reminiscent of how Scoot played for the ignite.

As hair pulling as some of his moments were, he finally had a game where he showed flashes of why so many scouts thought he was special. He showed he could be dangerous finishing and distributing in the lane, and hopefully got a bit of a confidence boost from finally doing it with some success against NBA defenders the likes of Siakem and Barnes.

I’m still highly optimistic on Scoot, even if I’ve had to accept he’s not as NBA ready as I anticipated. I’m going to be patient with him. Plus I’m bald so hair pulling performances have no affect on me lol

[DC_Melo]

Last night was as defensively competitive as I’ve seen our team for as long as I can remember.

I know I’ve given Chauncey my share of criticisms, but Im actually encouraged with what he’s doing on the defensive end (the offensive end is a very different story).

The way we attacked the ball handler and rotated ended up forcing Toronto into a lot of contested looks. I haven’t checked the box score, but I feel like we got a lot of deflections/steals/blocks. And while the rotations can still be tightened up, it was much better than in previous games and we saw some good results from it.

That said, Toronto’s biggest offensive weakness is backcourt playmaking, which aggressive defenses tend to do very well against. I’m curious to see if we can sustain any defensive consistency when faced against more talented backcourt playmakers.

But with the length and athleticism of our players, the defensive potential is there and I was happy with what I saw on that end tonight.

[BlazersBroncos]

Alot has been said about Scoot but I have not seen the type of game Ayton just played in ages as a PDX fan. He was so impactful rebounding that I think he gets the game ball. Its a pity he was pick 1 and makes a MAX contract - if he was just seen as a garbage man, elite rebounder and quality-for-his-size switching big he would be such a nice 5th starter. He could be like a super Looney if the contract and expectations were different. At the cost though you need more than he can realisitcally provide offensively (Ya, he could get you 20ppg on old-school post ups but those possessions are inefficient as hell).

Also, I love RWIII but think he should be moved if value is decent enough. I am a fan of Walker as the backup C long term. Hustles, great rebounder, space the floor, knows his role and doesnt force much for a guy so young. Think the keys to being the main backup to Ayton should be handed to him sometime soon and RWIII moved (MEM makes a TON of sense).