Blake's attitude and Bledsoe's numbers
by NewCavsfan on Mar 14, 2011 7:26 PM PDT
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As the title clearly explains, I am going to be talking about two totally separate things here. The first is Blake Griffin's attitude, especially running back on the defensive end. The second thing is about Bledsoe, and how we should not get too high on him too quickly.
Ok, to start off, I have noticed that when the other team has a fastbreak, our guys, no matter where they are on the court, arrive back in basically the same order. I hope other people have seen this, but this is what I see.
First back: Moon and Bledsoe- These guys seem to get back very quickly, and try to prevent fastbreak points. This shows VERY good effort and hustle.
Second back: Foye, Mo, Gomes, Aminu- These guys get back on a fair few fast breaks, and several times have stopped points on good defense. Not necessarily hustling too hard, but still showing effort.
Slow back: Everyone else but Blake- This can be expected, since these are the post players, and will obviously be farther away from the Clippers' basket.
Blake- ALWAYS the last guy down on defense. Tonight, Z-Bo, who was guarding him on most possessions, beat him down the floor every time, and got several easy buckets off of it.
Now, most of the list isnt really that important, since court position matters a lot, but Griffin being down late every time is not a good sign. It shows laziness, and a bad work ethic. He is probably one of the fastest and most fit guys on the team, and going the other way, is the FIRST down the floor. It seems like he is not willing to run down to help out his teammates, which also lets them and the team as a whole down. Kids are always told to run back down and hustle, and Blake violates this by his laziness/unwillingness to run.
On a totally different subject, I would like everyone to quiet down a bit on the Bledsoe hype. He will probably be a good point guard in the future, maybe even an all star, but his stats in the past few games are hugely inflated. Scoring 19 points in the 4th against a terrible Wizards team down by 20 with no good defenders doesnt say much about his skill, just their terrible defense. His 11 points in the 4th against the Grizzlies is much the same: the Clippers were out, the Grizzlies werent up to playing much D since they were up 25, and so Bledsoe scores.
This is certainly not to detract from Bledsoe's game, as like I said, I think he has immense talent. However, right now he reminds me of someone that I love to hate: Ramon Sessions. Of course, Bledsoe will end up being much better than Ramon, but they are very similar players. They love to drive, have not so good court vision, dont make the best decisions quite often, and dont have outside jumpers.
The reason this is bad is that despite Ramon's hype as an up and comer, MANY of his points and assists came in garbage time, and now that Mo has left the Cavs, he is sucking up terrible. Despite the fact that he had 18 points and 6 assists a game for the Bucks a couple years ago, they didnt resign him, because he is the ULTIMATE garbage time player.
I hope that Bledsoe becomes a great player, but I just want everyone to calm down a bit about him. I think the far more important matter is Blake running back up the floor on defense, and supporting his teammates.
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Blake has done this all year. I don’t know why people haven’t noticed it before. It’s my biggest complaint with him. That and his selfishness on offense when it comes to trying to draw fouls all the time. Reminds me of Corey Maggette in that regard. He’s obviously not as selfish as Maggette was but it’s along the same lines. I love Blake but I don’t know if he’s ever going to be as great as we thought he could be. He does have some major flaws. He plays hard but he doesn’t hustle. I hope that makes sense. He’s lucky I’m not the coach of that team. I’d have benched him the first moment I saw him lazily run back upcourt after complaining about not getting a call or sulking his head when something goes wrong.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
I think Blake misses EJ
"i know huh........freakin clippers man.....its like a wild ride rooting for this team....gotta love em....(sometimes) lol" In GrIfFin We TrUsT
With no disrespect, I really can't respect the opinion of someone who's username is "New Cavs Fan," and has the Laker logo as their avatar.
"The perception here in Los Angeles has always been that the Lakers find a way to win games and the Clippers find a way to lose…I recognize it, but I'm not going to accept it," Griffin said. "I'm not going to say, 'Oh, that's fine."
by TheEricGordonShow on Mar 14, 2011 11:39 PM PDT reply actions
+1
Change the handle and avatar or STFU
Proudly enduring the pain since the days of Bill Walton's foot.
Right about Blake, wrong about Bled IMO
Having a Laker logo doesn’t automatically invalidate his opinion, and I fn HATE the Lakers and Laker fans. One of the major reasons I hate the Lakers fan base is because they always absolve Kobe of any responsibility when they lose, no matter how poorly he plays. I’ll be damned if I let Blake off the hook so easy. I’m getting sick of his whining and pouting. He wasn’t like this in the beginning, but his success seems to have made him feel entitled. F that.
Do you ever read the other teams’ game threads? There’s a resentment building among among other teams’ fan bases. And although that is natural, i don’t feel it’s for the right reasons. Maybe I’m not used to cheering for a superstar that gets superstar calls, but F it! Play hard, ALWAYS!
Get you’re head out of your ass, Blake!
I concur about Blake's attitude.
Blake’s energy lately is dwindling away. If you think back to his level of energy during the first 10 games of the season compared to his last 10, you can really tell he’s hit the wall. The last time Blake went for more than 30 was 15 games ago. Plus all his numbers dropped last month which really shows me how important EJ is to Blake Griffin’s game. EJ being out has allowed other teams to focus on stopping Blake, which is frustrating him and killing his drive. A rookie is never going to get superstar fouls (or any decent calls) in this league and Blake is picking up bad habits expecting the whistle. For the record, his pick and roll defense might be the worst in the league.
Bledsoe single-handedly saved us in that Denver game and was the ONLY player who gave a damn last night against the Grizz. His play has been consistent lately given the limited playing time he’s been getting. All he needs to do now is play like this consistently.
by ChrisPaulFTW on Mar 15, 2011 1:25 AM PDT up reply actions
"The last time Blake went for more than 30 was 15 games ago."
And the last time he went for 26 in the first half was 2 games ago.
S'nice.
"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's going down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.
by Gordon for President on Mar 15, 2011 9:35 AM PDT up reply actions
+1
Clippers fans are surely manic-depressive. a game ago (most) everybody was excited about the future of the team, and one blowout loss to a great defensive team at the end of a 5 game roadie later and the sky is falling. cut the kid some slack, he’s got a huge burden of responsibility for a 21 year old – if losing is grating on our nerves, you can imagine how rough it i for the players. it looks like he’s tired and frustrated, and you can see it in his body language with every failed post entry pass.
relax people, just the rookie wall
let’s not forget Griffin is a rookie who had an insane busy year. Even superman gets tired.
He’ll be alright. Let’s not forget he is everything we hope he’ll be and even more.
And the last man back thing could very well be a tactical decision made by the coaches.
I was thinking the same thing
Because he is the last back…on a break…hes always the first. Basically Cherry Picking.
Might be the coaches are telling him to do that though.
Proud member of Club FTR. falconPUNCH! for president!
If Bledsoe ends up as good as Ramon Sessions
I’d be pretty happy.
Help us Altered Beast you're our only hope.
Prepare to be happy
"i know huh........freakin clippers man.....its like a wild ride rooting for this team....gotta love em....(sometimes) lol" In GrIfFin We TrUsT
What's with all the hype for Ramon Sessions? I wanted him just as much as anyone last offseason as a backup
but I’m over it. He’s a decent PG.
Bledsoe is going to be wayyy better than Sessions. Already on the defensive end Bledsoe is significantly better, and his offense is improving every game right before our eyes. Once he gets his control issues down (which is a common rookie problem) he will end up being a top 7 PG.
"The perception here in Los Angeles has always been that the Lakers find a way to win games and the Clippers find a way to lose…I recognize it, but I'm not going to accept it," Griffin said. "I'm not going to say, 'Oh, that's fine."
by TheEricGordonShow on Mar 15, 2011 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions
I concur with the EJ show
Man I got them buzzin' buzzin' buzzin' buzzin, Like da-da-da-da-da-da-da -Mann
No mention of Bledsoe's explosion against DEN? The game that started this hot streak?
15 fourth quarter points, seven steals? That was against a team that was VERY much trying to win, and one that has gone 7-2 (or something similiar since) the Melo trade. Give credit where credit is due. E-Bled STILL looks like the steal of the draft.
RE: Griffin. His lack of defensive attitude is troubling (but he does everything else so well I’m willing to forgive him). But did anyone notice during the end of regulation against NJN, Blake flopped during crunch time when the Nets had the ball. Instead of getting up and getting back on D, he sat on the floor waving his arms and complaining. Thankfully NJN missed their shot (not that it mattered since we still lost). But Blake needs to stop complaining for calls, especially since he’ll be getting the SuperStar Treatment from the refs soon enough.
I feel stupid nitpicking the best thing to EVER happen to the franchise…
"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's going down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.
by Gordon for President on Mar 15, 2011 9:35 AM PDT reply actions
Blake is just tired.
As a rookie, games are nothing but spikes and dips of adrenaline. He is extremely well-trained, but the real game is more than just a cardio exercise. You aren’t working out in patterns, you are pushing yourself at 100% and stopping for a few seconds. Its hard to prepare for that, but over the years he will be able to get through a season much more effectively.
As for Bledsoe, I think his outside shot has been a pleasant surprise, and I think end his career at “ramon’s level” would be a complete and utter failure.
by indy818 on Mar 15, 2011 10:33 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
blake is probably frustrated at how our team gets abused
surprisingly he has powered through all the hard fouls this year. Maybe we can aquire an enforcer for next year to protect him a bit more so that way he doesn’t get hacked as much. Teams are targeting him because they know without gordon if they can just hack griffin its a winning strategy. Bledsoe is freakin awesome nothing but praise for him.
wine um, dine um, 69 um
by flightofthegriffin on Mar 15, 2011 3:04 PM PDT reply actions
Agree on Bledsoe
I know the EBled turnovers can be alarming, but I really think that he is going to continue to develop given his obviously strong work ethic. He never gives up regardless of what everyone else is doing. He has an incredibly bright future. I think Blake may just be getting down based on the record, length of the season, etc. I have also noticed him walking.
This were the same concerns his high school coaches had with him
He is just frustrated with the way the season is going? Can we literally ask anything else of him? Do we want him to just kill himself during this season (and possibly reinsure himself), when the season is pretty much lost! I know we shouldn’t tank the season, but I don’t see us doing it this season!
Man I got them buzzin' buzzin' buzzin' buzzin, Like da-da-da-da-da-da-da -Mann
The season is over, i don't think anybody is arguing that.
But we don’t just throw in the towel and stop competing. We have a great opportunity in these last 15 or so games to see what we are capable of next season. I dunno about everybody else, but I would love to see our starting 5 end the season on an 11-4 run and build some chemistry so we can start off next season right. We really haven’t seen the full potential of Mo, EJ, Blake and DJ when they are all on the court together.
BTW has anybody addressed the issue that Blake never steps out on screens? or just let’s players drive right passed him to the basket? His defense is awful sometimes and I’m assuming it’s because he knows he’s a rookie and they will call fouls on him. What’s the deal?
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