Game # 10 Raps at Blazers Monday January 11th 10pm on Sportsnet

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Is Nurse trying on purpose 2 loose games...really..Len in the starting 5..wow..ok..from Ibaka and Gasol...2 wash up lottery pick..who should not be in the league..

[golden]

They’re going to keep putting Len in PnR. Teams know he’s the worst defender in the league for that play.

[bertarapsfan]

TD and Bouch both had breakout performances last year in Portland.
Calling a repeat showing from both

[GOLDBLUM]

I agree. It's a natural thing to see who the opponent is and try to match up to them, but I also wonder why it's always us trying to matchup to them and never them to us. It's either "Oh they have a mobile C, we can't have our lumbering C out there, he'll get burned" or "Oh they have a big lumering C, we can't have our more nimble/mobile C out there, he'll get burned".

I'd say start and play boucher the most minutes at 5 . He's our best C. Let Portland figure him out.

I don't think teams are looking at our roster at center and worrying about game planning for it in any way whatsoever... no matter who starts. Hence, we have to be the ones to match up or choose not to. Looks like Nick's going with Len.

[golden]

I agree. It's a natural thing to see who the opponent is and try to match up to them, but I also wonder why it's always us trying to matchup to them and never them to us. It's either "Oh they have a mobile C, we can't have our lumbering C out there, he'll get burned" or "Oh they have a big lumering C, we can't have our more nimble/mobile C out there, he'll get burned".

I'd say start and play boucher the most minutes at 5 . He's our best C. Let Portland figure him out.

Boucher picking up 4 fouls in the 1st quarter is the argument against starting him.

[inthepaint]

I agree that we should expect that but I'm not sure it's the right call. Boucher has arguably been their fourth best player all season and I don't think you sit him cause there are big guys out there. Baynes has been completely useless and Len hasn't been much better, so it's not like you're losing anything. Throw Boucher to the wolves!

I agree. It's a natural thing to see who the opponent is and try to match up to them, but I also wonder why it's always us trying to matchup to them and never them to us. It's either "Oh they have a mobile C, we can't have our lumbering C out there, he'll get burned" or "Oh they have a big lumering C, we can't have our more nimble/mobile C out there, he'll get burned".

I'd say start and play boucher the most minutes at 5 . He's our best C. Let Portland figure him out.

[bertarapsfan]

Gotta win to keep pace with the wizards...

[slaw]

Nurkic and Kanter... bigger, lumbering C's tonight... we should probably expect to see more Baynes/Len and less Boucher... though we'll see

I agree that we should expect that but I'm not sure it's the right call. Boucher has arguably been their fourth best player all season and I don't think you sit him cause there are big guys out there. Baynes has been completely useless and Len hasn't been much better, so it's not like you're losing anything. Throw Boucher to the wolves!

[GOLDBLUM]

Nurkic and Kanter... bigger, lumbering C's tonight... we should probably expect to see more Baynes/Len and less Boucher... though we'll see

[inthepaint]

Wonder if we start Boucher.

It's his birthday today. Man is gonna swat'em away on one end and clean the glass on the other tonight

[Rudy Bargnani]

Wonder if we start Boucher.

[Gonzz]

The good claw steps up. Win incoming.

[planetmars]

JClaw thread! Perfect! Just what we need during these dark times. Let's go!

[Jclaw]

I'm not sure if I'm more the depth problem than the bigs problem
7 hours to gametime
(in what may be a bad omen, I kid you not, i first hit the "d" key instead of the "g" in that last word)

Well, to paraphrase Dame Dolla

It's time for a game thread

A inch or two shorter and we'd be celebrating an epic comeback win over the Warriors courtesy of Pascal's clutch shot
But we're not..so let's try and get going again in Portland

When we last saw these guys

The world was a little different

So...Who's the gang from Portland these days?

Right...wrong gang

You know who they are
Dame and CJ plus three rotating NBA players
This years version brings you Derek Jones, RoCo and Nurkic as the one holdover

Nick's been working in the shop with his lineup
Has gone a bit small with his starters lately.
But with Nurkic lumbering around the floor,
it might be time for..

Not sure what the team will have left in the tank
(no...you don't see what I did there...I did nothing)

But the one thing that the fourth quarter showed last night,
as if you would need a reminder,

So let's see what they can do
Maybe....