# Who will be the scapegoat this year?



## KingSpeed (Oct 30, 2003)

There's always a portion of Blazer fans who pick a player and hate on him all season. They cry for a better player, get one, and then ultimately hate on that guy in favor of another new guy. Remember when everyone LOVED Bonzi Wells in his first two years? Remember when everyone LOVED Zach when he went into the starting lineup during the 03 playoffs?

Eventually, the hating sits in. Two seasons ago, it was Zach. Last season, it was Jack. Who will the haters hate this season?


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## Mr. Chuck Taylor (Aug 2, 2004)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Both Bonzi and Zach used to rely on hustle and taking it to the rim. Then they started getting lazy. I'll "hate" on whoever gets lazy. Now, Jack wasn't lazy, he just wasn't that good...but I can't hate him for that.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

McMillan, as always, though for the most part I fail to see why.

As for players, I'd guess pretty much anyone but Roy or Oden -- even guys like Aldridge and Przybilla aren't necessarily safe from this crew!


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## drinking_rogue (May 4, 2008)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Webster would be my guess, providing he doesn't continue to improve and, of course, Sergio. Seriously, though. This team is stacked and I'd be hard pressed to imagine anyone being _really_ hated. Especially considering all the rookies coming in should at least get a pass on their first year.


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## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

This is a pretty depressing thread topic


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## Sonny-Canzano (Oct 20, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

*Martell Webster*


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## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

The Martell hate has begun early, but Sergio is beginning to pick up steam.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Bayless.

He isn't a "pure" PG you know....he touches himself at night! :shocked:


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Hmm, so many to choose from. But someone has to be the scapegoat. 

barfo


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

The Lakers


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## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



NateBishop3 said:


>


What is there to hate about "The Big Expiring"?

For my money I think the haters are going to pile on Webster if he starts getting the yips, or doesn't bring his FG% up.

Crissakes we're a bored bunch.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Whoever disappoints. If multiple players disappoint, whoever has disappointed longer.

Magic 8-ball sez: All signs point to Martell Webster.


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## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Sergio and Webster, obviously. 

Rudy is game, if he doesn't show consistency. Somebody may even argue that Ike the bruiser should play ahead of "softy" Frye or even "LaMarshmallow." Anything is possible, LOL. 

I could see a lot of debates involving Bayless and playing time: Bayless v. Blake; Bayless v. Rudy; Bayless v. Sergio; Bayless makes Roy expendable; etc. 

Personally, I love our personnel. The only way I could see myself turning on one of our players is if Nate plays someone who I, in my infinite wisdom, don't think deserves it. :biggrin:


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## maxiep (May 7, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Sergio Rodriguez, especially if we don't sign Koponen, who is the new flavor of the month. I hate the fact there always has to be a scapegoat on this team, but that's the way this fanbase rolls.


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Greg Oden. He won't meet people's ridiculous expectations.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



maxiep said:


> but that's the way this fanbase rolls.


That's the way all fanbases roll, yo. And I don't like it either. Reasoned criticism is great, but irrational griping that borders on superstition ("Old Fred's cow stopped giving milk...goddamn that Jarret Jack!") gets a bit much.


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## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



nikolokolus said:


> What is there to hate about "The Big Expiring"?
> 
> For my money I think the haters are going to pile on Webster if he starts getting the yips, or doesn't bring his FG% up.
> 
> Crissakes we're a bored bunch.


That's the joke.


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## whatsmyname (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

bayless, you may love him now but i have a feeling he won't be as productive with minimal minutes/touches


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

I think whomever the goat turns out to be, he's gotta be someone who's getting some PT. Thus, I'm thinking Rodriguez is unlikely.

With that, consider that, last season, McMillan went primarily with a three guard rotation of Blake, Jack, and Roy. This year he's already planning on a four guard rotation of Blake, Fernandez, Bayless, and Roy. He's also on record as saying he wants to tighten the rotation. If Rodriguez is going to see _anything_ beyond garbage time minutes, that shot's gotta be a lot stronger.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



whatsmyname said:


> bayless, you may love him now but i have a feeling he won't be as productive with minimal minutes/touches


While he's certainly in the running for getting crowned the goat, I actually feel he may become _more_ effective with fewer minutes and touches. Right now teams are absolutely focused on stopping him. He was getting M.V.P. run from the first two games, and he's arguably just had his best game in game three.

Admittedly he's going to be up against better defenders, but he's so explosive and most of the time he'll be a third or fourth option when he's on the floor that I think he'll be fine, particularly as his shot gets more solid.


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## MrJayremmie (Dec 29, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Webster, Sergio and Nate.

Possibly - Rudy, Bayless depending how they do.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

As a noted hater, I haven't seen anyone on the roster that deserves the hate yet. My initial thoughts would be Joel, Blake, Webster and Nate will get most of it. Bayless is doing so well in summer league that if Blake struggles people will want to see more of Bayless. Joel can't play a lick of offense, so he will be amn easy target because of how well Channing played late last year. If Webster misses a few wide open 3's, expcet people to scream for Rudy at the 3. And Nate goes without saying. If this team doesn't run a bit more, and we still see some screwy substitution patterns he will get killed in chat rooms and in the media

I'd also like to point out that the last two players I "hated" were both traded. There might just be meaning behind my madness


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## blue32 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

Webs will get hated on by the majority of yous on here, which sucks, b/c he is good. But we must get veteran awesomes at every pozish, so we need like battier, williams, cp3, wade, and some others to round out our blazer roster before we stop seeing the negative stuff on the blazer guys.

w00t, go blazers, and go board!


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## someone (Jul 17, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

who they seem to hate every season....

every non blazers fan on BBF


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



liekomgj4ck said:


> who they seem to hate every season....
> 
> every non blazers fan on BBF



Just the ones that make ignorant comments like Greg Odenwon't be a rookie this season because he was drfated in 07'


I mean people who say stuff like that are just uninformed at best.


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## someone (Jul 17, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



mediocre man said:


> Just the ones that make ignorant comments like Greg Odenwon't be a rookie this season because he was drfated in 07'
> 
> 
> I mean people who say stuff like that are just uninformed at best.


ok you got me there. High five.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



liekomgj4ck said:


> ok you got me there. High five.




I forgot to add the wink, so I'm glad you knew I was joking.


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

the obvious ones are my sergio and and martell. but i'm going to go with steve blake.


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## someone (Jul 17, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



mediocre man said:


> I forgot to add the wink, so I'm glad you knew I was joking.


Flew right past me :biggrin:


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## blazermaniaisback (Jun 7, 2007)

i think its going to be Nate... everyone on here has such high expectations for this team and with our young talent. Some will scream for NM to be gone if he can't figure out a way to get them to win 50 games. 

We will be seeing the weekly thread of "Is Nate the guy to have in charge to win a championship?"


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

The coach is in charge and is always to blame for anything negative that becomes an issue.


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## blazermaniaisback (Jun 7, 2007)

MARIS61 said:


> The coach is in charge and is always to blame for anything negative that becomes an issue.


Very true... I'm not saying he shouldn't be the scapegoat for team problems. People in charge every where get fired for their team not preforming up to the level the higher ups think they should be. This is in everything from sales to sports franchises. He might be the head office's scapegoat in a few years if we don't go deep. I just think the fans on the board are going to bring it up early.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*

There will always be about 10-25% of the fan base who think the coach is an idiot, so Nate will be first. I get a kick out of that because about 25+ teams in the league would trade their coach for Nate if they could, but the know-it-all, arm-chair quarterbacks will always be around.

Unless Sergio gets in the rotation, my lead candidate (in order) are Blake and Webster. 

The real question in this thread should be; why do people feel the need to look for flaws in same person game after the game? Why can't we just put the blame on the person who deserves it for that specific game? Or, is it possible that a team just outplayed us (like we did against the Lakers last year)?


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## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

Yeah, I forgot about Blake. If Rudy and Bayless play well in limited minutes and Nate still plays Blake more, Blake is going to get ridiculed.


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## timmay (Jan 14, 2008)

B-Roy said:


> Yeah, I forgot about Blake. If Rudy and Bayless play well in limited minutes and Nate still plays Blake more, Blake is going to get ridiculed.


Some would argue that's why Nate's on their badlist (he did that with Jack last year too).

If we have another season where a player is the scapegoat because he plays more minutes than a guy who is (at least perceived by fans to be) a better player, then it creates two scapegoats: The player, and the coach who's not addressing it properly (either by explanations or substitution patters)

-Tim


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



mediocre man said:


> As a noted hater, I haven't seen anyone on the roster that deserves the hate yet. My initial thoughts would be Joel, Blake, Webster and Nate will get most of it. Bayless is doing so well in summer league that if Blake struggles people will want to see more of Bayless. Joel can't play a lick of offense, so he will be amn easy target because of how well Channing played late last year. If Webster misses a few wide open 3's, expcet people to scream for Rudy at the 3. And Nate goes without saying. If this team doesn't run a bit more, and we still see some screwy substitution patterns he will get killed in chat rooms and in the media
> 
> I'd also like to point out that the last two players I "hated" were both traded. There might just be meaning behind my madness


I prefer to think of it as madness behind your meaness. :biggrin:


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## LittleAlex (Feb 14, 2008)

Greg Oden. The expectations for him are WAY too high. Even though he will come close to averaging a double-double and be a game changer on the defensive end, I am guessing a large chunk of people will look at the box score and gripe that he isn't a 20-10 player.

Not that I think this in any way. My personal scape goat will be Steve Blake for stealing minutes from Rudy and Bayless.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

I pick no one, because the team is going to be kicking butt.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

MARIS61 said:


> The coach is in charge and is always to blame for anything negative that becomes an issue.


If the coach is to blame for anything negative, they should be giving all the credit for anything positive, correct?


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Tince said:


> If the coach is to blame for anything negative, they should be giving all the credit for anything positive, correct?


That's not how it works.

Good results simply mean the coach is doing what he's paid for.

Any coach who takes credit for the team's success is an egomaniac and doesn't understand the job description.

Deferring all credit for success to the players is a big part of being a coach and will only multiply your chances for continued success.


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## furball (Jul 25, 2004)

Nate loves Blake, but he is what he is. 8 ppg 4 ast 1 to. That is all he will ever be. Which is okay, but not for a starting point. I just know that fans are going to be harping on Nate to bench Blake and either start Bayless or move Roy to the point and start Rudy.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

MARIS61 said:


> That's not how it works.
> 
> Good results simply mean the coach is doing what he's paid for.
> 
> ...


Who said anything about Nate taking credit? The thread is about who will people on this board blame. I'm saying if YOU blame someone for not putting a good product on the floor, shouldn't YOU turn around and give equal praise when they do put a good product on the floor? 

Every person in the organization is a professional and is getting paid to succeed. 

You speak of a coaches job description, but I'm curious to what you think that looks like? Could you define your job description for a coach? Could you define what you think the job description for the Portland Trailblazers head coaching job looks like? You throw it out there like you've read it or you have a good idea of what it looks like, so I'd be interested in getting you perspective.


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## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



Dan said:


> The Lakers


That is true. The Lakers will be the Blazers demise. So hate with good reason eace:


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

duckworthstolemylunch said:


> Very true... I'm not saying he shouldn't be the scapegoat for team problems. People in charge every where get fired for their team not preforming up to the level the higher ups think they should be. This is in everything from sales to sports franchises.


Does this apply to politics too? :biggrin:


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



DaRizzle said:


> That is true. The Lakers will be the Blazers demise. So hate with good reason eace:


you misspelled "opponent that they kick the living **** out on the way to the title".


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## #10 (Jul 23, 2004)

LittleAlex said:


> Not that I think this in any way. My personal scape goat will be Steve Blake for stealing minutes from Rudy and Bayless.


Good call, scapegoats typically have to either suck spectacularly or take minutes away from younger players. When he's not shooting well, Blake has the chance to do both.


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## someone (Jul 17, 2007)

let's keep this adult


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## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



Dan said:


> you misspelled "opponent that they kick the living **** out on the way to the title".


My bad...The Blazers are the opponent that they kick the living **** out on the way to the title

My apologies


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

*Re: Who will the haters hate this year?*



DaRizzle said:


> My bad...The Blazers are the opponent that they kick the living **** out on the way to the title
> 
> My apologies


you got the order wrong again..you getting enough air?


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## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

Oh my post is quite accurate thank you :biggrin:


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

DaRizzle said:


> Oh my post is quite accurate thank you :biggrin:


It was accurate if you meant "The Lakers are the team that the Blazers will be kicking the living **** out of on their way to the title".

Otherwise, you're just lying.


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## graybeard (May 10, 2003)

liekomgj4ck said:


> let's keep this adult


 Said the guy who says "lick my jock"


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## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

graybeard said:


> Said the guy who says "lick my jock"


Actually, he said something else and it was edited over...so you are right but it was for a different comment.

I cant believe lick my jock is a mod...how did this happen?


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

DaRizzle said:


> Actually, he said something else and it was edited over...so you are right but it was for a different comment.
> 
> I cant believe lick my jock is a mod...how did this happen?


He's not a mod, he thinks it's funny to have his avatar be that of the "moderator" sign.


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## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

Ah ha....i knew hell hasnt frozen over


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

I think it's going to be Nate.


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## LameR (Jan 4, 2004)

So far it looks like Webster. No one's gonna hate on Roy, LMA, Oden, Bayless, Fernandez, or Outlaw unless they have a particularly bad game. Webster is next in line in terms of guys who are going to get a good amount of playing time, and a lot of people seem to be down on him already.


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## timmay (Jan 14, 2008)

LameR said:


> So far it looks like Webster. No one's gonna hate on Roy, LMA, Oden, Bayless, Fernandez, or Outlaw unless they have a particularly bad game.


I don't think anyone would hate on the big 6 even if they have a bad game.

On the other hand, I bet that if one of those 6 has a bad start to the season, a quarter into the season there will be a "player x has peaked" thread.

I don't think people will hate on Martell, even if he doesn't improve much this year. At least, so long as he doesn't get minutes disproportionate to his play. If he plays poorly, and his minutes drop accordingly, everyone will be unhappy that he's not panning out, but will wish him best when he's traded. There will even be OT threads about how he's doing.

But if he gets 30+ minutes while playing poorly and someone else is getting low minutes, that may cause a whole different problem.

-Tim


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