Blazers sign Steve "The Closer" Blake

[buzzy]

@WojYahooNBA: Portland has reached an agreement with guard Steve Blake, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

@WojYahooNBA: Blake has agreed to the bi-annual exception with the Blazers, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

 

[elcheato]

Watch your ass, Lillard

 

[Pugz]

hes not closing no mo

 

[CameronCrazy06]

He hypothetically could close if Blake is their Mo Williams (who closed when the team went small) replacement.

 

[Mexi]

Hell close when they go small like CC said

UNLESS their rookie from last year improves
Forgot his name

 

[CameronCrazy06]

CJ McCollum. I was thinking that too but who knows.

But yeah I got your back haha

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Steve Blake isn't closing games for any playoff team. Good god.

 

[Mexi]

Mo will did

 

[CameronCrazy06]

He closed for the Lakers the past two times they made the playoffs

And no I don't think he's a great player by any means but if they're signing him to be their Mo Williams replacement, and Mo Williams closed games for them last year, why couldn't Steve Blake close some games when they have to play small? I think McCollum will improve though.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

He closed for the Lakers the past two times they made the playoffs

And no I don't think he's a great player by any means but if they're signing him to be their Mo Williams replacement, and Mo Williams closed games for them last year, why couldn't Steve Blake close some games when they have to play small? I think McCollum will improve though.

CJ McCollum is going to be their Mo Williams replacement.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

In 2010 Steve Blake played 1,581 minutes. Only played 14 crunch time minutes.

In 2011 Steve Blake played 1,237 minutes. Only played 35 crunch time minutes.

In 2012 Steve Blake played 1,175 minutes. Only played 14 crunch time minutes.

In 2013 Steve Blake played 1,498 minutes. Only played 32 crunch time minutes.

In 2007 Steve Blake played 2,424 minutes, his career high. Only played 32 crunch time minutes.

For the love of all that is god, lets please stop with this nonsense that Steve Blake will close games. He won't.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

I'm not quite sure where you got those stats from but according to 82 games he was used more in the clutch than you say

 

[jonathanlambert33]

It's clutch or crunch time minutes. If your team is down or up 15 with two minutes left and Steve Blake is in the game to relieve your starting PG, what does that matter? I have two issues with this whole argument.

First being "closing games." I just kind of touched on that, but you say 82games says he was used in the clutch more than I say. The whole term "closing games, big moments, in the clutch, crunch time" idea has really taken on a life of it's own. If you look at what is defined as in the clutch, it's the last five minutes of any game where neither team is ahead or trailing by more than five points. By using that definition, in 2012 do you know how many "clutch" minutes the Lakers played? Only 81 minutes. In a game where each team plays atleast 3,936 minutes each season, not including overtime, the Lakers only played 81 total "crunch time minutes." So if you look at it that way, in 2012 according to 82 games Steve Blake logged 21 minutes. I posted 14, and personally I would say the source of my numbers are more reliable than 82 games, but either way 14 minutes to 21 minutes is minuscule.

The second thing is this whole idea of "small ball." Let me know if you disagree with me here, because if you do it throws off my thoughts. But would you say the Blazers small ball lineup last season was the five man combination of Lillard, Williams, Matthews, Batum, and Aldridge? When I think Blazers small ball that's the one I think of. What about Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Robinson, Aldridge? I wouldn't categorize that as small ball personally, but I could see if one would. Anyway, going back to that first lineup, and reusing the 3,936 minutes from the paragraph above, do you know how many minutes that first lineup played? Only 66. The entire season, and what I would call the Blazers top "small ball lineup" only played 66 minutes. That second lineup I named with Thomas Robinson only played 37 minutes the entire season. I mean when we're talking about a team that probably played over 4,000 minutes including overtime, we're talking about a very small amount of time the Blazers "went small."

 

[elcheato]

Steve Blake has had a FG% under 40 three out of the last four years.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

It's clutch or crunch time minutes. If your team is down or up 15 with two minutes left and Steve Blake is in the game to relieve your starting PG, what does that matter? I have two issues with this whole argument.

First being "closing games." I just kind of touched on that, but you say 82games says he was used in the clutch more than I say. The whole term "closing games, big moments, in the clutch, crunch time" idea has really taken on a life of it's own. If you look at what is defined as in the clutch, it's the last five minutes of any game where neither team is ahead or trailing by more than five points. By using that definition, in 2012 do you know how many "clutch" minutes the Lakers played? Only 81 minutes. In a game where each team plays atleast 3,936 minutes each season, not including overtime, the Lakers only played 81 total "crunch time minutes." So if you look at it that way, in 2012 according to 82 games Steve Blake logged 21 minutes. I posted 14, and personally I would say the source of my numbers are more reliable than 82 games, but either way 14 minutes to 21 minutes is minuscule.

The second thing is this whole idea of "small ball." Let me know if you disagree with me here, because if you do it throws off my thoughts. But would you say the Blazers small ball lineup last season was the five man combination of Lillard, Williams, Matthews, Batum, and Aldridge? When I think Blazers small ball that's the one I think of. What about Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Robinson, Aldridge? I wouldn't categorize that as small ball personally, but I could see if one would. Anyway, going back to that first lineup, and reusing the 3,936 minutes from the paragraph above, do you know how many minutes that first lineup played? Only 66. The entire season, and what I would call the Blazers top "small ball lineup" only played 66 minutes. That second lineup I named with Thomas Robinson only played 37 minutes the entire season. I mean when we're talking about a team that probably played over 4,000 minutes including overtime, we're talking about a very small amount of time the Blazers "went small."

You're right that they wouldn't play a ton of minutes because the only time they're going to go to that lineup is in the clutch and they also could go offense/defense for Mo Williams with Dorell Wright (I'm pretty sure that's what they would do in the playoffs when the situation called for it).

I guess we may have a different definition of closing. Is Steve Blake going to be in their last five lineup every game? Of course not. But barring the matchup and how CJ develops, could we see him at the end of some games? Definitely.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

You're right that they wouldn't play a ton of minutes because the only time they're going to go to that lineup is in the clutch and they also could go offense/defense for Mo Williams with Dorell Wright (I'm pretty sure that's what they would do in the playoffs when the situation called for it).

I guess we may have a different definition of closing. Is Steve Blake going to be in their last five lineup every game? Of course not. But barring the matchup and how CJ develops, could we see him at the end of some games? Definitely.

 
You'll see him end a few games, sure.  But Greg Stiemsma closed some games last year for the Pelicans, but I wouldn't call him a closer or even make the statement that he "closes games."

 

[Thomas-Panda-Saxby]

People were serious about him closing games? I thought It was a joke

 

[Pugz]

People were serious about him closing games? I thought It was a joke

mexi was dead ass serious.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

You'll see him end a few games, sure.  But Greg Stiemsma closed some games last year for the Pelicans, but I wouldn't call him a closer or even make the statement that he "closes games."

But wasn't that just because of injury? Could be wrong

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Well that will be the only way Blake closes games. Injury, fatigue, foul trouble, etc.