Every season since 1997 he's averaged a minimum of 36.0 minutes per game and only missed 7 total games.
Yet Maurice Cheeks, in all his greatness, has relegated Abdur-Rahim to the bench -- a career 20/10 guy! -- in place of Darius Miles, who has been nothing but a talent cocktease his entire time in the NBA.
And when he is in the game, he's a 3rd or sometimes 4th offensive option.
I hope Maurice Cheeks bails for Philly, as Abdur-Rahim's talents are being completely wasted in Portland.
B.A.
03-28-04, 03:00 AM
This has been driving me nuts, too. And it is not just because he is on my fantasy team. He has been one of the most consistent forwards in the game for years and he is on the depth chart behind one of the most over-rated morons in the league who "tons of potential and athletic talent." :rolleyes:
devilshalo
03-28-04, 12:27 PM
Yes.. I dropped Miles once the Blazers acquired Abdur-Rahim, but oddly enough, Miles is still starting? WTF? Cheeks needs to go. The Blazers have what could be considered a great frontline with Randolph, Abdur-Rahim, and Ratliff. And with Stoudamire and Anderson as the backcourt, these guys should be able to catch Houston for the 7th spot in the playoffs right now. :confused:
And I'd like to see Miles go back to the Clippers. He plays better when with his buddy Q.
Jeremy517
03-28-04, 06:20 PM
Cheeks is more interested in being the players' friend rather than the players' coach.
And you can still count the number of plays in the Blazers' playbook on one hand.
He seems like a great guy, but he's a bad coach. Philly, please come take him. He'd probably fit in perfectly in Philly. He could be Iverson's buddy, and the lack of set plays would let Iverson improvise all he wants.
El Scorcho
03-29-04, 04:11 PM
Agreed. I really hope Philly takes him off Portland's hands.
He is a great guy, and I actually think his act of bailing out that girl singing the national anthem actually bought him some more time in Portland. But still, having a perennial 20/10 threat ride the pine half the game is absolutely absurd, especially when that guy is just the kind of guy you want to turn the franchise around when it comes to winning the fans back. He's an absolute class-act but instead he rides the pine behind Darius Miles, who for all intents and purposes, is just another overpriced street baller who can jump high.
cdollaz
03-29-04, 04:34 PM
Not to defend Cheeks, but Rahim has been one of those guys that puts up good looking numbers, but has never done anything to make his team a winner. Someone has to score the points on a bad team.
El Scorcho
03-29-04, 04:50 PM
Anybody who can consistently drop 20/10 for 6+ seasons in the NBA -- no matter how bad the team he plays on is -- deserves to start over Darius Miles. That's a no-brainer.
You can't blame one player on failing to bring his team to the playoffs. Look at the absolute garbage talent that was assembled around him in Atlanta and Vancouver.
LurkerDan
03-29-04, 06:05 PM
not to defend Cheeks, but I have always heard that Rahim couldn't guard a 3 to save his life...
El Scorcho
03-29-04, 06:12 PM
Neither can anyone else on the Blazers, so he's a perfect fit.
tofu
03-30-04, 12:09 PM
It doesn't seem like Portland is really intent on keeping Shareef around even though he is a quality guy to have on your team. So to me, there doesn't seem to be much point in playing him all that much if you know he's not going to be around later.
El Scorcho
03-30-04, 12:15 PM
Yeah, he's a little too much of a nice guy for Portland.
B.A.
03-30-04, 01:00 PM
I finally dropped him from my fantasy team the other day. He had been a fantasy stalwart for me for almost two seasons until he was traded to Portland.
MJKTool
03-30-04, 01:31 PM
I thought Shaq was the biggest idiot in the NBA Scorch? -wink-
Tsar Chasm
03-30-04, 02:35 PM
Pardon my ignorance...
Portland, Maine or Portland, Oregon?
Oregon doesn't have any professional sports that I know of.
Canadian Bacon
03-30-04, 03:07 PM
Originally posted by Tsar Chasm
Pardon my ignorance...
Portland, Maine or Portland, Oregon?
Oregon doesn't have any professional sports that I know of. Oregon, has the Jailballzers ahem I mean Trailblazers
LurkerDan
03-30-04, 03:30 PM
Originally posted by Canadian Bacon
Oregon, has the Jailballzers ahem I mean Trailblazers He knows, he's making a joke. Look up his location on airport codes. ;)
Da Thrilla
03-30-04, 03:39 PM
But he is still a pretty good guy...helping that girl sing the national anthem in all. :lol:
fumanstan
03-30-04, 06:09 PM
Originally posted by LurkerDan
not to defend Cheeks, but I have always heard that Rahim couldn't guard a 3 to save his life...
That's exactly what i read in the Sporting News. Miles matches up far better then Rahim against small forwards. Here's the quote:
"After 2 1/2 years of handling PF Rasheed Wallace, Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks has been jolted by the attitude and selflessness of new PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim. When the Blazers acquired Abdur-Rahim in Feb, Cheeks recognized that playing him out of position at small forward would create a defensive liability and would rob Portland of using a wing player who could run the floor well. And Cheeks certainly cound not bench budding franchise player Zach Randolph. Abdur-Rahim has accepted a role off the bench and has excelled, averaging 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 26.3 minutes. The arrangement is not permanent, though- the Blazers will attempt to find a new home for Abdur-Rahim this summer."
Personally, as much as i love Rahim as a player, i think Cheeks is right.
El Scorcho
03-30-04, 06:13 PM
Good, as long as they're planning to shop him. This isn't a guy who should be on any team's bench.
Still, with Portland's offense sucking major ass, I'd rather have the defensive liability than the lack of offense. Don't know if anybody has noticed but Darius Miles isn't exactly an offensive powerhouse (or a defensive powerhouse for that matter).
B.A.
03-30-04, 06:28 PM
Originally posted by El Scorcho
Still, with Portland's offense sucking major ass, I'd rather have the defensive liability than the lack of offense. Don't know if anybody has noticed but Darius Miles isn't exactly an offensive powerhouse (or a defensive powerhouse for that matter). But East Side's finest can dunk! Seriously - what else do you need?
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