Fuzzy Logic

Kevin - I wish I had a good explanation for you, but I don't.

First, let me just say that I am happy that I'm not the only one who is dumbfounded by the recent replacement of Webster by Jarrett Jack in the starting lineup. It comes as no surprise that the Blazers have completely fallen out of the playoff picture at the same time that Jack has seen an increase in playing time. Although Webster's numbers had dropped and his shooting has really suffered as of late, we were still winning. At the very least, we were staying competitive.

These things are pretty simple. For example, when James Jones plays, the Blazers are 22-11. When he doesn't play, Portland is 7-14. It's safe to say that James Jones plays an important part in the success of the team, right? Last year, in the five games that Zach Randolph missed before April, when he sat out the rest of the season with a hand injury, Portland was 5-0. I thought that the Blazers were better without him, and this was proof positive. Turns out I was right.

We are not winning anymore, and we are not staying competitive. What's the reason? The loss of James Jones was a huge blow, that's for sure. But think about this: not only was Jack bumped up to the starting lineup, Roy was moved to small forward, where he hasn't played all season. When Roy and Blake split point guard duties, it usually works out great, as evidenced by the nice little 13-game winning streak Portland put together in December. Why stray from that formula? Why destroy Webster's confidence by demoting him? Why bring Jack back into the mix when he was essentially absent from our successes earlier in the season?

Moreover, why not use Outlaw as a small forward? If a change was necessary, why not just start Outlaw and bring Webster off the bench? Then Roy and Blake wouldn't have to play different positions and Jack would have less opportunities to dribble the ball off his feet or find new ways to come up short on 4-on-1 fast breaks. Those types of things don't show up in the box score: "missed opportunities", "unforced turnovers", and "momentum-killing bad shots". Mike Rice told us the other day that, per minute, Jarrett Jack leads the league in fourth quarter turnovers. That's right - he leads the league. If the franchise wants to increase his trade value, it might be a good idea to keep him off the basketball court.

TJH