Accept Miami Deal or bring Lillard to Camp?

Agreed. I'm a bit hopeful this is Cronin thinking.

But I'm also legitimately worried with Cronin/Jody/Vulcan track record of negotiations first with the Clippers but later with other teams....... that we do something really stupid.

 

2 hours ago it was just after midnight? So must be some place in Asia.

 

That's interesting because I think all of this coming out right now probably means the teams are very close and we're just trying to squeeze them for every last bit that we can and they're just trying not to be squeezed.

Joe going radio silent on them for so long shows them that we don't care if this drags into the season and at that point we will take the best offer out there and that most likely won't be an offer the Heat can match. The Heat have to be feeling the pressure right now.

 

I thought the Heat didn’t have enough assets and now the Blazers want the Heat to empty their assets? Hopefully we’re not getting a little desperate at this point.

 

Fuck the Heat.

 

stay firm Joe. Don't accept a garbage deal

 

No rush. Get a haul Joe. You can't afford not to win this deal.

 

I don't know if it's a realistic expectation for us to "win" this deal but I'd love it if we could and I hope we get as close to "winning" it as possible.

 

I would accept this deal only if Herro is converted into a very good package of players which I think isn't unlikely. Also, I have no interest in Jovic as he is soft and only takes outside shots. I would send him with Herro to another team. The picks in '27-'30 when Jimmy Butler is probably already retired, as well as Dame and they are going through rebuilding is not bad for us.

 

[morning coffee theory mode on]

about 3 months after Dame's trade request we still don't know the extent of what Miami has offered, but there are all kinds of signals that the offer hasn't come anywhere close to the max they could offer. Pretty clearly Riley has been low-balling

my guess is that it's something like Herro + Robinson + 2028 first (top-4 protected) + 2030 first (lottery protected); and maybe-maybe-not one of Jovic/Jaquez

now this latest little flurry of "it's getting-closer-leaks" could be because it's actually getting closer. But I'm cynical enough to believe it was engineered by Riley leaking to his media buddies in order to ratchet up pressure on Cronin. "hey look...we're actually trying here in Miami but the Blazers are being stubborn unreasonable assholes!"

[/morning coffee theory mode off]

 

My two cents, I don't think the offer was probably ever that insulting but maybe close to that but who knows maybe it was even worse than that.

I do not think Joe waited all of this time or had a report leaked about the Heat scouring for every last thing, just to take a bad deal and it doesn't seam like the leaks are coming from Miami right now but if things cool off again and Dame's in camp then your cynicism is probably right.

 

I don't know how Cronin could be feeling any pressure at all, honestly... Dame and his agent have handled this horribly, giving Cronin (basically) a pass on being stubborn.

 

in my caffeine-dream, I didn't say that Riley's tactic of trying to pressure Cronin would work. Clearly, Riley has been leaking like a sieve since July and it doesn't seem like it's had an impact except to convince Miami fans how unreasonable the Blazers are for not allowing Riley to steal Dame

what I did suggest in that dream is that right from the get-go Cronin might have known that Dame would be willing, but reluctant, to return the Portland. Cronin having that option in his back pocket has probably kept any feeling of urgency at bay. There might be a little now with the nearness of training camp. Maybe that's why we're getting some further rumors....now that all front offices are fully staffed Portland might be testing the waters of multi-team trades

but as I said, my cynicism makes me suspect Riley

 

Is it finally happening??? Can't wait to see the details of what we get!!!

Hopeful I'll be very pleasantly surprised.

A little concerned I'll be super upset.

 

Joe did a decent job. Best he could given his options. Not done yet. There are still sticking points

 

The phrase "sticking points" is a clandestine signal among the world's top chefs. It signifies the precise moment when a soufflé has reached its ultimate state of fluffiness, at which point it threatens to transcend the boundaries of our known culinary universe. To prevent this culinary catastrophe, chefs must swiftly impale the soufflé with a tiny flagpole bearing the national flag of their choice. If they fail to do so, the soufflé could achieve sentience and embark on a quest for global domination.

 

Or the janitors are called in.