OFFICIAL AROUND THE NBA: JUNE 2024

Indy won one more game than NY, that's why they got to the conference finals.

 

Probably referencing, albeit unclearly, Haliburton missing some of those games.

 

I think josh is saying they won the same amount of games against boston in the playoffs

 

Wonder if George and Bron would agree to split the 6ers free agent cash for one season?

Embiid LBJ George Maxey is certainly a contender.

 

Wow I didnt realize the 6ers cap was this clear;

 

6ers could trade Paul Reed elsewhere to cut his salary.

Maxey only has a $13 million cap hold.

That would leave a ton of money under the $141 million cap... so thats ~73 million. Probably another 10 million of cap holds. So LBJ and George could get 1+1 year deals of ~34 million or something each. It would be a paycut but they could plan to get a much bigger contract the following summer.

Will be super interesting to see where Bronny gets drafted too.

 

Plus Bronny!

 

Klay unfollowed the Dubs on Instagram

 

Gut feeling he is off to the Lakers at a discount even if LBJ leaves.

 

The reporting has all been about the Magic pursuing him, although that does seem a bit weird. And besides, they won't need him once they TRADE FOR ANFERNEE

 

Those were some great times. Team him up with Tolliver and POR is back baby!

https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-draft-bust-generates-comeback-intrigue-after-four-year-absence

 

another one of Olshey's amazing off-season roster building...truly amazing

the Blazers had made it to the WC Finals and were at a crossroads. So Olshey let the WCF team fall apart and brought in Whiteside, Melo, Bazemore, Hezonja, and Tolliver. As an encore to that insanity, at the trade deadline, he actually brought back Caleb Swanigan. He did all that and was still the GM 2 and 1/2 years later....Nero fiddled

 

If would’ve been fine if Collins and Hood didn’t get hurt. Not Olshey’s fault.

 

There really was no way for Olshey to bring back the WCF team, all of Curry, Hood, Kanter were free agents. Blazers actually did the best they could to bring back the one with two way starter upside in Hood IMO, it just didn't work out.

Trading both Aminu and Harkless seemed bad to me, thought we should have kept 1.

But really that WCF roster starters were pretty flawed and just had a lot of lucky breaks to get as far as they did. Minor tweaks to that roster wouldn't have ever been a good solution.

The 2016 free agent debacle was by far the worst set of moves Olshey did, followed by the Collins draft, with the Roco/Nance picks lost being up there too (and still hitting us until 2028!)

Although I seriously question how much of these moves had Cronin engineering them with how similar the Blazers stupidity continues to this day.

 

to start with, every single one of Olshey's rosters were deeply flawed in one way or the other; 2018-19 was no exception

it is probably the case that the 2018-19 roster was going to change. Curry was going to leave no matter what because of his contract. Nurkic was injured and Whiteside was available, and we know Olshey had a real thing for Whiteside

but Olshey actually decided that not only would the combo of Melo-Bazemore-Hezjonia-Tolliver fit into the rotation, some were good as starters. That was failure with a capital F, and only the heroics of Dame (and Nurkic) in the bubble got that team into the playoffs

 

Olshey didn't have your benefit of hindsight. Bazemore was thought to be a good signing, and Melo was an uncertainty who proved valuable as a reclamation project. I don't recall Herzjonia and Tolliver being touted as much more than hopeful role players. Well, maybe Olshey overstated their potential impact, but all GMs do that.

 

I missed the Melo years, but it seems like he had no help in the middle. Did Olshey build a Frontline defense on the hope that Zach Collins broken feet would heal ??

 

His foot did heal but his shoulder decided to take another year off.

 

Aminu walked in free agency I believe.
Whiteside was actually fine as a temporary center with Nurk out - he was flipped for an expiring Harkless and Meyers so that wasn't a big cost.
Bazemore was fine too... his only cost was Even Turner. He was later flipped for Ariza who actually played very well up until Covid.

The problem with all of these guys was their contracts handed out in 2016. That locked the Blazers into a fools gold roster with bench players paid like borderline allstars. Prevented the franchise from making moves to add another starter. It really didn't matter that all of these guys were swapped, that Tolliver failed and Melo was much better (though still a poor starter).

The Blazers needed an above average two way starter to pair with DameCJ and they never got one - until ironically they traded CJ for Josh Hart.