Piece for a finals team? Not as a Blazer...I would be shocked if the Blazers are in the Finals anytime in the next 7-10 years. Now, we do have a few players that have the potential to be part of a Blazers playoff roster but even that is likely years away at this point.
Re-upped my season tickets yesterday when my rep called and I was in a good mood. Will regret that next season.
Two guys where I think the Blazers made great moves acquiring them for very little: Camara and Banton. Both are going to be keepers in my book. Two guys that I think have All-Star potential but are going to need 2-3 years to get there: Scoot and Sharpe. Scoot’s game will open up dramatically if he can improve his outside shot this summer. Sharpe just needs to stay healthy and get PT. Two guys I think stick next year who will be largely unpopular with this board: Ant and Ayton. They both have deficiencies in their games, but also have talents the team needs. Two guys I think will be gone next year: the Boston duo - Williams and Brogdon. Both are likely to be coveted by other GMs on contenders and can bring back other picks and/or players. Two things I believe that will piss off many around here: Cronin will make moves to acquire young vets via trade, possibly using first round picks plus players, and has no intention of the Blazers being a lottery team next year; and Chauncey is going to stick as coach for at least a couple more seasons.
Blazers use a distinct tank battle formation. This is year 3 of resting starters to lose games. It's the best incentive for being a high salary player in Portland. Coach Billups steps in the batting cage after ugly, bad defensive effort nights. The starters do their thang, occasionally bust out big stats, maybe win a few. Then the starters get a month or more of paid vacation. in the movie "The Replacements" the starters walked, and the team hired a silly cast of ballers to play the games. In that movie, the starters got very angry and tipped over Neo's S-10 pickup truck. Unlike that feature, the GM in Portland hands out very expensive pom poms, and the starters are overjoyed with excitment rooting for their temporary replacements.
Wait? Who are these players and where were they drafted that everyone right now is saying has a bunch of upside playing for the Blazers right now? Toumani Camara - pick #52 Dalano Banton - pick #46 Ryan Rupert - pick # 43 Ibou Badji - undrafted Duop Reath - undrafted Kris Murray - pick #23 Jabrari Walker - pick # 57 Right now you are pinning everything on Sharpe and Scoot with the possibility of it all working with Ayton and Simons. Or possibly trading Simons for a decent player which they had that option anyway. There is not a player there they could not have had while keeping Lillard except maybe Scoot. Going after a tank job again this year was a waste of time. The 5-7th pick will not be a difference maker. Lillard Grant Matisse Simons Brogdon Ayton Sharpe Walker Camarta Reath While Developing Scoot Murray Banton Rupert Badgi They still would have been able to get the Warriors pick. Second round picks can be bought.
For God's sake find a second example. I almost suspect that the reason we haven't fired Chauncey is so we can point to him as a sign of hope for Scoot's future.
Coming from someone who does not like to blow things up because of the uncertainty of the draft year to year........this whole dooms day thread is both pathetic and laughable at the same time. Things in the NBA can change in a hurry.
Nate Duncan and Danny Larue ranked their top young cores in the nba (age 25 or under), they had Portland as a middle of the pack young core:
I haven't cared much about the season in a while... I, too, was pretty optimistic. Even though I didn't care for the Boston deal (at least as far as I can recall... I know I liked the first part of the trade and still am fine that we traded Lillard), was not a big Ayton guy, and I thought bringing Grant and Thybulle back was ridiculous, I thought we'd be "meh" rather than "blah" this year because the team had invested so much in veterans, rather than doing a full teardown. But there's been so much "blah" and "blech" this year that it's hard to care. We don't have enough young talent to justify being this bad. We should be accumulating former first rounders, in my opinion, who were drafted for upside but didn't have a chance to show it at their previous stops. Camara and Banton, who have both showed some promise and are still young, are like that approach, but watered down and it's just hard for me to get excited about their upside in the long run. Cronin continues to be a disaster at GM, and I gotta think that at almost every franchise in the NBA both he and Billups would be dead men walking in their jobs, but with Portland there doesn't appear to be any heat on them at all.
Weird considering who is on our list of players that Tou isn't on there. We could have a much better young core if we draft well and if we turn Jerami and Malcolm into players in that window between Scoot and Deandre.
what you're describing is an SF=PP team...straddle fences=perpetual play-in. if Cronin has no intention of Portland being a lottery team next season, he's dumb as a fucking rock
Interesting how a few on here looked at this roster in October and chose to be optimistic. Maybe that's why I'm not that bent about how things are going....kinda saw it coming.
Kings fans said that for almost 2 decades. At 70 I don't know if I have 2 decades to be that patient. I think the draft, fantasy projections are for young folks who follow college ball and still like it more than the NBA game. The lottery becomes the Oscar award show for college players. I honestly believe playoff experience is how you become a contender for young players and coaches...it's a shame our young talent has never sniffed the playoffs other than Banton. That's a school all of its own. Same for the coaching staff. Every possession counts in the playoffs.
I question any rating system that puts Washington ahead for any reason. These guys sound like closet Wizards fans
