Game Thread 2024-25 - GAME #24 - BLAZERS @ LAKERS - DEC 8, 2024 - SUN - 6:30 PM - CHARGE - BLAZERVISION

I don't know how the Blazers even evaluate what they have playing this style of basketball. I honestly can't tell who might be here who are starters on legitimate contenders, rotation guys, trade throw-ins or JAGs.

Sharpe looks like he's regressed. I'm watching him get faked off his feet and beaten off the dribble by Rui Hachimuri like he's a rookie. He looked better as a rookie. I think if the ball didn't stick in one place so much, he'd be so much better because he'd have opportunities to drive against shifting defense and rhythm shots. What we're playing hasn't allowed him to develop. I thought he was a quality piece. I'm not sure anymore.

Camara plays good enough defense but he doesn't make open 3s consistently enough that I can say he'd be rotation guy on a good team. He's not a 3-and-D guy right now. He's just a D guy, and he fouls too much.

Scoot with 0 assists. Is that a reflection of him not being the creator he was projected to be? A reflection of a poorly-defined offensive scheme? Some combination of both?

The only guy I feel good about saying could be part of a good Blazers team is Clingan, and that's because offense is such a small part in what he offers to the overall package. He plays defense and he rebounds and he screens and does that at a level that I could see contributing to a team that could win in the playoffs.

But these other guys? I don't know, and it's not just because of their play, it's because of how we play.

 

I'd give anyone a shot at coach that has some kind of idea of keeping the ball moving and has guys moving without the ball. What we have now is the most boring, rudimentary offense in the league.

We're playing a team tonight that still plays 1980s/90s style and they look like the Warriors compared to us.

 

Not sure the Lakers want ANY of the Blazer players.

 

I don't think we have to worry about tanking successfully; we seem to be settling into a groove.

 

Laughable that Bronny even plays..

 

Yeah. The players seem to have decided we're tanking. Grant's uninspired. Ant's uninspired. No one seems to be helping Sharpe or Scoot to figure it out ... it's just like they roll the ball out there and tell them to play and they're learn by osmosis or something.

It looks like the vets just want out and that's going to be detrimental to the growth of the younger players now. But by playing like this the vets' trade value is dropping like a rock, and you can't rebuild if you get nothing for them.

The Blazers need to thread a needle here, because the vets right now have negative value here and diminishing value in trades.

 

Bronny...smh...I knew he wouldn't play in the G-league.

 

If I'm the Lakers I happily keep Rui instead of Grant, he's much younger, cheaper, and better.

The fans here that said Cronin needed to hold our for TWO first round picks to trade away Grant were nuts. I'm pretty concerned that not only will we struggle to get one pick, but we'll be stuck with his 160 million contract for all of those years.

 

Why Cronin re-signed him is beyond me. Just one asinine move after another. Cronin is a bust too.

 

I actually enjoyed the Utah beat down more than this game. That Utah game was so shocking and embarrassing it was almost compelling just to watch the chaos.

Outside the Scoot half court bank shot this was just a dreadful game to watch. I tuned out big chunks of it and expect I'll watch less of the next games.

At some point I wonder if the Blazers and Chauncey will just agree to part ways. I'd think Jody is too cheap to fire him so she'll want him to agree to a buyout and return some money. But there just doesn't seem to be a point to keep Billups around the rest of this season.

 

I remember some here saying the Lakers 'should' trade Russell + Hachimura + 2 first's for Grant

* Grant: 3 pts - 4reb - 1 ast on 1-12 shooting
* Rui + Russell: 51 pts - 10 reb - 16 ast on 18-30 shooting

lol...ship has sailed

 

Yeah I recall multiple posters saying Cronin should hold firm asking for two FRP because the Lakers would eventually fold to him in negotiations and give up more than one.

Lakers still have a lot of problems themselves - but it's pretty clear that Jeremi Grant is not the solution.

 

Why do we randomly have 4 days off between games? Bizarre schedule

 

Cup games

 

The tournament. Which is a really stupid concept and needs to be done away with.

 

Ah I just forgot. I like the cup. Adds some intrigue. We just suck so it seems pointless

 

To make trades?

 

Clingan might be the most important player on the team this season.

 

Literally a number of posters here care about it, so your wrong.

The ones that don't care about it treat it the same as a regular season games. I don't understand the downside. Some people are just searching for things to complain about.