good summary. People trying to argue that O'Neal had ample opportunity in Portland are revising reality. For whatever reason, Dunleavy never trusted O'Neal with a consistent role. Indiana did and he became a 6-time all-star there winning MIP and was named to all-NBA teams 3 times I don't believe any Blazer C has been an all-star since Duckworth (unless you count Rasheed and Aldridge as C's) all that is not to say that the Sharpe or Scoot situations mirror O'Neal's. Just that young guys don't really develop sitting on the bench
I think one could argue that JO did develop in practice. And that is why he was ready to make an impact when he arrived in Indianapolis. I was pissed when they traded him because the Blazers players were all saying how good he was. They saw it in practice.
one could argue that, but it's a debatable argument considering the actual physical maturation from 18-21 years. He could have developed from unorganized ratball too what is rather clear is that he needed a year of consistent starting play to develop into the player he became. He didn't win MIP in his first season in Indiana; it was his 2nd season the argument that Sharpe & Scoot can develop just fine behind Simons seems like an argument that would have kept Curry a backup to Monta Ellis; Jermaine a backup to Dale Davis; Aldridge a backup to Zach Randolph. Too bad the Blazers didn't keep Andre Miller and Jamal Crawford around and have Dame and Matthews as backups
He still played well in his first year in Indiana despite not winning an award. Yes, his physical maturation was part of that as he was one of the youngest players to ever come into the NBA. The difference between JO and Sharpe/Scoot was that JO barely played at all in Portland. He averaged 11 minutes a game over 4 years. Yet his teammates raved about him. They saw his development.....in practice. It was a fuck up by the Blazers getting rid of him. By comparison, Sharpe averages 30 minutes a game, and Scoot is at 26.4 . Not even close to being the same. Sure I would also like to see those numbers increase but you guys are nitpicking over about 3-5 minutes extra per game.
True moral of the story: never trade for another team's all-star PF (Otis Thorpe, Dale Davis, Shawn Kemp). (Rasheed wasn't an All-Star when we traded for him.)
Sharpe's playing time has dropped by 7 minutes in February; Scoot's has dropped by 4 minutes. Seems like it's headed in the opposite direction of what you imply before the Blazers dismiss the starting upside of Sharpe and/or Scoot, they should dismiss the upside of Billups as a coach, try another option, and find a taker for Simons. The current equation is busted
Really pulling for Shaedon to string a couple of good games together while we lose on the road in this trip. He needs confidence, which I'm hoping will motivate him on the defensive end, although I think just understanding defensive concepts might be the real problem here. I want to see him play well enough that Chauncey can't not play him more. I didn't think he was terrible on defense last night, although the minus-24 is telling me something else. Then he started to get hot offensively but his shift was over.
Im thinking both Grant and Simons are gone during offseason. Scoot and Shae will get starting positions next year if Joe and Chauncey are still here?
I like what Joe has accumulated, so I hope he and or Mike are still here. The Conductor is awful though
Here's the other thing about that happening: Without Grant, Simons and maybe Ayton, next year's Blazers should be way down in the win department. Shae's not ready for stardom yet. Scoot might be getting there, but still a ways away. The Blazers will be in the top 10 this year. If they don't get top three, I think they're still adding a prospect of value. But, as good as Flagg is, I think 2026 is the year you want to be in the top four. Dybantsa has a great shot to be even better than Flagg, and Darryn Peterson probably will be a better NBA player, too. Peterson might be a player so good that you trade Shaedon and just pair him with Scoot. Add a piece this year. If it's Flagg or Bailey or Harper, super, you're in great shape. The Blazers might be better off, though, being bad this year but being really bad next year, tanking it up and getting an even better talent to wrap up the tank ride.
Always felt that way about Drexler, to me he used about 80% of his talent level. Although Drexler was great I think he easily could have been in the running for MVP a few of those years. Sharpe has all the tools to be good and potential to be great. His pick and roll offense is great and he’s a willing passer (almost to a fault), unlike Ant who is always looking for his shot. Hoping we find a coach that is able to get the best out of him, Stotts type coach would be nice fit for Sharpe. We have great defenders around him I’m ok with one of the 5 being slightly below average defender. As he matures I’m guessing he’ll eventually become a better defender tools are there
Simons has a trade market, Grant doesn't and won't no matter who is the GM. No matter how much posters want this reality not to be true, the only thing he can be moved for is a similar dead-weight longterm contract(s). STOMP
