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BonesJones said:
Norm and Roco were bad defensively last year too, which made things worse. Neither guarded well on or off the ball. The hope is that the two guards will defend better, Dame will defend better when healthy and not having to carry the offense and Simons will continue to improve. The team has more defensive upside, more playmaking, more depth, and more shot creation from the forward spots. They have the athleticism to potentially play how Chauncey wants on both sides. This team fits Chauncey and will play harder than last years team.

Lot of ifs but 45 to 46 wins is too low of a ceiling.
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I hope so; I guess i am always a worrier.
 
MickZagger said:
We’re devoid of depth. Our bench is very weak.
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We need one more quality big. Someone who can play both center and PF. Other than that, which position lacks depth? I think we are fine depth-wise at PG, SG, and SF.
"Very weak" might be an embellishment. It seems like it is deeper than it has been.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
We need one more quality big. Someone who can play both center and PF. Other than that, which position lacks depth? I think we are fine depth-wise at PG, SG, and SF.
"Very weak" might be an embellishment. It seems like it is deeper than it has been.
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We could certainly use a 4/5 pogo stick free safety out there.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
We need one more quality big. Someone who can play both center and PF. Other than that, which position lacks depth? I think we are fine depth-wise at PG, SG, and SF.
"Very weak" might be an embellishment. It seems like it is deeper than it has been.
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Who’s going to be the main scorer off the bench?
 
MickZagger said:
Who’s going to be the main scorer off the bench?
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It's true, they don't have that sparkplug, instant-offense player off the bench. Instead, they have a sparkplug, instant-defense player in GP2. If this team is going to be successful, defense is going to have to be their calling card. I know that's a major departure from the past decade, and we have no idea if our starting guards have the requisite skillset to make that work, but I think that's the only way we see growth.

Also, there's a slim chance that Sharpe develops into that instant offense player within the first half of the year, which would be pretty awesome.
 
Bingo Bango said:
It might have been 10 GAMES if the Blazers hadn’t invented more fake injuries. The winning streak frightened the club to death. They saw their high pick starting to slip away. It was one of the most disgraceful things this organization has ever done, and it will not pay off. The changes made in the off-season were minor, and the Blazers are still a long way from being title contenders.
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Cool. See you in a few years then.
 
Perfectly reasonable analysis, though somewhat pessimistic.
However, if this is pov, then his analysis of the Lakers should be something like...

Way past his prime star, consistently injured 2nd best big, way-past-his-prime and horrible-decision-making PG, not to mention a backup PG who creates the worst locker room.
One of the oldest starting lineups in the league. 32 wins, 42 max. Lots of question marks.

UKRAINEFAN said:
Don't know if this is posted anywhere, Zach Lowe:
There are reasons to look at this team and say OK, that’s the outline of kind of a good team. Their starting five is going to be Dame, Anfernee Simons, question mark, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic. The question mark could be Nassir Little, could be Justise Winslow, could be Josh Hart who I really like.

It’s a good solid starting five. Their bench will be Simons effectively as backup point guard, Gary Payton II. And I would do the thing where I sub Gary Payton II in quickly to play with the starters if I’m going to use Simons as my back up point guard because the more shooting and talent around him, the better he looks. Two of the Nassir Little, Josh Hart, Justise Winslow wing trio that I mentioned before and then some question marks at the big man spot. It’s an interesting team on paper.

They’re just so blah to me, I look at that lineup that I just mentioned. It’s fine, like it’s just fine. I think Jerami Grant has become a little overrated. I love all the wings I mentioned as the fifths starters. Nurkic is just OK as a starting NBA center. He’s fine.

AD
Dame and Simons, it’s like can we defend with two small guards for the 10th consecutive year in Portland? And if Nurkic isn’t a borderline elite backline defender anymore and I don’t think he is, I think he’s lost a quarter of his step or so, defensively.

Dame, Simons, Nurkic, I just don’t know how you build a good enough defense around that trio. Which is why I would bring Payton II in early in games for Simons. And the bench is like just OK. I mean who is their back up center, Drew Eubanks, Trendon Watford. Trendon Watford has one of the great floaters in the NBA, that’s cool, he’s undersized as a center. He’s not great. It’s just so blah.

When the Blazers have been good in the last 10 years, it’s mostly been because their offense is incredible. So their offense ranked 27th last year, throw it out the window, it’s a lost season, they were tanking so furiously I almost admired it in the last 20 games of the season.

In the previous few years they were second, third and third in points per possession and that lifted up a defense that in some years was awful, in some years was average and in some years was somewhere in between.

I just don’t look at that team, as brilliant as Dame is, and those numbers are a tribute to Dame because those supporting casts were not choc full of elite offensive players outside of CJ McCollum.

I just don’t see an unbelievable offense out of that personnel and I certainly don’t see a good defense. I don’t see great depth in the ability to withstand an injury to one of the best players.

I just see a blah, it’s just blah. Like I see a 500 team.

And they’re confusing I guess, because there’s enough there to intrigue you and talk yourself into, “well they could be sixth in the west, they could win 45, 46 games.” Their over-under is around 40, it’s 39.5.

And there’s also so many questions that I could see the season really slipping away from them. I think they just look kind of 500 to me and last year they tried this crazy blitzing defense with Nurkic even though that’s not how they’re built to play. They played a lot of zone and they just found absolutely nothing that worked and schematically I don’t know what Chauncey Billups’ answer is going to be this year. But it’s not how they played last year, even at full health, they can’t blitz and trap, they just gave up tons of threes and tons of shots at the rim.

I just feel kind a blah man, I feel bad because I love Dame and I like Portland, they have some of the best fans in the NBA. I just don’t know where they’re going.”

And yet I sit here and I’m like I really like what Nassir Little showed last year before his injury and he’s healthy and I think he’s going to start going full blast in camp and playing well. I think GP II is a really good fit on this team, although it’s hard for them to do the thing that the Warriors did, which is build lineups where he’s the only non shooter on the floor so he has free reign to roll to the rim. I would like to see them try Justise Winslow at center and just sort of see how that looks not that he’s a shooter, he’s also a non-shooter. Given their other options at backup center, they should at least try that.

And I think they’re going to find minutes for Sharpe, I think they’re impressed early with what they’ve seen from Sharpe I just don’t know how he fits into a standard nine-man rotation but I think they’re going to try and find minutes for him so I could talk myself into it but I don’t feel awesome.
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Bingo Bango said:
So losing games intentionally is “being competitive”? No, it’s gambling that you’re going to get somebody in the lottery who will make you a winner. And who did we get? A kid who never played a minute of college ball and is a huge question mark. The lottery is always a gamble, even when a guy has played four years of college ball, and the Blazers should know that better than anyone. Their tank job was not just disgraceful, but foolish.
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Just relax and wait to see how good Sharpe is. If he becomes a superstar, I doubt you’ll still think it was foolish. You’ll probably buy his jersey.
 
Bingo Bango said:
It might have been 10 GAMES if the Blazers hadn’t invented more fake injuries. The winning streak frightened the club to death. They saw their high pick starting to slip away. It was one of the most disgraceful things this organization has ever done, and it will not pay off. The changes made in the off-season were minor, and the Blazers are still a long way from being title contenders.
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You do realize that your last sentence contradicts everything else you have said on this topic?

You complain about "tanking"...and you also complain about the team's history of slapping bandages on sucking chest wounds. For a small market team with no cap space the only way to make major changes is to go through the pain of what you consider "disgraceful" tanking. With all due respect - pick a lane and stick to it.
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
Don't know if this is posted anywhere, Zach Lowe:
There are reasons to look at this team and say OK, that’s the outline of kind of a good team. Their starting five is going to be Dame, Anfernee Simons, question mark, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic. The question mark could be Nassir Little, could be Justise Winslow, could be Josh Hart who I really like.

It’s a good solid starting five. Their bench will be Simons effectively as backup point guard, Gary Payton II. And I would do the thing where I sub Gary Payton II in quickly to play with the starters if I’m going to use Simons as my back up point guard because the more shooting and talent around him, the better he looks. Two of the Nassir Little, Josh Hart, Justise Winslow wing trio that I mentioned before and then some question marks at the big man spot. It’s an interesting team on paper.

They’re just so blah to me, I look at that lineup that I just mentioned. It’s fine, like it’s just fine. I think Jerami Grant has become a little overrated. I love all the wings I mentioned as the fifths starters. Nurkic is just OK as a starting NBA center. He’s fine.

AD
Dame and Simons, it’s like can we defend with two small guards for the 10th consecutive year in Portland? And if Nurkic isn’t a borderline elite backline defender anymore and I don’t think he is, I think he’s lost a quarter of his step or so, defensively.

Dame, Simons, Nurkic, I just don’t know how you build a good enough defense around that trio. Which is why I would bring Payton II in early in games for Simons. And the bench is like just OK. I mean who is their back up center, Drew Eubanks, Trendon Watford. Trendon Watford has one of the great floaters in the NBA, that’s cool, he’s undersized as a center. He’s not great. It’s just so blah.

When the Blazers have been good in the last 10 years, it’s mostly been because their offense is incredible. So their offense ranked 27th last year, throw it out the window, it’s a lost season, they were tanking so furiously I almost admired it in the last 20 games of the season.

In the previous few years they were second, third and third in points per possession and that lifted up a defense that in some years was awful, in some years was average and in some years was somewhere in between.

I just don’t look at that team, as brilliant as Dame is, and those numbers are a tribute to Dame because those supporting casts were not choc full of elite offensive players outside of CJ McCollum.

I just don’t see an unbelievable offense out of that personnel and I certainly don’t see a good defense. I don’t see great depth in the ability to withstand an injury to one of the best players.

I just see a blah, it’s just blah. Like I see a 500 team.

And they’re confusing I guess, because there’s enough there to intrigue you and talk yourself into, “well they could be sixth in the west, they could win 45, 46 games.” Their over-under is around 40, it’s 39.5.

And there’s also so many questions that I could see the season really slipping away from them. I think they just look kind of 500 to me and last year they tried this crazy blitzing defense with Nurkic even though that’s not how they’re built to play. They played a lot of zone and they just found absolutely nothing that worked and schematically I don’t know what Chauncey Billups’ answer is going to be this year. But it’s not how they played last year, even at full health, they can’t blitz and trap, they just gave up tons of threes and tons of shots at the rim.

I just feel kind a blah man, I feel bad because I love Dame and I like Portland, they have some of the best fans in the NBA. I just don’t know where they’re going.”

And yet I sit here and I’m like I really like what Nassir Little showed last year before his injury and he’s healthy and I think he’s going to start going full blast in camp and playing well. I think GP II is a really good fit on this team, although it’s hard for them to do the thing that the Warriors did, which is build lineups where he’s the only non shooter on the floor so he has free reign to roll to the rim. I would like to see them try Justise Winslow at center and just sort of see how that looks not that he’s a shooter, he’s also a non-shooter. Given their other options at backup center, they should at least try that.

And I think they’re going to find minutes for Sharpe, I think they’re impressed early with what they’ve seen from Sharpe I just don’t know how he fits into a standard nine-man rotation but I think they’re going to try and find minutes for him so I could talk myself into it but I don’t feel awesome.
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Wait a sec…. Did he say 39-40 wins? Man, somebody else in here has said the same thing….. hmmm
 
Really this team is a big question mark at least at the start of the season. Majority haven't played a game together and how fast the chemistry come together between them will probably be the telling point where they finish at the end. If this team wins 45 to 46 games I will be little surprised.
 
BonesJones said:
Lot of ifs but 45 to 46 wins is too low of a ceiling.
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If they get 46 wins I'll be ecstatic.

oldmangrouch said:
A 35 win season is very much in reach.
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Probably way more reasonable but I'm hoping they can get 40.

Bingo Bango said:
The winning streak frightened the club to death.
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I got that feeling also. Yes Tanking was absolutely disgraceful.

julius said:
This screams "harrison "fucking" barnes".
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Unfortunately i agree with you here.

Pinwheel1 said:
We need one more quality big. Someone who can play both center and PF.
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Same story different year. Will fans say Chauncey just doesn't have the roster to compete or will he be fired also?
 
I see Portland as a 500 team at this point.
Just too many unknowns.
Can't count on:

Keon
Sharpe
Nurk's body
Watford
 
Fairly-Hard said:
Unfortunately i agree with you here.
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In that the people who freaked out that they didn't draft Harrison looked bad, or that Sharpe might be like Harrison ?

Not sure how you can make the comparison to Barnes, if thats what you meant.
 
Mr. Robot said:
why would you count on nurks body
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His injuries were when he was still young...it's when old guys get injured you have problems...Nurk's low mileage...you haven't seen his best yet but you might this season
 
Cugel said:
I see Portland as a 500 team at this point.
Just too many unknowns.
Can't count on:

Keon
Sharpe
Nurk's body
Watford
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Nobody's counting on Keon or Sharpe, and many aren't counting much on Watford either. Outside of "Nurk's body", it would be perfectly reasonable to expect the 9-man rotation to not involve any of the players you mentioned.

That said, I think Watford is more than capable of filling 15 mpg as a backup big.
 
1. With Dame around, CJ was a black hole who didn’t get to the rim or draw free throws, which he hit. CJ played small.
2. Having small guards on other teams doesn’t matter. And Dame is not small.
3. Guards aren’t the issue and even SF looks better.
4. The starters at PF and C aren’t the issue. Good or better starting quality. Not great.
5. If the above 1-4 are the issue for a fan, then most NBA teams are just fooling themselves and should join the GLeague.
6. Quality and real depth at back-up PF and C is an issue, IMHO, along with getting an excellent, proven SF — these have the Blazers on Josh-Hart-watch.

7. The problem for the Blazers last season was not a disgraceful tank job but not doing it quite effectively enough. #6 to #7 was not cool but not against the odds. Getting Murray or better would have reduced current doubts.

And as to tanking when your best are hurt, I’m not buying an argument that gets anywhere near being satisfied with a late lottery pick because it feels good to compete for every win.

Management tanked, not the players. They MAY have struck gold … or maybe just bronze. At least they’re not sold on predictable, mediocre results.
 
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