Whyachi
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Joe & Chauncey have a unique buddy system. They were both new to their jobs when hired by the Blazers. They're still on a learning curve, so they are exempt from Blazer fan criticism.I think we'll learn a lot about the direction of the team after we see who they draft. I believe that last season, Cronin thought they could go with just a re-tool, not a rebuild. But he found out that even when Grant, Brogdon and Simons were healthy, we still weren't very good. Maybe Billups helped talk him into trying the re-tool.
I don't Cronin think is a stupid guy; he can see they need to add more and he knows that next year is a lot better draft. So my guess is that he will go for maximum upside with all his picks and will keep all four to give him the best chance of hitting the jackpot. If they really like a guy, I think they will trade up to get him, but will try to use veterans to do that, not draft picks.
I have a hunch that Billups does not really want to go this route and has told Cronin this. I think it's possible that Cronin told Billups that if he wanted to put out feelers for a job with a more established lineup, that was OK. This might explain the situation with letting some coaches go and not replacing them. I think it's possible Cronin would not have been too unhappy if Billups had found another job.
Is there any evidence that my thoughts have validity or are they just projections of what I wish would happen?![]()
we've seen about 50 different Blazers walk in & out the door in Cronin's first 3 years. Cronin just brought 60 college kids to Portland for tryouts. If you like variety, then the Blazers are the team for you.
How is Billups supposed to develop any sort of successful coaching patterns without a clear runway? We've already heard Cronin admitting he didn't deal Chauncey a good hand. It's rare to have a GM take all the pressure off the head coach by admitting there were trade and roster building mistakes.
Coach said he wants to win. Cronin said he wants to win too. Then the GM backtracked at end of season presser. Joe is trying his best to be positive, but he couldn't smooth the cake after the team he built went 6-28 (.170) in the final 3 months of the season.
Team Captain Simons said he wants to win more, the losing is bugging him a bit. But not enough to demand a trade or anything, Ant just wants what Billups wants. Too many opponents are shredding Cronin's inexperienced/experimental rosters. The young man has tanked 3 years straight. Over 50 games of getting told to rest, so his team can lose on purpose. With even more of this tanking garbage on the horizon. Getting paid to be an NBA cheerleader might be embarrassing for Simons. He's going to need a bigger bag.