Blazers dealing with win now win mode/zach lowe article

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A very long article with a lot of repetition, but interesting nonetheless. Lowe thinks the Blazers are "ripe for a trade."
 
Cant really disagree with Lowe here. Will be interesting to see what Olshey does. It was obvious to some (while most of you gave us massive shit for saying so) that the Turner deal was ridiculous. I still have faith Crabbe can turn it around though.

Unfortunately, the only piece we really have to grab a star bigman, would be a package around CJ.......
 
Binx said:
A very long article with a lot of repetition, but interesting nonetheless. Lowe thinks the Blazers are "ripe for a trade."
Click to expand...
But he also says Crabbe and Turner are untradable.
 
BigGameDamian said:
Don't we have to keep developing our players?
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Layman and Vonleh - yes. But we already know the career trajectories of the rest of the rotation players - time to try to move some of them (Aminu, Davis, Crabbe, Turner, Meyers, Plumlee) for someone who fits the remaining roster better.
 
Even Turner couldn't believe how much he got. I think that is the thing that bothered me the most about that deal; that Olshey paid more than he needed to, and that is what makes Turner impossible to trade, not to mention affecting future decisions to avoid paying too much luxury tax.
 
Yeah, unless both Turner and Crabbe turn it around, those two contracts have boned us. At least one of them needs to be traded, but at their current level of play they're both untradeable.
 
blue9 said:
Yeah, unless both Turner and Crabbe turn it around, those two contracts have boned us. At least one of them needs to be traded, but at their current level of play they're both untradeable.
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However, I have to keep reminding myself that the Wizards traded for Rashard Lewis after he got that ridiculous contract. If there's something we can count on in the NBA it's that there's ALWAYS a handful of idiots running teams across the league - Old Boys Clubs will always have idiots in high places.
 
Names he brought up are the ones we've all bandied about:

Lopez (yes, please)
Monroe (yuck not with his contract)
Vucevic (yes, please)
Chandler (why not)

But the Nurkic namedrop is really interesting. If DEN is the least bit interested in moving him, we need to go all in. This guy is going to be a boss. He's the worse prospect between him and Jokic (in the long run), but DEN doesn't have minutes to play both. Neil needs to on this.

Koufos could be interesting as well. Could be a Rolo esque undervalued addition.
 
Thought this was pretty much saying dude isn't playing this year...


"Festus Ezeli's long-term health is (to be generous) uncertain"
 
We've been talking about getting Brook Lopez for years, if his foot is okay I would love to have him. I'd even take Monroe at this point because the big men are so awful here (I know that would do nothing for our post defense though).
 
"In that sense, it's almost encouraging how cartoonishly bad the Blazers have been at almost every aspect of defense. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit to pluck. They are a confused train wreck in transition, even when everyone gets back; guys just run to the wrong spots and leave someone wide open.... Opponents are straight toasting the Blazers one-on-one, and feasting on botched rotations that follow. Miscommunication is rampant. Well-meaning help-and-recover missions have ended in catastrophe. The Blazers should be above this nonsense. It carries the whiff of a team that thought it might be good enough to coast in some games."

Should Stotts crack down in some way?
What are the consequences for playing lackadaisical defense every game?
 
Stein: "I mean, Portland, everyone expects them to make a deal... or three with all the guys they signed this summer."

More unrelated:
Zach: Everyone asks me if Paul George is being mentioned as a trade candidate. Pacers don't want to trade him, but he's going to be up for an extension in 2018 with Boogie.

I'd trade CJ for PG in an instant.
 
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yuyuza1 said:
Stein: "I mean, Portland, everyone expects them to make a deal... or three with all the guys they signed this summer."

More unrelated:
Zach: Everyone asks me if Paul George is being mentioned as a trade candidate. Pacers don't want to trade him, but he's going to be up for an extension in 2018 with Boogie.

I'd trade CJ for PG in an instant.
Click to expand...

I could see George and Boogie trying to team up somewhere. The Pacers, like us, are looking treadmill-tastic and Sacramento is Sacramento.
 
Lotta talk around the 43 min mark.

Paraphrasing:

Zach: I would be blown away if Portland didn't make a trade this season. They have a lot of guys and centers, but they're going to explore the market for centers.

Stein: I don't know how easy it is to move a center, but they also have a lot of wing guys they can move. They didn't sign all those guys to make the next step from 44 wins to 55, as much as they are trying to set up for the next roster move.

Zach: There is no way Portland made these moves for hopes that THIS team will win 55 games. Dame might get even better in two years, and that's the thing that pops for this team. When do you start talking about trading CJ? He and Dame are really good together offensively, but there is a thought that these two will never be any good together defensively.
 
BigGameDamian said:
Don't we have to keep developing our players?
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Absolutely but it's tough to develop when everyone's role outside of Dame/CJ is to run around setting screens and then maybe spot up for an open '3' on the off chance when Dame/CJ go 1-on-3 that they kick it out to the open man. Then you run back on defense until the next time you go set a screen.

Tough to develop when that is your nightly existence.
 
Damn what happened to us.. Lowe hit us hard with some good ol truth
 
I've been alright with the Turner signing since I knew Whiteside wanted to use teams to get a MAX from Miami and, overall, this FA class was not great. Unfortunately for Portland, in terms of cap space, it was use it or lose it. What I do not like is Neil overpaying for Turner. In the summer, Neil made it sound as if ET had multiple offers on the table and we had to jump on it. After reading Lowe's article, we definitely offered way too much.

Now I don't believe Turner is the sole reason why we're so mediocre this season but now his contract is basically immovable at its current value. Even 4 years, $60 million would be more attractive.

The joys of being a Blazers fan ... sigh
 
yuyuza1 said:
But the Nurkic namedrop is really interesting. If DEN is the least bit interested in moving him, we need to go all in. This guy is going to be a boss. He's the worse prospect between him and Jokic (in the long run), but DEN doesn't have minutes to play both. Neil needs to on this.
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Yes, he is intriguing; he is averaging 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes. I'm not sure of our available players, which they would be interested in? I would love to give them Leonard; or Leonard and Davis. Or how about one of those guys plus Layman?
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
Yes, he is intriguing; he is averaging 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes. I'm not sure of our available players, which they would be interested in? I would love to give them Leonard; or Leonard and Davis. Or how about one of those guys plus Layman?
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Would have to be a three team deal. With Toronto or the like.

Picks from POR and TOR --> DEN
Nurkic --> POR
Plums/Aminu --> TOR

Something like that.
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
Yes, he is intriguing; he is averaging 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes. I'm not sure of our available players, which they would be interested in? I would love to give them Leonard; or Leonard and Davis. Or how about one of those guys plus Layman?
Click to expand...

You were just kidding about getting rid of Layman, Right?
 
Cippy91 said:
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-trail-blazers-damian-lillard-cj-mccollum-nba
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Long article. Excerpts, for those who don't have time to read it:
----------
They hang together off the floor; Leonard, Ed Davis, and Al-Farouq Aminu are part of a regular dinner gang, and they still follow Chris Kaman's rule of stashing away their phones during meals.

Portland still dips way back against the pick-and-roll, baiting opposing ball-handlers into midrange jumpers. If done right, that lone big man keeps the ball in front of him--meaning all of Portland's other defenders can stick with outside shooters instead of darting inside to help. Opposing point guards see those Portland bigs dropping back, and they don't care--especially if a screen wipes out Lillard, C.J. McCollum, or whatever Blazer is supposed to be on their hip.

Davis, a stalwart last season, just hasn't been the same player. He packed on almost 20 pounds in the summer, but insists his increased weight - he has kept about a dozen of those extra pounds -- hasn't slowed him.

Allow any NBA player entry into the deep paint, and bad things happen--including panicky help from the wrong places...how cartoonishly bad the Blazers have been at almost every aspect of defense. They are a confused train wreck in transition, even when everyone gets back; guys just run to the wrong spots and leave someone wide open. Opponents are straight toasting the Blazers one-on-one, and feasting on botched rotations.

For the second straight season, Portland is fouling the hell out of everyone. The Blazers are smallish. Their cautious defensive system naturally yields few turnovers. Those weaknesses give the Blazers a small margin for error. They just can't afford miscommunication.

Portland, now carrying the league's third-highest payroll...Turner was almost as stunned as you by Portland's mega-offer. They've built a separate offense for him. It's heavy on scripted play calls and bare bones "horns"-style sets that start with both big men at the elbows. They unfold more slowly than Portland's typically flowing offense, with less improvisation. "I direct things a lot more when Evan's on the court," Stotts said. "I think it helps him for now." Turner admits it has been hard fitting in. "I have to adapt to how they play--all that looping around like they do."

Turner and Crabbe are miscast as wing stoppers. They're solid, but they don't scare anyone. Aminu and Maurice Harkless are better, and earn combined about what Turner and Crabbe make solo.

It's tempting to pitch a Crabbe/Lopez swap since the Nets lavished Crabbe with a massive offer sheet, but Brooklyn cannot acquire Crabbe until the offseason--at least under current league rules.

need to offload a big contract in the face of what could be hilariously huge tax payments starting next season. Crabbe and Turner look untradeable.

The league has adjusted a bit to Portland's spin-cycle offense, and several players said they are finding it harder to get to some of their pet looks this season.

None are as adept as Plumlee making plays in space on the pick-and-roll. That's a critical skill for any Portland screen-setter. Playoffs opponents will trap Lillard and McCollum way out on the floor, and force them to give up the ball. Plumlee can catch it around the 3-point arc, dribble, and sling the right pass to an open shooter. Some available centers are good passers, but they dish from the elbows and in. Perhaps that is where Turner comes in--as a release valve who can do damage off the bounce.
 
BigGameDamian said:
Don't we have to keep developing our players?
Click to expand...
Yes. It is good business to develop players, until they are traded, waived, leave in free agency, or retire.

I hope you are taking notes.
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
Even Turner couldn't believe how much he got. I think that is the thing that bothered me the most about that deal; that Olshey paid more than he needed to, and that is what makes Turner impossible to trade, not to mention affecting future decisions to avoid paying too much luxury tax.
Click to expand...
How do you know Olshey paid "more than he needed to"? Is there an article that says Turner would have chosen the Blazers over some other team, like say for example, the Celtics, if the Blazers had offered significantly less?
 
JFizzleRaider said:
Cant really disagree with Lowe here. Will be interesting to see what Olshey does. It was obvious to some (while most of you gave us massive shit for saying so) that the Turner deal was ridiculous. I still have faith Crabbe can turn it around though.

Unfortunately, the only piece we really have to grab a star bigman, would be a package around CJ.......
Click to expand...

I would trade CJ for Cousins, and make them take Turner as well.

Damian/Napier
Crabbe/
Harkless/Layman
Aminu/Davis
Cousins/Plumlee
 
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