Can the Blazers realistically contend in the next 3 years?

[Mediocre Man]

This is just classic confirmation bias.

Jordan's career high of 63 in the playoffs came in a loss against Boston. Donovan Mitchell dropped 57 in a playoff loss 2 yrs ago vs Denver. Lebron had 51 in a finals loss at GS. Westbrook had 51 in a loss vs Houston. Jamal Murray had 50 in a loss vs Utah. Kobe had 50 in a loss at Phoenix. etc etc

The only takeaway from that game is that Dame can be a monster playoff performer and brings a selection of skills that few others can match. How you can spin that as a negative is wild.

You just backed up my argument….I think? Dame is fantastic, but Dame dropping 55 isn’t great for our team

 

[oldmangrouch]

There is one way the Blazers might contend in the next 3 years - keep the 7th pick and find a player as good as Dame and as NBA ready as he was.

 

[THE HCP]

There is one way the Blazers might contend in the next 3 years - keep the 7th pick and find a player as good as Dame and as NBA ready as he was.

I love it! That is basically what the one kid try telling me was going to happen….sigh

 

[Natebishop3]

And the playoffs? Totally different defenses in the playoffs

 

[Tince]

with the dearth of superteams, it's becoming far easier to achieve contender status than has been any other time in Dame's career. The template is there.

Build a strong defensive team that can shoot threes. And hope and pray for injury luck.

I think the road to a title is more open than it has ever been in recent history.

I'm still betting on teams with two 2 stars or a top 3-5ish player in the NBA. Sure there can be a fluke result every couple decades, but planning for the fluke route seems like a poor strategy.

 

[beast blazer]

We'd have to strike gold in the draft. Possible, but not likely.

 

[Predator]

They could realistically contend in 3 years if they hit a home run in the draft.

They will have no shot at contending if:

They trade #7 for Jerami Grant (straight up).

OR

They trade for DeAndre Ayton and pay him 30+ million.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Sure, I think if we can pick up a couple of borderline all stars with length who can defend (Randle and Jeremi Grant?) we'll have a better shot at winning than Dame has ever had here...

 

[Idog1976]

Go get Ayton to play next to Dame and Ant and with a cast of decent role players we compete

If we are (PUKE!) trading the #7 (unless it's down or up for pick(s)) then we need to go for Ayton (only if he can be had for a reasonable price) and trade Nurkic+ for a wing.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

You pretty much need 2 stars or a top 3 player in the league who has height/length to contend.

We need another star or Dame to grow to 6'8". Both would be ideal!

Do the Warriors have 2 stars or a top 3 player with height and length? Klay is a good player but not a star.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Start the tank now! Go for #1. Why be shy about it?
Who is projected #1 in the 2023 draft? Maybe we should start a thread about that?

 

[blazerfan11]

There is one way the Blazers might contend in the next 3 years - keep the 7th pick and find a player as good as Dame and as NBA ready as he was.

He doesn't need to NBA-ready in his first season. An NBA-ready high quality player will be draft before the 7th pick.

 

[blazerfan11]

Do the Warriors have 2 stars or a top 3 player with height and length? Klay is a good player but not a star.

Klay is high level on defense and efficient on defense. He's better than good.

 

[wizenheimer]

Klay is high level on defense and efficient on defense. He's better than good.

Klay is a 5 time all-star and made a 2nd team all-NBA for defense; he has 3 rings and is a career 42% shooter from three. He's not a super-star but he is a star

 

[Ed O]

Contend for a championship? An NBA championship?

Heck, no.

There are teams that are ascending in Dallas, Memphis and Minnesota that have younger stars and deeper teams that have accumulated playoff experience. Phoenix and Utah and Denver are all well-positioned to be good. Golden State has done a wonderful job of reloading even as they totally whiffed on Wiseman. Are the Clippers done? (The Lakers probably are ).

I'd say we have the lowest chance of competing for a championship of any team in the western conference over the next three years (maybe tied with a couple other teams)... even the Lakers could luck into a couple solid role players, get rid of Westbrook, and get a healthy season of LeBron and Davis and be a pretty good team. And the worst teams (Houston, Oklahoma City, Sacramento) all have better young talent than we do.

So... bleak times.

 

[wizenheimer]

Contend for a championship? An NBA championship?

Heck, no.

There are teams that are ascending in Dallas, Memphis and Minnesota that have younger stars and deeper teams that have accumulated playoff experience. Phoenix and Utah and Denver are all well-positioned to be good. Golden State has done a wonderful job of reloading even as they totally whiffed on Wiseman. Are the Clippers done? (The Lakers probably are ).

I'd say we have the lowest chance of competing for a championship of any team in the western conference over the next three years (maybe tied with a couple other teams)... even the Lakers could luck into a couple solid role players, get rid of Westbrook, and get a healthy season of LeBron and Davis and be a pretty good team. And the worst teams (Houston, Oklahoma City, Sacramento) all have better young talent than we do.

So... bleak times.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

A chip and a chair.

 

[STOMP]

You are not wrong as this is being discussed in 12 other threads currently.

Almost exclusively whats being discussed in those other threads is how to make the Lillard Trailblazers insta-contenders, not whats the best path forward to make the Trailblazers contenders.

STOMP

 

[HailBlazers]

View attachment 47593

Imagine living in Seattle.

 

[STOMP]

Shheeeiiitteee! What a tape! 7'8 wingspan + coordinated? Tank tank tank

STOMP

 

[LayneStaley]

No.

 

[STOMP]

Klay is high level on defense and efficient on defense. He's better than good.

he's already a lock for the HoF. I thought he was more deserving of the NBA's top 75 All Time then many including shooters Ray Allen, Paul Pierce & Reggie Miller not to mention stat pigs like Westbrick. Unlike all the shooters I mentioned, he is well above average at D and he brought at least as good of a perimeter threat. He's currently 18th all time in 3's made but has shot a better % then all but 2 guys ahead of him... Korver & Curry

STOMP

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Yes, because the team currently in Portland is moving to Las Vegas and the team currently in San Fransico is going to move to Portland because of a soon-to-hit massive earthquake. So yes, the former Golden State Warriors / soon to be New Blazers can contend for the next 3 years.

 

[SharpeScooterShooter]

Do the Warriors have 2 stars or a top 3 player with height and length? Klay is a good player but not a star.

Not a star? Has he not made the all star team?

 

[SharpeScooterShooter]

Not a star? Has he not made the all star team?

https://warriorswire.usatoday.com/lists/klay-thompson-nba-all-star-voting-reaction/

I would think this would be justification of star status?

 

[Tince]

Do the Warriors have 2 stars or a top 3 player with height and length? Klay is a good player but not a star.

Yes, they do.

Steph Curry - Eight Time All-Star, 2 Time MVP
Klay Thompson - Five Time All-Star (Age 32)
Draymond Green - Three Time All-Star (Age 32)

Since Dame's third season, he has played with ZERO all-stars still at or before their prime.

The difference between Klay/Green and CJ/Nurk is substantial. Klay/Green are both 90% HOF probability, where CJ is 0.0006% chance higher than Nurk's 0% chance. BIG DIFFERENCE. HUGE.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yes, because the team currently in Portland is moving to Las Vegas and the team currently in San Fransico is going to move to Portland because of a soon-to-hit massive earthquake. So yes, the former Golden State Warriors / soon to be New Blazers can contend for the next 3 years.

Brilliant, but who’s our owner

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Contend for a championship? An NBA championship?

Heck, no.

There are teams that are ascending in Dallas, Memphis and Minnesota that have younger stars and deeper teams that have accumulated playoff experience. Phoenix and Utah and Denver are all well-positioned to be good. Golden State has done a wonderful job of reloading even as they totally whiffed on Wiseman. Are the Clippers done? (The Lakers probably are ).

I'd say we have the lowest chance of competing for a championship of any team in the western conference over the next three years (maybe tied with a couple other teams)... even the Lakers could luck into a couple solid role players, get rid of Westbrook, and get a healthy season of LeBron and Davis and be a pretty good team. And the worst teams (Houston, Oklahoma City, Sacramento) all have better young talent than we do.

So... bleak times.

This was basically my exact thoughts before starting this thread. We have one of the worst rosters and worst outlooks of western conference teams. It seems about half the people voting in this thread agree the Blazers cant contend. I wonder though, if we did this poll after the WCF run it'd probably be 95%+ saying we could contend. Posters on this board are more passionate and likely skewed towards positivity compared to an unbiased expert.

The only good counter point I've seen brought up in this thread that could sway me to a yes is if the Blazers could draft a star talent this year at #7. Maybe by year three, along with adding other quality starters to this roster the Blazers could contend. So there is what maybe a 1% chance something like that could happen? If the Blazers instead trade the pick for a veteran such as Grant/Ayton/etc then it probably does make them better this next season, but it removes that rare upside chance the team has to be a real contender, and locks the Blazers into a max upside of mediocrity.

With Cronin and Dame's rhetoric unfortunately I don't see acceptance to just draft the best young high upside rookie player available with the #7 pick.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

With Cronin and Dame's rhetoric unfortunately I don't see acceptance to just draft the best young high upside rookie player available with the #7 pick.

Acceptance to just draft the best rookie available will land them right back in the lottery next year. I have absolutely no problem with that but lets not fool ourselves into thinking one good rookie is going to make them contenders.
If you are truly going to tank then trade away your middling players for draft assets and build right. This half ass tank job is not going to make the difference many are hoping for.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Contend for a championship? An NBA championship?

Heck, no.

There are teams that are ascending in Dallas, Memphis and Minnesota that have younger stars and deeper teams that have accumulated playoff experience. Phoenix and Utah and Denver are all well-positioned to be good. Golden State has done a wonderful job of reloading even as they totally whiffed on Wiseman. Are the Clippers done? (The Lakers probably are ).

I'd say we have the lowest chance of competing for a championship of any team in the western conference over the next three years (maybe tied with a couple other teams)... even the Lakers could luck into a couple solid role players, get rid of Westbrook, and get a healthy season of LeBron and Davis and be a pretty good team. And the worst teams (Houston, Oklahoma City, Sacramento) all have better young talent than we do.

So... bleak times.

Simons is one of the best young players in the NBA. Little has potential. You’re underrating our young talent.