Canzano, for once, spits the real Bald Faced Truth

[Tince]

But how can you judge the off season moves because of the injuries? If Hood and Collins are healthy then the guys you mentioned would've never even started. In fact there were times before Hood went down that Tolliver and Hezonja weren't playing at all. If we still had Turner instead of Bazemore would we have won anymore games? I don't know, maybe, but that's not a guarantee. Plus the whole bottom line of the summer moves were that we weren't stuck with anyone long term so when Bazemore doesn't work out you move him for an Ariza.

It's hard to play the what-if game. I don't want to say that if we kept Turner that we would have won more games, but the fact I'm considering it tells me how bad Baze was.

I agree with you the Mario and Tolliver probably wouldn't be playing if everyone was healthy, because they're not good, which is my original point.

The facts are that Neil traded or didn't resign 8 players who played 14 min/game or more this offseason (for various reasons, I know). So these were guys that either started or played some rotational role with the team. Am I outraged they're all not on the team? Not at all. Did I hope he'd be able to replace those 8 guys with more than 1 functional player? Yes. Maybe my expectations were too high.

 

[hoopsjock]

It's hard to play the what-if game. I don't want to say that if we kept Turner that we would have won more games, but the fact I'm considering it tells me how bad Baze was.

I agree with you the Mario and Tolliver probably wouldn't be playing if everyone was healthy, because they're not good, which is my original point.

The facts are that Neil traded or didn't resign 8 players who played 14 min/game or more this offseason (for various reasons, I know). So these were guys that either started or played some rotational role with the team. I'm I outraged they're all not on the team? Not at all. Did I hope he'd be able to replace those 8 guys with more than 1 functional player? Yes. Maybe my expectations were too high.

That kind of goes back to the development versus playing someone that's okay argument too. If Simons breaks out in a year or two because he got his lumps this year when the injury to Nurk was looming no matter what route they took then it would likely have been worth throwing him into the fire this year. If he never turns into a starter or first couple guys off the bench rotational type player I'd agree that looking back it would've been better to have a "Curry" type player instead. Olshey obviously believes in him. Those minutes have to come from somewhere though. Same with the hope that Collins would be ready for starter minutes. Hood and Kanter obviously weren't on the team the whole year so how were the minutes divided up once they were both on the team. Then you factor in that CJ and Nurk were both hurt at the end of the regular season so certain guys got more minutes than they would've otherwise.

So to say that we replaced those guys with only one functional player somewhat ignores the trickle down impact of Zach going down and whether or not it's worth trying to speed up the development of Simons.

 

[Tince]

That kind of goes back to the development versus playing someone that's okay argument too. If Simons breaks out in a year or two because he got his lumps this year when the injury to Nurk was looming no matter what route they took then it would likely have been worth throwing him into the fire this year. If he never turns into a starter or first couple guys off the bench rotational type player I'd agree that looking back it would've been better to have a "Curry" type player instead. Olshey obviously believes in him. Those minutes have to come from somewhere though. Same with the hope that Collins would be ready for starter minutes. Hood and Kanter obviously weren't on the team the whole year so how were the minutes divided up once they were both on the team. Then you factor in that CJ and Nurk were both hurt at the end of the regular season so certain guys got more minutes than they would've otherwise.

So to say that we replaced those guys with only one functional player somewhat ignores the trickle down impact of Zach going down and whether or not it's worth trying to speed up the development of Simons.

All valid points. It appears Olshey thought Ant would replace Curry fairly well, but it's clear that was another miss. He's high on Collins and while I think he's probably over-valuing him too, I can't knock him because he's been hurt.

If the strategy going into this season, in Dame's prime, was to hope we could develop Mario, Baze, Ant, Trent, Collins, etc. into contending quality players, that's awfully risky. That's a strategy teams like Phoenix, Sacarmento, and Atlanta like to implement, not a team with an All-NBA player in his prime.

Just curious. Of Olshey's 2019 summer additions (Whiteside, Baze, Tolliver, Mario, Pau, Hord, Brown, and Little), which ones do you think were outright successes this season?

 

[hoopsjock]

All valid points. It appears Olshey thought Ant would replace Curry fairly well, but it's clear that was another miss. He's high on Collins and while I think he's probably over-valuing him too, I can't knock him because he's been hurt.

If the strategy going into this season, in Dame's prime, was to hope we could develop Mario, Baze, Ant, Trent, Collins, etc. into contending quality players, that's awfully risky. That's a strategy teams like Phoenix, Sacarmento, and Atlanta like to implement, not a team with an All-NBA player in his prime.

Just curious. Of Olshey's 2019 summer additions (Whiteside, Baze, Tolliver, Mario, Pau, Hord, Brown, and Little), which ones do you think were outright successes this season?

Ask me that in 12 days, ha ha.

I was the first one in here saying when we acquired Whiteside we had to trade him at the deadline. I have also been pro trading Bazemore all year, especially after he wasn't a good fit. Those two were never meant to be long term fits on this roster. Olshey has already turned Bazemore into Ariza, which I agree isn't probably a solution either past next year due to his age but the fact is the roster is fluid.

If you said the same thing about our roster last year on this date you wouldn't be able to include Hood and Kanter in that discussion.

This is why I'm so in favor of kicking the expiring contracts down the road each year. You can pick up assets like 2nd round picks or whatever and also still have the ability to match salary if a player that can alter the trajectory becomes available. I was never worried about any of the moves this summer even if they were disasters because then you simply move on and try something else.

The injury situation obviously complicates the issue of wasting Dame's prime.

 

[Strenuus]

That's why we need more picks and young players to help his prime years.

Blame it on olshey, bot. re-configure. You're out of date.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Blame it on olshey, bot. re-configure. You're out of date.

I think the bot was in it's oft-used sarcasm mode.

 

[AldoTrapani]

What

a

load

of

shit

.

Dude he isn’t. He’s just a little outside of those guys.

 

[AldoTrapani]

All valid points. It appears Olshey thought Ant would replace Curry fairly well, but it's clear that was another miss. He's high on Collins and while I think he's probably over-valuing him too, I can't knock him because he's been hurt.

If the strategy going into this season, in Dame's prime, was to hope we could develop Mario, Baze, Ant, Trent, Collins, etc. into contending quality players, that's awfully risky. That's a strategy teams like Phoenix, Sacarmento, and Atlanta like to implement, not a team with an All-NBA player in his prime.

Just curious. Of Olshey's 2019 summer additions (Whiteside, Baze, Tolliver, Mario, Pau, Hord, Brown, and Little), which ones do you think were outright successes this season?

Boy was he wrong about Simons. What a huge disappointment he has been..

 

[calvin natt]

Boy was he wrong about Simons. What a huge disappointment he has been..

Yeah if a guy isn’t good by 20 he should be waived.

 

[blazerfan11]

This is a great example of the unknown not always being better than the known.

Baze didn't work out, most everyone agrees.
Pau was never healthy, just like Festus.
Mario has been a liability.
Tolliver got put in a tough position, but never really was shown to be someone we could count on.
Whiteside - I'm not going to touch this, but this is clearly the best of all his moves.
Little hasn't proven to be ready for NBA action.

While a minimum contract guy not being great isn't a failure, of the 6 additions, it would be hard to say more than 1 was an outright success.

He re-signed Hood who was shooting 50% on 3-pointers for the season when he was injured.

 

[Tince]

He re-signed Hood who was shooting 50% on 3-pointers for the season when he was injured.

This appeared to be a good signing. I didn't include him in my original list because I was comparing the subtractions to the additions.

 

[blazerfan11]

Boy was he wrong about Simons. What a huge disappointment he has been..

So what? The unexpected success of 21-year-old Gary Trent Jr. makes up for a lack of progress for Simons.
Trent Jr. now leads active Trail Blazers in 3-point shooting percentage at 39.4 percent.
Olshey used two future 2nd round picks and cash to get Trent Jr from Sacramento who picked him at #37 in 2018.

 

[Mediocre Man]

So was Stotts a horrible coach last year?

 

[kjironman1]

So was Stotts a horrible coach last year?

Apparently Stotts is always a horrible coach. Olshey is always a horrible GM. Lillard is always great and will continue to carry whomever is in those positions and injuries have had no effect on the season. Oh yeah.... And CJ sucks, Whiteside is Lazy, Ariza is old, Nurk/Collins coming back will fix everything?

 

[TBpup]

I don't think Stotts has been horrible and seems to do quite well with the 'player/coach' part of the game. But many of his strategies, as have been pointed out numerous times, seem junior-high at best and at the least, highly questionable.

Last year was fun (#3, but only 5 games above #8) but (again) if not for Simons/Skal going nucluer in a game Stotts sat anyone close to a starter and tried to lose, the Blazers would have faced Utah in the first round and Golden State in the 2nd. Anyone thing they would have been in the WCFs in that scenario? So if not for a rookie messing up the plan, Portland would have been out in the 1st or 2nd round (again) but to be fair, won just as many games in the WCFs.

Stotts has been a decent regular season coach and if that were all that mattered, we would be about one run above meh....which is fine for some people, but not this fan. Nice guy....much like Mark Helfrich when he was at Oregon. Great as a coordinator but results as a head coach leave much to be desired.

 

[kjironman1]

 

[maxiep]

https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/...ord-to-waste-damian-lillards-prime-years.html

Canzano spelled out everything I've been saying for several years: The Blazers are wasting time pissing away Dame's prime years by roster bandaids and shitty player move. Yes, they struck gold a couple of times with Nurk and Rodney, but even before that, the makeup of the team was broken with the dual-PG system and lack of defensive intensity, and I believe the two are related. When Portland gave CJ the near Max extension, it kind of sealed the fate of the team for the next several years. Olshey is loyal to "his guys" to a fault, and mediocrity is the result. It's sad, because at the end of this contract, I almost want Dame to walk and go somewhere he can win a ring. It would be different than with Clyde, who never really was the personable, approachable, involved public figure that Dame is. It was easy to frame his demanding to be traded as being an ungrateful malcontent who was a Portland Icon but never seemed to live up to that role publicly. Dame has, and does. He almost deserves Portland to move him to somewhere he can win.

What a ridiculous take. Like we don't want to improve the team as much as we can? What's Canzano's idea? That we should have traded Meyers Leonard for Anthony Davis? Seth Curry for LeBron? Traded Aminu for Kawhi? Magically kept Aldridge?

Oh, no! We passed on the Greek Freak! So did eleven other teams. We tried to get Paul George. The Pacers took a crappier deal because Pritchard hates us. Lillard begged Melo to come here two years ago. We have the highest payroll in the league; you can't say we're not trying to win. However, it takes two sides to agree. And Portland is not every young black kid's idea of paradise.

Not every team gets to win a title. We made the WCF last year. I think the moves Olshey made were solid in the offseason. Not one of the trades has worked out better for the other team than it did for us. Injuries happen.

This hindsight bulls*** is just silly.