Could Portland with Miller and Faried...

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Have carried that early season lead?

(into the playoffs, at least)

 

[Natebishop3]

Have carried that early season lead?

(into the playoffs, at least)

We would have made the playoffs.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Both would have had terrible knee injuries.

Miller would have retired.

Faried would have had microfracture surgery.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Both would have had terrible knee injuries.

Miller would have retired.

Faried would have had microfracture surgery.

Nolan Smith would be averaging 8pts 6asst off the bench for Denver and Blazer fans would be bitching about how Blazer management failed to draft our point guard of the future instead of an undersized injury prone center.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

LMAO. The coin always lands.... not in our favor!!

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Faried was a smokescreen for Nolan Smith.

Chad is a freaking genius.

 

[KingSpeed]

We would've been better, yes

 

[Rhal]

Faried would never have gotten off the bench with Nate as the coach.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

We would've been better, yes

Agreed. Making the playoffs? Maybe. Clearly Noland was a very curious pick, to say the least.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Nolan wasn't a curious pick. It was blatantly absurd and exposed Chad's eye for talent.

I'm not an expert but I do some homework on College players and their NBA potential. I've nailed a lot of picks in the last five years of players I thought would be solid.

Nolan Smith wasn't even close to being on my radar.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I like Faried.....for coming off the bench. The dude hustles. But his lack of size was evident tonight when the "soft" Gasol goes for 17 rebounds. He is more of a hustle forward than a power forward.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

He's a rookie playing against a seasoned vet who is in total survival mode. The guy is going to be a defensive beast.

 

[jlprk]

Faried would never have gotten off the bench with Nate as the coach.

Correct. After being picked on for imagined faults for a couple of years, he would have lost half of his talent, like several others McMillan ruined for life.

 

[Blaze01]

Well they certainly would have contributed more than Felton or Nolan Smith did....

 

[bigbailes]

saying we'd be better with miller and faried is an understatement. i'm not sure we make the playoffs but i'd like to think we sneak in as the 7 or 8 seed. would have been a whole lot more fun this season that's for sure.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Yes, I think they definitely would have made the playoffs.

 

[PapaG]

Zero chance the Blazers would have made the playoffs.

Miller finally realized he's a bench scrub two years too late, and Faried would have played where, exactly? Karl had him benched for most of the year, and then Gasol kicked his ass tonight when it mattered.

 

[jlprk]

A closet Laker fan. The Blazers listened to criticism like yours, and traded Miller for Felton.

 

[Natebishop3]

Zero chance the Blazers would have made the playoffs.

Miller finally realized he's a bench scrub two years too late, and Faried would have played where, exactly? Karl had him benched for most of the year, and then Gasol kicked his ass tonight when it mattered.

I agree... zero chance... it wouldn't be left to chance at all. It would have been a sure thing

 

[Mediocre Man]

Absolutely. But Nate would still be the coach, and we still would have lost in the first round

 

[STOMP]

Andre Miller would have made a huge difference for the PTB this season. He was vastly more effective running a two man game with Aldridge, which made defenses collapse leaving the spot up shooters open. Portland would have made the playoffs with ease had they not made that disastrous trade

Faried is a 6'6 Big who hustles... a poor man's Gerald Wallace. I'd certainly rather have him then Smith, but had Miller stayed on I doubt Portland spirals down and ends up moving Wallace and Camby midseason. KF probably only plays garbage minutes no matter who the coach was. I don't see him as a difference maker... I'd rather have JJ

perhaps a better question is which position would fans rather have the club in? Entering the playoffs with Nate coaching and Miller Wallace & Camby in the mix as the 6th seed or so, or as they are with 2 lotto picks (unless NJ slips into the top 3) and an option on Hickson?

STOMP

 

[e_blazer]

I think that the Blazers would have made the playoffs if they'd kept Miller. I don't think Faried would have gotten much PT or would have been much of a factor in what the Blazers did. The most important thing is that in that alternate reality, the Blazers would in all likelihood have been eliminated in the first round, would still have Nate as a coach, would still be looking for a center and PGOTF this summer but would only be working with around the 16th to 17th pick in this year's draft. They'd probably only be able to keep Nic or Wallace this summer. Camby would be gone. All-in-all, the Blazers are in a much better position to look to the future than they would have been with Andre and Faried.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

perhaps a better question is which position would fans rather have the club in? Entering the playoffs with Nate coaching and Miller Wallace & Camby in the mix as the 6th seed or so, or as they are with 2 lotto picks (unless NJ slips into the top 3) and an option on Hickson?

This is definitely the better question.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Absolutely. But Nate would still be the coach, and we still would have lost in the first round

Exactly.

I'm past picking at this particular scab; it led to an outcome I can live with given the Roy and Oden situations and planted us in the lottery which gives us a chance to refresh the talent pool a year sooner rather than later ... and Nate's is gone so ...

 

[Mediocre Man]

a poor man's Gerald Wallace.

Is he a poor version?

 

[Mediocre Man]

perhaps a better question is which position would fans rather have the club in? Entering the playoffs with Nate coaching and Miller Wallace & Camby in the mix as the 6th seed or so, or as they are with 2 lotto picks (unless NJ slips into the top 3) and an option on Hickson?

So first round and out with Nate continuing to coach or a chance to improve the roster to where it needs to be to actually contend?

I choose the latter

 

[Blaze01]

Andre Miller would have made a huge difference for the PTB this season. He was vastly more effective running a two man game with Aldridge, which made defenses collapse leaving the spot up shooters open. Portland would have made the playoffs with ease had they not made that disastrous trade

Faried is a 6'6 Big who hustles... a poor man's Gerald Wallace. I'd certainly rather have him then Smith, but had Miller stayed on I doubt Portland spirals down and ends up moving Wallace and Camby midseason. KF probably only plays garbage minutes no matter who the coach was. I don't see him as a difference maker... I'd rather have JJ

perhaps a better question is which position would fans rather have the club in? Entering the playoffs with Nate coaching and Miller Wallace & Camby in the mix as the 6th seed or so, or as they are with 2 lotto picks (unless NJ slips into the top 3) and an option on Hickson?

STOMP

Yeah, well remember that if POR trades both of those picks away for mid tier NBA talent and signs B list free agents with all that vaunted cap space and goes....yep...1st round and out....again.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Faried has Ben Wallace length, he plays like a legit big. His reach for his wingspan is odd but it works in his favor because it's deceptive.

He may be 6'7" but his standing reach is 9'0" -- only 2" shorter than the 6'11.25" LaMarcus Aldridge. His 11'11" max reach is on par with 7-footers.

By knocking him for his height is the same reason why many teams made the mistake by passing on him.

And now we're stuck with Nolan Smith.

 

[BBert]

perhaps a better question is which position would fans rather have the club in? Entering the playoffs with Nate coaching and Miller Wallace & Camby in the mix as the 6th seed or so, or as they are with 2 lotto picks (unless NJ slips into the top 3) and an option on Hickson?

STOMP

I'll take door number two. Now we need better talent in the administration building to take advantage of this opportunity.