You guys are talking about drafting Dames replacement and you don’t think he’s be unhappy with that?
first, there's no replacing Dame. He's been too good and has meant too much. And yes, I know that's not exactly what you meant, but this is my answer so I determine the direction
secondly, I'm pretty sure we've seen enough from Dame over the 11 years he's been in Portland to know that his direction of thought very often won't match the thinking of fans. He may be just as likely to judge any player by talent and character as anything else; more likely in fact. And Dame might see enormous talent in Scoot, and feels he & Scoot could play really well together
so to specifically answer your question: I don't fucking know if he's happy, ambivalent, unhappy, or outraged. My bet is he's fine and has already established a relationship with Scoot. How deep it goes, I don't know
Dame loves to post these cryptic messages, but you guys don’t think there’s even a remote chance that he could be annoyed with Joe if he told Dame that this was the summer he was going to go out and swing for the fences. Convinced Dame that tanking was worth it. And then we are bringing in a player that would hopefully eventually take his spot. You can’t imagine a scenario where he spoke with Joe and Cronin told him that we would take Scoot if he drops to us?
fuck that....I'm not letting you drag me down the conspiracy-laden path you want to charge down that ends with the exact result you apparently want so desperately, and that's Dame pissed-off enough to demand a trade.
Nah, I’m being unreasonable imagining a situation where Dame considers Joe Cronin a Judas.
I can imagine a situation where I win the lottery next week. That doesn't necessarily make me unreasonable. It does make me wildly unrealistic and illogical.
you're simply not giving Dame enough credit for intelligence, logic, and experience...the '
been-there-seen-that-before' factors. And I don't think you're giving Cronin enough credit for honest intentions; or giving Dame & Cronin enough credit for having a good relationship with open communication
here's what I think the situation most likely is: Dame has been a Blazer for 11 years; Cronin has been a Blazer for longer than that. Their relationship didn't start the day that Olshey was fired. It started years before that and was likely solid before Cronin became GM. And I think Cronin immediately pivoted at that point to communicating to Dame what was going on; what the Blazers were going to try and accomplish. According to Dame, Cronin kept him informed in real time about Portland's attempts to trade #7 for OG; and he was informed of Toronto's responses. So Dame saw first hand the 'reasonable' side of a trade proposal; and the unreasonable counter offer(s). He saw how a trade idea can fall apart because of too big a gulf in assigning value. And Dame himself said the ask was way too high
so Portland used the 7 on Sharpe because there were no reasonable alternative options. And then Dame and Cronin, both saw the value in using the 7 on Sharpe. The talent Sharpe brought to the floor, the promise of upside. And, the Sharpe experience is almost certainly going a long ways in informing both Cronin and Dame about the value of #3
what Dame said inanely a couple of months ago in frustration does not define Dame's thinking. It's only part of it, and maybe a very small part he kind of wishes he hadn't said. I don't know. But we do know his loyalty to Portland. And I think it's safe to assume that loyalty is still there and a big part of Dame's intentions right now
you asked if Dame viewing Cronin as Judas was "
unreasonable". That may be the case but I think the chances are stacked really high against it. I think it's reasonable to assume that Dame detested Olshey, especially toward the end of Olshey's tenure; It's why Dame went over Olshey's head twice to talk to PA. Maybe that's meaningless in the current situation; or maybe it has instilled a distrust of management in Dame. Again, I don't know
but I'll see your '
not-unreasonable' and raise you a few more:
* is it not unreasonable to assume that Cronin has already had several substantive discussions about trade options already and has kept Dame informed?
* is it not unreasonable to assume that the asking prices in those trade situations has been kind of ridiculous and Dame sees that (
like he did with OG & Toronto) and that's one reason he's been showing up at these workouts?...because he knows there's a decent chance he'll be teammates with one (
or more) of these prospects?
* is it not unreasonable to assume that just like Dame's frustrations boiled over in 2021 after the 1st round loss to Denver, and he then calmed down, a similar thing happened a couple of months ago? And that when push comes to shove, his loyalty to Portland and his desire to remain a Blazer and live in the city wins out?
* is it not unreasonable to assume that Cronin is looking at options that split the difference and do both things we're talking about: Portland keeping the 3rd pick but still adding an important veteran or two? And Dame is aware of and OK with that path?
in other words, in the Cronin-->Dame-->Blazer situation, while you seem to be assuming incompetence, dishonesty, feelings of betrayal, and '
fuck-it-I'm-outa-here', I'm assuming honest intentions, decent communication, options to keep everybody moderately happy, and that Dame will probably retire as a Blazer
