Dame asks for trade (And there it is)

[PCmor7]

Fentress is unbearable.

Would Mr. I Take The High Road do that?

If so, I guess his descent to the Dark Side would be complete. That petty that you hate the organization that gave you more than any player in the NBA because it didn't throw away everything for a guy to take you deep into the playoffs that you'd try to cut their legs out on the way out, too.

I hope Fentress is just being a bad pundit and isn't really hearing this somewhere, because, if he was, it'd mean the Damian Lillard we thought we knew was total fiction, a complete fraud.

 

[tykendo]

Fentress trying to carry water. If Lillard did a nuclear option, all talk of loyalty goes to hell. If he screwed them like that with Portland having to take a crap deal, then goodwill is gone and his image is tarnished, IMHO.

Loyalty's a two way street. Dame was loyal to the core, but Joe didn't think he had to be. The only thing Dame did wrong was believing what Joe said. Shut it down, and we'll get the assets. Then you draft his successor. That fucking , fateful , Lottery day. When we didn't get the #1 pick to draft Wemby, i had a sinking feeling in my gut.

 

[LayneStaley]

The Pelicans thing is exciting but the more I think about it this makes the most sense with all things considered. Add 2 1s from both Miami and Brooklyn to us, so 4 total.

 

[tykendo]

Would Mr. I Take The High Road do that?

If so, I guess his descent to the Dark Side would be complete. That petty that you hate the organization that gave you more than any player in the NBA because it didn't throw away everything for a guy to take you deep into the playoffs that you'd try to cut their legs out on the way out, too.

I hope Fentress is just being a bad pundit and isn't really hearing this somewhere, because, if he was, it'd mean the Damian Lillard we thought we knew was total fiction, a complete fraud.

Getting quality veterans to add to the team, wouldn't be throwing anything away. These youngsters haven't proven shit. It's all speculation. And while dunks and passes against poor defense are fun to watch, we won't know anything till we actually play against real competition during the season. I'm not saying they had to trade away every pick. I think Murray will be the steal of the draft. But they could have added veteran difference makers and decided not to. They chose a path. Why can't Dame?

 

[Natebishop3]

I guess it could be worse. If he demanded LAC or LAL, we wouldn't get jack shit. Even worse than Miami I think.

 

[LayneStaley]

I guess it could be worse. If he demanded LAC or LAL, we wouldn't get jack shit. Even worse than Miami I think.

If he demanded Lakers he would be booed here forever.

 

[Strenuus]

Loyalty's a two way street. Dame was loyal to the core, but Joe didn't think he had to be. The only thing Dame did wrong was believing what Joe said. Shut it down, and we'll get the assets. Then you draft his successor. That fucking , fateful , Lottery day. When we didn't get the #1 pick to draft Wemby, i had a sinking feeling in my gut.

So you're okay having the franchise get pennies on the dollar because of loyalty to a guy who requested a trade but in reality forced his way to a team that had less than stellar assets?

Dame knows it's a business. He did his part by requesting the trade. He doesnt get to hurt our team for years so he can go to where he wants. It's really simple.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

View attachment 56588
The Pelicans thing is exciting but the more I think about it this makes the most sense with all things considered. Add 2 1s from both Miami and Brooklyn to us, so 4 total.

idk if you know this, but Ben Simmons is one of the biggest negative assets in the league.

 

[PCmor7]

Getting quality veterans to add to the team, wouldn't be throwing anything away. These youngsters haven't proven shit. It's all speculation. And while dunks and passes against poor defense are fun to watch, we won't know anything till we actually play against real competition during the season. I'm not saying they had to trade away every pick. I think Murray will be the steal of the draft. But they could have added veteran difference makers and decided not to. They chose a path. Why can't Dame?

Going to say this as nice as I think I can. You're being a sycophant.

No one has said Dame can't choose a path. In fact, most of us critical of him have said he totally had that right. On the other hand, most of your posts have been like someone who has a Dame shrine in your room. I noticed several posts where you make accusations against the Blazers that you couldn't know unless you actually work in the front office. I haven't addressed you until now because I don't think you can carry on an adult conversation on the subject. I've just let you be miserable in your unlikely one-sided hero worship.

Right now, Dame's the one dragging the team that's done everything for him for 11 years and its fans. Yeah, if his circle told Fentress this, it's trolling us, the Blazer fans.

He had all the input on the players we acquired (except who we draft). He had input on the coaches, the style of play. Gave him the super-max. The Blazers traded good assets for meh players because he wanted it. We probably overspent a little to re-sign his friend just so he could bail. We put his cousin on the team for two years for heaven's sake. And you think the Blazers did Dame dirty? You need to do stand-up.

I'll give you another thing, and then you can go off on another tirade: Dame said all these players wanted to come to Portland to play with him. Who? Why didn't we ever hear of any? Why didn't we hear of any even borderline all-stars pushing for trades to Portland that might have allowed the Blazers a chance to trade or sign them without robbing Peter? BUT, when Dame wants to go to Miami, he's going to do everything he can to get them a sweetheart deal from the Blazers if Fentress is to be believed. That doesn't sound like the paragon of virtue you and others and Dame's handlers have presented him to be ... and maybe it's just Fentress making stuff up to rile us up more and get clicks, so I'm just saying if this report has a factual basis, Dame's a fraud and always was.

 

[beast blazer]

This is where i am at

Think of it this way. In an alternate universe, if we had the exact same roster as we have now, except Dame is on another team, would you try to trade for him? I don't think wouldn't really make sense for us.

 

[BigGameDamian]

 

[SlyPokerCat]

idk if you know this, but Ben Simmons is one of the biggest negative assets in the league.

He only has two years left. Who cares. He was a #1 pick for a reason. Even if he can't regain his old form he would help us lose games and then he is a massive expiring next year.

 

[beast blazer]

idk if you know this, but Ben Simmons is one of the biggest negative assets in the league.

We might have to take on a big expiring contract to make a deal work (which will probably include picks and some younger players). Ben Simmons is an almost-expiring contract, that has a chance to turn into an all-star perfect fit for this roster. The chance may be small, but it's not nothing.

 

[glazeduck]

Who’s more annoying to deal with, Morey or Masai?

As GMs, they're both exceedingly frustrating. As people, they're in different universes when it comes to likeability. Masai is a super cool guy, Morey is... something other than that.

I know this doesn't matter at all in trade negotiations, but having met and worked with both, once upon a time, their personalities couldn't be more dissimilar.

 

[TBpup]

If Dame effectively turned down a good return for Portland to a team where him going there would make them good have have a chance to compete (as he said over and over and most recently) so he could go be part of a SuperTeam with Bam/Butler/Dame when he also said he would not do that, then that would be akin to personal suicide as well.

It sucks that it has all come to this.

 

[PCmor7]

So you're okay having the franchise get pennies on the dollar because of loyalty to a guy who requested a trade but in reality forced his way to a team that had less than stellar assets?

Dame knows it's a business. He did his part by requesting the trade. He doesnt get to hurt our team for years so he can go to where he wants. It's really simple.

It's kind of ironic. If we did the trade Dame appears to have wanted, we would have had to sell the farm and mortgage our future. Now, it looks like Dame wants to make the Blazers mortgage the future by accepting whatever scraps anyone wants to trade back from his preferred destination.

I have to qualify this as I don't know if Fentress is believable. I'm just saying if there's truth in this tweet, Dame might have to go down as one of the biggest villains in Blazers history, a guy that was determined to undermine the team in whatever way he could whether he was in Portland or not, but especially if he wasn't a Blazer.

 

[Natebishop3]

Fentress is talking out of his ass. I don't believe that Dame or his agent have told him that.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Going to say this as nice as I think I can. You're being a sycophant.

No one has said Dame can't choose a path. In fact, most of us critical of him have said he totally had that right. On the other hand, most of your posts have been like someone who has a Dame shrine in your room. I noticed several posts where you make accusations against the Blazers that you couldn't know unless you actually work in the front office. I haven't addressed you until now because I don't think you can carry on an adult conversation on the subject. I've just let you be miserable in your unlikely one-sided hero worship.

Right now, Dame's the one dragging the team that's done everything for him for 11 years and its fans. Yeah, if his circle told Fentress this, it's trolling us, the Blazer fans.

He had all the input on the players we acquired (except who we draft). He had input on the coaches, the style of play. Gave him the super-max. The Blazers traded good assets for meh players because he wanted it. We probably overspent a little to re-sign his friend just so he could bail. We put his cousin on the team for two years for heaven's sake. And you think the Blazers did Dame dirty? You need to do stand-up.

I'll give you another thing, and then you can go off on another tirade: Dame said all these players wanted to come to Portland to play with him. Who? Why didn't we ever hear of any? Why didn't we hear of any even borderline all-stars pushing for trades to Portland that might have allowed the Blazers a chance to trade or sign them without robbing Peter? BUT, when Dame wants to go to Miami, he's going to do everything he can to get them a sweetheart deal from the Blazers if Fentress is to be believed. That doesn't sound like the paragon of virtue you and others and Dame's handlers have presented him to be ... and maybe it's just Fentress making stuff up to rile us up more and get clicks, so I'm just saying if this report has a factual basis, Dame's a fraud and always was.

Here's the really sad part of this behind-the-scenes BS Dame's agent is orchestrating:

If Dame had a press conference in the offseason (when Dame's agent started the misinformation campaign) and said, "I love Portland, and I always will. My roots here are deep, and I plan to live here after my career is over. With the fans support, I've been able to become a top 75 player in the history of the league. But, whether you or I like it, I will ultimately be judged by a metric of championships. I love the new direction of the team, but it's unlikely that we are able to win one with the current "double-timeline". So, I am asking for a trade. While I don't need to be traded to some "superteam", I would really appreciate being traded to a contender like the Miami Heat."

Blazer fans, including me, would be crying their eyes out and begging the team to trade him to Miami and Milwaukee.

 

[Pinwheel1]

idk if you know this, but Ben Simmons is one of the biggest negative assets in the league.

I would rather roll the dice with Simmons than with someone like Lowry. If he can't pass a physical then no, but if he can then he is an excellent defender with size. He could help make this young team competitive. The question I have is would the Nets include Clowney, and I doubt they would.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Fentress is talking out of his ass. I don't believe that Dame or his agent have told him that.

At the same time why would Fentress just make this kind of stuff up?

 

[glazeduck]

idk if you know this, but Ben Simmons is one of the biggest negative assets in the league.

I had this same discussion with a buddy last night. In a vacuum, Simmons' contract is brutal. But specifically for a post-Dame Blazers...

• We're not going to be competitive next year, so who cares?
• After that year, it becomes a huge expiring, so really only one year to "swallow" before it could become a positive asset.
• We're going to be well under all the cap ceilings in that timespan, so who cares?
• Per the rumors, including him in a deal allows us to get additional asset, so isn't that a good thing?
• Looking at all the big contracts out there -- most are either of untouchable or aging players. A few (KAT, Zion, Ayton, Simmons) are young, talented but mercurial. If one of those types is being included as a negative asset but still has high potential... isn't that good thing?
• If he somehow figured things out... he's still an extremely skilled big man who can defend 1-5, rebound, doesn't need shots and likes to facilitate. Doesn't that sound like the perfect role player at a position that we've struggled to find good fits forever?

To me, concerns about Simmons' contract is worrying about a billionaire's money and no real other concerns. In the absolute worst case scenario, he's a locker room cancer (something I've never heard anything of the sort said about him previously) and we tell him to stay home until we can trade his contract. The guy at least looks like he is at least doing all the right things to get back to playing... I see almost no downside to including him.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

We might have to take on a big expiring contract to make a deal work (which will probably include picks and some younger players). Ben Simmons is an almost-expiring contract, that has a chance to turn into an all-star perfect fit for this roster. The chance may be small, but it's not nothing.

I'm just saying that If we're trading a top 75 player in the history of the NBA AND taking on the worst contract in the league, we'd better be getting AT LEAST a Banchero level player.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Fentress is talking out of his ass. I don't believe that Dame or his agent have told him that.

As I said about his other post, he is acting like there are no other teams Dame would be ok with. Tell me, Aaron, is Dame going to say Fuck you to the city of NY by refusing to play for them?

 

[LayneStaley]

idk if you know this, but Ben Simmons is one of the biggest negative assets in the league.

Yeah I know that but it’s a 2 year contract and we are basically getting 2 1s to take him for 2 season on a team that won’t be contenders.

 

[tykendo]

So you're okay having the franchise get pennies on the dollar because of loyalty to a guy who requested a trade but in reality forced his way to a team that had less than stellar assets?

Dame knows it's a business. He did his part by requesting the trade. He doesnt get to hurt our team for years so he can go to where he wants. It's really simple.

Not adding quality veterans to a team with Dame , can be said to have hurt our team for years to come as well.

 

[Natebishop3]

Here's the really sad part of this behind-the-scenes BS Dame's agent is orchestrating:
If Dame had a press conference in the offseason (when Dame's agent started the misinformation campaign) and said, "I love Portland, and I always will. My roots here are deep, and I plan to live here after my career is over. With the fans support, I've been able to become a top 75 player in the history of the league. But, whether you or I like it, I will be judged by a metric of championships. I love the new direction of the team, but it's unlikely that we are able to win one with the current "double-timeline". So, I am asking for a trade. While I don't need to be traded to some "superteam", I would really appreciate being traded to a contender like the Miami Heat."

Blazer fans, including me, would be crying their eyes out and begging the team to trade him to Miami and Milwaukee.

Isn't it funny thought how the dude who was taking any and all interviews prior to the draft has gone completely radio silent?

 

[Natebishop3]

At the same time why would Fentress just make this kind of stuff up?

Because I don't think he's technically reporting it as something that Dame told him. He's basically saying that Dame and his agent COULD force their way to Miami.

 

[BBert]

Holy shit I would do a deal around Trey Murphy and picks so fast.

We would need to take CJ back…

That's a deal breaker. Don't need him.

 

[TBpup]

Fentress is talking out of his ass. I don't believe that Dame or his agent have told him that.

Who knows where this is really coming from, but "Fentress is talking out of his ass" too often seems, 'situation normal'.

 

[andalusian]

Yeah I know that but it’s a 2 year contract and we are basically getting 2 1s to take him for 2 season on a team that won’t be contenders.

Yeah, I am absolutely on board the Simmons for extra picks wagon. Play him as a center that can run the break and is another ball-handler when the Blazers get bogged down in the half-court. That's absolutely fine.