Go for broke?

[KingSpeed]

I think we should wait to see how we do against some good teams on the road before we decide if we are buyers or sellers. We have had a pretty easy schedule so far.

Philly and Denver are solid playoff teams. It's not like we've been playing Detroit and Toronto.

Forget thinking about the future and lets try to seize this opportunity in the west.

Now you're talking, Nate!

Well I know some may think it's tiring that I keep bringing up the 98-99 Blazers; but I will do it again. We really do have a good team. There is this "togetherness" I haven't seen in quite a while. I know some think it was an upgrade when we traded almost our entire 98 team to get Smitty and Pippen, but I really think we had something with the team we already had.

I like OKC's approach. Keep the team together and grow to be a contender. I think we can follow this same path with what we have.

That 99 team had two starting lineups:

Damon/Rider/Williams/Grant/Sabonis

Anthony/Jackson/Augmon/Wallace/Cato

I loved that team. We were the best team in the league until those last couple weeks when we completely imploded.

I have said this multiple times, but here it goes again. Tanking is not the only way to do it. More teams than not, however have been ultra shitty before they become contenders

Dallas missed the playoffs for the entire decade of the 90's.....I think? Then they got Dirk, Nash and Finley and built from there

MM- We played Dallas in the 1990 playoffs. But anyway, in the last 13 years since Jordan retired, how many teams have won the NBA championship with a top 3 pick that THEY drafted? ONE team. The Spurs (with both David Robinson and Tim Duncan). Yao, LeBron, Melo, Rose, Howard, Kenyon Martin, and on and on, none of those guys have won the championship. And the guys who HAVE- Shaq, Gasol, ?- won the title after leaving the team that tanked to get them. So winning a championship by sucking hardly ever works. It's all about tweaking your roster, signing free agents, retooling instead of rebuilding.

 

[KingSpeed]

Sorry about the double post. I'm having trouble deleting one.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Dammit, Sly really ruined what was a perfectly good piece of sarcasm by editing what I said. The "Your dumb" should have said it all ...

Your write.

 

[Mediocre Man]

You get it

Honestly I don't, but oh well.

 

[Mediocre Man]

MM- We played Dallas in the 1990 playoffs. But anyway, in the last 13 years since Jordan retired, how many teams have won the NBA championship with a top 3 pick that THEY drafted? ONE team. The Spurs (with both David Robinson and Tim Duncan). Yao, LeBron, Melo, Rose, Howard, Kenyon Martin, and on and on, none of those guys have won the championship. And the guys who HAVE- Shaq, Gasol, ?- won the title after leaving the team that tanked to get them. So winning a championship by sucking hardly ever works. It's all about tweaking your roster, signing free agents, retooling instead of rebuilding.

Conversely though, if you look at the last 13 years all of them not only had top lottery picks on their team, but with the exception of Detroit, all had at least one player considered to be one of the best in the entire league. I think LMA is great, but he's not quite on the same level as Dirk, Kobe, Shaq, D-Whistle, Duncan, etc. I certainly don't think it's a sure things, Eric, but IMO it's probably the best way for Portland to go about it since we can't attract superstar FA's

Philly and Denver are solid playoff teams. It's not like we've been playing Detroit and Toronto.

They might be, but all games at home with two full days off already is pretty favorable. It will all even out, but so far it has been pretty easy, IMO. Mick pointed out strength of schedule, but after only 2-3 games I don't think you can use that stat.

 

[huevonkiller]

LA is going to make a run so Gasol isn't going anywhere yet. Unless it is for Howard.

Portland is pretty close to doing big damage though.

 

[Natebishop3]

LA is going to make a run so Gasol isn't going anywhere yet. Unless it is for Howard.

Portland is pretty close to doing big damage though.

What do the Lakers have that a rebuilding Orlando would want? You don't have draft picks. You don't have any young talent. I think your best bet at getting Howard is through free agency, and you'd have to move Gasol to help in that cause.

 

[huevonkiller]

What do the Lakers have that a rebuilding Orlando would want? You don't have draft picks. You don't have any young talent. I think your best bet at getting Howard is through free agency, and you'd have to move Gasol to help in that cause.

I respect LA but you don't have to use that pronoun.

Yeah the cap space argument is interesting. But I guess LA feels they can compete for a title now, and still get some superstar later because they're LA.

I think they're banking on Bynum. :O

 

[Natebishop3]

I respect LA but you don't have to use that pronoun.

Yeah the cap space argument is interesting. But I guess LA feels they can compete for a title now, and still get some superstar later because they're LA.

I think they're banking on Bynum. :O

Bynum isn't much to bank on.

 

[huevonkiller]

I bet his draft stock just went up a bit. I wonder what they could get for him now.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

I bet his draft stock just went up a bit. I wonder what they could get for him now.

if he is going to produce like that, why even bother trading him?