How loaded is the NW Division!

[Boob-No-More]

They are going to have home court teams in the playoffs with losing records

Nah, remember they all get to play each other. The East will have a terrible record against the West, but someone needs to win when East plays East.

BNM

 

[Natebishop3]

Maybe now people will see why I say the city of Portland sucks and is totally unappealing to NBA players. (Yeah, some learn to love the place, but few of them actually live in Portland, and visiting players see only the area they don't reside or recreate in.) When Minny and OKC are more appealing destinations, you know the city itself is undermining the team's best efforts.

God this sucks..... every hipster in America wants to move here, but we can't get a single star player to love us.

 

[calvin natt]

makes me wonder what truly the best strategy is if you are the Blazers. You have three assets that could net significant returns. One is 22, and due for a huge payday. One is elite and right now in his prime but realistically isn't getting past the second round at best. And CJ is a really, really good young player who is borderline all star.

Do you build around Nurk and CJ, deal Lillard for picks/younger player and hope for a top 1-3 pick? Or emotionally it's too hard to deal Lillard?

 

[Strenuus]

makes me wonder what truly the best strategy is if you are the Blazers. You have three assets that could net significant returns. One is 22, and due for a huge payday. One is elite and right now in his prime but realistically isn't getting past the second round at best. And CJ is a really, really good young player who is borderline all star.

Do you build around Nurk and CJ, deal Lillard for picks/younger player and hope for a top 1-3 pick? Or emotionally it's too hard to deal Lillard?

It's not that emotionally it'd be too hard... it'd be the backlash. We just got done saying it's hard as hell to get FA's to come here because of the (percieved) lack of love for this city.. then you trade the one guy who has fallen in love with this city and is "loyal to the soil"... what kind of message does that send? It'd be backwards to then trade a person who has publicly on all chances said he loves this city.

 

[blue9]

makes me wonder what truly the best strategy is if you are the Blazers. You have three assets that could net significant returns. One is 22, and due for a huge payday. One is elite and right now in his prime but realistically isn't getting past the second round at best. And CJ is a really, really good young player who is borderline all star.

Do you build around Nurk and CJ, deal Lillard for picks/younger player and hope for a top 1-3 pick? Or emotionally it's too hard to deal Lillard?

If the only thing that's important is championships (which I don't think is the case), then trading Dame and possibly CJ for future assets is the smartest move. You keep Nurk, and start setting things in motion to have elite players built around Nurk in the next 4 years.

But because sports is about more than just championships I don't think you trade Dame. As GM I would constantly be in contact with Dame to see if he ever wavers from his current position of being willing not to win it all if he can't do it in Portland. As long as he's committed to being a one-team player for his entire career you keep him. If you can't win a championship, having a legacy player is the next best thing IMO. If Dame can be our Reggie Miller or John Stockton that would be great. The Blazers don't have that sort of legacy player - Dame would be our first. Of course, I hope that Dame becomes our Tim Duncan, but if not I'll be fine with him being our Miller/Stockton.

 

[barfo]

God this sucks..... every hipster in America wants to move here, but we can't get a single star player to love us.

There's a simple solution here. Let's forget about the NBA and start cheering for hipsters. We'll win the championship most every year and we can have parades.

barfo

 

[dviss1]

.
Do you build around Nurk and CJ, deal Lillard for picks/younger player and hope for a top 1-3 pick? Or emotionally it's too hard to deal Lillard?

Do we hire Draymond to give you a shot to the nuts?

 

[santeesioux]

We didn't draft Nurk.

BNM

Nobody knew he would be as good as he was when he got traded. We did that trade to get out of paying Plumlee and added that draft pick, Nurk was a bonus flier on a pouting out of shape guy that needed a change of scenery. We did hit pay dirt though, absolutely. Another 2 or 3 trades like that and we might have something.

 

[THE HCP]

Blazers could finish higher than any Western team other than the Warriors.

Lillard, CJ, and Nurk are equal to Russ, PG, and Melo. And we're deeper. And our big 3 meshes well with each other and there's doesn't.

You actually believe this?

 

[THE HCP]

My prediction of 41 wins is about right. I thought we’d lose our games to OKC anyway. This bones guy isn’t serious right talking that we could finish ahead of everybody but GS because we are deeper?!? Get the fuck outta here FAMS

 

[handiman]

God this sucks..... every hipster in America wants to move here, but we can't get a single star player to love us.

Yep. Until hipsters invade NBA lineups, the two attractions are mutually exclusive. Sometimes ya gotta get out to be able to see the problem.

 

[santeesioux]

How are the Timbers doing with free agents? MLS seems like a hipster sport so surely they're doing better than the Blazers.

 

[BonesJones]

You actually believe this?

Yes, cohesion matters.

 

[BonesJones]

My prediction of 41 wins is about right. I thought we’d lose our games to OKC anyway. This bones guy isn’t serious right talking that we could finish ahead of everybody but GS because we are deeper?!? Get the fuck outta here FAMS

Did I predict that? No. So shut up.

The question was is it possible? Yes. I could give you all the reasons in the world but you wouldn't even pose an actual valid argument, as you never do.

Somehow we don't improve with a full year of Nurkic, all our young guys getting a year older, while adding two very talented rookies. THAT'S what makes no sense.

 

[BonesJones]

This SlyPokerDog guy brings more fanboy bullshit to the board than actual basketball knowledge.

 

[BonesJones]

You actually believe this?

Nurkic >> Melo
CJ < George (PGs defense is a bit overrated, and CJs efficiency puts him way above George offensively)
Lillard < Westbrook (Westbrook is overrated because of his stat collecting and astronomical usage rate)
Cohesion favors us by a WIDE MARGIN. So yes, the effectiveness of our big 3 is better than theirs.

You act like a typical novice fan thinking that the collection of individual talents is simple. It's not. Play styles can cancel and minimize the positive impacts of other talented players because of the cohesion factor. I know you know basketball, so don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[JDC]

Did I predict that? No. So shut up.

The question was is it possible? Yes. I could give you all the reasons in the world but you wouldn't even pose an actual valid argument, as you never do.

Somehow we don't improve with a full year of Nurkic, all our young guys getting a year older, while adding two very talented rookies. THAT'S what makes no sense.

He didn't say you did. Maybe you read would instead of could?

Regardless, I can understand fit being in issue with Russ, Melo and PG but I think their roster clearly has a high upside come playoff time. They're still a ways off from GSW but I really like the mix of talent in their top 8.

 

[BonesJones]

Meh... One, or more, of these teams will underachieve. They can't all come in second. Some will have fit issues (only need ball, and in OKC Westbrook OWNS that ball, HOU's three best players are all guards and all need the ball to be most effective, etc.) and some will have injuries.

As tough as the division is, I actually think the Blazers will win more this year than the 41 games they win last year. We won't be fighting for second place, but the tough competition will help this young team grow. Then, as these latest super friends teams decline due to advancing age, we will be primed to pass them all.

BNM

Exactly. So tired of fuckers just looking at the top talent on the team and making assumptions based off that, like it's 2K and their looking at "Overall" ratings. There's many areas where we will have less problems that other teams with "more" talent, which could/will help us finish above them. Many of our problems are gone with Nurkic in the middle, and people are underestimating that impact, even though they've already seen it.

 

[WillG]

Do you build around Nurk and CJ, deal Lillard for picks/younger player and hope for a top 1-3 pick? Or emotionally it's too hard to deal Lillard?

I think this would be the best strategy. Cj has a flair & handle that would really suit the PG position if he were given the chance to grow in the position, full time, for a season or two. He has a high ceiling and i really believe he would blossom if given the 'keys' to the team.
He also is younger & has less mileage on the clock. Better defender.

There would be backlash from fans - but these are the type of tough moves that top tier GMs have to make. Internal growth, with the pieces we have, is not going to cut it.

 

[BonesJones]

He didn't say you did. Maybe you read would instead of could?

Regardless, I can understand fit being in issue with Russ, Melo and PG but I think their roster clearly has a high upside come playoff time. Their still a ways off from GSW but really like the mix of talent amongst their top 8.

Yeah, and I think he's taking could as in a high chance, not as in a remote possibility. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt because if he truly thinks we have absolutely no chance at finishing about teams like SAS or HOU then he's out of his mind. SAS' whole roster outside of Kawhi is declining, and their big men are soft as hell. Their guards are weak too. They'll be a lot worse this year. Harden and Paul won't be able to maximize each other's talents while playing next to each other because both need the ball to be affective. Ball dominant players don't fit too well with Westbrook, so OKC is going to have trouble with Carmelo and Paul George in terms of where the ball goes. ISO ball which was normally done by Westbrook only, spread amongst those three guys, doesn't really improve their team.

With those factors, we could certainly finish better than them. But HCP can't quite analyze things on that level.

I also like that I'm gonna piss him off with this shit. HAH.

 

[BonesJones]

We don't get Melo, so now fuckers are back to talking about trading Lillard. SMFH

 

[Boob-No-More]

God this sucks..... every hipster in America wants to move here, but we can't get a single star player to love us.

Not true. Dame, C.J. and Nurk love us!

BNM

 

[WillG]

We don't get Melo, so now fuckers are back to talking about trading Lillard. SMFH

We don't get Melo, and some posters still think that other fans are not entitled to have an opinion on playrs of the team if it differs from their own.

 

[BonesJones]

We don't get Melo, and some posters still think that other fans are not entitled to have an opinion on playrs of the team if it differs from their own.

You're entitled to whatever opinion you want.

I think it's stupid to want to trade Dame because we didn't get Melo.

 

[BonesJones]

Not true. Dame, C.J. and Nurk love us!

BNM

Apparently they don't count, and that's why people wanna trade them.

 

[THE HCP]

Did I predict that? No. So shut up.

The question was is it possible? Yes. I could give you all the reasons in the world but you wouldn't even pose an actual valid argument, as you never do.

Somehow we don't improve with a full year of Nurkic, all our young guys getting a year older, while adding two very talented rookies. THAT'S what makes no sense.

Well first off, you really don’t need to tell people to “shut up”, especially ME . The rest of our division got better and we’ll most likely finish 5th in our DIVISION and you want to say we will “possibly” finish 2nd in the ENTIRE West.
You need to take deep breaths and quit comping back at people on here so aggressively.

 

[THE HCP]

Yeah, and I think he's taking could as in a high chance, not as in a remote possibility. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt because if he truly thinks we have absolutely no chance at finishing about teams like SAS or HOU then he's out of his mind. SAS' whole roster outside of Kawhi is declining, and their big men are soft as hell. Their guards are weak too. They'll be a lot worse this year. Harden and Paul won't be able to maximize each other's talents while playing next to each other because both need the ball to be affective. Ball dominant players don't fit too well with Westbrook, so OKC is going to have trouble with Carmelo and Paul George in terms of where the ball goes. ISO ball which was normally done by Westbrook only, spread amongst those three guys, doesn't really improve their team.

With those factors, we could certainly finish better than them. But HCP can't quite analyze things on that level.

I also like that I'm gonna piss him off with this shit. HAH.

So are you saying we will finish AHEAD of the Spurs and Rockets and OKC? The “declining Spurs with their soft big men and weak guards?”

 

[BonesJones]

Well first off, you really don’t need to tell people to “shut up”, especially ME . The rest of our division got better and we’ll most likely finish 5th and you want to say we will “possibly” finish 2nd in the ENTIRE West.
You need to take deep breaths and quit comping back at people on here so aggressively.

You don't need to tell people to "get the fuck out". I wasn't going to come at you aggressively until you told me that. You're such a fucking hypocrite.

I will never mince words when it comes to you. You can act entitled or whatever, but I'll say whatever I want to you, and you can't do anything about it.

If you think we'll finish 5th in our division it shows just how lacking your basketball knowledge is. Not like we needed any further confirmation.

 

[BonesJones]

So are you saying we will finish AHEAD of the Spurs and Rockets and OKC? The “declining Spurs with their soft big men and weak guards?”

Probably no chance we finish ahead of all 3, but entirely possible we finish ahead of any one or two of those teams.

 

[THE HCP]

You don't need to tell people to "get the fuck out". I wasn't going to come at you aggressively until you told me that. You're such a fucking hypocrite.

I will never mince words when it comes to you. You can act entitled or whatever, but I'll say whatever I want to you, and you can't do anything about it.

If you think we'll finish 5th in our division it shows just how lacking your basketball knowledge is. Not like we needed any further confirmation.

Why are you so hyped up and angry? Is everything ok son? We need a thread in the OT page for you to release all your rage at anybody who has a differing opinion than you. That’s a bad trait son. You’ll get nowhere in life with such a combative attitude.