Is it Me or the Blazers?

[Hoopguru]

Like any organization should do is evaluate your strengths & weakness's.
To me its the bench and defense in the starting back court.
We do ok when we are shooting well but still give up a lot of points. But when we are not shooting well enough we dont have the ability to get get stops. Thats why we are always allowing teams back even when we have a substantial lead. Most mediocre teams have this same issue, to me number 1 area is defense. If Naz and GP11 were healthy those two dogs would help on the d side.

 

[AngryFan]

I don't understand what people were expecting. We have a tier 2 star and the 14th highest payroll in the league. The teams clearly better than us that have lower or similar payrolls have key players still on rookie contracts (Cleveland, Pelicans, Grizzlies).

The difference in salary between us and the 5th highest (Boston) is nearly enough to fit both Grant and Payton into.

 

[BassPlaya]

...all the way to a championship over Shaq and Kobe.

What does that have to do with the term uninspired? Dame IMO, is the best player he can be. He always has been. Rasheed was never the best player he could be. That is how I define inspired play.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

What does that have to do with the term uninspired? Dame IMO, is the best player he can be. He always has been. Rasheed was never the best player he could be. That is how I define inspired play.

I think Rasheed is a better judge of what's the best player he could be. He was pretty fucking awesome. How can you be "uninspired" and still lead the league in technicals?

Plus: "being the best player you can be" isn't so great if that's an average player. I may well be the best player I can be, and that's just sad, not inspiring.
Finally: I refuse to believe that Dame couldn't be better on defense.

 

[Cugel]

Each of these guys on the roster has the physical tools to play average individual defense. They just don't/won't.

 

[julius]

I don't understand what people were expecting. We have a tier 2 star and the 14th highest payroll in the league. The teams clearly better than us that have lower or similar payrolls have key players still on rookie contracts (Cleveland, Pelicans, Grizzlies).

The difference in salary between us and the 5th highest (Boston) is nearly enough to fit both Grant and Payton into.

Simons is a tier 2 star?

 

[AngryFan]

Simons is a tier 2 star?

You honestly think Damian is in the first tier? You really are going to pretend to not see the difference between him and the Jokic/Giannis type players?

 

[BassPlaya]

I think Rasheed is a better judge of what's the best player he could be. He was pretty fucking awesome. How can you be "uninspired" and still lead the league in technicals?

Plus: "being the best player you can be" isn't so great if that's an average player. I may well be the best player I can be, and that's just sad, not inspiring.
Finally: I refuse to believe that Dame couldn't be better on defense.

It appears that we do not agree on what inspired play is defined as. Have a good Christmas.

Go Blazers.

 

[Propagandist]

Which no where in there does it say Dame is the problem. They simply identified him as the leader (which he is) and that for good or for bad, no much has really changed one way or the other over the years despite changes in everything around him. He has led them to the Playoffs most year.....Good. They have done very little in the vast majority of instances when they got there.....not so good.

If you had a taller, longer, more defensive oriented guard next to him, I think some of this would have been remedied. Instead, the Blazers have gone with quite a bit of a replication of Dame's strengths and weaknesses right next to him when that has been proven over and over again not to be a successful recipe.

My fault, I thought that was group text group dude’s assessment…

I obviously agree with you. I like Dame and Jerami and maybe Josh at the two, maybe, but all this deja vu is frustrating times ten.

 

[julius]

You honestly think Damian is in the first tier? You really are going to pretend to not see the difference between him and the Jokic/Giannis type players?

Yeah, their teams have better quality players around them.

Also strange that you happened to pick two guys who are anywhere from 8-10 inches taller than Damian is.

 

[SharpeScooterShooter]

Yeah, their teams have better quality players around them.

Also strange that you happened to pick two guys who are anywhere from 8-10 inches taller than Damian is.

Does the MVP give size a consideration?

When considering superstars( i think he meant that, not just stars)
List the top.
Is Dame in that top5? If not id say he is second tier superstar.
Also probably why he has only made one first team and one third team all nba. He isnt a perennial all nba player. Again, i love him, but he isnt above, jokic, giannis, Tatum, lbj, KD.
To me, this makes him a second tier superstar.

 

[AngryFan]

Yeah, their teams have better quality players around them.

Also strange that you happened to pick two guys who are anywhere from 8-10 inches taller than Damian is.

You're just proving my point. Being physically dominant is part of what separates tier 1 and tier 2, it is part of why Damian can be shut down by double teams in ways the Giannis/Jokic/Durant/Shaq/Lebron/Duncan level of stars can't be.

The fact those bigger guys also have better teams around them is why this outcome was inevitable. The Bucks are spending 29 million more this year while having Giannis. Jerami Grant and Hart are making a combined 34 million this year.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Spot who ISN'T the problem
View attachment 52360

It appears that since Sharpe has so much natural talent that they are hoping that if they keep playing him, by the end of the season he will be a positive contributor.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

It appears that since Sharpe has so much natural talent that they are hoping that if they keep playing him, by the end of the season he will be a positive contributor.

Either that or we're stealth tanking

 

[BonesJones]

This is the same thing as it's been been season after season after season.

A group of us that maintain a text chat, were having a merge phone call. One of the people who rarely says anything chimed in. To give context, they are one of the leading software engineers for a company that caters to Fortune 500 Companies.

"This team is basically the same year after year. The owner changes, the coaches change, the players change, the game plan may change, but the identity is still very similar to what it has always been. There is one constant through this whole thing....Dame. He is the best player and the leader. It is his team and isn't likely to change for much better or much worse until it is no longer his team."

They listen in to these chats/texts threads for years, but this is the first time they have ever spoken up. Everyone else went dead silent.

LOL. Yes it's Dame's fault his bench sucks. First year we have a new team and 33 games in and we're in the thick of things but Mr. Software Engineer blames Dame! Quick - Whats our record with Dame vs. without? Since it's Dame's fault and all.

Dame's been much better defensively this year than previous seasons. Dame's been a part of a top 10 defense before.

Maybe if the software engineer approached analyzing basketball in a way where they actually analyzed the basketball instead of by process of elimination...

Is the rest of the roster good enough to fix all the problems this organization has had? Of course not. So how is a newer roster showing that it's a Dame problem when he still hasn't had a good enough roster and has carried mixed rosters in the past?

It's hilarious how if a couple more one possession games went our way, the tone would be completely different.

 

[Bingo Bango]

INTRO: Here we are, hovering around .500, playing borderline uninspired basketball. This team drives me insane. Now the question is who is at fault. I assumed it was me (I'm married, so I know EVERYTHING bad is my fault), but reading the comments following the last game--and I know emotions run high after a loss--I suddenly felt like I wasn't alone.

ME: See, expectations were low in the start of the season, while mine were secretly high. Then we blazed out of the gates and I felt a silent told-you-so to the world. Now? I can't drop my expectations so each game is just frustrating: "another game within one in the 4th, for fuck's sake" and then boom, whether we win or not, our defense is brutal and it's just so goddamn stressful. Almost regardless of the team. It's torture. But I should be happy right? We've looked great at times...

BLAZERS: But part of me thinks it's the Blazers. There's like this veil over the team where you can't even tell who's in charge and then Jody's at the games and yet everything is in Seattle. She's going to sell, she's not going to sell, she's required to sell, etc. I mean it just feels bad. Can't tell if Chauncey is a good coach, can't tell if Cronin is a good GM...and this after YEARS of frustration with Olshey and Stotts and CJ, etc etc. It's got to be the Blazers right? Just the straw is this weird season.

NBA: The NBA is crazy this year. Anyone can win on any night and anyone can lose on any night.

SOLUTION: Is there a solution? I'd fire Chauncey if I could, but that will never ever ever happen. I'd trade Josh, Winslow, Nurk (if possible), and probably others. We seem to be entering the right path, but time is a factor. (Sorry my diary entry is long but I'm losing my mind over here. Go Blazers!)

Bottom line? Same as it’s ever been. Blazers aren’t going anywhere this season.

 

[BonesJones]

Bottom line? Same as it’s ever been. Blazers aren’t going anywhere this season.

Well that means you don't have to rewatch this movie again! Imagine what you'll do with all your extra time!

 

[Bingo Bango]

Well that means you don't have to rewatch this movie again!

Exactly. I’m not.

 

[BonesJones]

Which no where in there does it say Dame is the problem. They simply identified him as the leader (which he is) and that for good or for bad, no much has really changed one way or the other over the years despite changes in everything around him. He has led them to the Playoffs most year.....Good. They have done very little in the vast majority of instances when they got there.....not so good.

If you had a taller, longer, more defensive oriented guard next to him, I think some of this would have been remedied. Instead, the Blazers have gone with quite a bit of a replication of Dame's strengths and weaknesses right next to him when that has been proven over and over again not to be a successful recipe.

It's so funny watching people blame Ant for the shitty defense last night. Watched the 2nd half last night. After the 9 minute mark, not a single bucket was given up because of Ant the rest of the game, but we still got cooked. When Dame was out and Justise started, we still got cooked.

If the defense struggles, it'll automatically be due to the backcourt in your mind, and no matter how good Ant plays defensively, you have your mind made up no matter what happens on the basketball court. Its easy this way, you don't even have to watch the games!

 

[BonesJones]

Exactly. I’m not.

Happy for you

 

[Propagandist]

It's so funny watching people blame Ant for the shitty defense last night. Watched the 2nd half last night. After the 9 minute mark, not a single bucket was given up because of Ant the rest of the game, but we still got cooked. When Dame was out and Justise started, we still got cooked.

If the defense struggles, it'll automatically be due to the backcourt in your mind, and no matter how good Ant plays defensively, you have your mind made up no matter what happens on the basketball court. Its easy this way, you don't even have to watch the games!

I’m confused by the don’t watch stuff. It feels like there could be hundreds contributing factors to every loss (and likewise every win) so what people correlate will likely be different. But I’m sure if we or @TBpup and you compared your As, Bs, and Cs for why we thought we lost this or that game, there’d be a lot of overlap.

I think I’m missing your position here though. Are you seeing reason to be optimistic about this Dame/Ant duo? Or are we just discussing last game‘s inaccurate comments?

 

[BonesJones]

I’m confused by the don’t watch stuff. It feels like there could be hundreds contributing factors to every loss (and likewise every win) so what people correlate will likely be different. But I’m sure if we or @TBpup and you compared your As, Bs, and Cs for why we thought we lost this or that game, there’d be a lot of overlap.

I think I’m missing your position here though. Are you seeing reason to be optimistic about this Dame/Ant duo? Or are we just discussing last game‘s inaccurate comments?

Yes... we're 17th in defense the last 10 games with Dame and Ant and people act like it's the same and the sky is falling. And that's with a bench that can't defend and without GP2.

 

[TBpup]

LOL. Yes it's Dame's fault his bench sucks. First year we have a new team and 33 games in and we're in the thick of things but Mr. Software Engineer blames Dame! Quick - Whats our record with Dame vs. without? Since it's Dame's fault and all.

Dame's been much better defensively this year than previous seasons. Dame's been a part of a top 10 defense before.

Maybe if the software engineer approached analyzing basketball in a way where they actually analyzed the basketball instead of by process of elimination...

Is the rest of the roster good enough to fix all the problems this organization has had? Of course not. So how is a newer roster showing that it's a Dame problem when he still hasn't had a good enough roster and has carried mixed rosters in the past?

It's hilarious how if a couple more one possession games went our way, the tone would be completely different.

It's so funny watching people blame Ant for the shitty defense last night. Watched the 2nd half last night. After the 9 minute mark, not a single bucket was given up because of Ant the rest of the game, but we still got cooked. When Dame was out and Justise started, we still got cooked.

If the defense struggles, it'll automatically be due to the backcourt in your mind, and no matter how good Ant plays defensively, you have your mind made up no matter what happens on the basketball court. Its easy this way, you don't even have to watch the games!

They didn't blame Dame, they just stated factual history. And they looked at historical data instead of single game oddities. I'm surprised you would even bring up 1 game examples, come on, you're better than that, or at least I believe so. Am I wrong?

I appreciate the attempts at mind reading and foretelling the future, but to be honest, not your strong suit. It was a non-emotional, historical observation by a brilliant data driven engineer (not me) who is trusted by Fortune 500 corporations.

Rant away at me all you want. It was their contribution to a group of very knowledgeable basketball people who give me a lot of ribbing for even being on this forum. Maybe they have a point.

 

[Propagandist]

Yes... we're 17th in defense the lastb10 games with Dame and Ant and people act like it's the same and the sky is falling. And that's with a bench that can't defend and without GP2.

I appreciate the optimism.

I’m torn between what I think should happen and what I think could or will happen. Since, for example, I think there is zero chance they’ll trade Ant (or Dame for that matter), I just accept this backcourt, regardless of my opinion of it.

That being said, I don’t share your optimism. Incremental improvement is of course possible, but big change from other positions is going to be necessary, it seems, if we are going to keep Ant and Dame together.

 

[BonesJones]

They didn't blame Dame, they just stated factual history. And they looked at historical data instead of single game oddities. I'm surprised you would even bring up 1 game examples, come on, you're better than that, or at least I believe so. Am I wrong?

I appreciate the attempts at mind reading and foretelling the future, but to be honest, not your strong suit. It was a non-emotional, historical observation by a brilliant data driven engineer (not me) who is trusted by Fortune 500 corporations.

Rant away at me all you want. It was their contribution to a group of very knowledgeable basketball people who give me a lot of ribbing for even being on this forum. Maybe they have a point.

I'm talking about what people were saying about the last game. There were blaming him for the defensive collapse in the 2nd half last game. It wasn't him at all. I'm not using one game to make a broad statement at all, I'm talking about one game... unless that's not allowed?

Anyway, congrats on your super important mystery friends that talk to Fortune 500 companies! I'm sorry they don't treat you better.

 

[Propagandist]

I feel like "It's the Trail Blazers" should be dominating the poll like GS dominated us in the 4th quarter last night.

 

[Chris Craig]

I feel like "It's the Trail Blazers" should be dominating the poll like GS dominated us in the 4th quarter last night.

It should be because it's definitely the Blazers and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

 

[riverman]

I thought about this a bit this morning and I think Dame and Ant have not learned to play well together yet....they both play well with Nurk and Jerami but together.....they cancel each other out. I'd move Ant if we could

 

[e_blazer]

I feel like "It's the Trail Blazers" should be dominating the poll like GS dominated us in the 4th quarter last night.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s you. Get your jinx ass outta here!