Is Olshey playing it too safe?

[theprunetang]

Would we be a better team if LA was still with us? Yes. Unequivocally yes. Do I miss the motherfucker though? Not in the slightest.

A side note: I ran into LA at a pizza place while I was on a date with a Neuro-surgeon during his rookie season. He sat down at the bar section about 3 seats down from me. When I run into celebrities, I always treat them with respect because I know that they are just people too and don't want to be bothered 90% of the time by random strangers. He was already glancing my way (I think he was checking out my date) so I decided to say a word or two. I simply said, "Hey Lamarcus, welcome to Portland. We're happy to have you here. Cheers!" I said cheers as a bit of a conscious conversation ender. Instead of saying anything, he turned away from me and pulled the drawstrings of his hoodie so tight that no one could see his face. He just sat there hiding in his hoodie all by himself for the next hour. Fuck him.




Ps. She let me play Doctor later that night.

 

[calvin natt]

I'm confused why people think we could not have (or it would have been difficult etc) to trade LMA for something.

I know - and have posted elsewhere- for a fact LMA specifically asked out of portland about two YEARS before he finally left. I like NO. Think he's the right GM for the team. Maybe he felt desperate to keep him. But as much as LMA annoyed me as a player/person, he gave the team ample opportunity to deal him. Why said the whole "best blazer ever" thing I don't know. But he wasn't staying here.

 

[riverman]

he gave the team ample opportunity to deal him

nah...when he met with Paul and Neil offseason 2 years before he left, he assured them he wanted to be the greatest Blazer ever and he strung them along thinking they would keep him until the Spurs sweet talked him...I think Lamarcus has a difficult time with decisions period...sure, we could have traded him earlier but we were making noise that year with one of the best starting 5's in the west....after the fact...we showed loyalty to him and he didn't return the favor. That Memphis series was when shit hit the fan...after Wes went down, Lamarcus seemed deflated....I got the impression he was done waiting for Batum to show up. Rolo tanked the end of that season as well.

 

[calvin natt]

100% LMA asked to be traded two years before he left. He of course said to a Texas team. Portland didn't believe it or thought they could change his mind. He pulled a Paul George but kept it quiet. Instead of trading him they wouldn't budge. I can understand someone not buying this but I believe without a doubt this is what happened

 

[riverman]

100% LMA asked to be traded two years before he left. He of course said to a Texas team. Portland didn't believe it or thought they could change his mind. He pulled a Paul George but kept it quiet. Instead of trading him they wouldn't budge. I can understand someone not buying this but I believe without a doubt this is what happened

At the meeting with Paul and Neil at that time, he said he wanted to play PF and not be a small ball center..next to a Jared Jeffries or Joel Freeland....to stay they needed a center...they went and got Rolo....I have never, ever heard of an Aldridge demand to be traded to Texas....he actually wanted to go to Phoenix...apparently was close to Earl Watson...whatever the reason...he's history and I don't miss him anymore....at the end of the day, he didn't want to play with young players..he wanted to play with proven vets....don't think playing with a second year CJ or Meyers or Crabbe floated his boat at all...back then he was lobbying for the team to get Paul Millsap if I remember correctly..

 

[calvin natt]

At the meeting with Paul and Neil at that time, he said he wanted to play PF and not be a small ball center..next to a Jared Jeffries or Joel Freeland....to stay they needed a center...they went and got Rolo....I have never, ever heard of an Aldridge demand to be traded to Texas....he actually wanted to go to Phoenix...apparently was close to Earl Watson...whatever the reason...he's history and I don't miss him anymore.

I understand. But this was the case. Perhaps he would have been ok with Phoenix at some point. But he asked to go to a TX team and didn't see himself resigning with portland. This was well before his impending free agency status and maybe the team thought he'd change his mind. Nothing was less surprising than LMA leaving Portland and signing with SA when he did.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I'm confused why people think we could not have (or it would have been difficult etc) to trade LMA for something.

I know - and have posted elsewhere- for a fact LMA specifically asked out of portland about two YEARS before he finally left. I like NO. Think he's the right GM for the team. Maybe he felt desperate to keep him. But as much as LMA annoyed me as a player/person, he gave the team ample opportunity to deal him. Why said the whole "best blazer ever" thing I don't know. But he wasn't staying here.

How do you know it was NO that wouldn't trade LMA?

I could see Paul Allen saying no to trading him.

 

[riverman]

There's also the issue with Lamarcus and his heart problems....the Blazers might have thought he was damaged goods at that point...the Spurs had to pull him last season for a racing ticker.....watching him play with the Spurs...I think we dodged a bullet and got young....after the fact..probably a better direction in the long run..

 

[SlyPokerDog]

There's also the issue with Lamarcus and his heart problems....the Blazers might have thought he was damaged goods at that point...the Spurs had to pull him last season for a racing ticker.....watching him play with the Spurs...I think we dodged a bullet and got young....after the fact..probably a better direction in the long run..

After watching last year's playoffs it's clear that LMA has no heart.

 

[Denny Crane]

LMA said he wanted to be here forever, right? NO was supposed to trade him after that? Again, trading for a player who's about to be UFA is a really big risk. Look at what DHo did to the L*kers (hahahahah!). Consider why a team would trade for him if they could just wait until summer and sign him outright?

Given the circumstances, NO played it 100% by the book. Try to impress on LMA that he's been a Blazer his whole career, his fans are here, this is his team, and we're trying to win. He traded for RoLo to appease him. He traded for Afflalo to show commitment to winning it all.

It was LMA's choice to leave and nothing NO or Mr. Allen could have done to make him (or convince him to) stay.

The upside is that even if LMA did leave, all the contracts expired at the same time so a complete rebuild with a boatload of cap space, around Dame (and now CJ). That we had all those contracts expire at the same time was great planning and what a great GM would do.

 

[Strenuus]

I wonder what neils safe word is....

 

[UncleCliffy'sDaddy]

I wonder what neils safe word is....

"Valet parking"........

 

[Schilly]

Being an NBA GM automatically makes you a gambler, but the misconception about gamblers they don't take a lot of big risks they play the odds and play it safe, at least the successful ines do. The others don't last long.

 

[calvin natt]

LMA said he wanted to be here forever, right? NO was supposed to trade him after that? Again, trading for a player who's about to be UFA is a really big risk. Look at what DHo did to the L*kers (hahahahah!). Consider why a team would trade for him if they could just wait until summer and sign him outright?

Given the circumstances, NO played it 100% by the book. Try to impress on LMA that he's been a Blazer his whole career, his fans are here, this is his team, and we're trying to win. He traded for RoLo to appease him. He traded for Afflalo to show commitment to winning it all.

It was LMA's choice to leave and nothing NO or Mr. Allen could have done to make him (or convince him to) stay.

The upside is that even if LMA did leave, all the contracts expired at the same time so a complete rebuild with a boatload of cap space, around Dame (and now CJ). That we had all those contracts expire at the same time was great planning and what a great GM would do.

I am more confident that LMA told them he wanted to be traded than I am him saying he wanted to be here forever. Any of the Texas teams could have thought signing LMA after his free agency began was possible with a lot of confidence, had Portland reached out to them. And yes it very well may have been PA not NO who was unwilling to deal him. We know it wouldn't be the first time PA nixed a deal.

Anyway we don't have to beat this to death. I just would bet everything I have that this was the case.

 

[SIeepwalker]

I am more confident that LMA told them he wanted to be traded than I am him saying he wanted to be here forever..

That's a weird assumption to make considering one of those two things were said on tape.

 

[riverman]

After watching last year's playoffs it's clear that LMA has no heart.

pop made him play small ball center too, after all that before Rolo

 

[calvin natt]

That's a weird assumption to make considering one of those two things were said on tape.

Poorly written on my part. Was meaning to say if he said both things, he meant one of them, the other was a steaming pile of shit.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I'm confused why people think we could not have (or it would have been difficult etc) to trade LMA for something.

I know - and have posted elsewhere- for a fact LMA specifically asked out of portland about two YEARS before he finally left. I like NO. Think he's the right GM for the team. Maybe he felt desperate to keep him. But as much as LMA annoyed me as a player/person, he gave the team ample opportunity to deal him. Why said the whole "best blazer ever" thing I don't know. But he wasn't staying here.

I thought I explained that pretty well. When he privately asked to be traded--in the summer of 2013--he absolutely should have been dealt. No question. However, when Neil didn't do so, he was stuck, because the team was suddenly too good to trade the star player without creating a fan uproar.

 

[Rhal]

I thought I explained that pretty well. When he privately asked to be traded--in the summer of 2013--he absolutely should have been dealt. No question. However, when Neil didn't do so, he was stuck, because the team was suddenly too good to trade the star player without creating a fan uproar.

Wasn't the entire "LMA asked to be dealt" situation steaming from one of the Portland reporters(I think it was Quick) and it got picked up nationally but no one outside of Quick had any info on it, it was all a rehash of what Quick had said. I haven't seen anyone in the Blazers organization or LMA himself ever confirmed these reports.

 

[calvin natt]

Ok I'll drop this.

 

[THE HCP]

Wasn't the entire "LMA asked to be dealt" situation steaming from one of the Portland reporters(I think it was Quick) and it got picked up nationally but no one outside of Quick had any info on it, it was all a rehash of what Quick had said. I haven't seen anyone in the Blazers organization or LMA himself ever confirmed these reports.

I can neither confirm or deny

 

[SIeepwalker]

I can neither confirm or deny

Then don't post FAMS

 

[Scalma]

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. When I read Aldridge passed on signing an extension I immediately got a bad feeling. Yeah there were a bunch of political quotes from him and yeah he could've gotten paid more had he waited, but something seemed off about it. The rumored insecurities about not being the man from back in the Roy days played a part in my uneasiness. The final nail in the coffin however imo was when Wes went down. That gave Aldridge the out he wanted deep down. "We've gone as far as we could go, time to move on bla bla." I don't really blame Olshey for the Aldridge situation, but he did play it relatively safe, especially if Aldridge actually asked to be traded. Trading him would've been the riskier move. That's my problem with Neil. Whatever the riskiest move is, expect him to go the other way. Think about it. What's the riskiest move he's made since he's been GM?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Think about it. What's the riskiest move he's made since he's been GM?

The Afflalo trade or the Batum trade could both be viewed as risky, and as failures.

 

[Scalma]

The Afflalo trade or the Batum trade could both be viewed as risky, and as failures.

I don't consider the Afflalo trade a failure, or at least I don't blame Neil for it. He wasn't brought in here to start. Team was playing awesome when Wes went down and Afflalo was starting to adjust to his bench role. It was an obvious trade to make.

I agree on Batum. Still don't get why he did it. My guess was Olshey was trying to please Aldridge who might've not liked batum I don't know. Some fans still shit on Batum but that trade hasn't been talked about enough imo. It was awful. Vonleh is an even bigger beta than Batum, but not as talented.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I thought I explained that pretty well. When he privately asked to be traded--in the summer of 2013--he absolutely should have been dealt. No question. However, when Neil didn't do so, he was stuck, because the team was suddenly too good to trade the star player without creating a fan uproar.

Fun fact. LMA has asked to be traded THIS offseason, and as far as I know, the Spurs are not shopping him. This is his potentially his last year as he has a player option for 18-19.

So, do you think the Spurs be shopping him?

 

[Minstrel]

Fun fact. LMA has asked to be traded THIS offseason, and as far as I know, the Spurs are not shopping him. This is his potentially his last year as he has a player option for 18-19.

So, do you think the Spurs be shopping him?

They were reportedly shopping him at the start of the off-season. That's what drove Aldridge to remove the Spurs from his Twitter bio. They just couldn't find any buyers, as they didn't want to just give him away for nothing but cap relief.

I think if any team will offer them real value, he'll be on the next plane out.

 

[riverman]

Aldridge stated that he was pacing himself because he'd seen so many teammates ruin careers with injury.....I think he's paranoid and wants to do just enough to get paid....he didn't want to play in the paint because of the risk....he's had everything from dangling thumbs to a heart problem for quite a while..Duncan was going to play alongside him for 2 years...after one year with Lamarcus...he decided to retire early...I don't think Lamarcus' hero was that impressed

 

[riverman]

Fun fact. LMA has asked to be traded THIS offseason, and as far as I know, the Spurs are not shopping him. This is his potentially his last year as he has a player option for 18-19.

So, do you think the Spurs be shopping him?

Pops made him play in the paint....he misses Stotts allowing him to float around the perimeter

 

[BigGameDamian]

BUMP!!
Neil might be the GM but would bet that Paul is just as involved in every trade, non trade and draft selection just as much. Of course I think they play it to safe. I've been saying that for a couple years now. It's not just Neil though. BIGGER BALLS ARE NEEDED!!