Exclusive Joe Cronin presser

[Ed O]

I don't think that really strongly refutes his point, Chris.

Are we trying to win, or are we trying to make the next few years an extended meritorious service tour for Damian Lillard?

And to further clarify, is keeping Dame because he's been so awesome, or because he's going to continue to be so awesome? Because the odds of him being this good when he's 36, for example, just are not that great.

We need to continue to do what's best for the team, whether that means keeping Dame or not.

 

[Chris Craig]

The idea that the mess was going to be cleaned up on a dime. The mess is still based on what he inherited, he said from the start it will take a while, he was right, but the blazers now have a real foundation for the future, they didn't before.

He is using a rag to mop a flooded floor. He has exhausted most of our assets rebuilding with little to show for it. He traded away several players to rebuild, including our second best, and hardly got any picks. He basically gave them away. Likely, the only player netted in those moves on next year's roster will be Grant, if he resigns here.

We have Sharpe and Scoot outside of Dame after two years of Cronin. He is talking about the upcoming trade market as if he has a lot of pieces he can move. He doesn't. He puts an emphasis on FA, which the Blazers have been historically terrible at.

He drafted Scoot and that and the other picks were probably all Schmitz. But, he drafted Scoot in the hopes that if Dame asks out, his ass isn't in a sling.

I'm not surprised he didn't pull off any trades during the draft. With his past moves he has set a precedent for being a carpet. Other GMs thought they could get players and picks out of him for nothing, and were unwilling to give fair deals.

 

[PCmor7]

I think he drafted Scoot with no ulterior motive other than he had by far the best chance to be a transcendent player.

For the most part, NBA Draft history has favored teams drafting the best talent with little regard to need and then figuring it out. If the talent is on par, then maybe you take the lower guy on your board and figure the trade-off's negligible, but that wasn't the case here. It'd be another drafting Bowie over Jordan situation if the Blazers didn't draft Scoot.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I tend to agree with you on this. We're trying to do moneyball, without the strategic or analytical advantage.

Didn't we bring in Mike Schmitz for the strategic and analytical advantage?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Here's the video of the presser for those that missed it.

It's just him coming in and dropping a mic, right?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

It'd be another drafting Bowie over Jordan situation if the Blazers didn't draft Scoot.

Ironically, it looks like it might've been Jordan drafting Bowie over Jordan.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

The best player the Blazers Franchise has ever had, and will ever likely have.

What's Walton, chopped liver? And Drexler got us to two finals and the best record in the league. Sheesh. If you said best POINT GUARD, then I would agree.

 

[Gronk_Brady]

What's Walton, chopped liver? And Drexler got us to two finals and the best record in the league. Sheesh. If you said best POINT GUARD, then I would agree.

I guess to some, individuals stats are more important than winning.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

dame.

and a shit ton of games.

Well, last couple of years we HAD Dame and we lost a shit ton of games, so..

 

[e_blazer]

I guess to some, individuals stats are more important than winning.

I guess some people attribute winning to one player rather than to the team. There’s absolutely no question that the quality of the teams that Clyde and Walton played with were far superior to those Dame has been saddled with.

 

[e_blazer]

Well, last couple of years we HAD Dame and we lost a shit ton of games, so..

Attack the post, not the poster.

Your post is fucking stupid.

 

[Gronk_Brady]

I guess some people attribute winning to one player rather than to the team. There’s absolutely no question that the quality of the teams that Clyde and Walton played with were far superior to those Dame has been saddled with.

Don’t forget, the biggest trade chip we had during Dames prime was his best friend CJ…and you can’t tell me he played no roll in the team not trading him til it was too late

 

[e_blazer]

Don’t forget, the biggest trade chip we had during Dames prime was his best friend CJ…and you can’t tell me he played no roll in the team not trading him til it was too late

This may relate to Cronin’s job as GM, but what does it have to do with Dame’s qualifications as the greatest Blazer player?

 

[Chris Craig]

I'm not ready to give up on Dame. The Blazers and fans shouldn't be either. He had his best season last year. It's terrible people here are treating him like a fucking nobody.

 

[Chris Craig]

In what, individual stats? Because I don’t remember winning anything during this time.

Because multiple GMs have failed to put a team around him.

 

[Chris Craig]

Ironically, it looks like it might've been Jordan drafting Bowie over Jordan.

That would be funny.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Because we just had almost a decade of Dame/CJ & Dame/Ant, never had a legitimate chance, and it's unlikely Scoot or Sharpe ever become as good as Dame became.

You need to think logically, because you're dreams of pure optimism regarding players who have proven nothing aren't it.

Plus, blatantly lying to Dame and the fans while running him out of town without much of a plan is fucking ridiculous. They could've handled that much better if that was their plan.

I dont want many more years of losing. Sounds miserable. Getting Dame another legit star gives the Blazers a chance at much more than a 6-8 seed. But instead we hope to replicate that result 3-4 years from now. Yay.

The Blazers did try to get a star next to Dame and would've traded the pick for Brown, Bridges, Zion, maybe even Siakam. When none of them were available what should Joe have done?

I understand the frustration with Olshey and the prior cost cutting stupid Cronin moves such as the Clippers trade. That's a large part of where the Blazers are today. But the decision to draft the BPA in Scoot was a great decision. It along with Sharpe might be the best decisions the Blazers have made the last decade.

Yeah it sucks we can't contend now with Lillard but that's just the reality we are at. We didn't get in this position in one move, we can't dig out of it in one move either.

Enjoy watching your coverage and streams. I hope y'all come around to look at the bright sides too, and yes still acknowledge the bad moves or faults at the same time.

 

[Chris Craig]

And, let me be clear before anyone else brings it up: I think the Blazers can do both if Lillard is on board with it. I'm not one of the absolutists that think there only are two courses for this team and anything other than those two is wrong without room for dicussion.

They can, but not only hasn't it just gotten harder, Dame has to be willing to continue being patient.

 

[Chris Craig]

What's Walton, chopped liver? And Drexler got us to two finals and the best record in the league. Sheesh. If you said best POINT GUARD, then I would agree.

Excuse me. One of the best. Dame has done things no Blazer has done. And, now like Drexler, he is likely going to win a championship elsewhere, and the Blazers will be left in the dust.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

The best player the Blazers Franchise has ever had, and will ever likely have.

Possibly true.

But that history is done, Dame is 33. The Blazers need to build for the next 5-10 years, not hold on to the decade that's already passed.

 

[Chris Craig]

Possibly true.

But that history is done, Dame is 33. The Blazers need to build for the next 5-10 years, not hold on to the decade that's already passed.

Remember you gave up on him when he goes to another team and immediately wins the trophy.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I'm not ready to give up on Dame. The Blazers and fans shouldn't be either. He had his best season last year. It's terrible people here are treating him like a fucking nobody.

I'm fine keeping Dame, but I'd want him to commit to all of next year.

If he will consider asking out between now and the deadline the Blazers should explore his worth now. It's the basic requirement, the due diligence, of Joes job regardless of his or other personal love for Dame.

Also we have Grants contract offers and MLE targets that could change depending on Dame. So we really need him to commit or not before deciding the best way to proceed.

If Dame is in I'm in for keeping him.

 

[e_blazer]

Possibly true.

But that history is done, Dame is 33. The Blazers need to build for the next 5-10 years, not hold on to the decade that's already passed.

The decision on whether Dame gets traded has not been made. The off-season doesn’t end with the draft and I’m sure Cronin has discussed moves to add more veteran talent. Fans don’t make the call on whether Dame’s time in Portland is done. Dame and Cronin do.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Remember you gave up on him when he goes to another team and immediately wins the trophy.

I'd be fine with it because there's no way for the Blazers to immediately win a trophy with or without Dame.

If the Blazers currently had an All NBA two way forward and another good vet Id say no way keep Dame 100% and try to contend next season. The Blazers aren't at that position and have no moves to get to that place either.

 

[bemac]

Remember you gave up on him when he goes to another team and immediately wins the trophy.

And the reason he wins a trophy will be because he's not the best player on the team.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I'm fine keeping Dame, but I'd want him to commit to all of next year.

If he will consider asking out between now and the deadline the Blazers should explore his worth now. It's the basic requirement, the due diligence, of Joes job regardless of his or other personal love for Dame.

Also we have Grants contract offers and MLE targets that could change depending on Dame. So we really need him to commit or not before deciding the best way to proceed.

If Dame is in I'm in for keeping him.

I don't totally disagree with what you are saying here, but signing Grant and then having to trade him if Dame left is not that bad of an option.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

The decision on whether Dame gets traded has not been made. The off-season doesn’t end with the draft and I’m sure Cronin has discussed moves to add more veteran talent. Fans don’t make the call on whether Dame’s time in Portland is done. Dame and Cronin do.

Agreed.

I'd say the decision to win with vets around Dame next season has been made, and that was a no.

Dame might be traded in a few weeks or he might retire playing his whole career in Portland, such as 5 years from now.

 

[Chris Craig]

And the reason he wins a trophy will be because he's not the best player on the team.

It'll be because he has an actual team around him.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I don't totally disagree with what you are saying here, but signing Grant and then having to trade him if Dame left is not that bad of an option.

Yeah we can sign Grant to a reasonable contract with either path. But we should not overpay Grant as we did with Nurk as then Grant would have negative trade value.

If Grant walks, fine that's better then being stuck with a bad contract the next 5 years.

Maybe actually they don't need Dames input for Grant.... if the Blazers had traded for Brown/Bridges/etc they probably would have needed to overpay Grant if the alternative was him walking. Now there is no need for that overpayment as the loss of Grant isn't horrific.

Just resign Grant if it's a tradeable deal, if not let him walk.

 

[Chris Craig]

I don't totally disagree with what you are saying here, but signing Grant and then having to trade him if Dame left is not that bad of an option.

I don't see many teams wanting Grant's contract if we re-sign him to the contract he is looking for. Especially, with the new climate.