Exclusive Joe Cronin presser

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Strenuus said:
Here's my issue with what we were handed since we were awarded the #3 pick:

Our options to use that + ant + Nurk (eh) were minimal. We could have gotten a guy who may play 30 games a year or 70 games a year, or 70 games in 2 years. Is that worth the risk? (Zion)

Or do we risk it on a #4 option on a contender (who was thrusted into a #1 because booker went down) then traded to the nets where they went 13-15 as a #1 (bridges) + they were asking for too much

Porzingas no, brown no, anyone else really doesn't elevate this team to think it'd win a championship. So they (Joe and Co) had to have a backup plan. And maybe we can get some luck, some early dividends, etc. And I want to keep Dame! I want to win with him! But the timing didn't make sense to swing for it. It sucks, but it's the reality today.
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Sometimes you have to take a risk. Part of the reason trades didn't happen was because the other teams were trying to get one over on Cronin. He allowed himself to be walked on his first few years here,regarding trades. Two of the same teams ( NO and LAC) tried to walk all over him again. I'm glad he didn't make a shitty trade, but wish we could have got a fair deal that put some help around Dame and made this team better.

Instead, Dame gets alienated as we continue a youth movement because that's all we can manage. Dame may be on the out, and we will be headed to purgatory for the next half a decade at least only to try to get back to mediocrity once again. Yeah, it sucks.

I'm not giving up on Dame. If he goes, I won't be happy. It will be a bad day to be a Blazer. I want him to win and to win here. If he goes, and I hope he doesn't I will root for him, while we pound sand.
 
Tince said:
When do you expect Dame to demand a trade now that Portland drafted a 19 year old?
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That's not really want I'm saying.

I'm saying that those fans are mourning what they think is the end of Dame's era here. I think that's why so many fans were so glum.

With that said, I think if Dame DOES request a trade, it will come towards the end of the summer. He's going to want to see if Joe can do anything in free agency, or through trades.
 
Chris Craig said:
Dame was disrespected by Cronin and the Blazers, who failed and are still failing to be upfront. He is being disrespected by people on here who are waving him off and want to see him traded to make way for a new era. He has good years left in him, he's not getting ready to turn 40 yet.
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I just don't see that. If Joe said, "I'm going to do everything I can do add significant pieces" and then he goes out and the offers just aren't there... how is that failing to be up front? Do you expect him to gut the team to make Dame happy? It takes two to tango. If the offers suck, what is Joe supposed to do? He did the only sure thing and that was adding a significant talent in Scoot Henderson.
 
B-Roy said:


This is as negative has Highkin has been lol.
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This guy was Just on NBA radio and said people around Dames camp are not happy. Said Dame and his camp really wanted the Blazers to trade the pick for veteran help.
 
glazeduck said:
Came here to ask the same thing.

Pointing out that Dame has had less success in the playoffs than Walton or Drexler, or suggesting that some amount of imperfection might be an occupational hazard of getting a 9-fig salary, or suggesting that he's nearing his physical decline, are all a far cry from treating him like a nobody.
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Personally, the only person this forum is treating like a somebody is Scoot Henderson. Why, I don't know. The somebody for me was Amen Thompson who will be a better player than Scoot and at a more desirable position that actually fits with an aging Dame and maturing Simons, Sharpe. He's the real nobody here.
 
Chris Craig said:
Sometimes you have to take a risk. Part of the reason trades didn't happen was because the other teams were trying to get one over on Cronin. He allowed himself to be walked on his first few years here,regarding trades. Two of the same teams ( NO and LAC) tried to walk all over him again. I'm glad he didn't make a shitty trade, but wish we could have got a fair deal that put some help around Dame and made this team better.

Instead, Dame gets alienated as we continue a youth movement because that's all we can manage. Dame may be on the out, and we will be headed to purgatory for the next half a decade at least only to try to get back to mediocrity once again. Yeah, it sucks.

I'm not giving up on Dame. If he goes, I won't be happy. It will be a bad day to be a Blazer. I want him to win and to win here. If he goes, and I hope he doesn't I will root for him, while we pound sand.
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The teams who could have helped us get better want us to fail so they can get a shot at Dame.

That was a big part of the equation.
 
Chris Craig said:
Sometimes you have to take a risk. Part of the reason trades didn't happen was because the other teams were trying to get one over on Cronin. He allowed himself to be walked on his first few years here,regarding trades. Two of the same teams ( NO and LAC) tried to walk all over him again. I'm glad he didn't make a shitty trade, but wish we could have got a fair deal that put some help around Dame and made this team better.

Instead, Dame gets alienated as we continue a youth movement because that's all we can manage. Dame may be on the out, and we will headed to purgatory for the next half a decade at least only to try to get back to mediocrity once again. Yeah, it sucks.

I'm not giving up on Dame. If he goes, I won't be happy. It will be a bad day to be a Blazer. I want him to win and to win here. If he goes, and I hope he doesn't I will root for him, while we pound sand.
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What if there were no fair deals and he had said no to all trades for that reason?

I want Dame to win here badly, but I'd rather have that backup plan instead of waiting a decade to then rebuild (exaggerating a bit).
 
B-Roy said:


This is as negative has Highkin has been lol.
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I don't get the "remaining assets" part. We just added 3 more, so why is he more somber today? He sounds like we gave assets up yesterday. Not saying we have enough to get a deal done, but we certainly haven't used any of them yet. Scoot is still a better asset than Miller. (Even though I like Miller)
 
Dame has 3 years left on his massive contract.
The way some people phrase things, Dame has all the leverage. He doesn't. This is not an Anthony Davis situation.
If he asks for a trade, there should be no rush to get it done.
And what's Dame going to do? Sit on the bench like John Wall? That seems unlikely.
Dame wants to win. I believe Cronin wants to win, but do it his way. I hope that way works out.
 
Strenuus said:
What if there were no fair deals and he had said no to all trades for that reason?

I want Dame to win here badly, but I'd rather have that backup plan instead of waiting a decade to then rebuild (exaggerating a bit).
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What I am saying is his record of being a carpet probably played into not getting a fair deal. Again, I am glad he didn't make a bad deal (i.e. trading Shaedon) just to make one.

It's going to take a decade either way.
 
Strenuus said:
Here's my issue with what we were handed since we were awarded the #3 pick:

Our options to use that + ant + Nurk (eh) were minimal. We could have gotten a guy who may play 30 games a year or 70 games a year, or 70 games in 2 years. Is that worth the risk? (Zion)

Or do we risk it on a #4 option on a contender (who was thrusted into a #1 because booker went down) then traded to the nets where they went 13-15 as a #1 (bridges) + they were asking for too much

Porzingas no, brown no, anyone else really doesn't elevate this team to think it'd win a championship. So they (Joe and Co) had to have a backup plan. And maybe we can get some luck, some early dividends, etc. And I want to keep Dame! I want to win with him! But the timing didn't make sense to swing for it. It sucks, but it's the reality today.
Click to expand...

I'll go so far as to say I'm not sure you could feel good that any one of those other options even elevates the Blazers to within one more move of winning a championship. For me, that's kind of the bottom line. People talk about having resources, but the resources don't do anything for you if you just throw them out the window hoping something good will come back.
 
Chris Craig said:
Sometimes you have to take a risk. Part of the reason trades didn't happen was because the other teams were trying to get one over on Cronin. He allowed himself to be walked on his first few years here,regarding trades. Two of the same teams ( NO and LAC) tried to walk all over him again. I'm glad he didn't make a shitty trade, but wish we could have got a fair deal that put some help around Dame and made this team better.

Instead, Dame gets alienated as we continue a youth movement because that's all we can manage. Dame may be on the out, and we will be headed to purgatory for the next half a decade at least only to try to get back to mediocrity once again. Yeah, it sucks.

I'm not giving up on Dame. If he goes, I won't be happy. It will be a bad day to be a Blazer. I want him to win and to win here. If he goes, and I hope he doesn't I will root for him, while we pound sand.
Click to expand...

I'm missing something. You are glad that Cronin didn't make a bad deal but you think Dame's feels alienated (and maybe I've missed something because I haven't seen that reported reliably) because the Blazers didn't make a good deal that we can't presume existed.

Also, if it's admirable to take risk in trade, why isn't it just as acceptable to take a risk and draft?

One last thing: Let's say Cronin traded 3 and Ant for Siakam and entering March the Blazers still were 31-34. Do you think Dame would say "Well, they did what I wanted and it didn't work. Guess I'll play out the rest of my career here because they gave me what I wanted." A lot of people are making it sound like Dame had his mind made up based completely on whether we drafted at 3 or traded the 3 with absolutely no regard to what other dynamics were at play. I don't believe that. Contrary to what other posters interpret, I haven't seen anything from Dame to make that clear. But, if that is the case, Cronin was in a Catch-22 situation, and nothing he did would work unless everything from the magic trade of 3 made the Blazers the Nuggets overnight.
 
Whether some in here agree with this or not, Dame is our MJ. He's family. It's different. He's like Elway in Denver. He's a part of our community. It's so much deeper for many of us than the average athlete that comes through. That's why this Draft , though being graded as great, has many around town in a melancholy state.

I went through the Elway late years in Denver. I remember after the 1996 season Jacksonville loss in the playoffs , the feeling that it's over. Columnist said as much. Talk of trading Elway was in the newspapers. But the GM added pieces to the puzzle and Elway led the Broncos to Back to Back titles.


It's what i want to happen here. But I'm hoping Dame is still all in, and understands a deal wasn't there to be made right now. You can't force a team to trade a player . Brooklyn said no from the reports out there.


But adding more talent isn't a bad thing. There are some really good players out there that could further the development of this team now. Without breaking the bank. I'm trying to stay positive. But those who are 100% excited and in a great mood for what happened need to take a break on the rhetoric. Show a little heart , please.
 
BigGameDamian said:
This guy was Just on NBA radio and said people around Dames camp are not happy. Said Dame and his camp really wanted the Blazers to trade the pick for veteran help.
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Highkin?

I'm sure they did. I know Cronin negotiated in good faith. He may just not be good at negotiating deals.
 
When the Blazers got Bledsoe, Coach Billups said Eric can guard LeBron James. If Cronin once again thinks Blazers will need to "step up" and play bigger then their natural positions, we might actually see Chauncey making Scoot play 1-4 in Portland. That's just - not - right
 
Let me take the other side of the defensive thing because it kind of dovetails into something else that's been percolating in my brain.

One of the reasons Dame should like playing with Scoot is because Dame won't be stuck defending the other team's best guard so much.

As challenged as Dame is as an on-ball defender, Ant is 10 times more (or more) challenged. You don't run into that with Scoot. Scoot will not be physically overpowered or outquicked by almost any guard out there. He can take that big defensive assignment that would tax Dame or reduce us to trading baskets. And Dame already is a very good post defender at his size; what we need is a guard who can keep the other team's primary ballhandler from getting two feet in the paint and forcing the rest of our defense to help and scramble. I think having Scoot out there with Dame instead of Dame and Ant already improves us in the single biggest defensive shortcoming we have.

Scoot is 6-2, but he plays a very, very big 6-2.

The other thing that Scoot's right about where he and Dame can be a good tandem is that Scoot is one of those ballhandlers that are very hard to keep out of the paint. He's a very natural passer. Can you imagine you much it will save Dame's legs for late in the game or late in the season having someone else be able to effectively initiate offense even against good defenders or multiple defenders for stretches? Can you imagine how many more open 3s Dame might be getting because the defense had to help and pack the paint against a strong driver? And that strong driver also has a good eye for drawing defense and dishing or pitching?

That's what Scoot can do that Ant doesn't. Ant's a much bigger 3-point threat, but he doesn't attack the rim, and, when he does, he's not doing it creating an even better shot than he himself would get, not very often, at least, not as often as I expect Scoot to do.
 
I guess that's the thing. Imagine defenses trying to guard a backcourt of Dame and pre-injury Derrick Rose. I don't care if they both are 6-2 or 6-3. The way their styles complement each other would be murder.
 
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