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Major sleeper prospect — a 6’9” defensive menace.
Currently leads NCAA basketball in:
Defensive Rating: 68.3
Win Shares Per40: .38
Box Plus/Minus: 16.9
Seattle native.
Currently basically tied with the Spurs, the projected Lottery picks at #6 and #7 are Jalen Duren, a Dwight Howard type with seemingly better work ethic, and Nikola Jovic, a smooth shooting 6'10" wing with good handles and very good passing ability. Both of them would provide something the Blazers don't currently have which is sorely needed.
I really do believe that Joe Cronin will act like he is fighting for the job of his lifetime because he is. I think he will pull off a couple of moves that make this team more talented and fit together more cohesively. I do not think we will miss the playoffs this season, there is plenty of time to get out of the cellar and we're not that deep in it. Just four games back from sole possession of the fifth seed.
If we've made other moves that will help us win next season and going forward with Dame and still miss the playoffs then I would be elated if we won the lotto. That being said, I think if Dame is healthy and we make good moves we won't end up in the lottery. I prioritize Dame's health and getting him a balanced roster that makes sense around him far more than the chance at a chance that a top prospect pans out. I also hope that the moves that Joe makes will make us good enough that even if we have to play the Warriors or Suns, that we won't get drilled but show that we've started to build something for real.I think they will right the ship as well... enough to get drilled in the 1st round of the Playoffs. They may be 4 games from the #5 Playoff spot, but they are only 2.5 games from being head last in the West which would get them the #3 Lottery ranking.
One of those things would seem more helpful in the future than the other... which we have experienced plenty.
Imagine the excitement of we somehow ended up with a Jabari?
Currently basically tied with the Spurs, the projected Lottery picks at #6 and #7 are Jalen Duren, a Dwight Howard type with seemingly better work ethic, and Nikola Jovic, a smooth shooting 6'10" wing with good handles and very good passing ability. Both of them would provide something the Blazers don't currently have which is sorely needed.
Right 2nd round pick but remember we do got 2nd pick and we continue to play like are that 2 round pick will be really high in that round.I don’t see him all that high, if at all, on mock draft boards. Where do you have him projected by March? Are we going to have to be bad by the end of the season to get him? After seeing a few clips, I like him a lot. He and Nas would really add physicality to the wings. Now that’s an exciting future—two starting wings who can be physical with the PGs and Kawhis all night.
There isn’t a generational prospect in this year’s draft.
Next year is the year to tank - generational talents: Scoot Henderson and Victor Wembanyama will headline that draft.
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Mavs/Jazz/Lakers/Hawks/Heat next five games. No guarantee we’ll win any of those five anyway, so I wouldn’t just blow it up for the sake of blowing it up. You still have to show Dame the commitment to try to win. I think by around the trade deadline, if we’re around this spot in the standings or lower, trade Roco/McCollum and Nurkic if you can and get back as much cap space and picks as you can.With a Spurs win (but a Kings loss), Portland is in sole possession of the #7 Lottery spot. However.....
....the Blazers are 1.5 games away from the #4 spot which would give them a ~37% shot at being in the Top 3.
On the other side, the Blazers are only 2.5 games back of the #6 Lakers which would keep them out of the Play-In games and give them a matchup likely against the Jazz. The series between those two teams has been dominated by the home team over the years and of course, Utah would have HCA.
So another first round exit?
....or a shot at some legit help either from the player or as an asset for a 'win now' piece?
https://www.nba.com/nba-draft-lottery-explainerWe are now 1.5 games from being next to last in the Western Conference.....which would put us at the #4 Lottery spot with a really legit shot of getting into the Top-3.
Remember the excitement before the Drafts when we got LaMarcus, Oden and Lillard? At least there would be fresh hope.
https://www.nba.com/nba-draft-lottery-explainer
It's now the top four picks that are determined by the ping pong balls. So if we did end up with the fourth highest odds in the lottery we would have to be hoping both to move up and not to get bumped back. We could finish with the fourth worst record in the league and end up with as high as the first pick (like every lottery team) but as bad as the eighth pick. I get why after trading away our last three first rounders some people in here are romanticizing the draft so much but it's not all roses.
Dame's not going to rest, he's going to try to win. If the team told him they were shutting him down even if he feels good then he would want a trade and our organization would look far worse than they do right now. In reality we are 33 games into the season and 4 games out of the fifth seed. We aren't good enough to get there as constructed so we trade CJ, RoCo, Nurk and anyone else it takes to build a foundation that can contend. That's what Cronin is going to do because if he doesn't make a big move or moves there is just no way he's going to keep the GM job. So when the dust settles and we see what we have after the trade deadline and how far away from a decent seed we are then if we look like shit people in here should start hoping for losses. I will tell you one thing though, Dame's not going to give up and he's not going to rest if he's healthy enough to play.If we lose our lottery pick just to get this pathetic team to play a round in playoffs a d get swept it will be a disaster.
Trade CJ, RoCo and Nurk (if he doesn't want a renewal), rest Dame and get a top10 pick. Start building today for 2022/23.
Dame's not going to rest, he's going to try to win. If the team told him they were shutting him down even if he feels good then he would want a trade and our organization would look far worse than they do right now. In reality we are 33 games into the season and 4 games out of the fifth seed. We aren't good enough to get there as constructed so we trade CJ, RoCo, Nurk and anyone else it takes to build a foundation that can contend. That's what Cronin is going to do because if he doesn't make a big move or moves there is just no way he's going to keep the GM job. So when the dust settles and we see what we have after the trade deadline and how far away from a decent seed we are then if we look like shit people in here should start hoping for losses. I will tell you one thing though, Dame's not going to give up and he's not going to rest if he's healthy enough to play.
Dame's not going to rest, he's going to try to win. If the team told him they were shutting him down even if he feels good then he would want a trade and our organization would look far worse than they do right now. In reality we are 33 games into the season and 4 games out of the fifth seed. We aren't good enough to get there as constructed so we trade CJ, RoCo, Nurk and anyone else it takes to build a foundation that can contend. That's what Cronin is going to do because if he doesn't make a big move or moves there is just no way he's going to keep the GM job. So when the dust settles and we see what we have after the trade deadline and how far away from a decent seed we are then if we look like shit people in here should start hoping for losses. I will tell you one thing though, Dame's not going to give up and he's not going to rest if he's healthy enough to play.
Probably.As far as this thread goes....
Might?
Well I’ll find it hard to believe he’ll be available even in the high second round but if he is, I’d be very optimistic about either one of Little or Eason being a starting wing for many years for us.Right 2nd round pick but remember we do got 2nd pick and we continue to play like are that 2 round pick will be really high in that round.
If we lose our lottery pick just to get this pathetic team to play a round in playoffs a d get swept it will be a disaster.
Trade CJ, RoCo and Nurk (if he doesn't want a renewal), rest Dame and get a top10 pick. Start building today for 2022/23.