Lessons from Preseason

[blazerkor]

Would we be better off with a smaller, more mobile center? Here's an idea that I'm not endorsing, just putting out there: New Jersey wanted Yang bad. I bet they'd take Jerami + Yang for Nic Claxton. Are we already too much in love with Yang to do it? (I bet a lot of y'alls would've done it after the first preseason game.)

I think we would be better with a more mobile center. That being said, I think our front office is in love with Yang. So if one of our two drop centers was moved I would expect it unfortunately to be Clingan.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I think we would be better with a more mobile center. That being said, I think our front office is in love with Yang. So if one of our two drop centers was moved I would expect it unfortunately to be Clingan.

I like Clingan better than Yang but I doubt New Jersey Brooklyn would

 

[blazerkor]

I like Clingan better than Yang but I doubt New Jersey Brooklyn would

I'm just saying the way Joe has talked about Yang, I think Yang is the last player on the roster he'd be willing to part with for anything outside of a superstar player. Maybe I'm reading it wrong.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Sly, I don't see how trading Grant would help the young guys develop. At that position, we are only talking about Deni and Tou. They are already nursing minor injuries, so more minutes will not help. I think Grant complements them. At least the Jerami from last night.

Before we moved Ayton and Ant, I was all for trading Grant, but that ship has sailed. If the goal is to make the playoffs, and it should be, then we need Jermi badly. If you can trade him for a talented scorer, then fine, but his salary makes that really difficult.

If we're the worst offensive team in the league (which doesn't seem unreasonable) making the playoffs should probably not be our goal.

 

[B-Roy]

It's a .500 team.

 

[Cugel]

It's a .500 team.

I would be ecstatic for a 500 season

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

I'm just saying the way Joe has talked about Yang, I think Yang is the last player on the roster he'd be willing to part with for anything outside of a superstar player. Maybe I'm reading it wrong.

I look at Yang two ways.

1. He has potential. If he gets acclimated and can play with the speed at pro level, he can be good, may even really good.
2. He is going to bring in a lot of money (for the team). Even if he only plays a few minutes, the Blazers will be must-watch TV in China and the NBA (and networks) will be more likely to televise Blazer games due to the attraction he may bring. If he starts playing well and gets more minutes, up the ante on the attention the team gets.

 

[HailBlazers]

If we're the worst offensive team in the league (which doesn't seem unreasonable) making the playoffs should probably not be our goal.

If we're a top defensive team with a bad offense, sounds perfect for Dame.

 

[Cugel]

It is sort of critical to make it out of the lottery this year for the CHI pick to convey. Either that or deal with them for something or another.

 

[e_blazer]

What if that league is the G-League, the league they'll actually be playing in?

Yup.

Humor on the web can be tough. Sometimes things that sounded funny in my head just don’t get read that way.

 

[Blazinaway]

First of all, counting on Timelord and Matisse for any significant minutes is a joke - all these guys do is rehab seemingly forever and they still can't get healthy. If Grant plays solid and rehabs his nonexistant value with that contract, then trade him for whatever you can get - an expiring is fine my me and don't get fukkin greedy! Main thing for me is having a healthy Camara and Deni and seeing Sharpe improve on D and become more efficient on offense. And get Scoot back.

 

[riverman]

Disagree that we haven't seen the 10-man rotation...
Blazers are only ~8 players deep with playable NBA talent. (Holiday, Grant, Deni, Scoot, Sharpe, Clingan, Hansen, Camara)

On IR -> Dame, Rob, & Thybulle
Should be 14th/15th man or 2-way talents -> Murray, Wesley, Sidy
Not NBA talent -> Rupert, Reath, Love

The fact that Murray, Wesley, Sidy, and Love have played so much is a bad sign IMO.

Scoot hasn't played so we haven't seen our 10 man rotation...Thybulle is going to play in that rotation and so is Murray...we won't see Love, Rupert Cissoko or much Wesley when Tisse and Scoot get back

 

[Blazinaway]

Scoot hasn't played so we haven't seen our 10 man rotation...Thybulle is going to play in that rotation and so is Murray...we won't see Love, Rupert Cissoko or much Wesley when Tisse and Scoot get back

how can you count on Thybulle? he had all summer and most of last yr to rehab and so far isn't playing, sorry but he's now in the Timelord zone for injuries and playing time.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

How?
Blazers only played 4 games total.

Oops, mistake. 4-0, 3-1, I stand by my premise. With a healthy team, there would have been many thinking we're playoff-bound.

What do you think? Playoff team? Keep Grant? Play Jrue big minutes?

I apologize for my typo.

 

[blazerkor]

I look at Yang two ways.

1. He has potential. If he gets acclimated and can play with the speed at pro level, he can be good, may even really good.
2. He is going to bring in a lot of money (for the team). Even if he only plays a few minutes, the Blazers will be must-watch TV in China and the NBA (and networks) will be more likely to televise Blazer games due to the attraction he may bring. If he starts playing well and gets more minutes, up the ante on the attention the team gets.

Yeah, I can see us getting a ton more money for our sponsor patch than any other team in the league if Yang is as big or bigger/as popular or more popular than Yao was (the Chinese population has a ton more money than they did in Yao's day [he last played 2011]). So it might just be a product of the growth of the Chinese market.

 

[Cugel]

I think it will be a real challenge to make the play-in. Shae will have to be lights out.

 

[THE HCP]

I look at Yang two ways.

1. He has potential. If he gets acclimated and can play with the speed at pro level, he can be good, may even really good.
2. He is going to bring in a lot of money (for the team). Even if he only plays a few minutes, the Blazers will be must-watch TV in China and the NBA (and networks) will be more likely to televise Blazer games due to the attraction he may bring. If he starts playing well and gets more minutes, up the ante on the attention the team gets.

I look at him 1 way…… he’s 20 with no NBA experience.

 

[inconceivable]

Jerami is a fine player, he's hated when he was top dawg and top dollar but that is not the case anymore, he's only slightly overpaid. He is one of our best offensive weapons.