Lillard fighting the good fight alone?

[GDiama]

Yes & No. Every team has a budget that the owner is willing to spend. It doesn't matter how the salaries are allocated. The owner is looking at the bottom line.
This is especially true when getting into the tax brackets. When pushing up against that line, every dollar is important. Having a little flexibility to give a bit more money to someone else (or make a trade for someone else with a larger salary) can be significant.

You find the flexibility by paying CJs 20 instead of 30, Leonard 5 instead of 12 etc. You don't cut money from a top10 player.

Isn't it obvious that Olshey hasn't been good in cap management? Our payroll is consistently among highest.

 

[Scalma]

Couple questions

1) who’s the all star that Portland wants that is also available?

2) is dame willing to lose CJ to acquire this hypothetical player? Because that’s our best and most expendable asset, especially if you can re-sign Powell. I’m sure some of the younger guys like Simons have value, but I don’t think it’s enough to land a guy like Ben Simmons, for example. Not to mention this “all star” will probably come with a big salary, so we’ll need to match the money.


Personally, I would first hire a new coach and assess before making any major changes personnel wise. I actually found this part of the article the most interesting



I don’t think that’s just Haynes spitballing. I think that’s coming straight from Dame, and would confirm my theory that he’s done with Stotts. Change the coach first, then see what happens. If that doesn’t work, blow it up.

 

[tester551]

You find the flexibility by paying CJs 20 instead of 30, Leonard 5 instead of 12 etc. You don't cut money from a top10 player.

Isn't it obvious that Olshey hasn't been good in cap management? Our payroll is consistently among highest.

Oh I completely agree with you that being more conservative with the 'lower-paid' players is the correct approach.
Olshey has been piss-poor in cap management.
I was just pointing out that when you get to the teams prescribed budget - every little bit of flexibility counts.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I mostly disagree with the Olshey bashing. We have the personnel to be a top 10 defense, and yet we have one of the worst defenses in the history of the league. That's not on Olshey, that's on the coach.

 

[wizenheimer]

I mostly disagree with the Olshey bashing. We have the personnel to be a top 10 defense, and yet we have one of the worst defenses in the history of the league. That's not on Olshey, that's on the coach.

I do not agree that Portland has the personnel to be a top-10 defense, but undoubtedly, they should be much better than they are

but did Stotts hire himself? Did Stotts give himself at least 2 different contract extensions? He just didn't appear as the Blazer coach by magic and it hasn't been voodoo that has kept him in the job for 9 years

and speaking of those 9 years, Olshey was there every step of the way. After watching Stotts operate for 9 seasons, if Olshey was unaware of how Stotts would coach this year's roster, that would be just another among many valid reasons why Olshey should be fired

 

[Labinot41]

The Phoenix Suns, 76ers and Raptors are good examples what a coaching change can do. So tired of Stotts i can’t watch this dude anymore

 

[TBpup]

I mostly disagree with the Olshey bashing. We have the personnel to be a top 10 defense, and yet we have one of the worst defenses in the history of the league. That's not on Olshey, that's on the coach.

I don't know about Top-10...but definitely better than languishing at or near the bottom for the majority of the season. That is embarrassing.

 

[bigbailes]

LOL at blaming Dame's super-max deal for the 9 years of mediocrity and low flexibility under Olshey....that super-max hasn't even started yet. Portland's problem hasn't been paying Dame all-star money. It has been significantly over-paying scrubs and role-players and non-all-stars

Players have to shoulder some of the responsibility when they max themselves out though. I'm all for players getting theirs but then they have to understand how it puts the team in a tough spot. You think the Patriots win all those Super Bowls with Brady maxed out? Hell no, they had an all time great QB taking less than market value, allowing them to spend on other players. Yea sometimes that can backfire on a player but to take a super max and then act like they are doing all they can is pretty disingenuous.

PS ... don't think I'm defending or justifying NO actions and horrible contracts because I'm not at all

 

[DDolla]

Told you guys before. If I’m the billionaire owner of the Blazers, I will pay all the taxes just to bring another superstar to help Dame.

 

[Labinot41]

Lets say the Blazers would have had a defensive rating between 15-17, how would our record look like? I think we would have won 6-8 more games and we would be right behind the Nuggets or even in front of them

 

[AldoTrapani]

This could be merged with the OTHER Chris Haynes thread.

Chris Haynes. What a putz. Didn't he move to Cleveland to get on the "LeBron James Beat"? And then LeBron left. I really hate sportswriters who try to be remoras to stars - Quick did that with Damon Stoudamire of all people.

Damn what the hell did Haynes do to you? All he’s doing is reporting what his buddy is telling him. Tf

 

[wizenheimer]

Lets say the Blazers would have had a defensive rating between 15-17, how would our record look like? I think we would have won 6-8 more games and we would be right behind the Nuggets or even in front of them

and who is to say Portland could elevate their defensive rating without a drop in offensive rating?

Portland has seemed like a never-ending bop-a-mole game in the Stolshey era. Solve one problem, create another. But the GM sure doesn't seem to want to address the biggest problem, that Dame/CJ back court. Or address the biggest problem if you're anti-Stotts. Take your pick

 

[illmatic99]

what is the point of this article?

chris haynes continues to be one of the worst sportswriters I have ever read. At least his editors at Yahoo are catching his elementary school level typos nowadays

 

[Tince]

Couple questions

1) who’s the all star that Portland wants that is also available?.

A lot of all-stars have been drafted or traded for since 2012, which happens to be the last time an all-star player (young/in his prime) has been added to this roster.

How many teams have not added an all-star player to their roster since 2012? How many have only had 1?

 

[Mr. Robot]

what is the point of this article?

chris haynes continues to be one of the worst sportswriters I have ever read. At least his editors at Yahoo are catching his elementary school level typos nowadays

haynes and lillard are close

dame probably knew about this and was fine with it

 

[Scalma]

A lot of all-stars have been drafted or traded for since 2012, which happens to be the last time an all-star player (young/in his prime) has been added to this roster.

How many teams have not added an all-star player to their roster since 2012? How many have only had 1?

So you quoted my question, without actually answering the question?

 

[illmatic99]

haynes and lillard are close

dame probably knew about this and was fine with it

again.


What is the point of this article?

 

[Scalma]

Which one of these guys are A) available B) represent a clear upgrade and C) have the assets to land?

 

[Tince]

So you quoted my question, without actually answering the question?

How would anyone be able to answer that question? That would require knowledge of who Olshey wants or him being on record of an all-star he wants. We know all-stars have been picked after our selections.

The facts are that other teams, specifically other small market teams have either managed to draft or aquire an all-star since 2012. If Olshey doesn't have the ability to identify all-stars in the draft, have the assets to trade for an all-star, or even worse, doesn't want another all-star, that's a failure of his isn't it?

 

[Tince]

View attachment 38289

Which one of these guys are A) available B) represent a clear upgrade and C) have the assets to land?

I believe 16 of those guys were either drafted after one of our picks or has been traded to another team since 2012. Not 1 or 2... 16!

If we don't have the assests to land them, who's fault is that? The guy in charge of obtaining assets.

 

[Scalma]

I believe 16 of those guys were either drafted after one of our picks or has been traded to another team since 2012.

If we don't have the assests to land them, who's fault is that? The guy in charge of obtaining assets.

not the guy in charge of development? For example, Trent only played last year because of an injury.

 

[RoseCityRebel]

neil olshey has his faults, no doubt, but players need to understand that sometimes they need to sign for less money in order for team to have flexibility

dame signed 4/196 supermax, cj mccollum signed 3/100 extension, that does not help the team at all, so in a way, they have no right to complain, as their contracts are one of the big reasons this team has no flexibility

and in the next seasons, this team will lose some of its players, as nurk could be in for a big extension, but also other players are on expiring contracts

The players’ union doesn’t want players in their prime taking less than their market value. Neither do Dame’s peers. Then it becomes a ‘see how much less Dame took’ negotiating game between other players/agents and their teams, with players who take the Max being smeared as selfish.

When it comes to owners versus labor, I’m with the players getting the bag they deserve every time. The rare exception is a LeBron James, who is his own market situation.

 

[RoseCityRebel]

Terry (no Adjustments) Stotts and CJ gone in the offseason

Stotts gave RHJ a start last week and a lot of people lost their shit over it and complained he didn’t play DJJ. How is that “no adjustments?”

 

[Rastapopoulos]

it's an opinion column, and based upon the author, and his history, you have to wonder who the source of the shit-stirring really is

I'm sure that's what he's banking on.

 

[Scalma]

 

[RoseCityRebel]

The Phoenix Suns, 76ers and Raptors are good examples what a coaching change can do. So tired of Stotts i can’t watch this dude anymore

Nick Nurse currently has coached the Raptors out of the playoffs and is “developing” Gary Trent Jr. so well he’s regressed to a 36% 3pt shooter in Toronto. Amazing what losing a Kahwi Leonard does for a coaching genius, isn’t it?

 

[illmatic99]

Wholeheartedly agree with Quick

 

[Labinot41]

Nick Nurse currently has coached the Raptors out of the playoffs and is “developing” Gary Trent Jr. so well he’s regressed to a 36% 3pt shooter in Toronto. Amazing what losing a Kahwi Leonard does for a coaching genius, isn’t it?

Nick Nurse was AMAZING in the 2019 playoffs, thats all matters

 

[Tince]

not the guy in charge of development? For example, Trent only played last year because of an injury.

I'm open to a list of guys who have left Portland since 2012 to later become all-stars. What names do you got?

 

[Tince]

Stotts gave RHJ a start last week and a lot of people lost their shit over it and complained he didn’t play DJJ. How is that “no adjustments?”

I would almost complain the lack of stability and consistency has been a bigger issue this year than an inability to try new things.