Lowe podcast with Woj

[Scalma]

posted today.

The bullet points

- Team has backed off Jordan, and wasn’t aggressive to begin with. Woj later mentioned that the Clippers would rather let Jordan walk for nothing than take back bad contracts, even if a pick were involved, so that’d eliminate Portland anyway.

- Team is vehemently against taking calls on CJ/Dame.

- Harkless could be moved. Sacramento showed interest in the past.

- Woj thinks Portland might be active. Trying to figure out how to add that third piece.

- Team loves Collins. A building block. Will not be put in any deal.

 

[illmatic99]

Here's my paraphrasing: http://www.sportstwo.com/threads/official-2018-trade-deadline-thread.326243/page-9#post-4360167

 

[Mr. Robot]

thats some good news

 

[Mr. Robot]

but I cant see us adding third piece without giving Nurk away

 

[Scalma]

Regarding that Sacramento blurb; Vince Carter for Harkless? Saves us $2m. Maybe we con them into adding Malachi too

 

[Strenuus]

Damnit, can you be somewhat interested in trading CJ?

 

[H.C.]

Damnit, can you be somewhat interested in trading CJ?

If CJ is to be moved, the team has to be getting better in return.
Most of the hypothetical trades I've seen undervalue CJ.

Example. Fringe all-star + pick for CJ is a scam. Especially if the pick lands outside the #1 pick.

 

[Cippy91]

I listened as well. Seems like they don’t want to break up that back court. Wants a 3rd option by using picks and players to get. Seems the untouchables are dame, cj, collins. Woj also made it sound like the blazers have every intention to resign nurk this off season

 

[Scalma]

If CJ is to be moved, the team has to be getting better in return.
Most of the hypothetical trades I've seen undervalue CJ.

Example. Fringe all-star + pick for CJ is a scam. Especially if the pick lands outside the #1 pick.

This is exactly what Woj said too.

 

[Strenuus]

If CJ is to be moved, the team has to be getting better in return.
Most of the hypothetical trades I've seen undervalue CJ.

Example. Fringe all-star + pick for CJ is a scam. Especially if the pick lands outside the #1 pick.

Well, of course 1 player + a pick isn't enough value.

That's called logic.

Neil needs to at least probe the trades, not downright reject talks for it. All I'm sayin.

 

[Cippy91]

Also, Zach brought up a hypothetical of Kevin love for cj and woj thinks cj has way more value than that within the league

 

[Strenuus]

I listened as well. Seems like they don’t want to break up that back court. Wants a 3rd option by using picks and players to get. Seems the untouchables are dame, cj, collins. Woj also made it sound like the blazers have every intention to resign nurk this off season

Damn, that sucks.

 

[Strenuus]

Also, Zach brought up a hypothetical of Kevin love for cj and woj thinks cj has way more value than that within the league

If Neil wants to get fired sooner, that'd do it.

 

[Scalma]

Woj said CJ for Love AND the Brooklyn pick was undervaluing CJ.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Interesting commentary regarding CJ's value around the league. I know I and a lot of other folks in here have presumed that the Blazers probably value CJ more highly than other teams do, that the return for him wouldn't be as impressive as we'd want. The idea that those levels are closer than we thought, suggests one of two things:

1. We (fans) really shouldn't want trade him, because he's actually worth more than we realize; or
2. We should even more strongly want to trade him, because we'll be able to get even more back for him than we thought.

I'd love to hear some more detail from Woj/Lowe about what kinds of returns other teams might theoretically be offering for CJ, or which teams would be most interested in him. If Love+BRK pick is below CJ's value even from other teams' perspective, where does it really lie?

 

[Scalma]

I’ve said it before but Aminu should be shopped. With Collins’ development I really don’t see us re-signing Aminu after next season, so might as well sell high. Cleveland would probably love to have both Aminu and Napier. Maybe they’d give up their own pick and then we package the two picks for a starting wing.

 

[H.C.]

Interesting commentary regarding CJ's value around the league. I know I and a lot of other folks in here have presumed that the Blazers probably value CJ more highly than other teams do, that the return for him wouldn't be as impressive as we'd want. The idea that those levels are closer than we thought, suggests one of two things:

1. We (fans) really shouldn't want trade him, because he's actually worth more than we realize; or
2. We should even more strongly want to trade him, because we'll be able to get even more back for him than we thought.

I'd love to hear some more detail from Woj/Lowe about what kinds of returns other teams might theoretically be offering for CJ, or which teams would be most interested in him. If Love+BRK pick is below CJ's value even from other teams' perspective, where does it really lie?

Although CJ isn't on the tier of AD/Leonard/LBJ/KD/Giannias in ability to lead a franchise.
It's very likely he's viewed around the league as a #1 option who could lead a franchise and be the face of the franchise.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I’ve said it before but Aminu should be shopped. With Collins’ development I really don’t see us re-signing Aminu after next season, so might as well sell high. Cleveland would probably love to have both Aminu and Napier. Maybe they’d give up their own pick and then we package the two picks for a starting wing.

The problem with that is CLE needs to send back enough salary to match. Frye is an expiring, but with Love out, they have taken Frye off the market. That leaves a year and a half of Iman Shumpert at $10+ million a year. No thanks!

BNM

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I think teams realize that CJ is worth more (and will likely produce more) to a team that needs a #1 scorer.

 

[Scalma]

The problem with that is CLE needs to send back enough salary to match. Frye is an expiring, but with Love out, they have taken Frye off the market. That leaves a year and a half of Iman Shumpert at $10+ million a year. No thanks!

BNM

They’d have no need for Frye with Aminu on the team.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

The problem with that is CLE needs to send back enough salary to match. Frye is an expiring, but with Love out, they have taken Frye off the market. That leaves a year and a half of Iman Shumpert at $10+ million a year. No thanks!

BNM

If the Grizz want a first for Evans, maybe we make it a 3-way deal with the Cavs first going to Memphis, with us taking back Evans and the largely-useless-to-them Ben McLemore?

 

[tester551]

Woj said CJ for Love AND the Brooklyn pick was undervaluing CJ.

I'm surprised by that.

IMO, CJ and Love are about equal. I could argue that Love does more to help his team win. I would struggle making a straight trade between the two because of the ball handling aspect - but adding the Brooklyn pick (around 8-10) would probably do it for me.

However, I don't think I'd make the trade until June right before the draft.

 

[AFully22]

Lol Neil really is going down with this ship. Won’t even entertain calls for CJ or Collins? But is actively looking for that third piece? He’ll be gone by summer.

 

[Lukee]

Woj said CJ for Love AND the Brooklyn pick was undervaluing CJ.

That's just.. Wow.

 

[Hoopguru]

posted today.

The bullet points

- Team has backed off Jordan, and wasn’t aggressive to begin with. Woj later mentioned that the Clippers would rather let Jordan walk for nothing than take back bad contracts, even if a pick were involved, so that’d eliminate Portland anyway.

- Team is vehemently against taking calls on CJ/Dame.

- Harkless could be moved. Sacramento showed interest in the past.

- Woj thinks Portland might be active. Trying to figure out how to add that third piece.

- Team loves Collins. A building block. Will not be put in any deal.

Well, the Thunder included Sabonis to acquire George!
Everything Neil has done is to acquire assets to re-engineer the team. There is no way he'd figured in 2 1/2 years from the start of the rebuild he's be in contention. Im thinking his & Paul's timeline was to be in contention year 4&5. So we may as well expect the unexpected!
No sacred cows!!!

 

[Gronk Brady]

thats some good news

Yes, that is great news... we are basically gonna stick with a roster that can only beat teams with their star players out, that is dead last in assist and fast breakbpoints... great news, not even entertaining offers for CJ.... great news Collins is untouchable... basically we are not offering anything of value in trade... so we will be stuck as 6-8 seed while other teams get better... great news

 

[riverman]

we will be stuck as 6-8 seed

as opposed to the 14 teams that won't even sniff the playoffs.....playoffs is where you develop young players ..can't replicate that in pick up games in the off season. We beat superstar OKC team pretty handily...and it was fun to watch..I don't think anybody expects a championship this season anyway

 

[illmatic99]

as opposed to the 14 teams that won't even sniff the playoffs.....playoffs is where you develop young players ..can't replicate that in pick up games in the off season. We beat superstar OKC team pretty handily...and it was fun to watch..I don't think anybody expects a championship this season anyway

We expect better with the 3rd highest paid roster in the conference (slated to be 5th highest in the league) next year. This isn't some underdog team.

 

[riverman]

We expect better with the 3rd highest paid roster

I've been a Blazer fan long enough to know better than to expect a contender 2 years into a rebuild...as to the money...that's on ET, Meyers and Mo..they all could have done what CJ did and built a brand that would make their contracts acceptable...all 3 have disappointed....sort of like Nic Batum or Wes Mathews contracts....GMs banked on their potential...that happens to most teams and for the hundredth time....Paul Allen isn't worried about money..only fans are

 

[illmatic99]

I've been a Blazer fan long enough to know better than to expect a contender 2 years into a rebuild...as to the money...that's on ET, Meyers and Mo..they all could have done what CJ did and built a brand that would make their contracts acceptable...all 3 have disappointed....sort of like Nic Batum or Wes Mathews contracts....GMs banked on their potential...that happens to most teams and for the hundredth time....Paul Allen isn't worried about money..only fans are

I don't care one bit about saving Paul Allen money. I care about the lack of flexibility Neil has created by poorly predicting what would happen with the cap. We have 3 contracts that are essentially immovable on their own. Three contracts for players who give us all a net negative on the court. This can't be understated how fucked we are because of the moves he made in 2016. As I've said a million times in the past, these moves were not made with the actual roster in mind-- rather with retaining assets (mind you, assets that have 0 value when combined with their contracts just one year later).

All that said, it's well and good that you don't expect a contender now. But I think you're not seeing how dire our situation is even for the near future. There is literally no out for the mistakes of Summer '16. We are wasting the prime of possibly the best player in franchise history because of those very mistakes. Hate being doom and gloom, but this team's absolute ceiling is maybe 50 wins and the second round for the rest of Dame's tenure, and that's a damn shame.