Lowe podcast with Woj

[kjironman1]

I'm so happy to hear CJ is not on the block.

A bit less happy to hear that Collins is viewed as a building block.

IMO you will rethink that statement in a year or two. Collins is way ahead of where CJ was his rookie year. And he is a 7 footer.

 

[Propagandist]

Oh no will we survive??

Is this humor?

Isn't that what we're all worried about? This survival mentality? We need more than to survive. We need to be better, we need effort. We need a fucking plan! A vision! This blind faith in an actual actor (now silent) is silly. Be objective: we are not in a good place.

 

[kjironman1]

Is this humor?

Isn't that what we're all worried about? This survival mentality? We need more than to survive. We need to be better, we need effort. We need a fucking plan! A vision! This blind faith in an actual actor (now silent) is silly. Be objective: we are not in a good place.

Well you must admit that's a bit on the mellow dramatic side. But yeah a plan would be good.
I actually think there is a plan and the process is happening. Just not fast enough for some.

 

[Propagandist]

Well you must admit that's a bit on the mellow dramatic side. But yeah a plan would be good.
I actually think there is a plan and the process is happening. Just not fast enough for some.

Don't be reasonable with me right now, KJ. I'm frustrated! And yeah, of course, I'm kind of fucking around. There was just a bit too much pro-Olshey talk for me, gets on my nerves when people act like he's good at his job. What a joke.

 

[Blazers Roy]

IMO you will rethink that statement in a year or two. Collins is way ahead of where CJ was his rookie year. And he is a 7 footer.

I disagree with your statement, but i do want to make it clear that i got nothing against Collins. I just don't think he'll be an all-star like management seems to think.

 

[hoopsjock]

Don't be reasonable with me right now, KJ. I'm frustrated! And yeah, of course, I'm kind of fucking around. There was just a bit too much pro-Olshey talk for me, gets on my nerves when people act like he's good at his job. What a joke.

@Propagandist You know I'm going to die on this Olshey hill. As I've said before, just because Olshey's path isn't something you agree with it doesn't mean he's not trying or doesn't have a different plan.

I still contend that the summer of 2016 was mostly Allen's decision. The Turner signing was on Olshey and really bad, no arguing that. It just doesn't make sense to me that someone who carefully made sure he didn't take on or sign a single bad contract would all of a sudden for a couple weeks just go against his whole philosophy. If I'm right it explains why Olshey still has a job because he mostly did what Allen wanted and has never whined about it not being his decisions.

He did try to go all-in this summer too.

 

[LayneStaley]

CJ’s pretty good and all but I’d give up him and Zach for Leonard....and a pick.

 

[illmatic99]

Good luck convincing Dame with this shit squad for two more years

 

[kjironman1]

CJ’s pretty good and all but I’d give up him and Zach for Leonard....and a pick.

You mean Kwahi Leonard right?
Might want to clarify that around here.

 

[Rhal]

Good luck convincing Dame with this shit squad for two more years

How do you have any idea what this team looks like in 2 years? At the end of the 2020 season all the current bad contracts will be off the books and we will have a much better idea what type of player Collins/Caleb will be.

 

[e_blazer]

1. I don't know what your tongue looks like but mine isn't thin and forked, so...
2. You're happy with the state of the team?

You know ESPN? They have an article entitled, "A Big NBA Money Crunch is Coming." The photo accompanied shows Trail Blazers. The first paragraphs are about the Trail Blazers. Because? Olshey has invested poorly in our future. How do we go about correcting them too?

Wow. You are wound tight right now. I was making a joke. A feeble one, but a joke. I know you haven’t been here long and don’t know who’s going to give you crap and who’s just playing. I don’t give people crap. Very often, anyway.

No, I’m not thrilled with the state of the team and I am aware of the cap constraints Olshey is facing in trying to improve the team. My getting pissed off isn’t likely to change either situation.

 

[Propagandist]

Wow. You are wound tight right now. I was making a joke. A feeble one, but a joke. I know you haven’t been here long and don’t know who’s going to give you crap and who’s just playing. I don’t give people crap. Very often, anyway.

No, I’m not thrilled with the state of the team and I am aware of the cap constraints Olshey is facing in trying to improve the team. My getting pissed off isn’t likely to change either situation.

Sorry, man, I'm just messing around. Although I truly am not an Olshey guy. I figure it's okay to vent about Olshey every once in a while and when I do, I try to give it my all.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Sorry, man, I'm just messing around. Although I truly am not an Olshey guy. I figure it's okay to vent about Olshey every once in a while and when I do, I try to give it my all.

 

[Scalma]

From Lowe:

The Wizards have investigated the market for Jordan without gaining any traction, sources say. A package of Marcin Gortat, Jason Smith(perhaps heading to a third team), Kelly Oubre and a first-round pick has long been my favorite realistic Jordan package. Oubre is up for an extension after this season. Washington will have trouble paying Oubre, Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Otto Porter.

Of course, they'd also have trouble paying Jordan, Beal, Wall, and Porter. (They could trade Porter, but it's unclear if the Clippers have any interest.)
—————-

So how do we get Oubre? He’d be perfect. I’d offer up our pick.

 

[hoopsjock]

From Lowe:

The Wizards have investigated the market for Jordan without gaining any traction, sources say. A package of Marcin Gortat, Jason Smith(perhaps heading to a third team), Kelly Oubre and a first-round pick has long been my favorite realistic Jordan package. Oubre is up for an extension after this season. Washington will have trouble paying Oubre, Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Otto Porter.

Of course, they'd also have trouble paying Jordan, Beal, Wall, and Porter. (They could trade Porter, but it's unclear if the Clippers have any interest.)
—————-

So how do we get Oubre? He’d be perfect. I’d offer up our pick.

Oubre still has another year after this one on his rookie deal. I actually posted this trade on a different site yesterday:

Lets help the Wizards get Jordan so we can get Oubre.
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y9mqdrh5

Wizards get DeAndre Jordan and Jake Layman
Blazers get Kelly Oubre and Jason Smith
Clippers get Marcin Gortat, Meyers Leonard, Wizards 2018 1st (top-3 protected), and Blazers 2018 1st (lottery protected)

Wizards part in this is pretty obvious. Clippers take on salary but add two more 1st round picks to their stable. Blazers duck under the tax line, get a potential stud SF with another year left on his super cheap rookie deal, and dump a bad contract.

 

[Scalma]

Oubre still has another year after this one on his rookie deal. I actually posted this trade on a different site yesterday:

Lets help the Wizards get Jordan so we can get Oubre.
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y9mqdrh5

Wizards get DeAndre Jordan and Jake Layman
Blazers get Kelly Oubre and Jason Smith
Clippers get Marcin Gortat, Meyers Leonard, Wizards 2018 1st (top-3 protected), and Blazers 2018 1st (lottery protected)

Wizards part in this is pretty obvious. Clippers take on salary but add two more 1st round picks to their stable. Blazers duck under the tax line, get a potential stud SF with another year left on his super cheap rookie deal. and dump a bad contract.

I just can’t see the clippers taking on any salary, even with picks involved, but I’d easily do that.

 

[hoopsjock]

Oubre still has another year after this one on his rookie deal. I actually posted this trade on a different site yesterday:

Lets help the Wizards get Jordan so we can get Oubre.
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y9mqdrh5

Wizards get DeAndre Jordan and Jake Layman
Blazers get Kelly Oubre and Jason Smith
Clippers get Marcin Gortat, Meyers Leonard, Wizards 2018 1st (top-3 protected), and Blazers 2018 1st (lottery protected)

Wizards part in this is pretty obvious. Clippers take on salary but add two more 1st round picks to their stable. Blazers duck under the tax line, get a potential stud SF with another year left on his super cheap rookie deal, and dump a bad contract.

If the Clippers said no to Meyers then we could try Harkless instead. If they still don't like it we could put Davis and Vonleh in there.

 

[RR7]

Oubre still has another year after this one on his rookie deal. I actually posted this trade on a different site yesterday:

Lets help the Wizards get Jordan so we can get Oubre.
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y9mqdrh5

Wizards get DeAndre Jordan and Jake Layman
Blazers get Kelly Oubre and Jason Smith
Clippers get Marcin Gortat, Meyers Leonard, Wizards 2018 1st (top-3 protected), and Blazers 2018 1st (lottery protected)

Wizards part in this is pretty obvious. Clippers take on salary but add two more 1st round picks to their stable. Blazers duck under the tax line, get a potential stud SF with another year left on his super cheap rookie deal, and dump a bad contract.

Blazers are stealing value. The 1st is to dump Leonard, and then we get Oubre? No way Clippers would take Leonard and a 1st over Oubre and Smith, IMO.

 

[hoopsjock]

I just can’t see the clippers taking on any salary, even with picks involved, but I’d easily do that.

Would you do Davis, Vonleh, Layman, and a 1st?

 

[Scalma]

Would you do Davis, Vonleh, Layman, and a 1st?

Easily. I’m just looking at it from LAs POV. I think they’re gonna go after Lebron. But if they’re more focused on 2019 then that’s a deal that could work since I think Gortat is an expiring next year

 

[hoopsjock]

Easily. I’m just looking at it from LAs POV. I think they’re gonna go after Lebron. But if they’re more focused on 2019 then that’s a deal that could work since I think Gortat is an expiring next year

What if we told the Clippers that if they did this now that we would be more willing to take a bad contract back this summer using the TPE if they need to clear room. They could give us Gortat or Austin Rivers. I know this isn't legal to agree to it now but just give them a little wink since they'd be helping us out.

The other part of the equation is that they could be worried about Jordan opting in which would leave over $24 million on their books.

 

[Minstrel]

I still contend that the summer of 2016 was mostly Allen's decision. The Turner signing was on Olshey and really bad, no arguing that. It just doesn't make sense to me that someone who carefully made sure he didn't take on or sign a single bad contract would all of a sudden for a couple weeks just go against his whole philosophy.

Which of "his guys" did he meticulously avoid signing to bad contracts prior to 2016? I think the cleaner, simpler explanation is that 2016 is when the guys he drafted or traded for came up for extensions and he either preferred to overpay rather than lose them for nothing or else he felt he was correctly valuing them. Neither of those would be particularly inspiring.

The only player he massively overpaid that he didn't already have prior investment in was Turner, but you agree that that was an Olshey decision. (Ezeli could also be viewed as a massive overpay considering the nothing he gave the Blazers but I think that wasn't a terrible decision based on the information at the time and the overall risk was minimal.)

While it could be all Allen, that seems like a convenient fan deus ex machina for any Blazers GM--if you want to excuse the GM, just suggest that Allen made him do all or most of the bad stuff.

 

[hoopsjock]

Which of "his guys" did he meticulously avoid signing to bad contracts prior to 2016? I think the cleaner, simpler explanation is that 2016 is when the guys he drafted or traded for came up for extensions and he either preferred to overpay rather than lose them for nothing or else he felt he was correctly valuing them. Neither of those would be particularly inspiring.

The only player he massively overpaid that he didn't already have prior investment in was Turner, but you agree that that was an Olshey decision. (Ezeli could also be viewed as a massive overpay considering the nothing he gave the Blazers but I think that wasn't a terrible decision based on the information at the time and the overall risk was minimal.)

While it could be all Allen, that seems like a convenient fan deus ex machina for any Blazers GM--if you want to excuse the GM, just suggest that Allen made him do all or most of the bad stuff.

Well in the Haynes article last year he did say that it was Allen who said he wanted to match Crabbe "without hesitation". I actually really like having Allen as an owner but it's gotta be hard as a GM if you think that your best move is blowing it up and Allen won't let you (I'm not saying that is what happened here but it is what happened to Cho). You're probably right though about Olshey not wanting to lose his guys. He did let go of several guys he signed or traded for though so who knows.

I really like Olshey but since the draft if his only real move ends up being trading Crabbe away then I'm going to start to get frustrated too. Even though he created the cap situation, I think he should be given time to fix it (just like I thought Hinkie should have been able to see his plan through in Philly). There has to be a way to get better.