Off season targets

[wizenheimer]

Bridges would be awesome imo, imagine if the last 3 decades of shit ended and we got a top 3 pick(Smith), and signed Bridges.

Dame
Ant/Hart
Bridges/Nas
Smith
Nurk

I like that 7 man, a lot.

Damian Lillard $42,492,492
Eric Bledsoe $3,900,000 (dead salary)
Josh Hart $12,960,000
Justise Winslow $4,097,561
Keon Johnson $2,681,040
Nassir Little $4,171,548
Didi Louzada $1,876,222
Greg Brown III $1,563,518
Trendon Watford $1,563,518
(Andrew Nicholson) $2,844,429 (dead salary)

Jusuf Nurkić $18,000,000 (cap-hold)
Anfernee Simons $12,000,000 (cap-hold)

Top-3 pick $9,000,000 (estimate)
Roster Charge $1,000,000 (estimate)

about 118M with a 121-122 salary cap = 3-4M in cap-space. And that doesn't include 30M in TPE's or 6-10M in MLE

Bridges is eligible for a max contract and that starts at 30M/year....and Charlotte would be sure to match

I really don't know where the idea that Portland would even consider a cap-space move comes from comes from. They'd have to renounce Nurkic and one of Hart/Simons

 

[wizenheimer]

There's just the pesky salary cap. If we have the players we have under contract, keep Hart and re-sign Ant and Nurk, there is almost no room to sign anyone and definitely not enough room to make an offer on Bridges that the Hornets would instantly match.

they wouldn't instantly match...they would take 71 hours & 59 minutes to match so as to make the Blazers dangle on their offer

 

[oldmangrouch]

Re: Bowie

I just checked basketball-reference. Bowie was at KU for 5 years and during that time missed 2 full seasons. (81-82 and 82-83)

Yes, he was a skilled player. No, his injuries were not somehow unpredictable.

 

[Idog1976]

We drafted Martel Webster instead of Chris Paul because we had Sebastian Telfair.

The Blazers should draft BPA.

So Damian Lillard is Sebastian Telfair in this example? Seems a fair comp right? Just trying to make sure you aren't you know conflating apples and oranges to beat the BPA no matter what drum. Which btw I actually agree with, just if two players are of similar talent and one is able to play SF/PF seems to me we ought to take the guy who plays the position we need? If Ivey drops to #7 and it's him or Holmgren I may very well take Ivey because the talent differential would be huge, and the same is true with any Big below that tier such as Duren (though I think he's a darkhorse for a surprise top 3 best players in this draft).

 

[Idog1976]

Re: Bowie

I just checked basketball-reference. Bowie was at KU for 5 years and during that time missed 2 full seasons. (81-82 and 82-83)

Yes, he was a skilled player. No, his injuries were not somehow unpredictable.

Right so therefore the talent differential was monumental and you can easily play Clyde at SF or Jordan at PG.

 

[Idog1976]

This is so correct and BPA has always been a misnomer anyway. Sometimes there are players on tiers of their own and it's obvious that fit doesn't matter because they are so far ahead of any other player available when your pick is up and your team is on the clock, in that case you take that player or find the team that has the highest value for him and take an offer that maximizes the value at that pick but if that player rates as a generational talent then you take him and make fit work later. That's just very rarely the situation. Usually like with the first five guys in this draft (Chet, Jabari, Paolo, Shaedon and Jaden) you're dealing with guys that could all very easily be seen as on the same tier... hopefully we'll know more after the combine, pro days and workouts. After that there are a lot of guys with big upside and Keegan Murray who seems closer to his ceiling and ready to play but all belong in a similar tier.

Draft boards are all over the place and so are grades on prospects this year more than others and yeah if our team has a prospect that would be redundant on this roster available when we pick graded as by far the BPA, you pick that guy and do what's necessary moving forward but again that's really rarely the case. Usually you have guys that fit different needs and are around the same grade and some that are around that grade that make no sense with your team's needs.

This is precisely what I've been saying, but in case you haven't heard Bowie over MJ and Webster over CP3.

 

[Idog1976]

If I'm weighing what measurements matter most for evaluating prospects, height is down the list behind wingspan, standing reach, weight and a slew of athletic measures. If Portland is to keep this pick, regardless of where it lands I'm hoping they aren't focused on 2022-3 potential & how they fit the current roster. Select the guy with the potential to have the best career.

STOMP

Sure that's fair enough standing reach + quickness (need both) are more important than height, but you know the guy who Plays Taller, however you want to define it or, NOT A FREAKING GUARD. I love how we kept drafting and trading for guards and everyone is like Olshey is an idiot! And I'm like hey maybe draft a larger player if the talent discrepancy isn't large and everyone says ERMERGERDH BOWIE OVER JERRRDANNNN!!!!!

 

[Idog1976]

Dumb analogy. It would have worked out great if we won the coin flip.

Another great point. Such trash that coin flip was such a robbery.

 

[blazerkor]

they wouldn't instantly match...they would take 71 hours & 59 minutes to match so as to make the Blazers dangle on their offer

I don't know if they would match a max offer. They've got Hayward, Oubre and Washington who basically cover for what they'd be missing from Bridges. They also have two mid first round picks and are a small market team that can't afford a lot of luxury tax. They might look for a sign and trade if a team could free up enough cap space to offer a max deal. All of this is moot though because we will not have the cap space despite our trades to go after Bridges... at least I don't think so.

 

[Idog1976]

But we didn’t and Jordan was the next best prospect. We passed on him and chose a position of need instead of BPA

Vitale "then have Jordan play Center!" springs to mind. He was clearly better than Bowie.

 

[blazerkor]

This is precisely what I've been saying, but in case you haven't heard Bowie over MJ and Webster over CP3.

Let's just hope we don't misevaluate the players in this draft like we've done in the past. I think grading draft prospects and making picks is like some form of alchemy and we haven't often been able to turn lead into gold.

 

[oldmangrouch]

So Damian Lillard is Sebastian Telfair in this example? Seems a fair comp right? Just trying to make sure you aren't you know conflating apples and oranges to beat the BPA no matter what drum. Which btw I actually agree with, just if two players are of similar talent and one is able to play SF/PF seems to me we ought to take the guy who plays the position we need? If Ivey drops to #7 and it's him or Holmgren I may very well take Ivey because the talent differential would be huge, and the same is true with any Big below that tier such as Duren (though I think he's a darkhorse for a surprise top 3 best players in this draft).

Not to nit-pick, but I believe the comp would be Simons. I know some won't want to hear it, but it is still speculation whether he or Ivey will have the better career or be a better fit next to Dame.

Disclaimer: I like Ivey's chances to be really good - but I also suspect Davis will be better than some of the players drafted ahead of him, so what do I know?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Vitale "then have Jordan play Center!" springs to mind. He was clearly better than Bowie.

I thought it was Bobby Knight who said that?

 

[STOMP]

Vitale "then have Jordan play Center!" springs to mind. He was clearly better than Bowie.

That quote was from Bob Knight after coaching MJ on the Olympic team.

https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-media...stead-of-michael-jordan-so-play-him-at-center



STOMP

 

[Boise Blazer]

I wonder if Boston's mindset will change about making moves if they can't pull out the series against Milwaukee.

 

[BBert]

Right so therefore the talent differential was monumental and you can easily play Clyde at SF or Jordan at PG.

The Blazers were laser focused on drafting a center; a position of need at the time. They had 2 on their board. Everyone knew about Bowie's injury history; it was an obvious red flag. I am laser focused on drafting BPA; and trading for need. And don't get fleeced.

 

[Idog1976]

I thought it was Bobby Knight who said that?

Oh, you're right my bad. It's been almost 40 years lol.

 

[Idog1976]

The Blazers were laser focused on drafting a center; a position of need at the time. They had 2 on their board. Everyone knew about Bowie's injury history; it was an obvious red flag. I am laser focused on drafting BPA; and trading for need. And don't get fleeced.

Well I'm not suggesting we take a 4th tier big when Ivey or Sharpe are still on the board. I'm saying if talent is a coin flip as to who is better, go for someone who can play SF/PF or even Center and trade Nurk. It's always much easier to trade a big for a smaller player than the reverse. It's another adage akin to BPA, never trade Big for Small and salaries and most trades seem to follow this truism. There just aren't that many humans who are big enough to play SF let alone PF or C.

 

[BBert]

Well I'm not suggesting we take a 4th tier big when Ivey or Sharpe are still on the board. I'm saying if talent is a coin flip as to who is better, go for someone who can play SF/PF or even Center and trade Nurk. It's always much easier to trade a big for a smaller player than the reverse. It's another adage akin to BPA, never trade Big for Small and salaries and most trades seem to follow this truism. There just aren't that many humans who are big enough to play SF let alone PF or C.

I agree.

 

[Idog1976]

Not to nit-pick, but I believe the comp would be Simons. I know some won't want to hear it, but it is still speculation whether he or Ivey will have the better career or be a better fit next to Dame.

Disclaimer: I like Ivey's chances to be really good - but I also suspect Davis will be better than some of the players drafted ahead of him, so what do I know?

Ivey can maybe be better than Ant though I doubt he will in the next two seasons. Ant as you recall was buried on the bench and didn’t develop a ton until this season when he got his chance. You’d have to be really confident in Ivey to unload either Dame or Ant this offseason or really in the next two. Seeing as it takes two to tango, I think drafting Ivey only makes a lot of sense if you either plan to trade Dame or have a trade for a quality big in exchange for Ivey that you can pull off on Draft night. The clock is ticking on Dame’s window and I really want to give him the best shot possible. If we got the number One pick we gotta take Jabari Smith or maybe Banchero. We ought to take a position of need player unless there is a huge talent gap, in which case yep, take BPA and figure out a trade later.

 

[PCmor7]

Right so therefore the talent differential was monumental and you can easily play Clyde at SF or Jordan at PG.

The "we didn't pick Jordan because we had Clyde" doesn't even make sense in the context of the time.

We drafted Clyde when we already had an all-star playing the 2, Jim Paxson. He was second-team all-NBA in 1984.

We could have kept him, played Clyde at the 3 and brought Kersey off the bench. We had no issues trading Paxson a couple of years later; Paxson was the Blazers' all-time leading scorer at the time. We traded him for Jerry Sichting.

 

[blazerfan11]

The "we didn't pick Jordan because we had Clyde" doesn't even make sense in the context of the time.

We drafted Clyde when we already had an all-star playing the 2, Jim Paxson. He was second-team all-NBA in 1984.

We could have kept him, played Clyde at the 3 and brought Kersey off the bench. We had no issues trading Paxson a couple of years later; Paxson was the Blazers' all-time leading scorer at the time. We traded him for Jerry Sichting.

What does make sense is that the Trail Blazers' management's #1 goal was to win a championship.
Forgetting about the injury issue for a moment, if you think you are one player away from being a contender, and that one player is Sam Bowie and not Michael Jordan, then you take Sam Bowie.
I am guessing Blazer management had a hard time seeing the road to a championship with Michael Jordan compared to Sam Bowie. Jordan wasn't even the Blazers' 3rd choice either. They would have taken Charles Barkley.

 

[Idog1976]

What does make sense is that the Trail Blazers' management's #1 goal was to win a championship.
Forgetting about the injury issue for a moment, if you think you are one player away from being a contender, and that one player is Sam Bowie and not Michael Jordan, then you take Sam Bowie.
I am guessing Blazer management had a hard time seeing the road to a championship with Michael Jordan compared to Sam Bowie. Jordan wasn't even the Blazers' 3rd choice either. They would have taken Charles Barkley.

If we had taken Barkley, or maybe even if we had gone for the later rumored trade I think we have a very good shot at the chip.

 

[wizenheimer]

If we had taken Barkley, or maybe even if we had gone for the later rumored trade I think we have a very good shot at the chip.

are you talking about the Kersey + Robinson for Barkley trade that Portland turned down?

yeah, don't re-write the 1984 draft, but make that trade and also convince Sabonis to come over immediately:

Porter
Drexler
Barkley
Buck
Sabonis

how many rings for that team?

 

[BBert]

I think he means Barkley was No. 2 on our draft board.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I think he means Barkley was No. 2 on our draft board.

The story I've always heard was that our draft board was #1 Hakeem, #2 Barkley. Then Dr Jack got involved and demanded a center.

I know everyone loved him as a coach, but there were some baboon-butt-ugly roster decisions during his tenure - and at least 3 of them had his fingerprints all over them.

 

[Idog1976]

I think he means Barkley was No. 2 on our draft board.

I meant both taking him over Bowie and then also that the later trade would have been amazing. Especially since Clyde destroyed Cliff's playoff game with the worst unnecessarily induced yips in history with that pass under the hoop when he should have just dunked it on LA. Ugh that breakaway would have almost certainly turned that game. I think we win it. Of course then you have Jordan for the first time, but maybe he was beatable that first Finals before he tasted victory...maybe.

 

[Idog1976]

The story I've always heard was that our draft board was #1 Hakeem, #2 Barkley. Then Dr Jack got involved and demanded a center.

I know everyone loved him as a coach, but there were some baboon-butt-ugly roster decisions during his tenure - and at least 3 of them had his fingerprints all over them.

Whoa! I've never heard that. I can see it and Jack was a very demanding figure.

 

[tykendo]

Whoa! I've never heard that. I can see it and Jack was a very demanding figure.

Stu Inman told Bobby Knight that they already had Drexler & needed a center, and Bobby Knight said, "play Jordan at center".

 

[wizenheimer]

The story I've always heard was that our draft board was #1 Hakeem, #2 Barkley. Then Dr Jack got involved and demanded a center.

I know everyone loved him as a coach, but there were some baboon-butt-ugly roster decisions during his tenure - and at least 3 of them had his fingerprints all over them.

I meant both taking him over Bowie and then also that the later trade would have been amazing. Especially since Clyde destroyed Cliff's playoff game with the worst unnecessarily induced yips in history with that pass under the hoop when he should have just dunked it on LA. Ugh that breakaway would have almost certainly turned that game. I think we win it. Of course then you have Jordan for the first time, but maybe he was beatable that first Finals before he tasted victory...maybe.

yeah, I can't recall hearing about the Ramsey involvement at the time, but it's entirely possible. It was the age of big, rim-protecting C's and Ramsey had won a championship with one

a minor irony is at the time the Blazers had Mychal Thompson at C. He was actually pretty good. He'd just averaged 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists that season. If you had seen him play he sure looked like the kind of big who would thrive in the modern NBA. He was very mobile; he just wasn't a dominant force in the paint