Olshey interview on ESPN 6/5 recap

[Scalma]

• series against NOP exposed deficiencies in terms of experience on the roster
• “We’ve been playing in the margins, trying to find diamonds in the rough and develop draft picks.” Insinuating the need for proven players again
• “We need to view our future through the lense of how are we going to be more impactful come playoff time next year.”
• 15 teams in or within 5m of luxury tax, making it difficult to make trades with those teams.

The main quote:

“But one of the advantages we have is an aggressive owner who believes in the core, and we’ve got two really good trade exceptions. We’re viewing those as if they’re room when it comes to making deals and acquiring players. It’s an advantage we think we have relative to the marketplace where we don’t really have cap room but we have a lot of liquid contracts and we have two major trade exceptions where we could absorb players that we think could fit into the group that could help this team advance next year.”

• The rest was filler

Starts around the 20m mark if you want to check it out:

 

[Chris Craig]

Liquid contracts...yeah meyers and Turner's contracts are diarrhea.

 

[Gronk Brady]

Yuck... Oubre is not better than Moe or Aminu... maybe a better shooter but his overall game is worse... and cortney Lee is a 33 year old journeyman... those moves do not put Blazers ahead of even the Pelicans while committing 150+ mil in payroll... garaunteed purgatory

 

[Scalma]

I’ve heard Olshey talk about TPEs in the past but not like this. Theyre pretty much viewing it as cap space. He wouldn’t be talking so openly about it if Allen wasn’t on board, so I definitely think we’re going to be using one, or both of those babies. And being in the tax isn’t really problematic since we don’t project to be repeat offenders, considering all the expiring contracts in two years.

 

[Chris Craig]

Olshey has done more interviews this offseason than I can remember him doing in any other offseason.

 

[Gronk Brady]

Neil is a used car salesman, but if Paul Allen believes in the core after what he saw in the playoffs then that really sucks... I will bet any amount of money this team doesn’t finish top 4 seed again keeping Dame and CJ together with Stotts as coach... and they will not win a playoff series... mark my words

 

[Scalma]

Olshey has done more interviews this offseason than I can remember him doing in any other offseason.

That’s because Woj is on tv now.

 

[Chris Craig]

I hope the Blazers go after Barton. It would have to be a sign and trade though. Don't know what we'd give Denver or if they'd be willing.

 

[Scalma]

I hope the Blazers go after Barton. It would have to be a sign and trade though. Don't know what we'd give Denver or if they'd be willing.

I’m far from a capologist but I believe some posters have pointed out that sign and trades aren’t realistic for Portland this summer.

But what I do know is Barton wants to start and get paid, making Portland an unlikely destination.

 

[CupWizier]

Yuck... Oubre is not better than Moe or Aminu... maybe a better shooter but his overall game is worse... and cortney Lee is a 33 year old journeyman... those moves do not put Blazers ahead of even the Pelicans while committing 150+ mil in payroll... garaunteed purgatory

You can please some of the people all the time. All of the people some of the time, but then there is your category, you can't please you any time.

 

[e_blazer]

Neil is a used car salesman, but if Paul Allen believes in the core after what he saw in the playoffs then that really sucks... I will bet any amount of money this team doesn’t finish top 4 seed again keeping Dame and CJ together with Stotts as coach... and they will not win a playoff series... mark my words

Words marked.

Not that that will keep you from saying the same thing again and again.

 

[Reep]

Yuck... Oubre is not better than Moe or Aminu... maybe a better shooter but his overall game is worse... and cortney Lee is a 33 year old journeyman... those moves do not put Blazers ahead of even the Pelicans while committing 150+ mil in payroll... garaunteed purgatory

This might be the first time I might disagree with you. I do agree that Oubre is not better right now, but he seems to be more agr aside than either in offense. If we could get Moe to demand the ball more and look for his shot that would be great. But, Oubre might end up better than Moe because of his approach to the game.

 

[Mediocre Man]

The series against NOP exposed deficiencies in our offense.

PASS THE FUCKING BALL!!!!!!

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I wish a couple of the contracts were literally liquid so the summer could evaporate them...

 

[CupWizier]

in my best HCP impersonation, why do we have two threads going about the Olshey ESPN interview?

 

[riverman]

Read this morning that Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando may be interested in Meyers....fingers crossed!

 

[Scalma]

in my best HCP impersonation, why do we have two threads going about the Olshey ESPN interview?

If there’s another thread about it it was probably started by someone I blocked

 

[SlyPokerDog]

So Olshey has never tried to get more experienced players before?

Uh huh.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Read this morning that Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando may be interested in Meyers....fingers crossed!

Did Olshey write that?

 

[Reep]

That was by biggest concern about the interview. Olshey focuses on lack of veterans rather than roster balance or stagnant offense. I guess that is what he would have to say as the rest falls on him and Stotts.

 

[Labinot41]

If there’s another thread about it it was probably started by someone I blocked

Why blocking me bro ?

 

[Labinot41]

Read this morning that Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando may be interested in Meyers....fingers crossed!

Holy shit. But i'm sure they want at least a 1st round pick, and that's not worth

 

[Labinot41]

Trading CJ to philly (if they want him) would be sooo good, they have Picks and young Players

 

[e_blazer]

So Olshey has never tried to get more experienced players before?

Uh huh.

I think that it's accurate to say that Blazers' management saw the roster going into 2017-18 as a fringe playoff team at best. They counted on Napier and Connaughton as backup guards and gave some minutes to Swanigan, Layman and (later) Baldwin. Those guys didn't cut it in the playoffs.

 

[CupWizier]

Trading CJ to philly (if they want him) would be sooo good, they have Picks and young Players

That isn't what Olshey has been saying though. They aren't looking to add rookies, he wants vets with playoff experience.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

That isn't what Olshey has been saying though. They aren't looking to add rookies, he wants vets with playoff experience.

It MAY be possible to do both, such as a trade for Faried + pick. He could say "Haha, I brought in a vet", while also moving up in the draft. "The draft is the best way to manage the cap" I can hear him say already...

 

[e_blazer]

Read this morning that Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando may be interested in Meyers....fingers crossed!

Not surprised. Despite all of the crap he gets around here, Meyers improved last season, but was caught in a numbers crunch and didn't get any PT. His contract isn't bad at all for a big man. I'd say it's likely that he gets traded this summer.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Read this morning that Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando may be interested in Meyers....fingers crossed!

You must be referencing this column. It's complete speculation, and says that we'd have to attach other assets to him. No indication that anyone actually wants him.

 

[Reep]

Trading CJ to philly (if they want him) would be sooo good, they have Picks and young Players

Seems like Philly trading #10 and Fultz for CJ might be something to look at and might be good for both teams—at least from my point of view.

 

[riverman]

It's complete speculation,

Everything is complete speculation before the draft.....but I think all 3 of those teams would make him a rotation player and his contract is not that expensive for a big.....push the ball forward...I don't believe he'll ever crack the rotation here. Of all our players he needs a new team and fresh start more than anybody