Your entire point is that you're taking the opposite end of the spectrum from MM, which is fine and everything, but it doesn't get us any closer to a championship. Sorry, but I don't take the rose colored glasses approach to this team. I was there when we had Bassy, Ha, and Randolph. I saw the Rose Garden when it had roughly 11k people and there were vast seas of empty seats. I've watched this team, without pause, since I was roughly 11 years old and interested enough to understand the NBA. I've seen this team go through ups and downs, but I've always tried to keep a realistic viewpoint on the team. I was never the guy who proclaimed us the preseason champs because we were blowing teams away, but I also wasn't the guy who said we should blow it up because we lost a few games in the preseason.
I think there is a misunderstanding here.
I am not saying that everything is fine and that all the players are awesome.
That would be stupid.
I was making fun of the fact that the listing of each player was so negative without mentioning any strengths the they bring to the table that it made them look worse then the team that featured Bassy and the Gang.
I view this team as a talented squad that was built to win championships. The way I interpret MM's post is thus: we are much further from a championship than we thought we would be. We are much further from a championship than we were two years ago. He may have focused on the negative, but right now it's hard to focus on anything but. Our superstar is, for all intents and purposes, a shadow of himself. Our franchise center is still out, with no real indication of when he will return. This team was built to win a championship, and if we cannot achieve that this season or next, we need to rethink our plan for the future.
I can't disagree with any of this.
The team as it stands right now doesn't have what it takes to win a title without some outside influence (like Portland shipping it's injury bug to the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Heat and Jazz).
Then again I wasn't all that sure they could win it all even if everyone was at full health.
I figured they had a chance.
Today I don't.
I think outside of the Clippers and Grizzlies every team is built with the idea they can win a title.
It's just that once in a generation type players are just that.
Portland threw the dice hoping they got one.
So far it looks like they threw Snake Eyes.
Let's look at our roster.
Roy- in his first year of a max contract. Exhibiting very little of the skills that we have seen over the past four years. He was a huge part of our title hopes, and without him playing at a high level, we are in deep shit.
I am not sure about this, actually.
A Roy-centric offense won a ton of regular season games then got owned in the playoffs.
I actually assumed the same would happen this offseason if something didn't change.
Though I would prefer that Roy be involved in that change.
Oden - what do we even know about him right now? Most Blazer fans hang their hats on Oden's potential to bring us a championship, but right now we have no idea when he'll even be back on the court. That's a scary prospect. I would love to have Oden back, but at this point I'm ready to start adjusting this team to build for the future. I think our window has shifted.
This was Portland's big gamble and they lost big.
Without Oden the window hasn't just shifted.
It's been boarded up and bricked over.
Aldridge - I still think Aldridge is an All-Star. I don't think he's a #1 option, but he's a guy that can dominate on any given night. We just can't count on him to be a consistent scoring threat. We also can't count on him to be a bruiser. He never will be that guy.
I think the only way for LMA to learn to be the man is to actually be the man for long stretches of time.
This is the season that happens.
We will all see if he has what it takes.
Rudy - We're not even six months removed from this guy basically demanding a trade, or his outright release from the team. This is a guy who threatened to walk away from his contract and sit out the remaining two seasons so he could return to Europe. Forgive me if I don't have much faith in Rudy Fernandez as a part of our future.
I would be all for trading Rudy but for what?
He makes very little money in comparison to his worth to the team.
Rudy also complained about his minutes and role on the team.
Congrats Rudy, you just got a promotion!
Wes Matthews - I had high hopes for Wes, but so far he's been a disappointment. I suspect he's pressing because of his contract, which is adversely affecting his overall play. I think he's a solid defender, but he needs to relax, let the game come to him, and get his shooting back on track. I think he'll work out in the long term.
Me too.
He may be the Micheal Redd to Roy's Ray Allen.
Let's hope he doesn't have Redd's knee troubles along with his game.
Armon Johnson - I like Armon. I think he has a lot of potential and I'd like to see what he can bring to the table with more minutes.
I think you are going to get more of your wish then you might want.
Batum - Nic is a bit of a conundrum. He has so much talent, and so much potential, but is he ready to be a star? He's been a bit inconsistent, but he's shown real flashes of dominance at both ends of the court. I'd like to see him highlighted more by McMillan.
I think this has started to happen already and will become even more so over the course of the season.
Nic is leaving McMillian no choice.
Camby - He was brought in to help us win when it matters. He's a vet with experience in the playoffs, and a former defensive player of the year. He's a great player, but he's not part of our long term future.
He is part of the near future.
Without Camby Portland would have absolutely zero interior defense.
Miller - I've always loved Miller's game, but he was meant to be a short term answer. Similar to Camby, he's a guy who is worthless to this team if we aren't in the playoffs and if we can't move past the first round.
Chances are Miller is AJ's mentor and placeholder.
Portland isn't going to be able to bring in a high quality PG so they are going to try and grow their own.
Przybilla -we have no idea what he's going to bring to the table after two knee surgeries.
I think Joel's game will remain pretty much like it was.
He wasn't exactly a high flier when he was healthy after all.
All I could think of during the OKC game was how nice it will be to have Joel back there when Westbrook drives to the hoop.
Uncontested layups will be a thing of the past.
Cunningham - I like Dante, I think he's a good role player, but he needs to add something to his game to be a more dynamic scorer.
I like Donte as well. Since it's only his second season I think he is doing very well.
He has that mid range jumper that seems to go in at a pretty good clip.
Smart, tough player. I hope they keep him around for awhile.
Babbitt - I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe this guy is anything more than a scrub.
I call him The Towel since he only goes in when the game is over.
Right now I would say he was a wasted pick but maybe he comes back next year ready to go.
If Reddick can become a quality NBA player then anyone can.
I don't think it's time to rebuild the team, because in my mind a rebuild is a complete blowup of the roster. I think it might be time for a refitting of the roster though. If Oden is out for most of the season, and let's face it, we have no idea when he'll be back, then this season is essentially lost without Roy and Oden. I think Oden, if he can stay healthy, is at least a season away from being able to contribute like he was before the injury. Because of that, I think we should take this season, and possibly next season, and refit our team.
I think the team needs to change it's offensive phillosophy to match it's current personel.
Use Miller to push the ball so that Batum and LMA can take advantage of their speed in the open floor.
Let B-Roy (if he is playing) be the trailer.
