Time for a Major Shakeup

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I know, but if the season started this way I think there would've been a shakeup already.

I'm not really sure, this is pure speculation but I got the vibe with PA's death that not a lot is going to happen this year. I could be totally wrong it's absolutely just a feeling, but as much as I keep calling for Stotts' job, I don't know if the Vulcan has even given NO or McGowen the power to do any of that. I'm pretty sure that they don't care at all about how this season is going for (they as in Vulcan) the Blazers. They're more than likely looking at everything from a what will make the team worth more if they sell it off. They might see moving Stotts or NO as a move that makes them look less stable and could drive the cost down. I dont know.

 

[oldmangrouch]

2 games out of the #14 spot in the Western Conference.....Yuck!

Fortunately, the next game is at Home against the #15 seed in the West and owners of the worst record in the NBA. This is a #ScheduleWin if I've ever seen one.

A win right now would be the worst thing that could happen. 1 win over a terrible team and we will get at least another month of "see, everything is OK - we don't need to change anything!"

 

[illmatic99]

Why the fuck did they have to get off to a good start, I wish they just played this crappy from the start.

This is what it is like to be a Blazer fan. They do amazing or come into some extremely good fortune (Walton/Oden/Roy/etc), they suck you in, then stomp on your heart once you're fully invested after some incredibly bad luck or poor play. Been like this since the beginning.

 

[TBpup]

A win right now would be the worst thing that could happen. 1 win over a terrible team and we will get at least another month of "see, everything is OK - we don't need to change anything!"

I totally get where you are coming from but I have to believe that most fans and even the disillusioned Olshey will understand that beating the Suns is like winning the Fan Fest game and it means nothing.

 

[stampedehero]

Right now, We suck. We can't gather acceleration. Defense, assists and fourth quarter strategy is atrocious

 

[jlprk]

Why the fuck did they have to get off to a good start, I wish they just played this crappy from the start.

The answer is:

I remember reading an article before the season started that said Blazers would overachieve early in the season because of their continuity while other teams were getting used to new players... looks like that came true and now reality is setting in

 

[stampedehero]

Maybe Washington and Portland can swap guards.

Don't trust that ownership. We have Turner, who is not worth the $1

 

[Scalma]

This is alarming



Get Stotts outta here please.

 

[illmatic99]

What should the order of operations be?

Would you make changes to the roster first and then figure out if Stotts needs to go? Or do you replace Stotts and see if the roster is fine with a tweak in strategy/voice?

 

[illmatic99]

This is alarming

View attachment 23647

Get Stotts outta here please.

What's so alarming? We got scouted. Counters are taking a while to implement. Not sure if Terry's at fault or the guys'. ET's quote leads me to believe it's more on the players.

 

[Propagandist]

What's so alarming? We got scouted. Counters are taking a while to implement. Not sure if Terry's at fault or the guys'. ET's quote leads me to believe it's more on the players.

Turner's quote tells me that we don't have a counterstrike in place, or options B and C other than an effing CJ iso...which is alarming, but not surprising. At this point, I think it is pretty safe to say we are predictable. Frenetic defense makes us malfunction. Get us out of our comfort zone and we implode. Overall, I think we aren't adaptable and have shown that over and over and over and over again.....does that fall on coach or the players? Easiest way to find out is to replace coach, unfortunately.

 

[Propagandist]

Continuity is supposed to be this team’s strength... if they are still playing like this after 3 years together there is no hope... blow this shot up now and put Blzers fans out of their misery

I use "continuity" around the house now when I don't want to fix things that are obviously broken.

 

[Scalma]

What's so alarming? We got scouted. Counters are taking a while to implement. Not sure if Terry's at fault or the guys'. ET's quote leads me to believe it's more on the players.

It’s the same fucking offense as last year, and the year before, and the year before. nothing has changed and they’ve been figured out.

It isn’t alarming to you that the offense hasn’t evolved since CJ became a starter/Nurk was acquired?

 

[Propagandist]

What should the order of operations be?

Would you make changes to the roster first and then figure out if Stotts needs to go? Or do you replace Stotts and see if the roster is fine with a tweak in strategy/voice?

Order of operations vs realistic order of operations. Without an owner I don't see a major roster change on the horizon. Am I off on this? So, I think it goes Stotts, then team will be even worse after briefly looking better, then new ownership and a fired Olshey, and then the roster gets gutted in someway...or "retooled" as we are now accustomed to hearing.

 

[Scalma]

Order of operations vs realistic order of operations. Without an owner I don't see a major roster change on the horizon. Am I off on this? So, I think it goes Stotts, then team will be even worse after briefly looking better, then new ownership and a fired Olshey, and then the roster gets gutted in someway...or "retooled" as we are now accustomed to hearing.

Well if we’re keeping it realistic I’d probably start with shaking up the lineup/rotation. Start Collins and move Aminu to SF or the second unit. Let Collins play with better players, maybe you’ll get more out of him. And his numbers next to Nurk are encouraging. Bench Curry and give someone else a shot. Could start with Layman.

If that shakeup doesn’t work, let Stotts go. But our problems go deeper than that. We need to change the way we play. Can that change happen in the middle of a season? Hopefully, but I’m not optimistic, especially when the coach refuses to hold his main players accountable.

 

[Gronk Brady]

It’s the same fucking offense as last year, and the year before, and the year before. nothing has changed and they’ve been figured out.

It isn’t alarming to you that the offense hasn’t evolved since CJ became a starter/Nurk was acquired?

That’s why I can’t understand why goofs like @BonesJones think a new coach will change anything... Dame and CJ are 28 years old... they have been trying to “figure it out” for years... nothing will change... it’s all talk... Stotts gives them the freedom to change anything they want. The composition of this roster is flawed at its McLillard core... you can’t build your team around 2 undersized shoot first ISO/Hero ball chuckers that doesn’t play defense and expect to ever be a serious contender.

 

[illmatic99]

It’s the same fucking offense as last year, and the year before, and the year before. nothing has changed and they’ve been figured out.

It isn’t alarming to you that the offense hasn’t evolved since CJ became a starter/Nurk was acquired?

Looked different at the start of the year. We started facing resistance and then immediately reverted to iso heavy hero ball.

 

[Scalma]

That’s why I can’t understand why goofs like @BonesJones think a new coach will change anything... Dame and CJ are 28 years old... they have been trying to “figure it out” for years... nothing will change... it’s all talk... Stotts gives them the freedom to change anything they want. The composition of this roster is flawed at its McLillard core... you can’t build your team around 2 undersized shoot first ISO/Hero ball chuckers that doesn’t play defense and expect to ever be a serious contender.

Lillard isn’t the problem and McCollum needs to stop being mentioned in the same sentence as him. Lillard is our most consistent playmaker. He needs a guy next to him that compliments his game, not a ball dominant, defensive liability, undersized guy like McCollum.

McCollum has value to any team that needs a go to scorer that doesn’t have a ball dominant point guard. A team like Orlando would probably love to have him. I’d do Fournier and Isaac. There are others, I just threw that out there as an example.

Until Neil entertains the idea, or we find someone else that will, it’s all moot anyway.

 

[Scalma]

Looked different at the start of the year. We started facing resistance and then immediately reverted to iso heavy hero ball.

That’s the issue I have with Stotts. The secondary players were hitting shots earlier in the year, so it was easier to lean on guys not named Dame and CJ. As soon as they started struggling, panic set in and they reverted back to what they know. If that’s not a reflection of coaching I don’t know what is. Feels like Stotts is willing to sacrifice development and evolution for a relatively meaningless win. Hero ball will never translate to the playoffs.

And for the record, Stotts isn’t the only problem. Shit, I’d fire Olshey before him

 

[Labinot41]

Well if we’re keeping it realistic I’d probably start with shaking up the lineup/rotation. Start Collins and move Aminu to SF or the second unit. Let Collins play with better players, maybe you’ll get more out of him. And his numbers next to Nurk are encouraging. Bench Curry and give someone else a shot. Could start with Layman.

If that shakeup doesn’t work, let Stotts go. But our problems go deeper than that. We need to change the way we play. Can that change happen in the middle of a season? Hopefully, but I’m not optimistic, especially when the coach refuses to hold his main players accountable.

The biggest problem here I see Collins would have to deal with foul issues. More than he already has. In every second game, he would have 6 fouls already at half-time. Dude is just too foul prone

 

[Labinot41]

 

[Labinot41]

 

[illmatic99]

It's the only way, but it fits his narrative.

 

[TBpup]

What should the order of operations be? Would you make changes to the roster first and then figure out if Stotts needs to go? Or do you replace Stotts and see if the roster is fine with a tweak in strategy/voice?

Stotts first. Because IMO, he is a coordinator and not a head coach. He is the Mark Helfrich of the NBA....brilliant OC and a very nice guy who isn't head coach material.

I use "continuity" around the house now when I don't want to fix things that are obviously broken.

@Propagandist ....possible the post of the year so far.

 

[hoopsjock]

What should the order of operations be?

Would you make changes to the roster first and then figure out if Stotts needs to go? Or do you replace Stotts and see if the roster is fine with a tweak in strategy/voice?

In the NBA with guaranteed contracts changing the coach is usually the way it goes. I think sometimes just making a small trade can really change things. Look at the Plumlee for Nurk trade and the 20 games that followed as an example of that.

Honestly though, I wouldn't really mind the losing if it was because we were trying to develop players so that we're better later in the season or further down the road. However, that isn't close to what's happening. Our only real hope to turn things around is Collins and he isn't getting the minutes he needs right now (Yes, I understand fouling is an issue there). The other two guys that could potentially break out, Trent and Simons, aren't even active right now. Our bench is playing terrible and if that's going to be the case I'd much rather our 2nd unit gets destroyed because we are trying to give minutes to Trent, Simons, and Collins instead of playing guys like Turner, Curry, and Stauskas.

 

[Rozay]

Lillard isn’t the problem and McCollum needs to stop being mentioned in the same sentence as him. Lillard is our most consistent playmaker. He needs a guy next to him that compliments his game, not a ball dominant, defensive liability, undersized guy like McCollum.

McCollum has value to any team that needs a go to scorer that doesn’t have a ball dominant point guard. A team like Orlando would probably love to have him. I’d do Fournier and Isaac. There are others, I just threw that out there as an example.

Until Neil entertains the idea, or we find someone else that will, it’s all moot anyway.

I know he's become the scapegoat, but CJ has actually been a more efficient scorer than Lillard since November 1st.


Since Nov. 1st, Dames is at 26ppg on 54.9 TS%. CJ is at 22.4 PPG on 56.9 TS%.


That's really effective scoring from CJ and he provides a lot of the spacing on offense. It's basically been everyone else who has been less efficient over this down streak.

 

[calvin natt]

I would be curious what the value of Collins is around the league. My gut feeling is it’s less than what the consensus is in here. I would dangle him and CJ in a multi team deal. Unless someone up the food chain tells the team to blow it up, lillard isn’t going anywhere. So you are in win now mode I guess. You would think if Paul Allen was around he’d be poking around. Not sure who that is now - Kolde?!?

 

[TBpup]

Maybe 'Hat Guy' is in charge....

 

[jlprk]

The biggest problem here I see Collins would have to deal with foul issues. More than he already has. In every second game, he would have 6 fouls already at half-time. Dude is just too foul prone

A month ago many here laughed at me, "We don't need Ed Davis."

 

[wizenheimer]

It sucks to think about a rebuild and it would be great to see it happen on the fly without having to decline to the 25-35 win area. At the same time, you want growth instead of stagnation and I'd be hard pressed to see any significant growth curve. Yes, they got a #3 seed but that was the lowest WC #3 seed record in quite some time so it wasn't so much growth as it was other teams regressing. And then there was what they did with that #3 seed....ugh.

Dame has become better but the team hasn't followed suit. They are 6-18 in the Playoffs in the last 4 years. They have a 56% winning percentage in the regular season in the last 4+ years....that is good for an average of 46 wins per season. Average Playoff seed in the last 4+ years including this year so far....5.4.

This season they are currently on pace for 46 wins....right at that 56% average. They are currently 7th, below the average Playoff seed of 5.4.

Where is the growth? How long do the Blazers wait and just continue to do the same? I so want this team to be successful but in it's current formation, just don't see how that is going to work.

just adding a bit: that 6-18 mark in the playoffs includes 3 wins against the crippled Clippers team. Take those out and Portland is 3-18

and since Olshey got his wish and got rid of all the players that preceded his hiring, the playoff record minus those 3 games against LAC is 2-14. That was the team last season...that was the team that Olshey spent 6 years building. That was the team that Olshey himself said needed playoff tested veterans and then he went out, drafted 2 rookie guards, and signed two veterans that had never played in a playoff game

he exchanged Davis, Napier, and Connaughton for Stauskas and Curry; and he cornered Stotts into playing Meyers more. Olshey didn't even have enough skill or vision to adjust the angle or speed on the treadmill Portland is stumbling on. And all that for a team that's 8M over the tax line

the roster is a mess. It was a mess last year and the year before. Olshey broke the roster in 2016 and should have been fired within 6 months of that massive incompetence. But he's still there, convinced CJ is a great player and that Portland can just grow their way out of purgatory. As long as he occupies the GM position, Portland will be mediocre.