Trail of Tears

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Who put a gun to Neil's head signing all of those scrubs for the full 4 years?

From what I have heard, that was Paul Allen which was unwilling to lose players with little compensation as happened with LMA and JO. They believed that at worst they will be able to use them as trade assets, which they have - with Harkless and Leonard basically getting Portland their 2nd best player this year.
 
Most of the people upset about today and all that were people who had already said they'd be mad if Whiteside wasn't traded, or were more than likely going to be upset at NO for whatever he did because they don't like NO.
I believe on the other side most of the people who approve of him, were probably going to be supportive of what he did no matter what too unless he traded Dame or something.
I don't think today "swayed" anyone in terms of how they felt about NO, or the state of the team.

What I always do when I see trades and decisions is put myself in the persons shoes and rationalize why that decision may have been made. It has nothing to do with hating or liking Olshey as he hasn't done anything great (some his making and some just being the timing) but he has always been able to fill out a roster that has been competitive. We have been in the playoffs all but the first year of Olshey and 3 times lost in the first round, twice making it to the Semis and once to the WCF. I bet there are a lot of teams that would like that as teams like Phoenix, Minnesota, Pelicans etc.have done much worse. Even the Clippers have only been to the second round twice and lost in the first round 4 times during that same time period.
 
Think of all the big money offers Neil made to players who DIDN'T sign here. They (or other teams) saved him from it being even worse.
 
We have been in the playoffs all but the first year of Olshey and 3 times lost in the first round, twice making it to the Semis and once to the WCF. I bet there are a lot of teams that would like that as teams like Phoenix, Minnesota, Pelicans etc.have done much worse. Even the Clippers have only been to the second round twice and lost in the first round 4 times during that same time period.

Hack, take OKC - since Neil has came here - they managed to get to the conference finals twice, semi once and 3 times first round, despite having 2 MVPs on the roster and Paul George which is frankly better than any player not called Lillard on Portland's roster during that time.

I think it is pretty clear that he is a competent but not great GM - he can build a competitive team, did not manage to build a contender - even tho the 2013-2014 and last-year teams might have been barring injuries.
 
What I always do when I see trades and decisions is put myself in the persons shoes and rationalize why that decision may have been made. It has nothing to do with hating or liking Olshey as he hasn't done anything great (some his making and some just being the timing) but he has always been able to fill out a roster that has been competitive. We have been in the playoffs all but the first year of Olshey and 3 times lost in the first round, twice making it to the Semis and once to the WCF. I bet there are a lot of teams that would like that as teams like Phoenix, Minnesota, Pelicans etc.have done much worse. Even the Clippers have only been to the second round twice and lost in the first round 4 times during that same time period.
I understand, theres worse, theres better all that. Im just saying that for most today wasn't going to change their opinion of NO.
 
Think of all the big money offers Neil made to players who DIDN'T sign here. They (or other teams) saved him from it being even worse.

Try focusing on the positives rather than continually dwelling on the negatives. Lillard pretty much said this the other day in an interview. If you constantly think negativity, negativity over takes ones life. I prefer to live my life in a positive mind.
 
Think of all the big money offers Neil made to players who DIDN'T sign here. They (or other teams) saved him from it being even worse.
Not to mention New Jersey later foolishly bailing him out for his decision to match the overblown offer on Crabbe.
 
I'll still defend signing Crabbe. That was a gamble that didn't pay off, but we got "toxic"ed and I agree that Uncle Paul was probably behind the "match it" call.
Let's not forget that Parsons was offered a Max at midnight of July 1 as well, and ended up with MEM. I would've been behind the Whiteside contract if he would've chosen us. Not so much the rumors about Zaza and D-Ho.
 
Most of the people upset about today and all that were people who had already said they'd be mad if Whiteside wasn't traded, or were more than likely going to be upset at NO for whatever he did because they don't like NO.
I believe on the other side most of the people who approve of him, were probably going to be supportive of what he did no matter what too unless he traded Dame or something.
I don't think today "swayed" anyone in terms of how they felt about NO, or the state of the team.
HoopsJock has defended Olshey in the past and hes mad. Rightfully so.
 
I popped in here just to see wassup...

I see a thread with a topic that's about a bad offseason where we wasted a lot of money....

Named after one of the WORST atrocities the founders ever committed...

Like, here's a blanket laced with smallpox...

Amazing...

EachNewAmericanredsquirrel-small.gif
 
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well, a lot of teams passed on him as he wasn't projected to be what he has become. Just like we were fortunate to get Lillard as a redo of the draft projects him as the #2 over all pick and the following year he picked McCollum who has been projected as the #3 pick in a redo. I would challenge anyone that blames Olshey for passing on Giannis to show me some evidence that they were touting him as the player we should pick before the draft.
No one here is paid to be an NBA GM... Neil is! His job is to build a winning team and he wiffed on adding the best player in the league... don't know if he even bothered to have Giannis in for a workout. Fail! I challenge you to wrap your brain around this very simple concept.

STOMP
 
I'll still defend signing Crabbe.
I railed against retaining Crabbe before he was reupped to that ridiculous deal. His jumper, while accurate, is akin to Meyers's as it takes forever so he struggles to find enough space to get it off.

I was hoping Neil moved Whiteside for picks and then someone else did the picking. Now I'm down to just hoping.

STOMP
 
I’d say that getting to the WCF last season with Harkless, Leonard and ET all making significant contributions was the payoff for their contracts.

Was it though? It was pretty much Dame, KANTER, and CJ that got us there. (We got a good cj much longer than his usual awful self). They filled roster spots and were on the team... But were not factors.

Oh, and Hood.
 
Was it though? It was pretty much Dame, KANTER, and CJ that got us there. (We got a good cj much longer than his usual awful self). They filled roster spots and were on the team... But were not factors.

Oh, and Hood.

I didn’t say that they were the primary reason for last season’s success, just that they played roles in it. Olshey assembled a team that was good enough to get to the WCF. Not good enough to get to the finals, but a good team. Achieving that with Nurk out and, at the end with Dame and Kanter dinged up, that’s pretty much what I want from a GM...a team that’s got a shot.
 
No one here is paid to be an NBA GM... Neil is! His job is to build a winning team and he wiffed on adding the best player in the league... don't know if he even bothered to have Giannis in for a workout. Fail! I challenge you to wrap your brain around this very simple concept.

STOMP

Hello Miss Hindsight. Show me one article or mock draft that shows Giannis as projected as #1. I'm not even sure you can find one where he was projected top 10.

Good luck

CUP
 
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Hello mr. Hindsight. Show me one article or mock draft that shows Giannis as projected as #1. I'm not even sure you can find one where he was projected top 10.

Good luck

CUP
Mock drafts... Lol!! Media people aren't paid to be NBA GMs either nor are their jobs dependent on the accuracy of their guesses... they get paid to produce content.

Not surprised that the concept of a GM being held responsible for projecting young talent as a primary part of their job was too much for you. Or are you Neil's mom?

STOMP
 
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And many disagreed.
How does having less contracts to trade this off-season and less expirings to trade next year help our flexibility, considering we can only clear as much cap space as what the MLE is worth? Honest question.
 
Not surprised that the concept of a GM being held responsible for projecting young talent as a primary part of their job was too much for you. Or are you Neil's mom?

STOMP

Hurl all the insults you want slick, but you have yet to show me anything that shows Olshey blew it. In fact, in some do over drafts McCollum was chosen as the #3 so we actually fared better than the majority of teams but you just keep using your hindsight so you don;t have to expose the phony you are. Put up or shut up.

PS- Love the way you went back and edited your post after I responded. I guess hindsight is even used in your posts. :biglaugh:
 
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Hurl all the insults you want slick, but you have yet to show me anything that shows Olshey blew it. In fact, in some do over drafts McCollum was chosen as the #3 so we actually fared better than the majority of teams but you just keep using your hindsight so you don;t have to expose the phony you are. Put up or shut up.
Hi Mrs Olshey! So sorry Neil is struggling at work... maybe you should bake him some cookies!

STOMP
 
How does having less contracts to trade this off-season and less expirings to trade next year help our flexibility, considering we can only clear as much cap space as what the MLE is worth? Honest question.

Less contracts? At the end of the day, the Blazers will likely have 14 or 15 contracts and likely one or two 2 way contracts. How is that less contracts? Also, without Whiteside we would have a hard time making the playoffs. Something that Lillard and the team want very much. Learn to accept the fact that your ideas aren't always the best idea and that neither one of us actually know what the market is for large expiring contracts but from the trade deadline it appears they aren't worth as much as you might think.
 
Hi Mrs Olshey! So sorry Neil is struggling at work... maybe you should bake him some cookies!

STOMP

so typical. When asked to show something to support your statement you instead resort to insults. Care to try again or are you just all mouth and no substance? :biglaugh:

CUP
 
Less contracts? At the end of the day, the Blazers will likely have 14 or 15 contracts and likely one or two 2 way contracts. How is that less contracts? Also, without Whiteside we would have a hard time making the playoffs. Something that Lillard and the team want very much. Learn to accept the fact that your ideas aren't always the best idea and that neither one of us actually know what the market is for large expiring contracts but from the trade deadline it appears they aren't worth as much as you might think.
We've seen how teams value expiring contracts based on past seasons.

Anyway, you can't trade two-way contracts, and they won't have 14 or 15 tradeable contracts this off-season.
- They're not going to Dame, CJ, or Nurkic for an upgrade.
- Whiteside, Swanigan, and Gabriel are free agents
- Simons, Collins, Trent, and Little mightbe too valuable of prospects to trade depending on who we're getting back.
- Hezonja and Hood are on player options and can't be traded until they accept them (and can't be if they decline).

So on draft night, when a lot of deals happen, we'll have Ariza's $12.8M (if we guarantee it). Past that? Our prospects. That's it. So if a big upgrade becomes available making $23M+, we don't have the contracts to match their salary unless we trade Ariza and multiple prospects. If they're making around $30M? Forget about it. We might have the picks and the prospect they want, but we couldn't match their salary. That's how having less contracts and less tradeable hurts our flexibility.
 
We've seen how teams value expiring contracts based on past seasons.

Anyway, you can't trade two-way contracts, and they won't have 14 or 15 tradeable contracts this off-season.
- They're not going to Dame, CJ, or Nurkic for an upgrade.
- Whiteside, Swanigan, and Gabriel are free agents
- Simons, Collins, Trent, and Little mightbe too valuable of prospects to trade depending on who we're getting back.
- Hezonja and Hood are on player options and can't be traded until they accept them (and can't be if they decline).

So on draft night, when a lot of deals happen, we'll have Ariza's $12.8M (if we guarantee it). Past that? Our prospects. That's it. So if a big upgrade becomes available making $23M+, we don't have the contracts to match their salary unless we trade Ariza and multiple prospects. If they're making around $30M? Forget about it. We might have the picks and the prospect they want, but we couldn't match their salary. That's how having less contracts and less tradeable hurts our flexibility.

Way to take it out of context and focus on 2 way contracts. I was just mentioning it as that's how the roster will likely be made of. The draft isn't the only time trades will be made so that was a rather pointless example. Can we agree to disagree and move on as this has been way over discussed already and not interested in a long drawn out dialogue with you. You simply struggle with others opinions.
 

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