WCF is the goal next year

[KingSpeed]

Another year together and some good offseason pick ups should put us in the mix to achieve that goal. Lillard is only going to get better. His first playoffs was phenomenal. Best I've ever seen a guy play in his first playoffs. Great season.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Yes it is.

 

[Wheels]

A few pieces needed. But agree that is the logical next step

 

[BlazerCaravan]

We need bench experience, and no bench guys who still think they are The Man.

 

[rasheedfan2005]

Blow it up, start over!

 

[Draco]

Well tough to say. Sure WCF would be great but to be a favorite for that we need a top 2 seed, that'll be freaking tough. We had very few injuries this year, don't think any other team had 4 starters play 82 games. Sure that could happen again but we could easily have two guys miss a month and struggle to get 50wins.

The west might be even deeper nexy year. If the NBA went to seed teams 1-16 I'd like our chances much more. Miami is aging 3 years a season. The next 10 best teams may all be in the west. I could see us playing nearly as good as we did this year next season but have a few more bounces go against us and not even make the playoffs.

 

[ripcityboy]

Good goal to shoot for. I still think we are two years away but getting that experience would be great. Hope we don't play SA again, losing to them
could get the team down.

 

[KingSpeed]

I hope we do face SA. Gotta go through them to get to the top.

 

[jlprk]

A useful goal, but prepare to not meet it unless Olshey makes big improvements this summer. We were very lucky to get past Houston, so I wouldn't assume making the 2nd round will repeat.

 

[MARIS61]

What's with the lucky to get past Houston line?

We turned them inside out.

 

[jlprk]

Blowout after blowout. They didn't know what hit them.

 

[blue32]

My opinion:

Meyers needs to go. He's useless and reminds me of a 7foot Bieber .....

Claver needs to go. He's also not going to elevate us to that next level.

Earl needs to go. What does he even do??

Mo needs to be traded/go to help us gain defense guys.

Jury is still out on Joel.

TRob, CJ, Will should stay. Specially the Thrill.


So with that said, we need a defensive presence on our team. We do not have one, nor a defensive specialist. Sorry but Wes and Batum are average defenders. But maybe that is the product of our shitty system, unsure at this point.


Goal: WCF, or bust. Add a real backup Center w/rebounding and defense as strong point. Add a scrappy defensive SF (like Battier type). Add another PG to replace Mo/Earl, or really invest minutes into CJ.

 

[illmatic99]

A few pieces needed. But agree that is the logical next step

Logical yes, but realistic?

I don't think many people realize how lucky we were this year. 4 starters playing 82 games, and no significant injuries even with guys playing 35-40 mins nightly. This is NOT sustainable. Look at what happened to GS last year-- they had similar luck health wise and got stomped by SA in the second round. Everyone thought they'd be a contender this season, but they had injury problems and barely made the playoffs in the competitive west.

I've said this before but this is never a linear progression in the west. We aren't even guaranteed to make the playoffs next year-- much less advance a few rounds. It's why I wish we played better and made the most of the opportunity we had this year. I don't think getting 5 games into a very noncompetitive second round was the ceiling for this roster.

 

[tlongII]

Spurs
OKC
Clippers
Houston

To make the WCF we will have to beat out 3 of the 4 above teams. That would be a tough deal.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

My opinion:

Meyers needs to go. He's useless and reminds me of a 7foot Bieber .....

Claver needs to go. He's also not going to elevate us to that next level.

Earl needs to go. What does he even do??

Mo needs to be traded/go to help us gain defense guys.

Jury is still out on Joel.

TRob, CJ, Will should stay. Specially the Thrill.


So with that said, we need a defensive presence on our team. We do not have one, nor a defensive specialist. Sorry but Wes and Batum are average defenders. But maybe that is the product of our shitty system, unsure at this point.


Goal: WCF, or bust. Add a real backup Center w/rebounding and defense as strong point. Add a scrappy defensive SF (like Battier type). Add another PG to replace Mo/Earl, or really invest minutes into CJ.

I think Meyer needs to stay. He's a big and he is athletic. He just needs to learn to play.

Claver is a meh to me. We will always have 5 players at the end of the bench to be victory cigars and he's as good at that as anyone else.

Earl brings a lot of intabgibles to practice. Young players learn from him. I'd like to see him retire and become part of the coaching staff.

Mo needs to stay. He's instand offense off the bench and brings a solid veteran presence. He gets the game. I also like the idea of grooming Barton to be our next 6th man in place of Mo.

Joel needs to stay. Very servicable backup big.

I love TRob and would like to see a real open competition between Crabbe and CJ to see who we may want as an occassional 3 pt shooter off the bench. I actually think Crabbe has a better all around game than CJ.

 

[blue32]

I think Meyer needs to stay. He's a big and he is athletic. He just needs to learn to play.

Claver is a meh to me. We will always have 5 players at the end of the bench to be victory cigars and he's as good at that as anyone else.

Earl brings a lot of intabgibles to practice. Young players learn from him. I'd like to see him retire and become part of the coaching staff.

Mo needs to stay. He's instand offense off the bench and brings a solid veteran presence. He gets the game. I also like the idea of grooming Barton to be our next 6th man in place of Mo.

Joel needs to stay. Very servicable backup big.

I love TRob and would like to see a real open competition between Crabbe and CJ to see who we may want as an occassional 3 pt shooter off the bench. I actually think Crabbe has a better all around game than CJ.

OK, but if we have Mo, Joel, Crabbe, CJ all stay, then who will we move to improve? If we stand pat, I fear we just wont improve enough. Not at least w/Stotts system in-place (Roation/Defense wise).

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

OK, but if we have Mo, Joel, Crabbe, CJ all stay, then who will we move to improve? If we stand pat, I fear we just wont improve enough. Not at least w/Stotts system in-place (Roation/Defense wise).

The problem with moving Mo now is that I don't think anyone is able yet to replace him. Maybe after next season, but not now.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I think Portland is probably another year away from being serious contenders. Assuming they keep everyone together and there are no freak injuries, then 2016 could be a very fun year

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Goals for 2014-2015:

Fewer close games. We played 29 games decided by 5 points or less, and were 15-14 in those games. San Antonio was 10-1 in games decided by 5 points or less. We need to be more like them in this regard. That means retaining leads, closing out, having the killer instinct. We were 5-8 in games decided by 2 points or less! That needs to change.

Play the games like it's the playoffs. Now the players know how teams play in the playoffs. They need to take that style to heart. Take the games seriously. Yes, it's a marathon. But every game counts, especially in the West

Closing out opponents better will make the rest come. More wins, more toughness, and a better preparation for the playoffs.

I can't set a minimum expectation in the playoffs yet. We're too new. But achieving those goals should make the third round possible.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I think Meyer needs to stay. He's a big and he is athletic. He just needs to learn to play.

Claver is a meh to me. We will always have 5 players at the end of the bench to be victory cigars and he's as good at that as anyone else.

Earl brings a lot of intabgibles to practice. Young players learn from him. I'd like to see him retire and become part of the coaching staff.

Mo needs to stay. He's instand offense off the bench and brings a solid veteran presence. He gets the game. I also like the idea of grooming Barton to be our next 6th man in place of Mo.

Joel needs to stay. Very servicable backup big.

I love TRob and would like to see a real open competition between Crabbe and CJ to see who we may want as an occassional 3 pt shooter off the bench. I actually think Crabbe has a better all around game than CJ.

Oh great so now Meyers is untouchable also?

 

[RoyToy]

I think Meyer needs to stay. He's a big and he is athletic. He just needs to learn to play.

Oh.

That.

 

[Draco]

We need to make a decision on extending Meyers rookie contract another year. If we want to keep him then give him the $3million and reduce our 2015 cap space. Otherwise we should look to dump him if a team is willing to take on his contract/roster space.

Earl should not be on the team, we need his roster space.

Claver is fine as an end of the bench player but I'd rather use his roster space to grab someone with more potential, even if its a crappy prospect. Every year there are D league, undrafted players, or a foreign player who make an unexpected impact. I don't think Claver has that chance, and as he is entering the final year of his contract it makes sense for him and the team to work out some kind of buyout. He is only on the books for $1.5 million.

I wouldn't use any of the MLE on Mo but if he wants to return for $3 million I'm fine with it. I think we should target Okafor/Frye/AK47 type of players instead of Mo.

But the vast majority of this teams growth for next year will have to come from our players that are already on the roster.

 

[Mediocre Man]

What's with the lucky to get past Houston line?

We turned them inside out.

How?

I thought mms that series was pretty Evenly matched. We were lucky to get past them and had they won would have been lucky to get past us

 

[H.C.]

That's not how the NBA works. Maybe if the Blazers were in the East yes. Not the West.
To make the playoffs next year in the west you need 50wins again period.

Name one matchup of teams that MADE the playoffs outside of Huston that the Blazers would be favored in next year?
Dallas? perhaps, but that's tough.
Spurs? uhhm if they're together no? my point was proven here.
Memphis? ha they destroyed the Blazers, and there is a reason why they took OKC to 7.(not because everyone was playing game 7's either)
Warriors? Perhaps... might be able to convince me.
Clippers? not at all.. Well unless silver is true to his word about blowing that team up if players want out and Sterling is still the owner.
Huston? I said name one that isn't Huston.


That's not counting Phoenix either. Or if Denver comes back healthy. But as I said Playoff teams this year.
The west is loaded, there is no "anything outside of WCF is a failed season" unless you are the Spurs or OKC.

I understand you're a huge Blazer fan, and have rose colored glasses. But have to be able to be un-biased.

How?

I thought mms that series was pretty Evenly matched. We were lucky to get past them and had they won would have been lucky to get past us

no give consistent reffing in that series, and game 1 is a blowout with a Blazer win.
Game two as well.
Game three Blazers weren't ready for the home crowd, and Huston still got saved by a ROOKIE.
No Blazers had that series all the way. Which surprised the shit out of me.

 

[fumanchu]

The NBA Championship is the goal. We just need to deepen the bench.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

We need a floor general as our sixth man. Someone in the Jose Calderon mold.

 

[BBert]

We need a floor general as our sixth man. Someone in the Jose Calderon mold.

Yes. Given the choice I'd rather have Sergio back though (not that I think he'd come back, or that he'd even be on Olshey's radar).

People say we need Mo because he's 'instant offense'. And sometimes he is. Just as often, even when he's giving us offense, he is instant 'good-bye lead; hello hole; hand me the shovel'. I don't care if Mo comes back or not. We'll be fine either way.

I have a hunch a lot of fans are going to be surprised at how many of our bench players are significantly improved next season. TRob, Meyers, CJ and Barton all have a high probability, in my mind at least, of making a big jump. Joel has room to improve too, and then there's the forgotten man, Crabbe, who the coaches still seem high on.

I know it's sexy to focus on big trades and free agent signings, and we should do whatever we need to do to improve, but a lot of improvement can come from within, by developing the players we have.

There is a certain amount of natural improvement also that comes from continuity. I wouldn't shake up the roster just for the fun of it. If it isn't a clear upgrade, let it bake.

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

 

[riverman]

NBA championship would be my goal for the team next year, if you're going to wish, wish big

 

[Mediocre Man]

That's not how the NBA works. Maybe if the Blazers were in the East yes. Not the West.
To make the playoffs next year in the west you need 50wins again period.

Name one matchup of teams that MADE the playoffs outside of Huston that the Blazers would be favored in next year?
Dallas? perhaps, but that's tough.
Spurs? uhhm if they're together no? my point was proven here.
Memphis? ha they destroyed the Blazers, and there is a reason why they took OKC to 7.(not because everyone was playing game 7's either)
Warriors? Perhaps... might be able to convince me.
Clippers? not at all.. Well unless silver is true to his word about blowing that team up if players want out and Sterling is still the owner.
Huston? I said name one that isn't Huston.


That's not counting Phoenix either. Or if Denver comes back healthy. But as I said Playoff teams this year.
The west is loaded, there is no "anything outside of WCF is a failed season" unless you are the Spurs or OKC.

I understand you're a huge Blazer fan, and have rose colored glasses. But have to be able to be un-biased.




no give consistent reffing in that series, and game 1 is a blowout with a Blazer win.
Game two as well.
Game three Blazers weren't ready for the home crowd, and Huston still got saved by a ROOKIE.
No Blazers had that series all the way. Which surprised the shit out of me.

LOL completely blind to reality.

 

[KingSpeed]

Spurs
OKC
Clippers
Houston

To make the WCF we will have to beat out 3 of the 4 above teams. That would be a tough deal.

We only have to beat 2 teams to reach the WCF. And if you get a top 3 seed, you only have to beat 1 of the top 4 teams at Most.