Bogus! We are quietly doing Philly's lame "process"

[wizenheimer]

He has almost completely flipped the roster in 2 years.

Why would he suddenly be scared of making trades?

I didn't say he was scared

I said it looked like he was straddling fences. That doesn't have to be from fear. Could just be major miscalculation; or edict out of Seattle

I do know there were a lot of posters here expecting significant moves at the trade deadline. I wasn't one of them because of my read of Cronin's vague intentions. I really don't know what he's planning for this summer. I've said a few times what my suspicion is though

by the way, a lot of my post was sarcasm

 

[Phatguysrule]

He has almost completely flipped the roster in 2 years.

Why would he suddenly be scared of making trades?

Scared of losing his job by stepping out of line with whatever the Vulcans wants.

 

[Natebishop3]

I didn't say he was scared

I said it looked like he was straddling fences. That doesn't have to be from fear. Could just be major miscalculation; or edict out of Seattle

I do know there were a lot of posters here expecting significant moves at the trade deadline. I wasn't one of them because of my read of Cronin's vague intentions. I really don't know what he's planning for this summer. I've said a few times what my suspicion is though

by the way, a lot of my post was sarcasm

I'll wait until after this summer. I'm hoping Grant/Brogdon/Williams are all gone.

I'm fine with keeping Simons and Ayton one more year.

 

[illmatic99]

The 76ers had a 4 year stretch where they won 19, 18, 10 and 28 wins.

I'm not sure how that's better than the "jumbled mess" of what the Blazers have done. They lost Embiid for 2 seasons and went full on ugly tanking for those 2 years.

Started one year 0-17 and at one point was 4-28.

The next year they started the year 0-18 and at one point was 1-29 (they ended the season with 10 wins that year).

the first year they had Joel they started 4-18 (and he only played 31 games).

That was some ugly ball that makes things here look Rosie.

This all is fine, but that was not my point.

As I have said ad nauseum, Cronin appears very confused about the direction of the team. His first deadline, he simply shed salary. Then during the offseason, he brings in Grant as a vet "star", but also drafts the youngest player in the lottery. Then follows that up by wasting the MLE on a vet who barely played for us. The he pivots again and sheds salary in Payton and Hart to attempt to go young again. Then he makes false promises about overpaying assets to get veteran help. Then he decides to take one of the youngest players in the lottery yet again. Then he decides to keep the vets he acquired in the Dame trade while re-signing Thybulle/Grant, while admitting the year will be about developing young guys. Then this deadline, he simply throws his hands up and does nothing. All while losing 61 games with the 14th highest payroll.

He has shown competence towards one thing during his tenure: shameless tanking.

And even THAT would be fine but every year he has signed vets in the summer only to sit them in place of g-league dudes. Tanking organically with guys you draft is somewhat acceptable. This bullshit...its par for the course with this guy.

But sure, let's all continue to wear blinders on this guy's incompetence.

All these contradictory moves scream of a guy who has no plan and one who isn't accountable for his actions.

Hinkie had a plan. Shed salary to the barebones. Get multiple shots on goal to land a superstar. I will take that any day of the week over the aimless plan Joe is trying to implement.

 

[Chris Craig]

Cronin has 4 draft picks this year. It's like mighty morphin power rangers teaming up to form 1 gigantic beast.

I think we trade the golden state pick.

 

[illmatic99]

I think we trade the golden state pick.

Lemme guess, he trades it for a vet because we want to win 28 games instead of 25.

He'll justify this until the deadline next year when we suck again and he comes up with fake injuries to sit yet another veteran in place of a guy he picks up from the Remix.

 

[illmatic99]

yep....I've been a broken record harping about the Blazers being addicted to fence-straddling. That was Olshey's M.O. from 2012--.on, and it's looking like it's Cronin's as well. The fact that all 6 of Brogdon-Timelord-Ant-Grant-Ayton-Thybulle are still on this 21 win team is dumb-ass-fence-straddling on steroids

seems like there are only 2 explanations for what Cronin is doing:

1) he intends to try and win with those 6 veterans and an Ant-Grant-Ayton core...which shows he doesn't know WTF he's doing

or

2) he doesn't know WTF he's doing

(there may be other explanations but they would mess up my punchline)

Wish more people would understand that this is what is happening. This is not process Sixers. It's the Wizards who kept losing 45+ games with Beal

 

[SharpeScooterShooter]

I'll wait until after this summer. I'm hoping Grant/Brogdon/Williams are all gone.

I'm fine with keeping Simons and Ayton one more year.

id actually prefer to keep Brogdon over Ant. He is willing to come off the bench and would make a much better all around backup pg than Ant ever will.
Plus he has said openly he is all in on mentoring the youngsters.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Hinkie's process yielded an MVP with the 3rd pick, an all NBA player drafted #1 who also was a chosen to multiple time all nba defensive first teams, and another #1 pick.

That they screwed up Fultz v Tatum doesn't necessarily diminish the merits of this approach. A healthy team comprised of Tatum/Simmons/Embiid is a perennial title contender.

I wish we actually did what they did instead of jumbled mess of the "process" we have been doing the past three years.

What Philly did well is commit 100% to acquiring young long term talent and assets. I'd much rather have the Blazers do that than this bizarre vets they held onto of Grant/Thybulle/Timelord/Brogdon that still ended up last in the west, move those guys for picks.

What Philly could have done better is spend on some 1-2yr vet MLE free agents to teach young guys as well as possibly later flip for an asset. Indy did good with the Bruce Brown signing here. Also just a couple solid vet minimums in the 12th-15th roster spots would add a lot of maturity and development to help the whole roster. Instead Philly had all young guys up and down the roster all the way to undrafted players.

Philly still would've got those great high lottery picks with more of those vet minimums/ MLE vets. But it wouldn't have been such a joke of a 9 win type of team that can create a toxic organization.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

yep....I've been a broken record harping about the Blazers being addicted to fence-straddling. That was Olshey's M.O. from 2012--.on, and it's looking like it's Cronin's as well. The fact that all 6 of Brogdon-Timelord-Ant-Grant-Ayton-Thybulle are still on this 21 win team is dumb-ass-fence-straddling on steroids

seems like there are only 2 explanations for what Cronin is doing:

1) he intends to try and win with those 6 veterans and an Ant-Grant-Ayton core...which shows he doesn't know WTF he's doing

or

2) he doesn't know WTF he's doing

(there may be other explanations but they would mess up my punchline)

I agree he made a mistake here. I say he but who knows what kind of dumb short term win now direction Jody/Vulcan is also pushing.

Only good counter argument I can see is Cronin was holding out for a higher return when negotiating the trades but just couldn't close the deal. Yeah it's still a failure, but might be more of a gamble that he could get more trading them away later and it's just got delayed, then bad breaks with Timelord/Brogdons injuries.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Blazers didn't draft Roy or LaMarcus.

Did we draft Dame? Or not since it was the Nets pick traded to us a few months prior.

So if it's traded a couple months prior it becomes our pick, but traded days or minutes prior it's not our pick?

Sounds like you got it. The lines are pretty clear.

 

[Natebishop3]

Wish more people would understand that this is what is happening. This is not process Sixers. It's the Wizards who kept losing 45+ games with Beal

No..... that is what we had with Dame.

How was our current roster anything like that?

We won 21 games this year. Yes, we were slightly more competitive than the Pistons or Wiz, but we have arguably more promising youth on our team. Definitely better than Washington. And what are those extra few wins gonna get Washington? There isn't a Wemby in this draft. Scoot would have been the number one pick if he had come out for this draft.

 

[Whyachi]

I think we trade the golden state pick.

the Remix will be loaded next season. I'm guessing Cronin grabs at least 3 new rookies, maybe even all 4. Jody Allen wants a G-League championship trophy.