What would it take for Neil to completely blow up the team?

[illmatic99]

Would missing the playoffs do it, or will they fall back on the injuries as a crutch to simply write off the year? For me, blowing up = firing the coach, moving CJ, overhauling around Dame again.

I'm getting serious Toronto pre-Kawhi vibes this season. The contract extensions are a minor hurdle, but I still don't believe CJ is totally immovable, nor do I believe Jody would take the hit with Terry's contract. We'd obviously need a willing trade partner for CJ in the summer, and Philly is sitting right there as a possibility if they burn out in the playoffs. I'd give up every non-Dame player on the team for Simmons.

What do you think it would take for Neil to make drastic changes? Would sneaking in and taking a sweep at the hands of Lebron do it?

 

[julius]

Until Simmons can hit a shot outside of 5 feet, I wouldn't touch him at all.

 

[illmatic99]

Until Simmons can hit a shot outside of 5 feet, I wouldn't touch him at all.

He and Dame would be deadly. And he's prolly the best defensive player in the league.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I think the injury excuse whether you agree with it or like it will keep this team from doing much this off-season. Though they don't have the most flexibility in the world anyways unless they trade a guard.

 

[wizenheimer]

a 'blow-up' is out of the question

but a necessary restructuring of the roster, and cap, won't happen with Olshey as GM unless Seattle directives order him to do the last thing he'd want to do

 

[Wade Garrett]

Patience grasshoppers!
If your second unit consists of Whiteside, Melo, Hood, Trent, Simons, then 2021 will be a banner year.
I hope Neil just stands pat.
2021!

 

[e_blazer]

I think that the team is committed to seeing if the roster that Olshey has assembled is capable of contending. Frankly, I don't expect a lot of roster moves at all this summer. I think that re-signing Whiteside is likely. Not sure about Melo, but maybe. Healthy, the Blazers have a really deep and talented roster. There was a reason that Dame and the rest of the team were excited about this season prior to the injuries. I don't see Olshey changing much of anything until he sees how his roster competes when healthy.

 

[Hoopguru]

I think that the team is committed to seeing if the roster that Olshey has assembled is capable of contending. Frankly, I don't expect a lot of roster moves at all this summer. I think that re-signing Whiteside is likely. Not sure about Melo, but maybe. Healthy, the Blazers have a really deep and talented roster. There was a reason that Dame and the rest of the team were excited about this season prior to the injuries. I don't see Olshey changing much of anything until he sees how his roster competes when healthy.

Thats a reasonable take. However, if an opportunity to improve the 3/4 position came around by trading CJ, I think he would, but it would need to be cleared by Dame.

 

[SportsAndWhine]

The only point at which we will conceivably dismantle the team is the moment when Dame is no longer on it. Dame is effectively ersatz owner of this franchise, with strongly considered opinions and a say in roster, coach, and GM roles on the team.

 

[hoopsjock]

Would missing the playoffs do it, or will they fall back on the injuries as a crutch to simply write off the year? For me, blowing up = firing the coach, moving CJ, overhauling around Dame again.

I'm getting serious Toronto pre-Kawhi vibes this season. The contract extensions are a minor hurdle, but I still don't believe CJ is totally immovable, nor do I believe Jody would take the hit with Terry's contract. We'd obviously need a willing trade partner for CJ in the summer, and Philly is sitting right there as a possibility if they burn out in the playoffs. I'd give up every non-Dame player on the team for Simmons.

What do you think it would take for Neil to make drastic changes? Would sneaking in and taking a sweep at the hands of Lebron do it?

Olshey, Stotts, CJ, and Dame are all tied together. They all got extensions together. They all have a built in excuse this season. Dame has been the only one not actually believing that excuse.

But this roster isn't going anywhere. The easiest thing to change is the coach but the organization just made a statement that $2 million is more important than fielding the best possible team so why would they fire Stotts while owing him money still? Olshey and CJ are on the books longer so they're not going anywhere either.

Now they're stuck having to keep Whiteside too, which will be a disaster.

 

[kjironman1]

 

[illmatic99]

Olshey, Stotts, CJ, and Dame are all tied together. They all got extensions together. They all have a built in excuse this season. Dame has been the only one not actually believing that excuse.

But this roster isn't going anywhere. The easiest thing to change is the coach but the organization just made a statement that $2 million is more important than fielding the best possible team so why would they fire Stotts while owing him money still? Olshey and CJ are on the books longer so they're not going anywhere either.

Now they're stuck having to keep Whiteside too, which will be a disaster.

Given the rising competition in the west with all the young teams stepping up, I'm worried about our future. Even with Dame going supernova.

 

[e_blazer]

Thats a reasonable take. However, if an opportunity to improve the 3/4 position came around by trading CJ, I think he would, but it would need to be cleared by Dame.

I'd say that the 3 is more likely than the 4. I think Olshey is a real believer in Zach and isn't going to give up on that twin-towers look until he sees it in more actions than the 3 games Collins played before he was injured. At the 3, Ariza is a decent stop-gap. I think Hood is back around mid-season, but who knows how his game looks after Achilles rehab? Little looks to be a couple of years away. Trent has to have Olshey at least contemplating what the backcourt would look like with a Dame/Trent pairing. He's not going to part with CJ for less than a star, despite popular sentiment around here. There aren't that many star options at the 3 spot. Simmons has been mentioned around here and he's certainly worth considering, but his brick mason shooting from distance isn't a natural in Stotts' system. Frankly, I still think the smart money is on keeping it unchanged and watching to see what Little offers long-term.

 

[e_blazer]

Olshey, Stotts, CJ, and Dame are all tied together. They all got extensions together. They all have a built in excuse this season. Dame has been the only one not actually believing that excuse.

But this roster isn't going anywhere. The easiest thing to change is the coach but the organization just made a statement that $2 million is more important than fielding the best possible team so why would they fire Stotts while owing him money still? Olshey and CJ are on the books longer so they're not going anywhere either.

Now they're stuck having to keep Whiteside too, which will be a disaster.

I don't agree on the Labissier part of your statement. I think he's pretty much toast for this season, so trading him cost zero as far as competing now. If the plan is to re-sign Whiteside, there isn't really a spot going forward for Skal at the C spot. At PF, I like what Olshey got in Wenyan and he's a more natural PF prospect than Skal would ever be.

 

[illmatic99]

I don't agree on the Labissier part of your statement. I think he's pretty much toast for this season, so trading him cost zero as far as competing now. If the plan is to re-sign Whiteside, there isn't really a spot going forward for Skal at the C spot. At PF, I like what Olshey got in Wenyan and he's a more natural PF prospect than Skal would ever be.

Neil straight up said he wouldn't add another player to the roster for cost reasons. That, i think, is what @hoopsjock is referencing, not necessarily the Skal trade directly.

 

[hoopsjock]

Given the rising competition in the west with all the young teams stepping up, I'm worried about our future. Even with Dame going supernova.

Well our future solely depends on Whiteside and Nurk being happy together and fine with playing half the game and Zach's only position being PF because he won't see a minute at C.

That sounds really stupid to rely on two players who have previously been problems on their last teams in similar situations. I know, I know, they didn't have Dame on those teams.

 

[e_blazer]

Neil straight up said he wouldn't add another player to the roster for cost reasons. That, i think, is what @hoopsjock is referencing, not necessarily the Skal trade directly.

Okay. I guess I misunderstood.

 

[hoopsjock]

I don't agree on the Labissier part of your statement. I think he's pretty much toast for this season, so trading him cost zero as far as competing now. If the plan is to re-sign Whiteside, there isn't really a spot going forward for Skal at the C spot. At PF, I like what Olshey got in Wenyan and he's a more natural PF prospect than Skal would ever be.

The "Skal is injured" excuse is dumb. Olshey said they traded him because they needed healthy bodies but then emphatically said they wouldn't be signing anyone to replace him.

Also, if it wasn't about money they could've traded Skal for another player and wouldn't have had to give up cash in the deal but it was all about the money.

 

[e_blazer]

The "Skal is injured" excuse is dumb. Olshey said they traded him because they needed healthy bodies but then emphatically said they wouldn't be signing anyone to replace him.

Also, if it wasn't about money they could've traded Skal for another player and wouldn't have had to give up cash in the deal but it was all about the money.

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? If he can't play this season and he doesn't fit with Olshey's plans at the 4 or 5 for next season, how is it dumb to unload him and save some cash? I think that's part of a GM's job too. As far as not signing anyone to replace him, I read that as him saying that they weren't going to sign anyone before the deadline. I think it's still an open question as to whether they pick somebody up off waivers if it looks like the team can make the playoffs.

 

[hoopsjock]

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? If he can't play this season and he doesn't fit with Olshey's plans at the 4 or 5 for next season, how is it dumb to unload him and save some cash? I think that's part of a GM's job too. As far as not signing anyone to replace him, I read that as him saying that they weren't going to sign anyone before the deadline. I think it's still an open question as to whether they pick somebody up off waivers if it looks like the team can make the playoffs.

No, he said there was zero chance they sign someone with that roster spot. Doing so would undo the whole point of trading Skal, which are Olshey's words. How are people not understanding this? They wanted to save money. It was a non basketball decision and Neil is full of shit contradicting his reasoning for trading him.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Would missing the playoffs do it, or will they fall back on the injuries as a crutch to simply write off the year? For me, blowing up = firing the coach, moving CJ, overhauling around Dame again.

I'm getting serious Toronto pre-Kawhi vibes this season. The contract extensions are a minor hurdle, but I still don't believe CJ is totally immovable, nor do I believe Jody would take the hit with Terry's contract. We'd obviously need a willing trade partner for CJ in the summer, and Philly is sitting right there as a possibility if they burn out in the playoffs. I'd give up every non-Dame player on the team for Simmons.

What do you think it would take for Neil to make drastic changes? Would sneaking in and taking a sweep at the hands of Lebron do it?

Great post. Glad we can finally start thinking about blowing this played out team

 

[wizenheimer]

Glad we can finally start thinking about blowing this played out team

you can spend all the time you want thinking about blowing the team, but leave the rest of us out of that fantasy

 

[e_blazer]

No, he said there was zero chance they sign someone with that roster spot. Doing so would undo the whole point of trading Skal, which are Olshey's words. How are people not understanding this? They wanted to save money. It was a non basketball decision and Neil is full of shit contradicting his reasoning for trading him.

Only Olshey knows exactly what he meant when he answered that question If the Blazers sign a waived player using the veteran's minimum, the amount of that contract is pro-rated based on how much of the season is left. So, the impact on team salary of taking on a waived player would be considerably less than having kept Skal, right?

 

[B-Roy]

Only Olshey knows exactly what he meant when he answered that question If the Blazers sign a waived player using the veteran's minimum, the amount of that contract is pro-rated based on how much of the season is left. So, the impact on team salary of taking on a waived player would be considerably less than having kept Skal, right?

Luxury tax.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

If I were to blow up the team at the end of the season, I’d want to have a fairly good idea as to Nurk and Collins’ health. For discussion sake, let’s assume both return and show solid glimpses of full recovery:

The players I would build around:

Dame
Trent Jr
Nurkic

these are my three - each would start next year.

I would then sign Whiteside to a three-year deal with a team option for a fourth year. Perfect for back up 5 allowing Nurk not to work too many minutes. And perfect for future trade piece.

I would keep Little, Gabriel and Hoard as my youngsters at the end of the bench. I predict that one of these three will develop in a big way. My early prediction is Hoard, Little, then Gabriel.

the real “blow up” will be:

I would trade CJ, Collins and Simons. (Focus upon a Power Forward - we need a stud at PF that can compliment Nurk and Whiteside. We also want to build a small war chest of good picks for the next 2-3 years.

The team is missing a shooter off the bench. Trent has become this, but I want he and Dame to start next year, so we need to bring in a pure shooter; maybe we can get Seth Curry back or someone similar.

If Melo would sign cheap, I’d keep him for another year but more as a 6th man or 7th man role.

We’ll need to have Hood back, but he can always be a trade deadline piece to move if need be.

a bigger blow up would mean trading Dame in a blockbuster deal - something along the lines of what New Orleans was able to pry out of the Lakers for Davis. But I much rather build around Dame, Trent Jr and Nurkic.

 

[hoopsjock]

Only Olshey knows exactly what he meant when he answered that question If the Blazers sign a waived player using the veteran's minimum, the amount of that contract is pro-rated based on how much of the season is left. So, the impact on team salary of taking on a waived player would be considerably less than having kept Skal, right?

@e_blazer, please listen. Olshey specifically said they WILL NOT SIGN A BUYOUT PLAYER because they didn't trade Skal for tax savings only to add money back later. Please, please, please stop trying to justify this.

 

[hoopsjock]

Only Olshey knows exactly what he meant when he answered that question If the Blazers sign a waived player using the veteran's minimum, the amount of that contract is pro-rated based on how much of the season is left. So, the impact on team salary of taking on a waived player would be considerably less than having kept Skal, right?

They're still in the tax so even if they signed someone like Kanter last year for $500,000 they'd pay $1 million in tax in addition to that.

Savings from the Skal trade were a little over $2 million.

Cost of a buyout player would be about $1.5 million.

They're being so cheap they're unwilling to explore options to help the team because of $1.5 million. This is why I'm so upset man.

 

[e_blazer]

@e_blazer, please listen. Olshey specifically said they WILL NOT SIGN A BUYOUT PLAYER because they didn't trade Skal for tax savings only to add money back later. Please, please, please stop trying to justify this.

I'm not trying to justify anything. I don't see anything to justify. You seem to see this as some huge loss for the team. I don't see it that way for the reasons I stated above. I think both C and PF are covered in Olshey's plans. Skal will be a RFA this summer. I don't think that the Blazers planned to spend money on him next year anyway even before the injury.

I didn't hear Olshey's quote, so I'll take your word for it. Unless, of course, Olshey does end up signing someone, in which case I reserve the right to ridicule you mercilessly.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Patience grasshoppers!
If your second unit consists of Whiteside, Melo, Hood, Trent, Simons, then 2021 will be a banner year.
I hope Neil just stands pat.
2021!

Playing devil's advocate: Whiteside is iffy - it only takes one team to throw a stupid offer at him; Melo's former agent is now prez of the Knicks - he won't be back and it really isn't that big a loss; Hood will not be 100% next season and he may never be the player he was pre-injury; Simon's future is far from guaranteed.

OTOH, I am glad Trent wasn't traded.

 

[illmatic99]

I'm not trying to justify anything. I don't see anything to justify. You seem to see this as some huge loss for the team. I don't see it that way for the reasons I stated above. I think both C and PF are covered in Olshey's plans. Skal will be a RFA this summer. I don't think that the Blazers planned to spend money on him next year anyway even before the injury.

I didn't hear Olshey's quote, so I'll take your word for it. Unless, of course, Olshey does end up signing someone, in which case I reserve the right to ridicule you mercilessly.

56 second mark
https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/video/olshey-we-have-team-were-gonna-compete