We replaced Nurk (injury) with Whiteside--lateral move (maybe? I see it as a downgrade, but who knows?)
Whiteside is the move that concerns me the most as it is the one most essential to the Blazers success until Nurk returns. From a basketball standpoint, I think it's close to a wash, but I do think we're going to miss Nurk's ability to create his own shot. It's from a personality/stability point of view that I'm most concerned. I think Dame is going to be challenged bringing Whiteside into the fold. That said, once Nurk returns, having two centers as talented as these guys are has the potential to be a real difference-maker going into the playoffs.
We replaced Meyers with Pau--negligible impact, 'cause it was Meyers
I think Pau is going to be a much bigger impact than you're giving him credit for. As player, you're going to get 10-15 solid minutes from him. The dude knows how to play in a way that Meyers can only dream of. His mentorship has the potential to really help Zach Collins.
We replaced Chief by promoting Collins--might be an improvement, who knows?
This will be a critical point for the Blazers and you're right to highlight it. I don't think that there's any doubt that Zach is more talented than Chief, but he's young and he has a hard time avoiding fouls. He's going to have to grow into his new starting role. It's his third year, so I think that there's reason for optimism.
We replaced Curry('s shooting) with Tolliver's--looks like a downgrade to me
I think that this is a kind of weird way of looking at three point shooting for the Blazers. While there's no doubt that Curry has the higher shooting percentage over Tolliver, he didn't get that many attempts for it to be a big issue in the overall scheme of things. I don't think that there's much doubt that Hill, Bazemore, Tolliver and Ant collectively add improved 3 point shooting for the team.
We replaced Turner with Hezonja--lateral move?
Hopefully this is no worse than a lateral move. Hezonja has more of an offensive repertoire than Turner, but he hasn't proved himself yet as a consistent player. ET was a turnover machine at times and a bricklayer from 3, but he did run the second unit well and was great for the team chemistry. The jury is definitely out on this one.
We replaced Harkless with Bazemore--lateral move?
I'm more inclined to think that Hood will get the starting 3 nod just because of familiarity, but it could be Bazemore. Hood definitely has more offensive game than Moe, but Moe (when healthy) was probably a better defender. Moe wasn't always healthy though. I'd say Bazemore is probably on Moe's level defensively because of wingspan. Overall, I think if you look at the combined attributes of Hood/Bazemore vs Harkless/Layman, this year's SF rotation is better.
