Great article. It's odd to find a national writer provide so much inside information on a team- that's usually better handled on the local level -- but I learned more about the team and especially the aftermath of last year's playoffs, than anything I've read or seen locally. To be fair, I don't read a lot of the local media stories on the Blazers, although, I assume anything of real interest would be posted on this website, and this is the most enlightening piece I've seen.
Three things came to mind from this article:
1. The Blazers brain trust (Olshey, Stotts, Dame and CJ) are the most cohesive core grouping we've had since Pietre/Adelman/Clyde. The core really is the key to championship teams. You rarely see winners with a fractured core and the tightness of those units are often well publicized. Warriors being the current example, but certainly many more over the years. I never really think about this team and it's current set up as having championship potential, but with such a solid backbone already in place, maybe fleshing out the role players is really the only thing holding them back.
2. CJ is here to stay. It makes practical sense because the likelihood of getting commensurable return is so low. But I think the story also reveals that the team sees him as a pillar with Lillard, and not a leverage chip. And why not? You have a really talented guy, whose game works well in the playoffs, and works and leads in the right way. Having the two stars being so tight and in synergy when it comes to doing the right thing is rare in this league. Probably makes more sense to give them multiple shots together instead of risking the alternative.
3. The best move Olshey has made with this franchise (aside from drafting Lillard) is signing him to an extension, and I barely gave it notice. It happened the same time as Alridge leaving and I really just shrugged it off at the time treating it as damage control move to keep the media/fans/critics from brutalizing Olshey over, probably, the biggest blunder on his resume. But, as it turns out, the day we lost a talented player who really wasn't right for a championship core, was also the day we made quite possibly the best Blazer ever a Blazer for life.
