The "Making Playoffs Means Mediocrity" Myth

I always think a team should always try to win a championship every year. That incroporated mentality only brings a winning culture and mindset. If we are playing to be competitive and get a lotto pick; the players won't have that "I want to win mentality". It's one thing if you just aren't good enough. It's entirely different if you have the talent to make it, with just a couple more vets, but you decide not to and fail to make the playoffs.

 

The Clippers traded lottery picks for a superstar

As for Portland and those teams, the players that were our best players were mostly lottery picks.

 

You see, I feel the EXACT same way. A team should always be trying to win a title. If not you get stuck where Portland has been for far too long. However, in order to compete for a championship, you have to have at least 1 superstar, or 2-3 major all-stars. Small market teams get those players in the draft. Look at our best players. Aldridge, Lillard, Batum all acquired through the draft, whether it be drafted or draft day trade. They didn't sign on initially to play in Portland

james/Wade/Bosh vs Durant/Westbrook
Dirk/Kidd/Chandler vs James/Wade/Bos
Kobe/Pau/Bynum vs Garnett/Allen/Pierce
Kobe vs Howard
Bos 3 vs Kobe
SA 3 vs James


All of those teams have at least 1 mega star on their team

 

Lillard has the potential to be our superstar. Aldridge has already been an all star. Batum has the ability to make it there too. Then we already have the garbage player in hickson and a bench shooter in Babbitt. We have that defensive guard in Matthews; which only leaves us a couple vets to reach that next level.

In the playoffs; rotations are 8-9. Lillard, batum, Aldridge, Matthews, hickson, Babbitt, leanord are all good. Add two more vets (pg and sg) and we got all the necessary components.

 

Leonard sucks at this point
Babbitt wouldn't see any time on a real team


Our next level is making the playoffs . Portland simply isn't close enough, IMO, to think they can compete now. We are still a good year away from the playoffs, and probably another 3 years from competing for home court in the playoffs. Unless of course Olshey pulls off a Chris Paul type trade, where he uses lotto picks to get a disgruntled star, that wouldn't mind going to a small market

 

Craig Hodges on the Bulls saw time in Chicago just being a shooter off the bench. Leanord is a diamond in the rough. He's gonna need a couple years to get into the flow.

 

Exactly but they were not ours, (Other than Clyde at number #14) and Buck who we got for Bowie, we got them without having a high lottery pick. So there is an argument that can be made that we don't need to hit rock bottom in order to get to the top.

As for the Clippers, yes they traded lottery picks for Cp3, but I think we can all agree that we can't rely on another New Orleans situation to occur. Plus the LA market is a big part of him re-signing. (If he does)

 

Thing is, I think Lillard (and to a lesser extent Leonard) getting a taste of real playoff basketball adds significantly more long-term value than getting a little better chance at a higher draft pick. If we go one-and-done his first year, how much more driven do you think he'll be over the summer than he would be after coasting through to the end of a losing season?

 

My point exactly

 

Word, some serious truth to that.

 

Except Paul Allen isn't going to have a 100 million dollar payroll again. Also, acquiring those players took assets

 

Your Perspective = Your Reality

 

I see a team in SA with three HOFers. I see a team in NY with 3 HOFers. I see a team in BOS with 3 HOFers

Babbitt comment might have been overstated, but while I like Luke, he's not a very good NBA player

 

Portland did not have a 100 million payroll in the 90's. But my point is that for 25 of 26 years they made the playoffs. The year they took Bowie (which they traded for Buck) they even made the playoffs. It wasn't even our pick. So they were able to acquire assets through all those years in order to make the conference finals. Many other "frequent lottery" teams did not.

Now I admit things are different now in terms of acquiring assets. I will give you that. But I am not sold on the theory that "losing breeds winning". It still comes down to a lot of luck when it comes to the lottery. (and yeah I know you have to make your own luck)

 

You're right. Skipped 08 in my head. It's still holds my point. Out in first round to Finals in one year.

Aldridge is better than Boozer. JJ is comparable to Noah. Lillard is our superstar.

Thank you

If you're including 90, we've been there 5 times: 90, 91, 92, 99, 00

 

Unless you are a "destination team", free agency is fools' gold. The best the Blazers can hope for is to over-pay for Matthews caliber talent.

Hitting a home run in the trade market? Bloody tough to do.

The Blazers are largely in this position because their scouting/drafting has sucked for so long. The sad thing is, that is the easiest problem to fix.

Bottom line: getting a high draft pick is no guarantee.....but it is the least of evils. This roster is in DESPERATE need of a talent upgrade.

 

During the 1990s and the early 2000s (decade), the team was successful both on the court and in the box office—twice making it to the Western Conference finals—but a series of questionable and expensive player acquisitions caused many fans to sour on the team, by then derisively called the "Jail Blazers."[4] In addition, the team payroll skyrocketed to over $100 million.