You saw what was drafted. You tell me Seriously how is it working for the Lakers? And they can attract FA's. Obviously you need to keep your picks and draft wisely, but you can't intentionally rely on it. Once you head down that path it is hard to get out. Trade for picks, but don't dump solid players for them.
You'd think Dallas would be a prime free agent destination. Good winter weather, rich owner, big city with lots to do, favorable tax structure, Dirk. Their record the past five years isn't better than the Blazers. http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mave...-fifth-straight-year-mavs-fail-in-free-agency
Any pitch to free agents includes an hour of Mark Cuban rambling about how cool he is. I don't care about the Mavs but someone needs to tell Paul Allen to sit next year's free agent presentations out. It can't be every GM the Blazers have had that is the problem. I bet if you could ask all of the free agents that turned the Blazers down it was the owner that made them go elsewhere.
Trading is probably the best rout. It'd be interesting if Neil would take that rout. He has yet to be aggressive on the trade market in Portland. Neil is a big talker. Don't get me wrong - Davis/Aminu/Harkless are solid role players on good contracts - but all of his acquisitions outside Lillard and McCollum are mid-tier guys. To take that next step you have to bring in a needle mover. Easier said than done, I know. Otherwise we'll always be the 'just happy to be here' Blazers.
Sounds like it was more about relationships with coaches in Memphis than anything else: "I really believed in Coach Fiz," Parsons told ESPN in a text message, explaining his decision to commit to Memphis. "Nobody in the league has coached better wings than him. I trust J.B. with my life. They have nobody like me, and their veteran, experienced players are a perfect fit with me. The 27-year-old Parsons also met with and received a max contract offer from the Portland Trail Blazers when free agency opened. "Toughest decision of my life though. Portland is incredible," Parsons added.
The draft is a crap shoot, but at least you hold your destiny in your own hands. Free agency is just a never ending cock tease for a team/city like Portland. I got lit up quite a few times for daring to suggest we should tank for a high lottery pick. And please believe me, I get why the majority of fans wanted to make the playoffs (even though it took an extra helping of luck to get to the second round) that Dubs series was fun to watch. I'm not saying I had a crystal ball or anything, I just didn't see how this year was going to somehow be so much different in free agency -- too many teams chasing too little talent, and no history of success even in years when the team seemed to be on the verge of ascending to the next level. That doesn't mean that it has to be all or nothing, building just through the draft. It should always be a mix of methods and context always matters, but the higher percentage play in the talent acquisition game for Portland is probably always going to be Draft>Trades>Free Agency. NO has been pretty good at the draft, and it would have been interesting to see what he would have done with a lottery pick this year is all I'm saying -- maybe a bust, maybe a non-factor, but at least there's a chance that mystery pick could be that one hidden gem who helps push this team where it wants to be in a couple of years. A 27-28 year old Evan Turner suddenly morphing into a guy worthy of his second overall draft position or turning into that elusive "3rd star" is so remote as to be practically impossible. In short, If I had to chose between years of lottery hell and just a meager 2% chance of eventually building a contender through the draft over years of "muddy middle" playoff teams that never seriously compete for a title. I'll take the first option every time.
Not with blacks. Maybe with Asians. Seattle and Portland are the two biggest white cities in America Google it
neil treid to tank, he downgraded wes, lma, lopez, and batum. everyone panned the aminu signing. ed davis was met with a resounding "meh". they were starting noah vonleh for gods sake. what would you have suggested to intensify the misery? trade damian for a future #1? sit him out all season with a "sore back"? Tell the players to miss shots on purpose? i mean shit. the guys he got turned out "too good to be bad". thems the breaks.
Income tax. The Blazers can't offer Parsons the $4.6 million Parsons would give to the state of Oregon over the life of his contract that he will keep in Memphis.
I probably overstated it, but Portland has less black people than Seattle. It was illegal to live in Oregon if you were Black when Oregon became a state.
Neil didn't try to tank at all (or it was a pretty half-hearted attempt) if he had, he would have insisted on Vonleh playing 35 minutes a night. Anyway, it's neither here nor there. They played over their heads, some other presumptive playoff teams either backslid, dealt with tons of injuries or just never materialized and the team was much better than just about anybody could have predicted -- a pleasant short term surprise with some potentially negative long term consequences. So they deal with it and move on. Hopefully, there's some consolidation trade down the line that can transform this team from "plucky upstart" to a serious title contender and preferably it won't involve squandering first round picks that are the lifeblood of a team like Portland.
