He completely recovered from the ACL he tore in college. His latest knee surgery wasn't even necessary. It was a minor outpatient procedure to remove a part of the knee that serves no known purpose (There are no known problems associated with not having a plica, so you won't miss it.) It could have easily been postponed until the off season, if the team hadn't planned on benching him to try the Embiid/Okafor experiment. This is NOT an Ezeli, Roy or Oden situation. BNM
I'd rather have someone who is athletic enough to cover ground both vertically (for rim protection) and horizontally (to defend the pick and roll). If guys like Vucevic and Nurkic are Neil's idea of a center, that goes a long way toward explaining why we have the worst defense in the league. BNM
I understand your point but it's hard to talk him out of it if, and I quote, "There was no dialogue, no consultation. Crabbe was being retained." None of us know if he tried to talk Paul out of it so that's unfair to assume. If he tried, it's also unfair to blame him for ultimately having to do what his boss wanted. Doesn't mean he cow tow's to Paul's every whim. In my experience as a working adult, sometimes you can disagree with your boss but your boss still gets their way, no matter what kind of logic you throw at them.
It wasn't an assumption, it was based on the quote: "There was no dialogue, no consultation." If the quote is accurate, it specifically states there was no conversation about the merits of retaining Crabbe. No discussion at all. And if Neil didn't at least raise the issue (which is what the quote claims), he is every bit as responsible for the Crabbe blunder as Paul Allen. If he raised the issue and Paul shot him down, he gets a pass. But the way the quote is written, he never even raised the issue. BNM
Oh so not robin Lopez? Vucevic has improved on defense and is already a great rebounder. Nurkic is inconsistent but he is very athletic for his size, good footwork, good hands. If we acquired either we can just have them sit back in the paint like we did with rolo. And this is just defense. Both guys bring way more to the table offensively than Noel.
If it's actually true they aren't interested in Noel or Cousins; I am OK with that; because I think our #1 target should be Serge Ibaka. If he tells Orlando he doesn't want to come back there, then he is gettable.
He knows nothing. And his article really revealed nothing of significance, and he's made a story (and career) out of speculation. Amazing.
When we had Rolo, we also had Wes Matthews and Nic Batum defending the perimeter. We no longer have that, so we can't just allow our center to sit back in the paint. Our two best players are weak perimeter defenders. We need a more mobile center that is both great in defending the pick and roll (neither Vucevic or Nurkic qualify) that also provides rim protection. NOle is elite at both. If we still had pre-ruptured Achilles Wes as our starting SG, I'd be all for Vucevic or Nurkic. We don't. Given our current personnel, Noel addresses our biggest weakness much more than a slow, lumbering, sit in the paint center. BNM
He's actually #2 on my wet dream wish list. Personally, I'd go all in to get both Noel and Ibaka. With Ibaka's .393 3FG% he'd be perfect next to Noel on offense, perfect in Neil's system, and the two of them would give us TWO elite defending big men. In today's 3-point happy NBA, Ibaka is the prototypical stretch 4 and Noel is the prototypical rim protecting, pick and roll defending center. The two of them together would instantly turn our biggest weakness into a major strength. BNM
Here's my summary of the Haynes interview on 1080. As @yuyuza1 said, it's full of speculation. D&S: Why would they be scared of losing one of the UFA's for Howard? Haynes: Injury history (Back, knee), and then character. Don't know for a fact, but that was probably an issue. I do know for a fact that character has been a major concern for Olshey since he joined the Blazers, primarily after the Felton/Crawford era, and then the Jailblazers prior to that. D&S: You wrote about Festus practicing then shutting it down. You say some in the org are puzzled by that move. did he decide that independently? Haynes: Caught org by surprise. He feels he needs to get this done, but he has practiced and players say he looked good and had no swelling. The org saw no setbacks or signs, but then all of a sudden he's shutting himself down. They knew he was a gamble, but they thought he'd play 55 games. D&S: How concerned should fans be about the team's chemistry? Haynes: I don't think they should be concerned. Festus isn't playing, so that little riff w/CJ isn't a problem. The guys who are playing are tight, Dame's a great leader. The Festus element has been puzzling, a nuisance, but the chemistry overall is good. D&S: You mentioned that Noel and Cousins aren't on Olshey's radar. Does that surprise you with Portland's interior struggles? Haynes: No, because as I mentioned, Olshey cares about character. This team is very young, so they ahve to be very diligent about who they add to the locker room. But if they want to bring in a big piece, CJ's going to have to be included. And would that deal put you at the SA/GSW level? I don't think it does. D&S: You mention the Dame/CJ part. How bad would it need to go before the FO considers breaking up Dame/CJ? Haynes: If they're still outside the top 8 when approaching the deadline, I think you have to consider it, even with guys of questionable character. But I didn't get the sense that they're in any rush to make any move because they don't have the sense that any deal will elevate them to contender status. D&S: Do they regret not signing Rolo? Haynes: You have to look at that. I don't know. You also have to look at the Will Barton trade. You can make the case that he's better than Turner. You can look at moves that seem like they didn't work. I bashed the Turner signing. But these are the players that they have. D&S: Team is young, but Dame is the leader. At some point, don't you need to trust the leaders in the locker room to be able to be a positive influence on a player of questionable character? Haynes: At a certain time, but I don't know if that time is now. Dame is developing into a solid leader, but I don't know if you'd put him as one of the top leaders in this league. He's a leader, but I wouldn't really consider him a veteran. So as far as moves go, you're probably not looking at anything more than a minor move this season.
Honest AND accurate. Somehow, I have new found respect for Chris Haynes. BNM P.S. But, just a LITTLE bit.
I wouldn't trade Ezeli for Howard straight across. I will not root for a team with that shithead on it.
Thanks! On the character issue, all of Noel's problems occurred before he turned 21. He's still very young, and in the right environment, with a strong leader he respects, like Dame, I think he's totally redeemable. BNM
Really? I went the exact opposite way. Always thought of him as a hack who made typo-filled stories about nothing. This article and interview made him seem like even more of a dumbass to me. He didn't answer a single question with any sort of conviction.
So Festus shut himself down when he didn't have any swelling or setbacks? What?? That pisses me off if he could go and didn't want to, then decides to give speeches at halftime about how everyone else is playing. Maybe that's why CJ got pissed.
