Dude, have you read my posts? I've said this from the get go. I didnt use it as a copout. Go back and read the thread. I actually dont care for Olshey. He is a little too used car salesman for me... with that said Im not into making changes for change sake. Have a plan. have a proven upgrade. Not take a chance on a possible upgrade, which is what NO is under the gun for with the contracts to Meyers and Turner. He banked on them getting better. Now you are banking on some unknown to do better. Sorry, not good enough for me.
Not sure how a list of his record as a gm is selective when you included Hassan Whiteside in your analysis so....
Not sure where I included Whiteside...If you are taking about the list of contracts I put up I didn't include Lebron or Durant either, nor did I include guys like Eric Gordon. It was more of a comparison for relevant Value. Unless you meen somethign else. My overall takeaway on Neil isn't that he's some great world class GM, I just don't think he's fire worthy as of yet.
As I said, it wasn't "use it or lose it" because the important line(s) are the luxury tax line and the "apron line." Portland would have more space under both lines if they hadn't signed Turner and would still have the capability to use that space, for re-signing their own players.
Let's compare Neil to one of his contemporaries who started at a similar time and situation: Toronto's Masai Ujiri. Neil 2012-Present Masai 2013-Present Both have stellar back courts who drive the offense. Both markets are smaller markets as far as the NBA is concerned. Both have actively involved ownership. Which supporting cast roster would you rather have? Toronto's or Portland's? Which of the two executives would you say had more success targeting and signing free agents? Neil or Masai.
Honestly, I think I would still rather have our team over theirs. As far as who has made better moves, I don't know what Masai has done vs what fell in his lap. Id have to check that out first, but im willing to say without knowing it would probably be Masai. But now here is the catch. How do you get him to leave Toronto and come here?
So you don’t like Olshey, don’t wanna take a chance on a top up and coming executive, and don’t think we can lure away a current GM. Have you ever heard of the saying don’t come to me with a problem unless you have a solution? This is the exact type of thinking I just can’t jive with. When shit starts to get ugly you wait around and see if it will get any uglier.
I said this a few days ago, the solution is MONEY, you leak it to a couple agents that Paul Allen is willing to double or triple the current gm rate(which is 1-3mil) for one of the top guys and see which one is willing to resign or force their way out. If Allen really wanted a Danny Ainge or Masai he could buy one.
Masai.... and it's not even remotely close. I'm also very impressed with Casey. Previously the Raptors played a very ball dominant, isolated style. This year they are passing more & much more of a cohesive team. I wish I could say the same about Portland
No, I believe in giving a five year plan at least four before saying it’s a failure. ALOT can happen in two years. These things take time. Roster was completely different three years ago. The difference between you and I is you think the shit is a lot uglier than I do.
He's had 5.5 years already. We've been overly patient with him. You want to give him another two years to 'work his magic'. I'm looking at his tenure here, and haven't been that impressed. Looking at the potion the team is in going into this summer - there will not be a lot of options for improvement. One thing I've learned, is when something isn't working right it's best to address the issue sooner than to let it keep festering. It doesn't matter how 'ugly' things are. The question is 'How confident are you that NO can advance the team forward'? On a scale of 1-10, I'd give him a 3.
He has had three years since lma left and the rebuild began. Be real or leave me out of the convo. Come on now.
But it’s a 5 year rebuild bro didn’t you know!! Even though he wouldn’t call it a rebuild in year 1 then spent money on the team like it was a contender and also said with Aminu at the 4 we project as a 54 win team and blah blah blah. Some just have a higher tolerance for bull shit I guess.
My point is he's been here long enough to know the trajectory of the team. You like him, I think he's decidedly mediocre & it's time to move on
