Except the Rockets were already a contender before CP3... Blazers got swept by the Pelicans and are not even close
Without CP3, the Rockets would be still really good but they wouldn't be winning this series against the Warriors. No way
It wouldn't. Dame is a class act and a great player. He wants to win a title. He will soon be on the downhill side of career. If he doesn't think the team can win in his window, then it would be better for both to separate now. Honestly, I would respect him more for doing this than for staying a Blazer forever with a string of first round exits due to lack of overall talent.
Maybe contenders to be the 3rd best team in the league, but not true contenders to beat the Warriors. They took their swing to actually/possibly beat the Warriors by getting CP3. Without him, they have no chance.
This is why I never had an issue with Drexler. He took Portland on a great run and would have gone to the Finals 3 years in a row if not for a bobbled fast break pass. (Kersey or Robinson....I forget) He ran into a back-to-back champ in the Pistons and a team on a 3-peat run in the Bulls. No shame in not winning one of those. Then the Blazers started their decline and he got the opportunity to go back home AND to win a title. That bothers some Blazer fans but I have no issue with it. He put Portland on the map for the first time in 25 years. Still one of the most athletic players to ever play the game.
I still have no issue with Drexler demanding a trade. It's the complete disregard of the organization after his playing career that pisses me off.
Kind of why I loved Kersey, never the most talented, but worked his ass off. I think we ordinary folks can relate more to people like that than those players with otherwordly talent that puts them beyond the rest of humanity.
It was Robinson. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was talking to Terry about it here. He's still pissed about it. He said: "Damn.. I shoulda shot that ball..."
Dame is unhappy with NO and would like PA to make sure guys Dame wants are targets. Including trading CJ.
Fuck it let’s trade cj, I’m down. I mean I wish we didn’t have to but if that’s what needs to be done, so be it
Well, there you have it. Dame doesn't even need to meet with Paul. He can just send you instead, since you, apparently know EXACTLY what he's thinking. BNM
If Dame/CJ had produced more (in the Playoffs when it counted), I'd be okay with keeping them. But that dynamic hasn't produced one single solitary Playoff victory in the last 2 years. 2017 Every team in the Playoffs won at least 2 games except for the Thunder (1), Pacers (0) and Blazers (0) 2018 Every team in the Playoffs won at least 1 game except for the Blazers. (ugh) So even with HCA and a #3 seed, that combination/style could not get a single win. Not sure what 'letting the cake bake' for another season does. They talk about being the best back court in the NBA. Well, make an impact then. LeBron has absolute crap on his team in Cleveland. CJ and Nurkic would be the 2nd and 3rd best players on that roster and yet they are in the Conference Semis. I'm not saying Dame is in LeBron's league, he is not. But if he is really a 1st team All-NBA player and in a ranking of Blazer/Cav rosters, the Blazers would have 3 of the top 4 players (LeBron being #1), I find it frustrating that not one single victory could be had in the last two seasons when it mattered most. Time to shake it up.
I highly doubt that's the case. All we can do of course is speculate. I speculate that Dame wants to have a relationship and an open dialogue with the owner; he wants to know what Allen's philosophy and approach is for making the team a contender; he wants to make sure ownership is on the same page as him. He might want some input into some of the personnel decisions: like, if the team is choosing among three options, he might like to have some say as to how he thinks various players might fit in. For example, playing in the NBA is a relatively small club. Dame probably has some opinions on the personalities of a lot of the players, and who he thinks would fit into the Blazers team culture; which IMO is Dame's culture. But I don't see Dame trying to usurp the GM. Just provide input. Which I think is fair. I will just finish by saying Dame is not dumb. He knows the score better than any of us. IMO.
Exactly. If Dame ever decides he wants out of Portland, he won't be a lying snake in the grass. He'll be up front about it, at least with management. Of that I feel certain.