Also keep in mind that Curry was coming back from injury - so his early season stuggles were completely understandable. Situations are not necessarily comparable.
I don't see how we keep Seth Curry. Charlotte Hornets are desperate for a Curry (they are losing Kemba). They will offer him the moon and the stars. I honestly believe Curry can be replaced. Worst case scenario, we let Anfernee grow into the position over an 82 game next season. Can Trent play the Rodney Hood role? If we lose Kanter, we will need to figure out a different way to play our bigs... until next year February, when some desperate players will be available again. ESPN says, we will offer Dame the super max. How will that impact our cap situation?
I don't think Zach is a center. He was getting manhandled just trying to stay with Plumlee a couple weeks ago.
Zach’s a 4/5 right now. I agree he’s not ready to be a full time 5 yet. Give him 2-3 years and then maybe. I love having Nurk and Kanter healthy too. They were killing it before Nurk got hurt.
I still think we might get Kanter more reasonably than we think. First, his market might not be as big as people think. He's not worth quite as much in the Eastern Conference where he can't play games in Toronto. Second, his personal history could make a smooth situation more valuable than money, of which he already has a lot. Third, he's got at least a half year in Portland to start on what should be a contending team. He could sign for just a year and create a bigger opportunity for himself the following offseason. Of course, the agents and the players union are going to try to push guys like Hood and Kanter to more lucrative contracts, but I think they might be open to staying Blazers on team-friendly terms because they know what it's like to be in bad situations. And, if you can see guys giving team discounts to chase rings, I don't think it's out of the question to see guys starting to give team discounts to play in a place with quite possibly the most stable locker room in the NBA, especially for a very competitive team. Curry is the one I think will be toughest to keep. And probably the most important, the way his role on this team has emerged. He could probably start on a team that will be somewhere between a sixth seed and the bottom of the lottery and get paid well to do that. I don't think he's a starter on a team better than that. He's actually being played in pretty much an ideal role here, too. Don't know if that will be enough to sell him on, though, when maybe a team like the Lakers could offer him so much more money.
Let's say we keep none of them. We have Dame CJ Moe, likely Chief. Probably start Meyers until Nurk returns. Simons Trent Turner Layman Collins Skal on the bench. A draft pick. That's 13 counting Nurk. Looking at that, assuming no trades, what is the biggest need (positionally, skillwise, other) that should be pursued with the MLE?
So I guess it would boil down to how well Simons and Trent developed in the offseason. Do they think either of them would be ready to fill Curry's shoes? Because I think he becomes the biggest spot to fill. If they do, you go for a big. But I am not sure either Simons or Trent are able to step in for Curry next season. I think it's at least another year they need to cook.
Well a vet big would be nice like a RoLo or someone like that, just in case Nurk is out awhile. A scoring wing would still be a need. A true backup PG would be nice too.
I still don't think we lose all three of Curry, Kanter and Hood, though. Look. You have to market what you have. Portland offers a really good place to live and have a family. It offers one of the most supportive fan bases in the NBA. It offers a contending team, a team that by next year should have proven it can win regardless of what people might think of the composition on paper. One year? Could be a fluke. Two straight years of being the third seed in the West. Nah. That opens people's eyes. Especially when the Blazers weren't even supposed to be in the playoffs this year according to the pundits. Biggest selling point: We have without a doubt the best leader in the NBA in Dame. Possibly one of the best leaders in the history of the league. His value outpaces his numbers, as good as those are. As long as he is with the Blazers, the chemistry will be strong. And the upheavals we've seen all over the NBA the last two years, with the Kawhi stuff in San Antonio, LeBron, AD, Kyrie and the weirdness in Golden State, all of that plays to our advantage. These guys are millionaires many times over, even if they are coming off the bench. I think more of them are seeing this stuff around the league and thinking "I have everything already. I can do without the nonsense."
I think the ones everyone will go to is a wing or a big, but they either need Simons to become a legit back up PG (and actually get minutes) or someone else that can play the creator role. Turner just can't shoot good enough for that role in my opinion.
Im not sure who may stay or if any of Hood/Curry/Kanter will stay, but it is going to suck to not at least retain 1. The reason for our success this year is without a doubt because of our bench, which has been a sore spot for years. Im not sure what we will look like come next season as far as bench goes and the fact Nurk will miss probably at least half the season, maybe more. Hopefully Olshey can figure it out.
There's only so many roster spots though. Assuming we use our pick and keep Chief and Jake, we'd only have two slots. I'm not counting on the pick to fill any needs. So you'll have to prioritize. So the question is, if the MLE is only enough to get one player to fill one need, with the roster laid out, what's your priority?
the thing is I could see Seth going to the Clippers next year, I like hood and feel he needs better minutes. He was rock solid when CJ was out and works well with Dame, maybe better than he does with Seth or ET
They deserve it...they tanked for most of a decade for draft picks...that building was a ghost town for a long time after Iggy
