I don't think this team has to intentionally tank. Just don't trade away youth for a bandaid player and make sure the kids get real minutes to grow. Either you make the 8th seed where you can really mess up a team having Nurkic and Collins back, or you are in the lottery. Worst case would be to trade Ant/Little/Collins for a short term vet just to get knocked out in the first round (AFA).
So... do we want the Blazers to win these and convince them/ourselves that the team is "good enough" or do we want them to do poorly to force change?
Not really sure. I either want them to (unintentionally) get slaughtered so they can see that their problems are deeper than getting a good night sleep in their own bed, OR to dominate this stretch with a bunch of blowout wins to prove that they have figured out how to win together. I don't want them in the middle.
here are teams 7-13 in the standings: MIN (7) 9 - 8 PHO (8) 8 - 8 SAC (9) 7 - 9 OKC (10) 6 - 10 NOP (11) 6 - 11 POR (12) 6 - 12 SAS (12) 6 - 12 as long as Dame stays healthy, I don't see any teams there that Portland can't realistically pass. I don't think it's a giant challenge for Portland to make the playoffs. Olshey isn't going to throttle the team back, Stotts isn't going to apply the brakes, and the players aren't going to just coast to the finish. To me, it looks like at least a 7th or 8th seed is in the cards getting into the top-6 will be a much bigger challenge though: LAL (1) 15 - 2 DEN (2) 13 - 3 LAC (3) 13 - 5 HOU (4) 11 - 6 DAL (4) 11 - 6 UTA (4) 11 - 6 I don't see 5 of 6 of those teams fading. They have playoff resumes and they have the talent. Dallas has the talent, but it seems shallow and they don't have the experience of being in a playoff race
This is totally false, c'mon Riverman. First of all, Terry just signed an extension so I don't think him getting fired is good for the franchise. Second of all, I'd rather they win a title and personally be wrong about Stotts' ability to adapt than them be mediocre and be right about him.
You didn't need to make it personal....I know you don't like Stotts...but I really wasn't targeting you with that post hoops...…..and in many cases it's not false...you are more objective than many others around here about these things. It's not a totally false statement whether it applies to you or not. There is a strong anti Stotts camp in the forum. Check the threads about it...or the Caption Contests....it's all over the place. You are a guy I respect when it comes to basketball takes, we just have different opinions about Terry most of the time but you are not over the top about it. Totally false is sort of "over the top" though
Then you should say some Stotts detractors. When you just say Stotts detractors you lump us all together whether you intended to or not.
c'mon….I think that's grasping at straws...if you identify as a Stotts detractor then you're lumping yourself in with them. That's not on me...you are using the "us" descriptor here. In my view when the Blazers make shots and execute well, Stotts system works ….he's got a hard task this season getting everyone on the same page and has had very few days with them in the PF....Melo hasn't even practiced yet. I'm a Stotts fan....and take a lot of flack for it more often than not. I don't call people out by name when I make these observations...which I think is the high road..it's ok to disagree but …."totally false" is not that
Calling out Stotts detractors is the high road? Oh okay! I think it's cowardly when people call out a group and then try to say after the fact "I wasn't talking about you." It's then pretty sad when you turn it around on the person that calls you out on it.
I've listened to your podcast when you've lumped Stotts supporters into a group without a clue about basketball....you calling me out for liking Stotts? I can live with that but fuck calling me a coward for voicing an opinion...I didn't call you a coward for your views...quite the opposite. You're making a general statement personal. I try to avoid that around here. For the record, I've played high school basketball and was on a squad that scrimmaged daily against Taiwan's Olympic team....but I don't pretend to know more than Terry Stotts about adapting new rosters or integrating his system early in the season. Voicing an opinion is what it is.....everyone generalizes opposing points of views as camps of opinion...you do it all the time. Just because we don't agree doesn't make me your scapegoat hoops....there's conversation and there's insult...cowardly is an insult....one might think it's cowardly to bash a coach or compare their knowledge of the game with someone who's won coach of the month multiple times and had success without a superstar roster. I'd love to see you say these things to Damian Lillard and hear his reaction
My saying I wasn't singling you out was for the reasons I've stated. High road was showing you some respect for objectivity even if we disagreed...you've said that to me in the past and I appreciated it. Guess that you no longer see it that way...Some of my really good friends here are Stotts detractors......we don't have a problem about the difference of opinion. Mine is just less popular than yours these days about the coach
I have made it very clear on my show that I don't care what anyone else's opinion of Stotts is. If you want to like Stotts that's your opinion and you're welcome to it! I'm just sick of people calling people out and then acting like they're the victim or it wasn't directed at an individual. You could've just said that it was wrong to lump everyone into your comment. If you're going to call out a whole group than be like ohhhh no I didn't mean you if someone takes offense to that, it's cowardly. Stick up for your original post or simply say it was wrong to call out everyone.
