This team is completely wrecked by injuries. Last year's team may have slightly over-achieved to get to the WCF's but they did it and won 52 + 1(sac) games in the process, without their 2nd best player, and their back up center having a separated shoulder, they got wrecked on the boards vs GS too. All the non-moves you say Neil makes, he basically changed the whole team right after making it to the WCF's. This team with all the injuries is below mediocre honestly. But just making a risky move means nothing, it could just make them worse, then they go draft a guy who gets hurt and never works out and their just bad for years that'll fix it.
There is actual conversation on the Minny RealGM forum about them wanting to trade KAT. If their management even has a fraction of alignment with their fans on that thought, we need to have Neil on the phone making offers now. I'd trade the whole team but Dame for KAT. He can learn to play defense later once people finally realize that he's miscast as a 5, but he and Dame would make the best big-small combo in the league on offense. And if we could manage to keep Nurk, that trio would absolutely be deadly. Start with CJ + Whiteside for KAT + Wiggins.
Just to confirm. People want a trade to maybe move from 9th to 8th, to play the Lakers, when the team is getting Nurkic and Collins back, then Rodney Hood next year. DO IT NEIL
No, people want a trade to use Whiteside’s contract to gain another big money asset to have in future, else we lose another asset for nothing. Think a little.
Dame - Wiggins - Ariza - KAT- Nurk. Damn, that's exciting. KAT has all the tools to play defense, he has a motivation problem on that end especially this year. But he might end up being the best offensive big man ever in the history of the league. Going unnoticed with all his losing and bad habits he's built. And Wiggins came into the league as a defensive stalwart. All has gone downhill in the NBA because of motivation/instability/etc. These are two reclamation projects that I think would work perfectly with Dame's style of leadership. They cowered when Jimmy challenged them but they were unarguably better. Just imagine what they would do with Dame.
BTW, in case anyone's interested, looks like the Blazers Uprise guys are having a deadline day livestream. Don't know if there's much for them to talk about, but they're doing it anyway.
That was the first thing that came to my mind too and I would definitely do that. Would probably be A LOT of picks.
that wasn't a risk at all. Portland was in a 'nothing-to-lose' situation and Melo's contract wasn't even guaranteed when signed *********************************************************** I'm thinking people have a different definition of risk than I do. For me, trading Turner for Bazemore wasn't a risk because Portland was not risking anything. Meyers & Harkless for Whiteside was very little risk, because again, they weren't risking much, and Whiteside's skills were known. Letting Layman and Curry walk was again, small risk. I really don't think risk is very cumulative. 3 or 4 tiny risks don't equal a bigger risk. Mainly, futzing around with the lower end of the rotation isn't much risk. Neither is exchanging role players the biggest risk Olshey took last summer was betting that better offense and floor spacing was going to offset the loss of perimeter defense and rebounding. But that bet didn't fail because of who he got rid of, it failed because of who bet on...c'mon Neil, really? Bazemore, Hezonja, Tolliver, and injured Gasol? The perimeter defense was gone but the better shooting never showed up. Changing the roster so much wasn't a big risk as much as it was poor execution. IMO, real risk occurs at a higher level in the rotation, above the average role-players. It happens when you change the core. Perhaps like a Capela for a Covington Olshey is risk-averse. That's often worked out for him because he seems to be really tuned into the NBA's version of Craig's List. He's always rooting around in the dusty corners of other teams' garages and avoids the man-caves where all the big screen TV's are. The light from those screens is unforgiving and asses are uncovered I can't recall Olshey ever taking a big risk; nothing even close. Maybe the closest was the Afflalo trade, and that was a failure, and it was still low-level risk. His Batum trade was a bust but circumstances gave him an excuse. Maybe Plumlee for Nurkic, but Plumlee was not a core piece and the primary motivation for that trade was to kick the can of RFA a year or two down the road personally, I believe Portland has to take a big risk pretty soon otherwise the high water mark of the Dame/CJ team team may very well have been last season. I know many here believe that all Portland needs is just another decent supporting player, or two. But I don't think supporting players alter a team's trajectory
Sure, done deal. If we can manage to get KAT without trading Dame or Nurk, I will never ever criticize Neil again.
