Does Stotts make it through the rest of the season?

I mean, sure, if you haven't watched the team at all this year and you're only going off record, I guess I could see that.

If you have watched the team and are aware of their major deficiencies, well..... yeah.

 

I certainly wasn't meaning to imply that Dame is a puppeteer. But I do believe he wanted Stotts (has sad as much and more) and that management (not responsible management) wanted to keep him happy on this point and maybe weren't dead set against firing Stotts in the first place. Dame's preference/insistance/whatever, may have been enough to keep him here.

 

Uncertainty principle - you can either know (focus on) the current location or the trajectory. Granted this is not particle physics but still, the same principle applies.

You are citing where we are (Top 8, winning record).

The ones calling for immediate dismissal are focused on the trajectory - headed out of certain playoffs and into play-in (or in worst-case, out altogether) and in, essentially, a free-fall.

Yes, the last few games have been competitive. Unfortunately we have managed to continually lose and Stotts comments elicit no feeling of assurance that he has any thought about what to do or change to stop the losing.

As you head into the post-season, I'd say trajectory is much more important that overall record. Our record may enable us to get into the playoffs but unless something significant happens with our trajectory, it is likely to be an early and unpleasant end to our playoffs this year.

 

I was one of those. All wins are in spite of him.

He is far and away the worst coach we have ever had. No, thats not hyperbole. It's fact.

Olshey is the worst GM we have ever had. No thats not hyperbole. It's fact.

 

I don't think is anywhere near the most dysfunctional NBA team heading into the playoff in the history of basketball. In fact, this isn't even near the most dyfunctional Blazer team heading into the playoffs in my lifetime (see the 2001 Blazers).

Dunleavy didn't get fired heading in to those playoffs and in fact, I thought firing him was a mistake back then. I still think it was a mistake.

 

When you can present the "facts" to demonstrate the truth of both of those statements (Stotts/Olshey being the worst ever), I may believe.

Until then, they are opinions.

Are they good, perhaps not, but not sure I'm willing to declare either of the worst ever.

 

While I may agree with some of your opinions, your use of the word "fact" is not in line with the true definition.

 

This team is vastly underperforming for the talent that we have.

 

Can you name one NBA team that was in the top 8 of their conference (on any trajectory) that fired their coach in the last 15 games of the season?

Not saying it can't happen. Not saying this Blazer team is the exact same as any other team in the past. But I am saying this would be unprecedented. This is nowhere near the biggest dumpster fire of a team heading into the playoffs in league history.

I would be willing to bet anyone he won't get fired before the season is over. I'm guessing nobody, even the people "predicting" Stotts to get fired next week, would actually take that bet.

 

Could be true. The computers didn't seem to think we were THAT talented heading into the year and those projections (ESPN had us 9th in the West) are looking fairly accurate.

They wouldn't be the first team to fall under that category if it were the case.

You want him fired, yet you don't really think he's going to get fired mid-season either, so where are we going with this?

 

Logically I think he should have been fired many games ago. Maybe if we drop all of the games to Memphis they'll finally just get fed up?

 

Why do you keep asking a question you know the answer to?

 

I would bet against it. Again, not saying it's impossible, and not saying it would be a horrible thing, but it seems highly highly unlikely to me.

It just feels like another thread where people are trying to talk themselves into a scenario where their wishes come true, so they can be even more outraged in a week.

 

I don't know the answer... I haven't done the research. I saw your stab at it, but I didn't know if you truly looked at every team or were just listing off what you remember.

GrandpaBlaze has more Blazer games under his belt than us.

The better question is why are we asking if Stotts is going to get fired for the last 5 years? We know almost every coach gets fired, so we know the answer is yes.

 

If you're Neil and McGowan, what do you have to lose? The team is in a free fall. Does anyone actually think this team with Stotts will get out of the first round?

 

If Neil gets rid of the coach and brings in another coach who also can't get them out of the first/second round, it's going to become increasingly more difficult for him to not own the teams shortcomings as being his inability to bring in NBA finals level talent around Dame.

I think the smartest thing Olshey has done for himself is give himself an out for as long as he has. People here are totally fooled that he's doing a good job, even when he's the one responsible for signing, and resigning the coach they think is garbage, it's amazing. How can anyone claim coaching is so important, hate our coach, and still give Olshey a pass? It doesn't pass the logic test.

A new coach next week and maybe the team continues to tank, now the pressure on him next year is really high. Wait until the off-season and he most likely can get one extra year before he's exposed.

 

I think the team's talent level is greatly overrated on this forum.

And what talent Portland does have is ill-fitting. Nurkic is "talented," but he's also mismatched for this era of basketball. McCollum is "talented," but he's a poor fit with Lillard offensively, as both are at their best dominating the ball, and he can't do anything to help with defensive assignments that are beyond Lillard. And those are arguably Portland's two best players outside of Lillard.

Powell is a step in the right direction if Olshey can keep him in the off-season and retool the roster so that three of their four best players aren't small guards.

 

I basically agree with everything you said, top to bottom. Well put! Powell as the starting 2 (not 3) is moving in the right direction. If CJ/Nurk are as good as many think, we should be able to get a legit all-star big in return without any issue. Sadly, I don't think other GMs rate them as high.

 

the thing that I wonder when I see so much resistance to any of these ideas...fire Stotts...fire Olshey...trade CJ...trade whoever...change the defense...is what would the Blazers really be risking? They are not a contender; they aren't even a high level pretender. They are stuck floating around the 5th-8th seeds with an occasional rise into HCA, but ultimately, they always bow out of the playoffs with a whimper

they are on a treadmill that doesn't generate good draft picks and doesn't generate realistic hope. There's little in that situation to value enough to not risk. Yet all the Blazers do is rearrange the deck chairs in the back rows. They tinker with the supporting cast, but pay the starting guards so damn much money they might not ever be able to afford any player good enough to actually alter their trajectory. And they won't take the risks of even going after a player like that anyway because the perceived cost is "too high", and that's because they ridiculously overvalue their role players

it's a train to nowhere engineerd by the GM's ego that's being mostly powered by Dame's prime.

 

That top 8 can be at out of the playoffs in the blink of an eye. Don’t get too comfy with saying top 8. The trajectory is not looking good.