Do you think Neil even inquired about Derozan? Considering Zach went there for 7 mil…. I seriously hope we inquired about a sign and trade. he’s not creative
Fischer here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-kickin-it/id1559352215?i=1000530915636 Whole league is waiting on Dame to return from the Olympics because there is a chance he could ask out. A lot of teams are operating under this assumption or waiting until there is some definitive resolution on Dame before making any big moves. If he asks out, Portland will send to the highest bidder. 60/40 he stays.
Considering derozan just signed for 28 a year, a swap with Zach doesn't cut it. Adding side pieces is impossible because of the hard cap. Adding CJ is stupid because CJ is better.
I wish I had confidence that I'd agree with Olshey on who that is. I have this horrible feeling that Olshey is going to balls up even a Dame trade.
I'm getting a little confused on the balls metaphors on one hand, people are gargling Olshey's balls; on the other, Olshey is going balls up. Is that a way to prevent gargling?
The only thing Dame said publicly is if the team doesn't get better he'll want to go somewhere else but right now he wants to stay and win a chip if the team shows they want that too and said the word urgent or urgency about 20 times. He was asked point blank if the core of this team was good enough to keep him and he flat out said no. Then he was asked if running it back with the same starters but Chauncey coaching them is a big enough change and he said Chauncey could be the best coach ever and the answer would still be no. Dame does not want out of here. He just wants the FO to show that they want to win even a little bit as bad as he does. If we don't make a move, I think it will make Dame really sad but he'll be true to his word and asked to be moved. The last time someone who wasn't Henry Abbott wrote a story about the time table they said it was their sourced understanding that Dame will give it the first couple of months of the season and if the team isn't competing at a satisfactory level Dame will keep his word and ask for a trade by the deadline. I'll still be a fan of the team. Even if we tear the whole team down or do something even more senseless and try building around CJ. I'll be a fan when Neil is gone even if it's not for another excruciating 10 years. As a fan, I don't see Dame and think that if he wants traded "oh well". This is the highest character superstar in the league and that we've ever had. This guy isn't about UCLA or Houston before the Portland Trail Blazers and he's not even about Oakland before Portland. That's not rare for us, it's unprecedented with the few superstars we've had. So if Dame is traded it will hurt and I'll probably be upset Olshey didn't do enough for the rest of my life because when it crosses my mind every once in a while I'm still upset that Clyde couldn't win one here and retired a Rocket. It's probably because I'm such a big fan of the team that I want the best, not just to accept some mediocre bullshit.
I think Neil explored Derozan and talked to probably every agent in the game..still is...players choose where they want to play...I wanted Derozan...he wanted Chicago...could be some of these players teenage kids log on here to see what Portland fans are about and then go...hey dad...look at this! Dad says....uh..don't worry,. we're going to Chicago
This is why it's sometimes GOOD not to have cap space: I'm so old I remember the "talk ourselves into Kenny Anderson" phase of free agency.
It simply cannot be left to him to make that call. If Dame asks out, we need to descend upon One Center Court like locusts and protest until they fire his ass.
What I'm guessing happened in the meeting with Chauncey and Neil is: Dame go focus on the Olympics. Neil told Dame about the types of players he was targeting and would make the roster changes before Dame comes back. (@Mediocre Man alluded to this) Dame and Neil (and probably Chauncey) re-convene after the Olympics and discuss whether those changes are enough. If not (and christ, look at who we signed), I hope Dame at least puts some onus on Neil to try and make a move instead of directly asking out now.
