So, the Suns just contended for a title with an ancient Chris Paul and a defensively-challenged Devin Booker as their starting backcourt. They had a better/healthier supporting cast than the Blazers, but not so much so that it's beyond the Blazers to get to that level with Dame and CJ as starters. Things broke the Suns' way in that Western teams more likely to make the finals than the Suns last year (Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets & maybe Jazz) all had major injuries and the Suns got to the NBA finals. Could that happen with the Blazers this season with Dame and CJ as starting backcourt? Sure. Is it very likely? No.
We're not that team anymore by a long stretch...minus 8 players last count..minus an entire coaching staff and with the possibility of health and an actual training camp...I like our chances
Going back to Dame's frustration after seeing Denver get swept by Phoenix, I think he feels differently. Larry Nance isn't changing that.
I feel like this overlooks the massive gap between Ayton and Nurk. Plus, this only proves that you need a decent defender in the backcourt with your defensive deficient guard.
by minutes played against Denver: the top-5 are back, and 6 of the top-7....of the team that lost to a Denver team missing their 2nd best player plus their 6th man essentially, optimists are hoping for Billups to have magic beans in his 1st year of head coaching. He only has 7 months of coaching experience, yet many seem certain he will be so superior to Stotts that will make the difference between mediocrity and contention as for the rotation, It's Zeller instead of Kanter and Nance rather than Melo. It's arguable if Zeller is an upgrade, essentially leaving any talent upgrade in the Nance vs Melo comparison
I didn't say that the Blazers were there yet; that remains to be seen. Nurk is going to have to play up to the best he's played as a Blazer. Nance is going to have to be a real difference-maker. Billups and the new coaching staff are going to have to get the Blazers playing much more effective defense, etc. But the question in this thread is can a pairing of Dame and CJ as the starting backcourt contend for a title? My answer is, sure, but it's going to have to take a bunch of internal improvement PLUS the kinds of external breaks that put the Suns into the finals last season. Could that happen? Sure. Is it likely to? Probably not. CJ as the second-best player is going to have to play the way he did at the start of last season throughout an entire year in order for him to occupy that position on this roster and have the team be in a position to contend IF things break their way.
In the abstract, sure. If CJ was the third or fourth best player on the team and paid accordingly. The fundamental problem with the currrent roster is that the talent/on court success is waaay out of sync with the payroll.
I don't buy the Dame holding the team hostage Laker rumor mill fodder....if anybody moves on to the next game it's Dame...he's not frustrated...he's just won a gold medal and gotten married...all this other stuff is fan driven, What fuels him to work offseason is failure, not success...he will improve this season just like all the other seasons. Every player that loses a series reflects on what wasn't good enough...Dame's no different. I think we beat the Suns like a drum this season
I will say that there’s something to be said for patience. I think if Houston had kept the 2017-18 team together, they could’ve won the 2021 title. With all the injuries etc, this could’ve been their year.
CJ announced Tuesday the purchase of new vineyard. CJ McCollum's growing wine ambitions now include a vineyard Last year, he unveiled his McCollum 91 Heritage brand with a $50 pinot noir. bizjournals.com
It will be nice for CJ to get out of the bustle of Philadelphia to visit his vineyards in Oregon. That will help soften the blow of having lost to Dame and Simmons in the Finals.
I really hope we truly get the Bosnian Beast back and he flourishes under new coaching. In such a case, I think argument could be made that he would be our second-best player.
As mentioned by others.... Yes, Dame and CJ can be apart of a championship team together. Can they be the #1 and #2 options on a championship team? History says no.
