Coach Pop goes after the media harder than anybody in the league.....I completely disagree that any of this was Dame fueled drama or him not being 100% real about his commitment to the franchise and city.....he's in his prime, not on decline...he's just injured which I didn't ever hear him lie about....don't know where you got any of this from but I guess Quick has friends and supporters also willing to kick the man when he's down...his serious side has been directed at himself through this slump and how transparent do you want the guy to be? We don't even know the backstory but everyone who's been around him his whole career here counters what you just said about him. The next day Quick regretted making himself the story...
No thanks. Dame has been too good to us for that. Let the man retire here. Our job (meaning ownership/management) is to do what we can to get him a team he can win a title with.
I never understand the comparing traits thing. But okay: Pop can be rude, sure, but one could argue he’s earned it with his championships, or one could argue it is his brand. Just like it’s Dame’s brand, but in Dame’s case it’s getting old and he certainly hasn’t earned the right to act like he wasn’t part of the virtually visible column of smoke billowing up from his camp over the summer. But we’ve already hashed this stuff out. So regardless, the point is, if Dame ain’t declining, he’s playing the part wonderfully. We will likely lose him to old age and injury while he gets paid some obscene amount, so why not at least see if someone makes an offer we can’t refuse. I used to think we owed Dame this and that, but really he’s benefited mightily here in Portland, and has done so without the pressure of a New York or LA media/fan base. In other words, it’s been mutually beneficial. All this being said, there’s no way Cronin is trading Dame, like zero chance.
This is the way. Playing Dame now is just counterproductive. He's obviously still a top 10 player in the league when he's right. But once the injury flares up he's not. Surgery or rest or whatever. Shut him down and focus on building the team for next season.
This would be good for everyone: Dame, the young guys, Chauncey, hell even Cronin. Ease that pressure that is clearly cooking everyone.
Good luck doing that with the assets we have. The only saving grace is if we get a high pick this year. So lets shut him down. But again. To not listen to offers at all is ridiculous. Even if you don't want to trade him, nor plan to. Looking at all of your options is the sign of good management.
Nobody would ever say to not listen to offers. You can always counter with somebody else. But if you say you ARE going to listen, that sets the wrong precedent. You don't talk about it unless you're interested in doing it. And we aren't.
I think we should trade Dame. This opinion is apparently me being a dick to Dame. I love the guy. He's my favorite Blazer ever and he's the best Blazers of all time, but it's time to start over. I like the team more than I love any one player. I want to see a championship in my lifetime. This team is not going to win a title, and they don't have the assets to put enough pieces around Dame to get one before he falls off a cliff.
Comes down to running a business like a business or being emotional about it. It’s a business. A big enough business that Damian is on board with making $35,000,000 a year or whatever he makes. Goes both ways.
Yeah, I don't care about Quick, one way or the other. If Quick pissed Dame off that's his own stupidity.
Do you have a relationship with Dame? Has he ever granted you an interview? Have you called his cell and had him return your call? If not, then there is no comparison.
If you are going to pay a franchise player an obscene amount it's good to know he's investing almost all of it in Oregon businesses and setting his family members up in Oregon businesses and homes...as opposed to flying back to Miami or LA every offseason and spending that money out of state....that's valuable in my view...it tells a lot about a player when they are all in instead of having one foot out the door. We are very lucky to have drafted this guy
