Game Thread Game #39 - BLAZERS VS CAVS - JANUARY 7, 2022 - FRIDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT) ROOT SPORTS

That is the thing. Ant looks better, but as a ball dominant scoring guard. We seem to be replete with those. Not sure how well he would fit with Dame even though he is showing signs without him.

 

If they would just embrace the suck they might end up with a guy like Mobley. You have to suck in this league to become a threat unless you are one of the premier destination cities. Why is this so hard to understand. START OVER FFS.

 

Blazers fought, but had too many brain-farts. Simons and Nurkic combined for 28 points on 32 shots, and that's with Nurk canning a pair of fluke three's. They needed to be a lot better than that. I think Simons tried to do too much and he over-dribbled into 3 bad turnovers. Cavs converted all 3

by the way, with the loss tonight Blazers are 10 games under .500. Since the 2012-13 season, Portland has been 10 games under .500 3 times; on Feb 15, 2017; Mar 2, 2017; and tonight. Thanks Neil

 

If you really want to start over then you trade CJ, Norm, Larry, RoCo and Nurk by February 10th for the best combo of first rounders, young talent and expiring contracts you can get. I don't think you have a quick rebuild in mind so Simmons wouldn't be a target but after you traded those guys for the right picks and players you would play Dame at the end of the season after sitting him so he could show his offensive dominance and then trade him before or on draft night for a high pick and a young all star or potential star.

I wouldn't do it. I'd build a team around Dame that for the first time makes sense around Dame but if you're going to completely blow it up, that's how you have to do it.

 

except that I think Portland has little chance to get Simmons

 

I would say they should have tanked that year to get a better pick, but Neil F@(ked that draft up so much, he would have screwed it up anyhow.

 

Yep, fuck Neil Olshey. That motherfucker said it wasn't the roster and then proceeded to put together this fucking roster. Don't get me wrong if Dame and CJ were healthy we would be right around .500 but obviously that's not what we want at all.

 

he would have still drafted Zach...just paid more for him. Probably something like 12 + 20 for 7, then take Zach

 

How do we get Simmons? We would have to give up lots of picks and as bad as we’re playing, do we want to do that. Simmons is flawed. If we were in Top 6 right now, I’d say yeah let’s go. But now that we’re a lotto team, I’d rather hold onto the picks, see who we get in the draft.

 

If I believe my chances of getting a top 4 pick are high, I consider trading Anfernee by the trade deadline and drafting Jaden Ivey. A fringe lotto team like the Knicks might consider trading their pick for a guy like Anfernee. Combine the pick with other assets to trade up and draft Duren as a long term project center. You can find a center that fits the team via trade or FA and wait on Duren’s development.
Ivey, Little, and Simmons would all enable Dame to be on the worst perimeter player every night. Ivey looks like someone who can take over as a scorer when Dame fades into the sunset and he’s already a good defender.

 

Someone else figured it out. If Chicago is interested and they should be, you trade RoCo to the Bulls for DJJ and our pick back, then you trade CJ, DJJ, our 2023 first top four protected, our 2025 top four protected and how many ever top four protected swaps after this year for Simmons... you don't even need filler in that trade if you don't want it.

 

You mean like 41 wins?

 

Yes, that would be exactly 41 wins with this roster. However if you could have predicted Neil's departure then maybe the roster would change and the wins would go up. With Dame's injury situation though, I don't think any roster changes we make will put us too far above your prediction but maybe a few wins more. The funny thing is lately I can't decide if I want more wins or losses for the team when the season ends. Don't get me wrong, every game I want a win but that's the immediate. When I look at things in the long term they seem to shift and that makes me conflicted when considering if at the end of the season I want a ton more wins which might not be realistic or to have a better chance at a difference maker like we saw in Mobley tonight.

 

Anyone watching from further away than myself?

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

smack in the middle of Mexico

go Blazers!

What’s your reasoning? Truth is we need to keep both, but Simons is the future

 

Thank you

 

Simons is only the future if Dame isn't for the next five or six years. If Dame is functioning on a high level during that time, Ant should be moved on to a place where he can flourish and we should get what we can for him. In that case Nas is the future.

I do think we have some people in Europe who watch so possibly @UKRAINEFAN who posted during the game was further away than you and watching or @Rastapopoulos who I know has watched from England may have been as well, also @Mr. Robot who I'm pretty sure is living somewhere in the Baltic region may have been watching the game from further away. In any case, good on all of you for being Blazers fans from so far away from Blazerland.

 

Every loss brings us closer to a top draft pick.

 

Piss poor officiating in this game. Not that that caused the loss but wtf…. Are they refs covid replacement refs or something???

 

He is the perfect "TANK COMMANDER"