Blazers’ win biggest NBA upset in decades

We wouldn’t have Sharpe if we didn’t tank last year. We desperately need talent on this team, and our pick will either bring in another talented rookie, or it will allow us to trade the pick for a good player.

 

And neither of those things will make enough difference to get the Blazers over the hump.

 

Not this year. Not next year. But as Sharpe improves he could definitely help get us over the hump down the road.

 

wut?

Do you realize how crazy it is to set the standard for any move as being bad if it doesn't make Portland a contender? No single trade or draft pick or free agent signing will "get Portland over the hump". It will have to be a series of moves so why the fuck couldn't adding a player thru a top-5 pick or trading the pick for a player advance Portland along that path of getting better?

 

The point is that intentionally losing games for two years in a row just to get a little better each time is a foolish strategy. If tanking were guaranteed to get us a player like Wemby, who could help us win a title, then I could conceivably go along. But just to move up a spot or two in the draft? No. We’re throwing away games for a player that probably isn’t going to move the needle, and that’s embarrassing and desperate. Are we going to tank again next year, and keep tanking until we make the playoffs?

 

I don't like to tank either. But as I said when a couple of people suggested it before the season even started, you only do it late in the season if the outcome is inevitable. Adding a player like Victor without making a trade could easily change things quickly. It s worth a shot. But no I would not want them to do this again unless they are decimated by actual season-ending injuries

 

Down the road as in when Dames almost at the end of his prime?

 

lol...."throwing away games"...really? They played the games and the balance of the season before the tanking started showed that they'd lose most of those game anyway even if they didn't tank.

Portland was 11 games under .500 last year when they traded Powell and RoCo; 12 games under when they traded CJ. Dame was out for the year. It's nonsense to argue Portland should have tried to salvage last season. The trades were absolutely going to happen; pretty obvious Seattle ordered that. Portland had 3 choices in the middle of February: 1) try and get back into the play-in race, without Dame, with a long-shot chance at another 1st round exit; 2) play normally and take a look at prospects and probably end up with a pick around 11-13; and 3) tank and go for the best draft pick they could secure with a shot at a top-4 pick

clearly, at least to me, the best outcomes from last season are: 1) Olshey finally shit-canned 2) CJ & Powell gone 3) Dame getting healthy 4) adding Sharpe. And Sharpe doesn't happen without the tank

this season, the tank started much later than last season. It officially started about 2 weeks ago when Dame sat. Portland had tried to right the ship until then. At that time the Blazers were 13th seed, for chrissakes and 3.5 games out of the play-in. There was no point to do anything else than to try and secure the best lottery position

you may not like it but for almost everybody else, Portland tanking the last 2 season is more logical and justified than many other things they have done

 

Agree with Wiz, Olshey being fired was one of the best decisions the franchise has made over the last years. But Cronin needs to show that he deserves the GM Job, so far, tanking in 21-22 and this season was the right decision. I'm not sure Olshey would have been so radical about that. But boy he needs big improvement in negotiations, that Clippers deal was so fucking bad

 

And what about the impact of our tanking on other teams? If a team fighting to make the playoffs faces Portland a couple of times late in the season when Portland is intentionally losing games, is that fair to the other teams that are fighting to make the playoffs against teams that are not tanking?

 

Based on the last two seasons, I don’t see how anyone can say Cronin is a better GM than Olshey, or that getting rid of Olshey was one of the best decisions Portland has ever made. I dislike Cronin’s moves even more than I did Olshey’s.

 

Hmm. Your reply tells me a lot about you.

 

It is part of the game, it's been part of the game and if you can't get over it follow college ball where they only have to play for today and don't have to worry about the future. In college ball the only thing a win can do is benefit your team in the long run by building your reputation and helping you recruit. If you want something more pure follow that. This is professional sports and not just any professional sport, one where only 5 players play for a team at a time so one player has a greater impact on basketball than any other sport... therefore one draft pick is worth more than in any other sport and maximizing the value of that draft pick is worth more.

Or just continue to rage against something that you are identifying as the opposite of what it is which is pure competition, it's just competition that's looking a few moves ahead and you want it now. You seem like the same type of person who rages about the I want it now generation but can't seem to exercise any patience.

 

Right now 1-3 has an equal chance at the top pick. I would be in favor of extending it to 1-11

 

I'd be in favor of reversing the lottery order and giving the best four teams that miss the playoffs the best chances of landing the top 4 pick but after the lotto still give the teams that don't win a top 4 spot picks in order of worst record to best. That would stop tanking and incentive winning until the last day. That being said, as long as this is the system you have to play it the smart way, which is the most competitive way.

 

so instead of the worst teams tanking you'd have several teams on the edge of the play-in tanking. Might even be more than there is now. If Dallas had a shot at the #1 pick does anybody doubt that Cuban would have them tanking?

 

Someone has blinders on….