Dame all but demanding vet roster

I don't think the team has been in the position of resetting before with him, except when Aldridge left, so he's never had to say it.

And we were able to get back into the thick of things pretty quickly that time.

 

Definitely not while Dame has been here. I think Neil actually thought we were doing a hard reset the year after LMA left... and Dame had different ideas.

Last hard reset we had was really back during the Telfair era.

 

Hmmm. Let's see. Been a Blazer his whole life. Selling a huge mansion in Portland because he's building a new Mansion/forever home. Started businesses. Signed an extension to take him into his late thirties..

Wait. What was the question again?

 

None of those things would preclude him from going somewhere else for a few years. I think it would be totally reasonable for Dame to retire and spend the rest of his days in Portland, even if he were to spend a few seasons in another city.

And that extension is something that anyone would do. Contracts can be traded. He needed to get that money.

 

You asked a question, I answered it. I don't spend time trying to get inside Dame's tone and headspace.

I will restate that I have not heard Dame say he will demand a trade this summer if the Blazers use the #3 pick. I have stated over and over, that it is a real possibility, but I don't know it's a certainty. I don't see any advantage to go around saying I know it's a certainty or state it as a fact, when I don't.

 

The issue with this is that it's very clear what we're looking for... a star-caliber SF.

How many teams have that?

Brooklyn, Toronto and Boston? Maybe I'm missing someone?

1) I'm not sold on Boston breaking up Tatum and Brown for an unproven rookie, but even if they were, I have a REAL hard time believing they're gonna be adding anything to Jaylen Brown.

2) Brooklyn would be better off holding our feet over the fire, asking for something crazy, and hoping Dame requests a trade. But assuming they LOVE Scoot we might be able to get them for Claxton and Bridges if these other teams are actually offering star level players for #3/Scoot, but frankly, we don't have that sort of leverage unless another team with a really high-level player gets involved.

3) Nothing in Ujiri's career suggests he will get in a bidding war, he is known to be stingy. Same with Boston above, I have a REAL hard time believing they'd add anything to Pascal Siakam.

What I'm getting at is: It's not just open season for #3 pick. We have a very clear outline of what we want to receive for that pick. We aren't gonna except a PG/SG/C + a million picks. We probably won't even accept "decent SF + picks". It was reported that if we move #3, we want a surefire star at wing, which who knows how accurate that is, but that sounds pretty reasonable.

So every team knows we want to move that pick + a clear outline for what we want to receive for that pick = minimal leverage.

But I sure hope you and others are right.

 

Likewise... if someone said "Dame all but promised he'll retire a Blazer", I would push back and ask for the quotes. If they said "well, he said he loves Portland, he owns a business, and just bought a new house... read the tone." I would push back despite many signs pointing towards Dame liking Portland and wanting to retire a Blazer.

 

Sure, but that's not what I asked you. I don't expect anyone to say with certainty that Dame will demand a trade this summer. I'm confused why people don't think that his comments about having a different conversation would seem to indicate that he would begin at least talking about potentially leaving the team, which would be a significant development.

But it feels like you're being extremely obtuse about what he DID say, or at least what he said that seemed pretty cut and dry.

 

But who said the opposite of that? Who said "Dame all but promised that he'll demand a trade?" I merely said that his comments indicated that he would start a conversation about leaving Portland, which is a new and significant development.

And how exactly does one infer tone from owning a business or buying a home the same way someone would infer tone from a video of them talking?

 

This thread is a wild ride now

 

Dame has been clear he wants the Blazers to put a better roster around him. I try to not be the guy who says I know how a person is feeling, how hard they are trying, etc. That stance only seems to be controversial with those who think they know those types of things.

I will repeat: The Blazers may use the #3 pick and Dame may end up getting traded. I'm not ruling that out, at all. I'm not sure anyone is.

 

You haven't realized not everyone who has watched these interviews isn't taking the tone and inferring the same things? That's exactly what a lot of people have been telling you.

 

Chris Haynes laughed at the idea of Dame going to Boston. He basically assured Dan Patrick that wasn't happening.

 

When did Dame turn into a 15 year old girl with all the social media shit? That’s lame in my book. I’m starting to feel like he will be traded just because I don’t see the return for the 3rd pick that gets us over the hump. You can’t risk the next decade of the franchise to appease one player, no matter how good he is.

 

If we traded Dame I’d want a young Big with all-star potential. Unfortunately no one trades those.

 

Not that it really changes your point, but a PF who can score would also work. (Grant can play SF next to the right PF)
So let's just say "forward"

 

But that's the whole point. I'm totally fine if people want to debate the vague comments..... but some of those comments didn't seem at all vague. You have actually been more vague than Dame was.

"I don't have much of an appetite for building and guys 2-3 years away from really going after it"

"I want a chance to go for it."

"If the route is to do that, well that's not my route."

"We got an opportunity asset wise to build a team that can compete."

"I'm going to give them every opportunity to give me... give us what we need to have a true chance to compete for that."

Do you think that these comments are vague or unclear? And if so, why do you think they're vague or unclear?

 

LOL. Every post you make shows how badly you want Dame to be traded. Every. Single. One. You are trying to manifest it. His body language, his facial expressions, his tone. You see something nobody else sees.

Dame gonna be a Blazer next year, and the year after.

 

I took Dame at his word with all these things. Just like when he said he expects to be a Blazer in the fall and he wants to win a championship in Portland, I took him at his word. I'm trying to not pick and choose when I believe him and when I don't.

 

I was referring to trading #3 + Filler for Jaylen Brown, which some people have suggested.