The first thing I've come to realize is I watched a lot less games the last 3-4 years of dames time here. It had become so predictable, relying on dame to bail out average players on an average team. Sure, 2019 was fun. But after that, nothing. I guess I'm ready to admit I was just bored of the Dame-led blazers. What say you?
Pretty much the same. I did find myself actually becoming less and less interested in the team, partly because it was so poorly constructed, but mostly because it became the Dame show. Even with 2 other 20 point scorers, he *still* upped his average to over 30 a game. I mean, it's cool and all, but I would've rather him up his assists to double digits and help others become threats. I realize that's easier said then done (and i'm not saying he didn't help others), but it became predictable what was going to happen. Much of that falls into the lap of the teams shitty bench and lack of offensive prowess from the backup PG, SF, PF and C spot.
Yeah same with me. It was maddening watching us trot out sub par teams around Dame year after year knowing we were just going to tread water and make the playoffs but not make any noise.
My biggest realization in the aftermath of Dame asking out is that the Blazers could have gotten so much more by trading him three years ago. Management’s inability to find a couple of quality players to put around Dame has made the last 3-4 years a total waste. I enjoyed watching Dame’s brilliance, but never once saw him with a quality supporting cast. Just an awful waste.
That's why I have been beating this drum for years because there was never a chance that this front office could build a contender around Dame. It just wasn't going to happen.... and the value we're going to get for Dame is only going to continually get worse. If it's bad now, it's going to be worse a year from now. That's why I'm not upset with Dame leaving. The separation has been a long time coming.
None of this has brought me to any sort of realization. There were some confirmed fears like, since Cronin was here throughout Olshey's tenure not much would change. Since Dame requested out I've decided that he had probably been voicing ten times as much frustration with management than he had been in the media. I guess the only actual realization is that Cronin is willing to do the most logical thing that is best for this franchise (that's what he did by picking Scoot instead of overpaying with him to placate Dame) that being said, I don't trust Cronin's ability to execute at the highest level so just because he's logical does not mean he's the right person for this job. He might not even be that shrewdly logical, it may just be timidity.
Lillard played with a lineup of Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, Lamarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez. Was that not a quality supporting cast? Aldridge was an All Star every season he played with Dame.
I don’t think I’m ready yet to say that building a contender around Dame couldn’t have been done, but it was definitely a case of trying to put a pretty thick thread through a tiny needle eye. It’s clear that the GMs Portland has had during Dame’s career here (primarily Olshey, but also Cronin) haven’t been up to the task. I doubt seriously that Olshey would have lasted nearly as long had Paul Allen remained healthy. The willingness of Jody to accept continued failure has been a big factor.
Sure, as a rookie and one year after. Then the Blazers screwed the pooch (sorry Sly) by not realizing Aldridge was going to walk as a free agent. That began a cascade of horrible trades, draft picks and crazy extensions.
Not this front office because it is only an extension of the one that had preceded it for ten years. So the wasted picks that could have been used to do big things around Dame instead of marginal improvements and not trading CJ when he had the most value along with choosing youth over building around Dame (that's about Shaedon not Scoot). Make no mistake about it we could have made the right moves to build around Dame several times and then more recently we could have completely mortgaged our future to build a roster that was close to contention with Dame but this management be it Cronin or Olshey has been extremely timid. Dame said it best when he said before the Olympics that the team (aka management and ownership) had no sense of urgency. He should have demanded a trade then and/or management should have been honest with him then that they had no intention and/or no ability to make urgent moves that would build a viable roster around him. He still would have got his supermax extension on his new team and we would have got better value than we will now. What a clusterfuck!
Dame is fucking amazing. Pure pleasure to watch. Bored? Really? Dame polished a lot of turd rosters for the Blazers and drug them to the playoffs.
If I took what others have said (@Natebishop3 and @blazerkor ) and put it in my post, it'd of been a much more accurate view of how im feeling bored with the Dame-led blazers. It wasnt really Dame, perse.
Aldridge and Lillard played together for three seasons. Lopez replaced Hickson in Lillard's second season.
Yeah it's what management has put around Dame. What a fucking nightmare. So many of us hated the idea of the Dame/CJ back court from day one until the day CJ was traded and then we started the next season with Ant next to Dame. Now their fucking talking about starting this season with Ant starting next to Scoot. We've had the smallest starting back court in the league for almost a decade now and wonder why even when we put good defenders around them our defense is still a huge liability. Funny enough that's just one example with roster balance and never building a solid bench being almost as important. Again, I don't trust Cronin but I hope he proves me wrong and puts Scoot, Shaedon and whoever they put around those two in the best position to succeed.
I came back to this board BECAUSE Dame finally requested a trade. I barely watched games last year. It is hard banging your head against the wall over and over again watching the team in purgatory with zero chance to make it further than the first round and not much to root for internally like the bake the cake days. I always said I was gonna root for Dame wherever he went and hope he won a title while our young guys developed. Now, if he goes to Miami, I don't know that I will. We'll see. I'm so excited for our future now!
I don't know if @e_blazer had their timeline screwed up or not but it happened between that second season and the trade deadline of that third. Very obviously by the time that third season was over it was far too late to salvage that situation and get any value for LaMarcus. Just the first in a very long series of catastrophic mistakes led by Olshey in trying to build around Dame and co-piloted by Cronin.
The greatest realization I've had is how many people don't appreciate how good Dame is and that people are willing to turn on a player very quickly. And that people seem to under-value talent and greatly over-value potential.
