here's one example from late March: Badji, Winslow, Keon were legit injuries. Lillard, Simons, Grant, Nurkic... totally faked.
They can investigate the Blazers for tanking after they investigate the Heat for tampering. In the meantime, the Blazers haters need to STFU.
Who cares? So many teams have tanked. So many. I don't think a single team hasn't tanked at some point.
Make an example of us as a small market team being bullied by a player and his agent who didn't get what they want so cried foul over doing something every team has done in a similar situation?
I’d still take a flier on Winslow. If his body ever cooperates, his talent is solid. We could do worse and we still need vet presence to help the young guys learn. but that’s just me.
If this is another Lillard scorched-earth action, while some part of me will still root for him, it really makes me dislike him. He can talk all he wants about loyalty and the wonderful Blazer fans, etc. but to try to screw the team by only picking one destination and then screwing the team again when we don't trade him there? Bad faith there dude. Bad on your former team and their fans.
Makes me wonder if a threat was levied that they would release this article if he didn’t get his way. Why didn’t any of this come out until now?
I'm guessing it wasn't nearly as much about Dame trying to hurt the Blazers as Dame trying to make himself look better in the PR battle. He probably wants the world to know he wanted to play, he wanted to win, but he sacrificed for the franchise. Before Nate jumps in and points out that there were probably selfish motives for him sitting out, I agree. I'm talking about his version of the story and how he wants to be viewed across the league.
Tell that to Blazer fans paying full price tickets to watch their team benching starters, throwing games, losing on purpose. Tanking is easy in the armchair GM office. Seeing Blazer fans walk out after a complete waste of money with their tail between their legs is not so easy. My advice: -Discounted tickets after trade deadline tank-offs. -Rebates to season ticket holders. -Tell Cory Jez to stop saying Blazers are in the 98th freaking percentile when the team is down by 40. - Bring back 1 dollar Blazer dogs. make tanking for rookies fun. This is not the first rebuilding rodeo in Portland. Get fans into the arena to have some fun with losing. Charging full price on everything, with illusions of grandure that the Blazers are built to "win now", is my biggest bugaboo with this Blazers ownership group.
