I think he has all the physical and mental tools to do so. Will the Blazers have the experience and dedication to enable his development? Do they have the ability to build a team capable of reaching that level? Those are the biggest questions in my opinion.
True. Honestly, I think whether or not the Blazers even have a "contending team" in the next decade is the more significant part of the equation.
Sure, it's very simple. There is only one answer for a Blazers fan here. You have to believe! Nothing else matters
yeah, I agree with that I mean, Portland hasn't had a contender since the 4thQ collapse against the Lakers in the WCF 24 years ago; a quarter of a century without a contender I have no confidence at all that Jody-->Vulcans-->Kolde-->Cronin can build a contender in the next several years. I don't even believe contending is on their radar; and I don't think Jody will sell anytime soon. I'm voting no but it's not because of Scoot, it's because of ownership & management
How is being a “contending team” even measured? Number of All-Stars on the roster at the beginning of the season? Number of injury-free All-Stars at the end of the season? Lightning in a bottle young player, like a Wemby, who gets enough role guys around him and makes an unexpected push? I think the Blazers have some talent on the roster now, including Scoot, that can be the core of a “contender” with the right player development and additions to the team. I don’t see any that are likely to be the core of the “best” team in the League. But then, I don’t know what moves Cronin could make that would negate Wemby and other top young guys.
sorry, I don't buy it the year before, essentially the same team wilted against the Spurs in the 2nd round. Afflalo wasn't enough to change the dynamic. The Warriors were setting a high bar for contending and the Blazers couldn't leap that high, even when healthy. The real contenders that season were Warriors, Clippers, Hawks, Cavs, maybe Rockets, and Grizzlies
I don't think so. Maybe we could have been if we made a deep run that season. I think we needed one more solid piece to get there, though. And once Wes went down we were toast.
He's not the athlete he was supposed to be but his playmaking is nice. I see his tippy top ceiling as Chris Paul not Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose. My gut feeling being optimistic is a good starter. Maybe make an all-star game. I don't know about superstar.
How bout an "it's too early to tell" option? I am disappointed with his performance this season but he deserves more time
That’s why I wrote “before Wes Matthews ruptured his Achilles”. We’ll never know what could have been, but we were near the top BEFORE he went down.
