Chauncey going to the lakers this summer and winning 50 games will show that wins are based on talent NOT Xs and Os most of the time. #FireStotts #AnybodyIsBetter
The problem is I am not sure this front office / owner have a plan cause IF Billups wants to win he is sounding like Dame and we all know how that turned out. I am convinced that Jody and/or Vulcan just want to tread water and JUST make a profit and then sell in 3 to 5 years.
That sounds like a plan that many posters in this forum are asking for as well. Get rid of the vets with the high salaries. Jody can't win either way. They either have no plan or they are just in it for a profit. Personally, I think the Vulcan conspiracy theories are a bit ridiculous but to each their own. If they were that cheap then why did they allow Joe to trade for Ayton, extend Grant, and match Thybulle? They could have easily saved 50 million last year gone with the rebuild excuse and not paid any of them. (other than still paying Nurk)
Which is the correct choice IMO. Even if Blazers don't Capture the Flagg -> there are others who are who have a lot of upside. VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper would all likely go #1 this year.
If Flagg is the plan then Cronin is a bigger tool then I even thought he was --- hey guys let's lose for 3 seasons and hope we can land one of the big prospects Wemby ( nope ) , best player this year ( maybe ) or Flagg. If this really is his plan then send this damn tool some scratch it's tickets and hope his luck is good cause IF that is the plan then he does not have a plan cause LUCK is not a plan it's the last option when you have none. If he is hoping for luck then his ass needs to be fired ASAP - period but again just conjecture at this point.
I honestly don't think Joe is a total moron and I could see him trying to use the undervaluation of this draft to his advantage, picking up a few high picks in the first round to balance a true youth rebuild. I could also see him straddling the fence again since it made no sense this year, so why not do that dumb shit again.
I think Minnesota and OKC's success shows what small markets need to do. Acquire assets. Lose. Get lottery talent to win. It can be done. If we got Flagg that would be a huge success.
Lakers have a few more picks now unlocked so they could trade for great third player. That with Chauncey I could see having real chance at a title. They certainly wouldn't be favorites but they'd be in the mix. We've had a lot of surprising teams in the finals the last decade - Mil, PHX, Den, Tor, etc.
Tanking and getting high draft picks is our best option. It really is the best option for any non-free agent destination team. You don't have to enjoy it, but it remains the best path forward.
I agree that tanking for several years is not ideal and takes a lot of luck to make it work. Especially since Portland is not a FA destination that can help shorten the rebuild process. I also agree that banking on winning the lottery in the year that actually has a difference maker requires too much luck to rely on. But at the same time, I also acknowledge that those who think it is our best solution to becoming a contender..... are not entirely wrong. So my question to you is what plan would you take at this point? My thought is if we can get two more young pieces this summer then we keep Grant and try to win. One of those young pieces has to be Sarr since he plays a different position. Then with GS's pick you take a risk with a young SF who although is probably not ready to contribute next year...still has a ton of potential. Could Cody Williams fall that far? Could we trade up to get him? Will Salaun still be there? Or maybe Holland? If we could get Sarr and a SF then maybe we do try to win while they develop. I am not one who thinks you have to remove your Vets for your young players to develop.
It's kind of amazing the Blazers spend more money, to where they are currently 10+ million in the tax, and have a 21 win last in the west team. As you say they give out huge contracts. Then they do trades taking back less talent to save dollars. The team might actually be better off if they had a more frugal owner paying closer to the salary floor. Both these directions are incredibly frustrating as a fan.
We just gonna ignore the Wolves trading their entire future for Gobert now? Or how about trading away their draft picks and prospects for an aging Mike Conley? Minny is a terrible example for the point you're trying to make.
Not really. They had to suck first to get their foundational pieces. They don't get KAT and Edwards without tanking. Those trades don't happen if they didn't dip into the lottery first. Cause and effect.
IF Tanking and hoping for LUCK is the plan then let Billups walk and find an up and comer coach and give them a nice contract and let the process play out. The plan Cronin is on reminds me a quote from the original Karate Kid movie from Miyagi to Daniel “Walk on road. Walk right side, safe .Walk left side, safe .Walk middle, sooner or later, get squish, just like grape. " The Blazers right now are walking in the middle of youth and handing out contracts to vets that do not support the growth of the younger players. Also not to mention a coach who has done little to nothing to help in that growth and granted injuries have hampered it some but still this season was a disaster on ALL fronts for the most part. I have said it before but as much of a fan as I am this team is in the worst place it's been in 20 years and I am counting the "Jail Blazer" era cause even as bad as that was I had faith PA and co would get out of it. I have little to no faith in this front office and ownership players and for the first time I can remember I am scared for the future of the Blazers.
At this point that's the only logical course of action. At least one more year, and that's if we get lucky and draft a great player.
So maybe that's where difference of opinion is. Chauncey don't wanna tank no more and Joe does? Just a guess.
