I enjoy the off-season, I try to avoid this place during the regular season because it is generally unbearable, between the homers claiming this is the best team ever to the doubters who post more than enough for me after losses. Eventually it is likely Lillard will be the better PG, but for a team trying to win now Conley was the better option. He is a better floor general, a real PG, he plays good defense and is a vocal leader. Throw in the amazing defense Allen brings and this was the kind of gamble that could have gotten Portland to the next level. Then again if Lillard was a shadow of his playoff form last year Memphis might have had a problem. He wasn't and now we are once again out of the playoffs. There are no guarantees in this league, but I see major flaws in this team that would prevent it from being a contender and sadly Lillard and Aldridge are both part of the problem as much as they are part of the solution. Lillard's Defense and shot selection both need to drastically improve. LA needs to man up in the playoffs we need post scoring not 15 mid range jumpers per game. Without those adjustments we are a playoff team and that is it, it takes major guts to make a move like I suggested for Conley, last year when Lillard was pouring in game winners against the pitiful Houston Def it looked like a bad deal. This year will Memphis pounding us like freshman at her first kegger it looks like a much better deal especially with Matthews hurt. I am a gambler so I will always recommend making a deal, but quite honestly we just need Dame and LA to take upon themselves to take the next step and a healthy Matthews and we could be right in that title conversation.
well-articulated, cmeese, but I invite you to remember that Conley is in his 7th season, while Dame just finished his 3rd. While I can probably get behind the "Conley's D would've helped us *this year* more than Damian's...Conley in his 3rd year wasn't close to the defender he is now. It's pretty interesting how his shooting %'s haven't changed (still 44% FG, 37% 3pt), and his A/TO's haven't changed (~5.5 apg, 2 to/g), but his defense started improving (probably kick-started by his jump in steals, which our team scheme does not emphasize/allow) and starting his 5th year became really well-known for it. Amazingly enough, his newfound emphasis on steals and improved defensive splits became good right about the time that Tony Allen joined the team and Marc Gasol blossomed into a paint stud on D. Even if Damian works his butt off (or we somehow trade him for Conley), do you think we have a Tony Allen and Marc Gasol standing by on the rest of the defense? And do you think that Dame's kind of hopeless about D, even when in comparison with Conley and his vast improvement between year 3 and 5? Especially since Lillard seems to have vastly more physical attributes (size/length, weight, stamina) at his disposal than Conley?
My point was at the time that Conley was ready now and Lillard had major holes in his game. That is still the case today. Conley is a better defender and leader than Dame; will that always be the case, I don't know. My goal at the time was to build a team that could contend and keep LA in town. That window has passed and now it is up to LA to decide whether he wants to stay or not.
Everyone looks at Conley now and think if only we had him instead of Dame forgetting that Conley is a finished product while Dame is still learning. You bring up a good point about him as a young player, when he was given his contract extension it was widely widely panned as a huge overpay for someone who hadnt come close to living up to his draft status. There was even an article where an anonymous GM called Conleys contract a franchise killing contract.
Conley has been consistent for a long time, what has improved is his defense, his leadership and his willingness to score. Plus that anonymous GM is an ass hole.
I do understand this way of thinking. I really do. However, You have got to be "Very Good" in order to have a chance to become great. Consistently being very good keeps you in the running and then when you get a break or someone that you draft really steps up you end up "Really Good". There are examples all over the league right now. Curry and Thompson have both improved. Jones has improved for the Rockets Deandre Jordan has stepped way up and Griffin continues to improve. Patty Mills and Jeff Green as well as Splitter have all stepped up. The Blazers are looking to have even more improvement from Lillard, CJ and Meyers Leonard. They have a draft pick this year to bring along also. Staying "Very Good" is the way to do this IMO.
