Is he? I wish I could see that. To me, this all seems like the maneuvering of a desperate GM. He lost most of his starting lineup and failed to get a single premier free agent, so he's picking up whomever he can off the NBA scrap heap. And if he's such a sly son of a bitch, how in the hell did he allow this team to collapse overnight?
Neil is doing the opposite of what the Sixers are doing. He is building a deep talented base to then add a star to, as opposed to gambling for a star each draft then having nothing beyond that.
One interesting footnote. Affalo was a jerk. Kanter was considered a headcase in Utah. Vonleh and Harkless lost the confidence of their prior coaches. Is this part of Olshey's "type"?
And you are true to your name. Lots of hindsight heresay in you grumpy opinions. Keep in mind Olshey scooped up Lopez and Robinson the same way. Afflalo wasn't brought in under the same circumstances. And frankly we all pretty much knew the Thunder would match, I doubt Neil didn't. And in reading articles not from Portland, it seems most GMs feel like Neil stood up and took one for the league... but hey if you wanna be a grumpy hole, that's your prerogative, personally I can't control it, so I'm going to enjoy the hope that these guys develop instead of moping about Canzano like victims mentality. Be proud of that grouchiness, fly your flag high... I'm not buying the negative crap, now or ever.
No, a desperate move by a GM would be maxing out players coming from a torn Achilles or all the moves Vladi has done in Sac. Our GM is hitting base singles on very good contracts, so if there are players that aren't working, we can absorb contracts for a bigger time player. There has been nothing that Olshey has done that makes me feel he's desperate in any way whatsoever.
Why yes! Von is only one year removed from his rookie stint. Harless is a 2.5 mil player. Hardly someone you would worry about. Kanter is a low post scorer, which we lost with Aldridge. Afflalo was a swing and a miss. It happens...
I think people miss on the kind of GM that Olshey he is. And as a person too. He's not a high card poker player or a commodities trader, a Glickman or McCloskey. He's good at building on the hand he is dealt. I think people are expecting too much out of him. In a way he is perfect for this market, he identifies what he has, what he doesn't and the best way to do things. Kind of ironic he used to be an actor because he'd make a great executive of a movie production company.
I think what people miss is they are always too busy assuming everything is a disaster. The same cast is always negative everything is a failure and I have never seen said negative characters react differently. Nothing is ever good.
Gee, I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that so little has BEEN good? This most recent implosion/rebuild is hardly unique. I'm sick of excuses. Even when they do get it right (54 wins and the 2nd round) they find some way to screw it all up. The recent success of the Warriors just makes it worse, as it proves there IS hope...just not for us.
Look, if you're expecting the playoffs this year. You might wanna quit watching the team and tune back in next year.
The fact he is still has yet to do a thing... I understand now that a rebuild is inevitable. I can only hope that some of the things I have read in here are true and that he has spent the last two to three years learning about this fan base. Looking at the strong years and what made the team popular and align his rebuild model to those years. Case in point the early 90's. Blazermania has never been at it's highest. I hope he has done his homework and the next contender looks more similar to that one. I will say that he has infused this roster with what seems to be athletic, younger talent. The athleticism part is something that has been missing for a few years. But Inman and Walker built the early 90's team very similarly. With no name, athletic talent. If Olshey has studied and done his homework around this team, town and fan base. I'm willing to give time to build a team. I'm still not happy with him. How he has handled the last few years. None of his moves have blew my skirt up. And I still have a great of question in his competence. That will be there until... He does something. For real.
It's not just about Aldridge, it's how he has conducted business from day one. From his first draft to this draft. To his free agent signings. To his lack of creativity. To his do his by default nature. It's very specific details in how he has conducted his job. I don't feel his is sold in this town himself which makes difficult to sell to others unless he has millions to give. I just think there has been a lot of miscues since he took over. I feel he has been arrogant and stand offish in the process. And I all have to say is he better have a plan. I'm this close to writing off Mr. Allen and the Blazers. Allen in the end is responsible for all of this. It's the third rebuild in 15 years.
Yep they found a way to screw it up. Neil ran out there and snipped Wesleyan Achilles... And also tore Lamarcus tendon in his hand, and broke a bone in Robins hand. That's pretty short sighted to look at where this team was when Neil got here, then how good this team was last season then how good they were on pace to be when Wes went down, and look at all that and say it's sucked being a blazer fan. And let's just blame Neil for Lamarcus leaving, because surelybitvwas his fault because he didn't do enough to make Lamarcus happy. It's way too easy to just sit back and discount everything that has been done. Ohh I suppose in hindsight we should have traded Lamarcus for the Wiggins pick, but at the time people were having shit fits at the thought of trading a proven all star for an unproven pick, especially since in all reality we were perceived to be in the discussion as a contender... yeah guess what that's bullshit to discount the last 2 seasons. How about losing Roy and Oden is that management's fault too ? Of course it is in some convoluted reality where only negative things happen as a result of management. Same old same old grouchy ass rhetoric telling us how sucky everything is. Guess what I fucking get that the team isn't going to be good this year! But I'm not going to be freaking eyore sitting around with a rain cloud over my head and grumbling about and saying nothing will ever be right. If you are actually objective to this thing called "reality" it takes and awful lot of effort to honestly say Neil has done a bad job.
These players aren't from the "NBA scrap heap." They are all diamonds in the ruff, and he has been choosing them wisely and patiently. He didn't allow the team to fall apart, I don't blame him for Aldridge's departure, and I understand the need to let Matthews and ROLO walk away. It was collapsing and he saw it, and was/is proactive about clearing out the rubble of an era that he knew was over, and paved the way for a new one. This team will be underestimated. This team will fail, and grow from those failures. It will take time for this group to become cohesive, but when it does, it will be amazing to see. We are gonna see a small running team who will excite us. We are gonna see a lot of dunks and attacking the basket. This team is what the Blazers brand is about. Olshey is a savant, he can see other GMS can't and I'm with him.
