I like your enthusiasm and I hope you are right. I will cheer for the Blazers this season just as I've been doing for most of my life, but I've probably been through more rebuilds than you have and I probably have less patience. We went from one of the league's best teams to a total rebuild overnight, and that stings.
Dude I'm right there with you. To add to my sting was that my most favorite of all Blazers didn't want to be here. But the big picture here is this... 1.) it was out of our hands 2.) we definitely didn't want to max Matthews and pay tax on Lopez without having Aldridge. 3.) Olshey was willing to bring everyone back, even knowing the team wasn't able to contend to keep our star. 4.) We have a superstar that actually wants to be here. 5.) We have great contracts and youth to build on. The rebuilds we've lived through in the past were fucked because we had overpriced players, a star you couldn't truly build around and players that really didn't want to be here.
Here's what NO has done... Out: LMA, Wounded Wes, Batum, Rolo Dame, CJ, Biebs, Crabbe scrubs past their prime. a shit load of 15-16 salary, and over the cap, maybe even luxury tax for years. Average age: middle aged, potential reached Pieces that fit well together, roles well established. We would've added a mid-level guy to our crappy bench In: Aminu, Davis, Henderson, Plumlee, Vonleh An improved from last year Dame, Biebs, CJ, Crabbe scrubs who could really become something boat load of cap space. Average age: young, huge potential Pieces that don't quite fit yet, roles unsure p.s. No, AA is not worth talking about. I think he would have left the team regardless, and he sucked while he was here.
Wiz, it's the "huge potential" part I can't buy into. Davis, Aminu, and Henderson are nice, fairly young rotation guys. WYSIWYG. Plumlee is a nice piece, but he is more of a RoLo level supporting player. Harkless had his chance with a bad team and played his way out of the rotation. I know we all want to assume that Charlotte are idiots and Vonleh is a future stud - but where is the evidence? Our best hope is that what we saw from CJ and Leonard late last season is real. Plumlee is the only one of the new guys I can see actually being part of our future.
Stotts has succeeded with developing from within for back to back seasons. I think he'll do good things with this young roster. We're just really, really young and filled with talent that has yet to peak. Actually a great situation to be in. All these guys will pretty much get to play. I could see Stotts setting a record for different starting lineups this season.
Davis and Aminu have 5 years under their belt and Henderson 6. What honestly makes you think they are going to have a break-out season now?
Change of scenery, new coach, great fans, teammates that aren't divas, all star pt guard..good locker room chemistry. Henderson has had 6 coaches since he's been in Charlotte
Same. Hardest part for me is all LMA had to do is a little recruiting and we could have been even better than last year (Monroe, Etc.).
Just to reiterate, I'm not saying these guys stink or are over-paid. I just can't see any of them making the jump from solid to star...and that is what we need.
I hear what you're saying, but... 1) I guess I'm more optimistic than you (or perhaps just more of a homer) 2) You ignored the HUMONGOUS cap space. That alone bumps us up from big to huge, IMHO. No, I don't think we're getting Kevin Durant. However, if Durant wanted to go to, for example, Dallas (he's went to school in TX) and Dallas wants needs to shed capspace, then we trade one of our players, e.g. Hendo, and cap space for Chandler Parsons. Maybe you don't like him either?!? Regardless, good things are possible, and our GM is Mr. ValueTown.
Good points. I'm all for building young pieces around Lillard. This is where I'm really going to watch Stotts during the season especially when it hits the fan. Does he adjust the lineup or does he stay with the same lineup that's not working like what happened against the Grizz? Questions to be answered. Looking forward to the season already.
The team is situated today as if we've been rebuilding / retooling for 2-3 years. We have NO long un-desirable contracts to wait to expire, we have many young former lottery picks. Now, we wait to see if any of them break out and become real players. I will bet on Lillard, McCollum, Davis to do this. I have hopes for many others.
I look at Olshey's summer this way: this summer he was asked to be the hatchet man. Compared to the last hatchet man we had (John Nash), Olshey's done much MUCH better. We retained the young talent we'd drafted before that didn't suck and was Dame's age. He's signed young players who were undervalued by their previous team and who will benefit from a strong point guard (if Washington or the Clippers had signed Plumlee, Ed Davis, and Vonleh, we would have been PISSED because they would have all blossomed under Wall or Paul). We've got a ton of cap space, a couple of vets to babysit, and a wait-to-see attitude. We managed to lock in our best player for 6 years (3 for the rebuild and 3 for the deep playoff run), with the means to find him the optimal Robin based on how he's going to play best (which we'll know more about next year). I'm excited because, unlike the Telfair rebuild, we have players who don't suck and aren't old. We're finally doing it (which is exciting) and doing it right (all at once, young, but with talent).
Lillard is the only proven player on the team. The rest of them might suck, or they might not suck. It's far too early to tell. The biggest problem I see right now is a lack of shooting skills and poor interior defense. I hope I'm wrong.
I think you're right but we also have two or three years to fix these problems and other smaller ones before Lillard hits his prime and we go for a big run.
Olshey has taken this youth movement too far. By the time this group of kids is ready to compete in the playoffs, Olshey will be so old, he will be dribbling more the team.
