Not to flog a dead horse, but... a problem going forward is that you can't play our two best backcourt players together for big stretches without being useless defensively. Damian and CJ just don't complement each other very well - CJ is sort of the poor man's Damian. Both are average distributors (Damian better than CJ), poor defenders (CJ better than Damian) and both need the ball to be effective. The fact that we could have had Antetokounmpo or Gobert instead of CJ only makes it more painful. It's the Westbrook vs. Reggie Jackson problem. (And I say this as someone whose fave current Blazer is probably CJ.)
The spurs won the championship because they play as a team not one player tried to do it by his self. Atlanta was successful because they play as a team. We will be successful if we play as a team.
And that's the kind of team I want. I don't want a one man show, I want the whole team sharing the points and have a go-to guy, which is Lillard, for closing situations.
I don't see CJ playing that much with Damian for the same reason...defense and length.. CJ to me is best used as a Jason Terry type 6man who gets the most touches off the bench..we have good defenders in Aminu, Crabbe but Henderson would start if I coached and he's probably our best 2 way guard
Our 1-3 starters will probably be Aminu, Henderson, and Dame to begin the season. It might change as players emerge throughout the season.
But CJ basically HAS to become a star given whom we passed up for him. And at the very least, if his minutes are kept low he's going to do a James Harden/Reggie Jackson on us.
Well I agree with you there - that's where I project our team currently. But I don't agree that the Wolves/Lakers are clearly ahead of us. And I think it's possible that the Pels could backslide over the course of the next 2-3 years, and if Durant leaves OKC that could add further change to the WC landscape. Additionally, when Duncan/Ginobili retire the Spurs could fall to the same level as all of these teams (though given how well they're run and coached I think RC/Pops will make the necessary changes to make sure that doesn't happen). And DAL could end up a mess quite quickly given the age/injuries of Dirk/Wes/Parsons. There's just no way to forecast what each team will look like in a couple years - teams that look strong now may be lotto teams in the blink of an eye (hello Blazers!).
The Wolves are light years ahead of the Blazers right now. They have: Ricky Rubio Zach LaVine Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns They are one #1 NBA Lottery Pick ahead of us, maybe 2. If we win the NBA lottery next year, we'll probably be where they are at.
The Pelicans are a playoff team and on the way up. They won't backslide. Sure, IF Durant leaves OKC and they'll be stuck with Westbrook and no one else and then they'll probably be at our level. That's an "if" situation. Lakers have 3 young players that are potential all stars in Russel, Clarkson (more for the fan base and international popularity) and Randle. Once Kobe is gone, more FA's will be willing to go there and they will have a SHIT TON of space + those 3 young core players. Right now they are probably a fringe playoff team, they have Lou Williams and Hibbert. Never mentioned Dallas, they're just a horse waiting to be put out to pasture.
I think you're right about needing to get another all-star caliber player. We're most likely not getting one thru free agency, so the draft is the Blazers best hope. Although you don't necessarily have to get the #1 pick to land an all-star. To put the chances into perspective, here's a look at the odds of getting an all-star by draft position between 1990 and 2010: Pick - Chances 1 - 76.2% (16 all-stars picked #1 in 21 years) 2 - 42.9% 3 - 57.1% 4 - 38.1% 5 - 42.9% 6 - 23.8% 7 - 14.3% 8 - 4.8% 9 - 33.3% 10 - 33.3% 11 - 14.3% 12 - 0.0% 13 - 9.5% 14 - 4.8% 15 - 4.8% 16 - 9.5% 17 - 19.0% 18 - 9.5% 19 - 14.3% 20 - 9.5% 21 - 14.3% 22 - 0.0% 23 - 0.0% 24 - 19.0% 25 - 4.8% 26 - 0.0% 27 - 0.0% 28 - 4.8% 29 - 4.8% 30 - 4.8% Drafting smart is the key. Even if we do end up grabbing an all-star thru the draft, it typically takes 3-4 years for that player to progress to an all-star level. Unless we land a surprise trade, or one of our current players explodes, we've got a few years of playing the lottery. Enjoy the ride!
LaMarsha may be a wretched scumsucker, but he is a better player than anybody we brought in. A healthy Wes is also better than anybody we added. This is not so much a cloud with a silver lining as an elephantine fart that is stripping the paint off the walls and killing buzzards at 100 yards.
What the hell is your guys definition of contender??? Being a contender doesn't mean title favorites. It means having a solid, realistic chance at a title. IMO there's 6 to 7 contenders every year, so there's no way you need a top 5 playear to contend
Definitely trade #12 straight up for #24 every year. #12's got a bad run going on. #24's grabbed - Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, Andrei Kirilenko, and Kyle Lowry. Between 1990 and 2010, there were 14 all-stars taken in the second round or undrafted. To name a few: Marc Gasol (#48, 2007), Paul Millsap (#47, 2006), Mo Williams (#47, 2003), Kyle Korver (#51, 2003), Carlos Boozer (#35, 2002), Gilbert Arenas (#31, 2001), Mehmet Okur (#38, 2001), and Michael Redd (#43, 2000). I think for the Blazers to be a 'contender' (conference finals minimum?), they need that second all-star.
