Just kind of startling to me to see this on Basketballreference.com. Also that CJ has just one year less experience than Dame.
It's almost as if we've been tanking and casting off veterans for lotto picks for the last 3 years...now coming to fruition! Rise with us, Part Deux!
Every rotational player, except Vonleh, is entering at least their third season. Yes we're young, but were not full of rookies or sophomores. We have a lot of four year college guys, a few sons of NBA vets, so we're older than it may first appear.
There are several players who seemed primed for a MIP type year. Just not clear which ones it will be. CJ is obvious, but Leonard is close too. Harkless, if given minutes and considering his usage last year could be there. Aminu isn't out of the question if he can score decently and make the all defense team. Vonleh is unlikely, but if he got minutes then he is possible too. If one or more has a MIP kind of season then it will go very well. If they don't then it will suck (until the lottery).
I think too many people are expecting too much from Vonleh this season. I hope he can become part of the rotation, and am not even thinking about him as a starter, let alone an MIP. This isn't directed at you Reep - I see you say it's unlikely.
By way of comparison, look at how shitty our rebuild was after the Jail Blazers... Year one: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/2005.html Look at all those old useless bastards on our team. Year two: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/2006.html Still hanging on to some shitty vets. Year three: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/2007.html Finally we look like we're rebuilding! Year four: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/2008.html This is where our current team is now, after three months. It only took four years before.
Oh, except for one MAJOR difference: In 2008, we had 28.5 million dollars tied up in two contracts: Raef LaFrentz and Steve Francis. In 2015, we have that same amount available to spend.
I think fans will accurately adjust expectations. There is a lot of excitement because he is a lottery pick, and has shown flashes in summer league. But if he is only a borderline rotational player fans will give him slack for being too young and focus on the other players. Of course a couple fans will say he's worthless and a couple he's a future MVP but I mean what the majority of reasonable fans think.
It's also interesting how the years of experience is distributed almost equally among those 11 players: 3 players with 3 years experience 3 players with 2 years experience 2 players with 1 years experience 3 players with 0 years experience I think that will help reduce conflicts and sulking over PT. If we had 11 players with 3 years experience, they would all expect big minutes. By spreading out the distribution, you have players on different career arcs with different expectations, which means fewer conflicts. BNM
One advantage is now we have two lottery picks from our 2010 rebuild about to be fully developed. If we'd been contending those years we might not have CJ or Meyers right now. So back in 2004 we we didn't have multiple lottery picks from 2001. It helps a rebuild if there is already some young talent in the pipeline. The Lakers, Knicks and Nets are learning that lesson the hard way. But back then it was the stupid Miles and Ratliff extensions that killed us. Thats why I'm scared of a Meyers extension.... Miles had proven a lot more than Meyers but very often these young guys don't improve as we all hope. With Miles and Zach if we'd just matched what other teams offered them we'd have been far better off. Then we could've given Roy a third teammate instead of Travis Outlaw. Roy was healthy and dominant that one year in the playoffs then injured for Phoenix, injured for Dallas, then retired.
I wouldn't put Vonleh on the top of my list for breakout candidates, but he is one that could under the right circumstances. It's not clear to me that Vonleh or Harkless will get the minutes to really blow up. CJ and Leonard will certainly get theirs.
I just realized there's only three players on the Blazers that were alive when I became a fan of the team in January, 1990.
