I'll be curious to see Cliff Alexander when he is cleared to play. Wonder how he'll stack up with the others we have. Gramps...
We got him for basically nothing, and Charlotte didn't seem to value him much. Right now, he's a project.
The Batum for Henderson swap was about equal value, both mediocre starters on the last year of their contact, though you could say Portland got the better end because of salaries. Then they just throw in a lottery pick? Batum is not that good. I think Olshey wanted to get rid of him, especially after his lame performance in the playoffs. He wanted to make way for Aminu. Do you think they would have traded their 1st round draft pick this year rather than Vonleh if we had asked? I think not.
I think the deal was for an expiring contract and a guy with the potential to replace LMA for years to come. I do not believe the deal would have been done without Vonleh in the mix.
I think Meyers will be fine, either as a starter or a rotational guy off the bench. I think he is struggling with the pressure of starting right now, and also with the team being basically an all new look. I believe he will settle in and settle down a bit and then he will be fine. One would think posters in here would eventually learn to not have complete on off switches about players essentially 4 games into a season.
Vonleh can put the ball on the floor. If he could work on a face up jumper it would really open his game up. I think he's got a good shot to be good. His post up game might not ever be great though, he seems to not get much elevation on his shots.
Every time Harkless gets the ball, I hold my breath. Then more often than not he makes a nice play. His inexperience is evident, but so is his talent. The Blazers definitely stole him. Big time score. Still, he's a project. I hope people don't overreact to his bad games the way they are overreacting to his good one. Also, except for his shooting (he's too amped up and shooting long), Meyers has surprised me with some really good play at times, and IMO some are writing him off too soon. He'll be fine. Vonleh is a major, major project. Coach is playing him to develop him, not because he's particularly useful on the court. I believe he'll get there, but he needs time. To say he's better right now than Meyers is a joke. I'm really anxious to see Cliff Alexander. Along with the development of Harkless and Vonleh, we could be very good in a couple of years.
I would much rather try and bring Vonleh in more. I will say that Aminu playing PF isn't a big deal because PFs don't post up as they've done in the past.
One thing I have liked about Harkless is how serious he looks out there. Although yesterday he looked almost angry; is he bothered he didn't get an extension?
Nice article about Harkless last night, and how totally professional Dame is. http://www.csnnw.com/blazers/when-tap-shoulder-plays-part-trail-blazers-victory Trigger Warning: quick wrote it. But it's a good article that doesn't have Quick in the story.
Agreed. He does have this general look of anger. Think he's just ultra focused this year to prove people wrong. Definitely needs a chance to play more-- he's earned it.
Quick doesn't bother me. Not as much as Canzano. I'm sure JQ is taking advantage for lighting a fire under Dame's ass though
How dare you mention that sleezeball Quick!!!! With that said, it was a nice article and Dame showing leadership is just what a young team needs. Expressing to Harkless before Harkless means a lot to a player. It shows them that their captain is just as concerned with his teammates as he is to himself.
Quick is trying to make Dame his new Damon. I don't think Dame minds Quick as much as some of the other guys. Honestly, I don't know why people get so fussy about Quick's articles. He may be egotistical, but his pieces usually have tidbits about the team you wouldn't find elsewhere. I just care about learning more about the Blazers, and if his articles help me do that, then he's okay with me. He's not NEARLY as bad as Canzano. Canzano provides nothing about the team, just opinions that no one gives a shit about.
Best thing about that link: Be sure to watch the video of the interview with CJ. He's so smart. But the best part, is when he calls out the media guys interviewing him for criticizing him, calling him unathletic, etc. It's gold.
Yup. He likes to cozy up to someone so he can get the inside scoop. I used to hate him back in the early 2000's, but he has actually changed his style quite a bit in the last 12 or so years.
For those who weren't here or weren't paying attention back then, I understand how it's hard for them to get just what we are talking about. Yeah, I still hold a grudge.
