Yes, the bottom end of the West is definitely down from where it's been in recent years and the 8th seed may well get in without having a winning record. That said, I'm not sure that the Blazers are going to be the 35 win team you're projecting. That was my estimate going into the season, but they've proven themselves to be better than that. We've got one of the top-3 scoring backcourts in the league. In order to be competitive, I think that the Blazers need an All-Star level talent at one of the 3, 4 or 5 spots. The rest of the roster, with growth through player development and maybe one or two other tweaks, can work just fine. I think that there will be opportunities, either through trade or by FA signings, to improve the team enough to be competitive. If we end up with a lottery pick, great, but that's not the only way, or even the quickest way, to skin this cat.
If the Blazers are in the Playoff race at around a .500 record, then my opinion changes drastically. So far, halfway through the season they aren't close to that. This coming stretch of games could certainly help as they are playing a lot of poor quality teams....but that won't really tell us much. Now if they go 6-1 or 7-0 against the bad teams and two good ones, (all at home) then maybe I start to see it. March is a brutal road stretch and they have still yet to beat an > .500 team on the road yet this season.
I think the second half of the season our team will start to dial it in and players will gradually know where teammates want the ball. Other teams in the west that are penciled in for the playoffs have older players who may not be as vibrant in the spring as they were starting off. We have youth and hunger on our side. Be interesting to see if Olshey adds a piece or two before the deadline. Right now the glass is half full...Blazers could fill it up by playoff time. I'm sure not going to spend the season drooling over a lottery pick
Assuming that the Blazers pull into the .500 range by the All-Star break, which certainly look do-able, I think Olshey is going to be put into a box where he has to decide whether or not to make a deal to improve the team for a potential playoff run. Until we see what happens with that decision, it's pretty tough to make an intelligent guess as to what happens the last third of the season.
He had a chance to do that when the Blazers were first flirting with a Playoff run Dame's rookie season. He chose not to....wonder if he would do something different this time?
If there is one thing NO is not it is impatient. When the Texas Turncoat left he immediately hit the re-set button and put the gears in motion for a 3-5 year rebuild around Dame to reach the finals the same as when he started around TT. It worked out well the first time around 3 years later we we're beating Houston. WE ARE IN YEAR 1...EVERYONE NEEDS TO CHILL AND ENJOY OUR YOUNGSTERS. Everything we have heard from the front office and coaching staff has STRESSED the PROCESS to expect any moves to improve our PLAYOFF position is laughable at best. It's great how we look when we are playing well but don't get it twisted. Nothing is going to be decided yet.
A thought like this means you believe the Blazers to be playing their best possible together, and that no amount of time would increase the productivity on the court. After only one year together it would be silly to assume they cannot improve. The only thing you could see is possibly taking on a big salary in exchange for someone like Pat Connaughton.
I don't see it that way at all. I see the Blazers ' cap space this season as being as big, or bigger of an asset as the draft pick everyone is mooning over. Right now, the Blazers can do a big unbalanced trade with a team looking to shed salary. Next summer, everyone has cap space. I think Olshey will try to get the best value for that asset by using it at the deadline.
Up by 4 with 10 seconds left, and the Knicks can't keep the lead. The game with the jazz goes into overtime. Un.Be.Lievable. I was all ready to make a thread about how the Blazers were in the playoffs
He's pretty accurate but there are a lot of CTC players in the league who probably don't care if they win or lose. I think Goran Dragic might be the biggest offender... Not sure Nic is actually CTC. I don't think they play to lose though.
In 2014, 8 teams in ths West had 30 wins at the All-Star break and Memphis just missed with 29. This year, with less than 3 weeks to go, 4 teams should make 30 wins with possibly Memphis and Dallas reaching that plateau as well. That is a big difference and a huge reason why Portland is in the Playoff race. That year, all 8 teams in the West that made the Playoffs finished with 50 or more wins. Last year was 7 of 8 teams. This season is projecting as 4 with Sacramento getting in with 37 wins...which is up from the pace Utah had for much of the season at 35. None of these teams hovering around that #8 spot are what you would consider 'Playoff' teams....just that someone has to take that eighth spot.
