Because we get the high pick this year - in what seems to be a great draft - and lose the #18+ pick next year. We're losing a pick period - let's keep the good one and lose the bad one.
Well, since neither of us has access to the information Olshey does in terms of contacts with agents and other teams, we're both just talking out of our backsides here. Neither of us will be involved in the Blazers' strategy talks or has a vote in the decision. I'll just close with saying there are a lot of factors in play and, as a general rule, playing to lose is a bad idea that just brands you as a loser.
were not gonna get a pick higher than 8 or 9 and I don't think this draft is very good. Kris Dunn would've been a mid round pick last year and now he's projected top 5. You guys keep acting like this pick is gonna be some big piece when it's not... when we could go out and sign the same level of player in free agency...
The Blazers just lost to a Utah team without 4 of their 5 starters when they were on the second of a back-to-back. Portland was also on a back to back but only missing 1 player so had many more starters and regular rotation players to throw at them. The Cleveland win looks way more like an anomaly after struggling with a bad Kings team and then a Nuggets team also missing 3 of their top 6 players. Sadly, there are so many bad teams in the West this year the Blazers might simply fall into the playoffs. That is not much of an accomplishment this year. Meyers took 1 shot inside the arc until the last few minutes of the game. Vonleh didn't even get a shot the entire game until the oddest alley-oop play of all time in garbage time. Plumlee had one basket. The front court is where huge development is needed and if that happens, the Blazers will actually be better. Winning some games against so many bad teams when you have a couple of guards that can score isn't much to hang your hat on. If that is going to continue to be the case the rest of the year, I'd rather have the Lottery pick. This team has beaten 5 teams in the playoffs so far this year. Utah (if that really qualifies) Memphis, the Clips, the Pacers and the Cavs. Only one of those is a road win (against the pathetic Jazz). So a young Blazer team can get up for a big game against a team that is probably overlooking them but I don't see anything that says they don't need a lot of help.
They played a crappy game and lost in Utah. That NEVER happens. ..oh, wait, that nearly always happens. Yeah, the team needs help, but using one crappy performance to make a point is a real stretch. Every team has some of these head-scratchers every season
If that were they only point, that would be quite right. Of course they lose in Utah often but when they are without 4 starters, is it not reasonable to expect to not be behind by almost 30 points? Since it was one of several points, perhaps the bigger picture illustration was what was intended.
You let Dame get to 100% before playing him and let our young players work out the kinks on the floor. We suck enough we'll have a high lottery pick.
We always root for a team to win. How is it not winning if we are getting a better pick? There's more than one way to win.
Sure, but those of us who don't support tanking didn't make similar kinds of posts when the Blazers, without Lillard, beat the Cavs by 29 points.
I'm certainly not supporting tanking and that was a very good win against the Cavs. But if you can praise them for a win like that, you can certainly call them out for the disaster against a injury riddled Cavs team...just being balance. I don't want them to tank but want them to develop players on the team who have talent but are getting very few looks. That is what makes this team better in the long run and not just a few fairly meaningless victories this season.
I think they're committed to the youth movement. Kaman isn't playing. The rest of our guys are all young and are part of the "development" movement. If you're talking about more PT for the end of the bench guys, I don't support that because it would come at the expense of PT needed for our core guys to develop. Who are you thinking of?
Honestly, I don't see a pick outside of, maybe, the top 4 making our rotation next year. We won't get a pick that high, regardless.
I guess we have different ways of going about that. 0 (zero) shots for Vonleh in the first 47 minutes of the game doesn't seem like a big effort to developing the youth. Yes he starts but running around setting endless screens for the guards and handing off to them on a high pick-n-roll doesn't seem like it's really development.
Exactly. I could understand utilizing him that way for maybe his first 5 games to get him acclimated. But by this point in time he should have at least 5 sets per game ran for him. But Terry doesn't run sets.
LOL! I thought we saw the last of that with Mo Cheeks, but nooooooo. Apparently Cheeks was also an offensive genius?
Alex Kennedy was just on Courtside with Mike and Mike. They asked him about whether he thought Portland needed the Lottery pick more or the Playoff experience. He said that because Dame and CJ had playoff experience, it really wasn't that big of a deal especially since they would play Golden St or San Antonio and 'what good is getting crushed in the playoffs?' He said usually if you make the Playoffs, you may only drop a spot or two out of the Lottery if you barely climb in but since it is an Either/Or for Portland, he felt the Blazers needed the additional asset more than the Playoff drubbing. Barrett immediately jumped in and said "that is up for debate" and started pooh-poohing the Draft as the good homer broadcaster he is. So they asked for Kennedy's opinion, then disagreed immediately when they didn't like it...lol. 1st Team All-NBA 2015: 4 of 5 are high Lottery picks. 2nd Team All-NBA 2015: All 5 are Top 4 or better. 3rd Team All-NBA 2015: 3 #1 picks, a late Lottery and a 2nd rounder Looks like those high picks are doing pretty well. Playoff experience is GREAT if it is a competitive series. If you get blown out, all you learned is that you aren't good enough to win....which you knew already. I'd love it if Portland could make the Playoffs if they were able to keep their pick. But that is not the case and sadly, the West is so bad that Portland's poor record has them in a Playoff chase they really shouldn't be in.
