The players saved last season. But just when things where starting to click, the off season roster moves happened. So the process started all over again. The players can save this season, maybe. But just when things will start to click, here comes the off season roster moves again. My prediction, next season, this team will be worse than this season. We do not have enough players that consistently contribute to improve the team. It takes almost all season just to get them to play together.
Vonleh is starting but by last count, they have run a grand total of 1 play for him in that entire time. Meanwhile, he has set 8,963,418 picks. That is not exactly developing him. Against Dallas, he had 4 points and 3 rebounds in the first 7 minutes while his teammates did absolutely nothing. Stotts rewarded him by sitting him on the bench the rest of the game. Not exactly 'development'.
Yea we can save the season but going have to be up to the players. There no quick fix for this team this season. If you trade at the deadline we need to do it for the future.
I don't understand what you mean here. You seem to suggest that the team came together last year and then all their continuity was ruined by a bunch of roster changes. But the off-season was mostly notable for lack of roster changes, as Olshey spent a bomb to keep all the team's pieces together. The only significant difference was adding Evan Turner. Are you saying Turner destroyed the team's continuity, to the point that they went from a 50+ win team (their pace after the All Star break last year) to a 35 win team (their current pace)?
Yeah guys let's get that 8th seed so we can get absolutely pounced by the warriors. Come on now. Not only have I gave up on the team but we need to hit the lottery. I don't wanna see this team in the playoffs. Would be embarrassing
I would enjoy seeing this team play the Spurs if it's playoff ready.....at least they'd learn a good lesson about team defense...I think those Spurs games helped the old previous core get better
Noah starts but he is barely on the floor before he is yanked and rides the bench the rest of the game. While Meyers has had a lot of time in past seasons to develop, he hasn't gotten the minutes to find him self again after last season, either decide he is done and trade him or give him minutes. Same with Ed trade him or play him. Stotts needs to set a rotation and stay with it, 8-9 guys. When you keep switching playing Meyers and Davis every game, and neither play really gets ample time to see the court they regress. Give one the time. We always have the end of the roster guys, Connaughton, Layman, Quarterman, Napier. These type of guys ride the bench and become dead weight never developing because they don't play then we end up kicking them to the curb, and replace em with a new batch. Tim Fraizer Viktor Khryapa Joel Freeland Victor claver Sergei Monia Nolan Smith Armon Johnson Elliot Williams Ha Swung Jin Etc....etc...the list goes on Some guys actually go on to be developed by other teams Party Mills Jermaine O'neal Will Barton Dante Cunningham Luke Babbit Josh McRoberts Jerryd Bayless Sebastian Telfair Point is, the Blazers have never been a good team at developing players. Most teams that become elite, started with drafting and developing players. Usually you got to pick some diamonds out of a lemon tree, and the Blazers have a knack for picking lemons, but hell take those lemons and make lemonade. The Blazers have tried to trade and use free agency as a shortcut, but there is no shortcut. Develop the players. I am sure if we don't trade his rights Diez will be riding the bench next year after we drop Connaughton. We will get rid of Quarterman and find a new young pg to lay our hopes on...but if we are to win, to become elite, the cycle needs to stop.
1/3 of the roster was turned over last summer. It is actually higher than that if you include the mid-season turnover of BUPGs. This next off season it looks very similar. About 1/3 of the roster will probably turnover. The more players that are turned over on a roster during a season, the more variables that develop to impede building team chemistry. This includes team chemistry on the floor as well as in the locker room. It takes time for one new player to adjust, changing 5 or 6 players complicates the process.
You really think that switching out third-string guys has a significant impact on on-court chemistry?
I disagree with your assessment. Every team has a long list of end of the roster guys that they have given up on. The best player that was actually 'developed' by another team is Mills. (O'Neal doesn't count since he was the main piece in a trade. Portland wasn't giving up on him, but leveraging him for a win-now piece). The rest are average players at best. There is talent out there, but it has to be discovered. IMO, it would be better to cycle through more players at the 14th/15th man positions - and call up players from the D-League. Usually the players will not make a difference, but you may find one if you're lucky.
Put yourself in the the players shoes. If go into work tomorrow, and 1/3 of the people you work with are gone, Some of them are your friends or a mentor. Only one of the new workers has any real experience at your level. The rest are just out of school or have only limited part time experience, and one is too injured to do any work.. How would you feel about it?
But we're assuming these are co-workers you almost never work with and work very, very few hours. How would we feel if all our actual co-workers remained the same and most of the intern staff changed? That's pretty typical in companies and I don't think it significantly reduces productivity.
I din't think the season will be saved. But fans as a whole want to rush teams along into faster success than is realistic. This team as it stands is much like many teams, that start a retool/rebuild, in their 2nd year... The downside is we were given some false flukey expectations last season. Season saved IMO is continuing the rebuilding process that was started when Lamarcus bailed. Portland only has 2 ways to really add impact players, draft or trade. To trade you need assets. To draft you need to get lucky. As the team is positioned now the draft picks they hold have more value in the asset acquisition process than they do for their value in a trade. The team could roll the dice on a trade but if they do they should also hold on to picks they can use to restock the cupboards. No team wants the situation the Nets have right now.
If the only problem was that fans were disappointed based on unrealistic expectations, that would be fine. However, Olshey also got taken in by the "false flukey expectations" and paid big salaries to players who aren't worth it. The result is, instead of having a small payroll with plenty of space to make additions (like a young, rebuilding team should have) it's capped out all the way to the luxury tax line like a win-now team. That's the main problem.
This season cannot be saved, nor do they deserve it... the fans are being cheated. Second highest payroll and Blazers are 8 games under .500 with 2/3 of season done. They are constantly going down double digits early only to spend the rest of the game trying to catch up. It's the same story over and over. Neil is a sleazy used car salesman... he knows this roster is poorly constructed but his ego gets in the way of making trades... Okafor about to go to Pelicans for a mid round first... why isn't Neil offering both our picks? Is he even open to making trades? Does he think the player drafted with Cleveland pick is worth more than Okafor?
