Around the NBA Playoffs - Round Two

The sky is falling the sky is falling the sky is falling.

Man, your shtick sure gets old.

 

That’s too bad you let Neil sweet talk you into thinking it was a successful season... can’t believe you don’t think either Neil, Terry, or one Of Dame or CJ should be off this team after that horrendous showing in the playoffs. You are easily manipulated by Olshey. Until there is some accountability I will keep posting about it.

If you think it’s getting old and don’t want to hear it why are you even in this forum. It’s a Blazers forum. There is nothing else to talk about but Blazers... and the most recent news regarding Blazers is that they failed miserably in the playoffs and Neil doesn’t want to hold anyone accountable for it

 

Now you are just making shit up. Yes, this is a Blazer forum, but you post like we are the worst team in the league

 

I miss that guy!

 

No, I post like we are in the worst situation... right in the middle, but with a top 5 highest payroll that will be over the luxury tax next season, with half the salary cap committed to 2 undersized ISO ball gaurds, a coach who players don’t respond to, and a GM who refuses to explore change by breaking up Dame and CJ... and like I said, the playoffs were a complete disaster, and until someone pays for it I will keep posting about it... unreal that some of you are ok with no accountability... this team is going nowhere fast as constructed and with same coach

 

It’s hard for me to understand why A Blazer fan would want to see Dame + CJ + Stotts + Olshey for another year. Dame and CJ are basically in there prime it’s not like they’re going to make huge jumps at this point. Stotts either isn’t being listened to by his team, or is being was way out coached by Alvin Gentry. Olshey has the Blazers in a pretty bad position salary cap wise. I understand just be patient, but I don’t know what I’m being patient for, the hope some other teams GM will screw up and take some of the Blazers over paid contracts? That maybe Nurkic and Collins will some day be good but that’ll also happen fast before Dame’s prime starts ticking away.
Hoops and Cup make some valid points, just I disagree with them at least on keeping Olshey. Stotts is a “good” coach but I think he’s too much a friend and not enough of a leader for these guys. I guess we will see if Olshey and the crew can turn things around as it seems like the core will be back.

 

Lillard and McCollum have at least another 5 solid years in them so it's not like it is now or never. Collins is 20 and Nurkic is 23 so in another year or two they should be getting close to their full potential and each have a possibility of lots of growth. Even Harkless is still young and room for growth. It's not as doom and gloom as some of you seem to think it is.

 

But we have Jusuf "Bad Boy" Nurkić.

 

I enjoyed this season...we played two bad games against the Pels and two that went down to the wire....Pels just blew out Golden State last night....if Paul Allen isn't worried about the cap, we definitely don't need to worry about it. We brought in Wade Baldwin IV and he was great in stretches....we have a pick and some assets...the league is pretty much all facing money crunches....what I don't get is people saying we're in some middle of the pack purgatory ...the west was tough as I've seen it this season and we got the 3rd seed....won the division...it's all good. I expect a better result next season. I'm sure the roster will be tweaked off season. Those of us who are not disgruntled with the Blazers actually have reason to be optimistic. If a Blazer fan can't find something to enjoy about this team to post about...well....I call those folks fair weather fans. Purgatory was the Felton lockout season...the Luke Babbitt show.

 

So much BS in a single post. You should get some kind of prize for that.

1. Yes, the Blazers are in a position of being a high salary team, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have options to use to improve. They have exceptions and they have the ability to put together attractive trade packages.

2. Those 2 undersized “iso guards” are generally recognized around the league as one of the best backcourts in the NBA.

3. There is no evidence that the players don’t respond to Terry. Every player I have heard interviewed on the subject says he’s great to play for.

4. How is it that you’re so sure NO isn’t willing to trade CJ this summer? Based on his willingness to trade Eric Gordon from the Clippers, I’m pretty sure he’d trade CJ for the right deal. You really expect him to make some kind of announcement that he’s looking to trade the team’s second best player before there’s a deal? That would be pretty stupid.

5. The playoffs were a disaster, but we differ un our take as to what it says about the team. You think it means this team can never get out of the first round. I think it means the Pelicans were a bad matchup for the Blazers. I think if they’d drawn the Thunder, Spurs or TWolves they’d still be playing.

6. Olshey and Stotts answer to Paul Allen. They don’t owe fans like you and me squat.

 

The beauty of sports is that success has a lot to do with timing as well and the Pelicans are a perfect example. They got it clicking at the right time. Next year that might not be the case and we could be the one that get hot at the right time. I'm convinced that the doom and gloomers will always look for the negatives. It's who they are.

 

This seems like a bit of a fallacy to ignore people of other opinions than yours by saying oh they’re just always negative that’s what they do. Couldn’t I just as easily claim that all the people who don’t want any changes are just Neil Olshey fans that are never critical of anything he does? It’s a really bad spiral to go down when you start thinking everyone with a dissenting opinion is merely just negative all the time so their opinion is less valid than yours.
I want the Blazers to compete for a championship, being the third seed wasnt a success to me when you get stomped that bad in the 1st round. Maybe Collins and Nurkic turn into a good front court during the guards prime and that’s good enough. I don’t think your just part of NO’s army, and I think it’s a little unfair for you to assume that everyone who wants change is just always negative.

I’ve spelled out my reasons for wanting change whether you agree with them or not.

 

"I think it’s a little unfair for you to assume that everyone who wants change is just always negative."

I never said that. My post was referring to posters who are always negative no matter what. We have all seen those types. Never happy and always complaining. Pretty much everyone wants a championship, but the reality is, only one team wins it each year but that doesn't mean one can't find some enjoyment in rooting for their team.

 

Sure came off that way.

Anyways, I really want to see change whether it’s one of the Guards NO or Stotts I’d support any sort of shake up to the team, I feel like personally I’ve seen the movie too many times now. Start out bad to mediocre, get hot make the playoffs get smoked in 4 or 5... PA seems to want to wait it out too so I guess that’s what we will do.

 

I'm convinced that the doom and gloomers will always look for the negatives. It's who they are.

Let me break it down for you

Doom and gloomers are those that constantly look at and post negative things about the team. There are posters like that and my point is, they will likely always be that way. That has NOTHING to do with posters who say they want change.

Paul Allen and Neil Olshey even said they will be looking to make the team better. I have not heard anyone say that this team will be exactly the same next year.

 

Well... what’re they supposed to say? That they’re ’ looking to make the team worse?
Thing is I don’t really believe in NO and his 5 year plan. I believe he will say anything to make him self and his “plan” sound good. To me NO comes off as a salesman and he’s been selling us how awesome he is for a few years now. You remember NO/PA gave Allen Crabbe a HUGE contract while looking to make the team better, than trade him for a trade exception that has yet to materialize into anything. They gave Evan Turner a big contract when no one else was even in the ballpark... NO has tried to spin all of those moves into how awesome he is and everything going according to plan. If that’s his plan, then I’m just not on board with it I guess.
I mean the proof will be what the team looks like next year, but I honestly don’t expect much to be different maybe a RFA leaves, the Blazers draft a guy or two but the core will probably be the same, but we will see.

 

That door swings both ways....I'm constantly tagged a homer here for cheering and it's usually a negative opinion of my optimism.....I want changes...I also want stability in the front office....Minnesota is having problems between the owner and Thibs already....Sacramento hires and fires coaches faster than a bad Italian soccer team does.....we made a huge leap defensively this season....I didn't expect to win the NW division at all or to sweep OKC.....balance requires acknowledged success as well as deficiencies....some folks around here don't have anything good to say at all about the ownership, coaching staff or roster......that's a fact. Chief is my prime example...the guy gets NO respect around here most of the time and he improves every year. Some forum members only post when we lose and spout...nah nah nananah...told you so! Gets old...........

 

Good points riverman. In the days of Oregon Live after a win the regulars would be in posting but after a loss all of a sudden new monikers or old monikers would come out of the woodworks to whine and cry. It was that way for years.

 

That’s fair and I get it, I think Aminu is on a good contract. I give NO and company credit for drafting Lillard, and CJ, the trade for Nurkic turned into a really good one. I know I pointed to the “bad”, moves but I realize they have done some good too. Just personally I am ready to see a major change. I think Collins has potential to be a good pick, It looks bad that guys like Mitchell and Kuzma played well this year but the potential is there.

Anytime your calling for change there is a tendency to be over-dramatic, so if I come off as doom and gloom than I guess it is what it is, but my intention is just to say I want change and I think 3 years in a row of the same season is enough to say ok we need to do something else. Others may not see it that way, PA doesn’t seem to want to go the major shake up route and I get it

 

Mitchell and Kuzman were inserted into heavy rotation from the first game if I remember correctly....CJ didn't even play much his first two seasons...development is something we don't get to see in practice...Baldwin was a great move....I still think Swanigan has some Brian Grant in his game too...the kid is 19.....Collins adapted quickly for a 7 footer in a rookie season. Hard to compare him to those other two guys....different roles out of the gate.