If you consider competing for the 7-8 seed as decent shape, than you are right. But there is no way this Dame/CJ ISO ball heavy offense will contend for a title. And there is no chance of this offense changing as long as Stotts and CJ are here.
Something. We weren't exactly looking great with them. Hood was playing well, and Zach was our best defender (not hard these days) but they're both pretty flawed, and the view around the league is that Zach is a disappointment. Hood was also available because he'd been discarded by several teams, so his confidence seems pretty fragile. This is also selective reasoning. We had short-term success by playing Hood more, for example, but it wasn't as if they were out of the rotation, and their defense is sorely missed.
It won't be easy to rebuild around Lillard with young guys. The Blazers have 4 years. If they don't win a chip with Dame in that window, they likely won't. His prime won't last forever.
Aminu and Harkless had length and there backup Hood and Zach also had length. All 4 of them are decent defenders. Center position we had Nurk with Zach. Our front court was a lot better defender then we got now plus 5 of them had length. They cover up Dame and CJ defense lapse. This year our front court are not good defenders even though Whiteside gets block shots and get a lot rebounds but individual as defender he not as good as Nurk. Plus only one as length is Whiteside.
I remember the season Clyde asked to be traded people were already calling him "Clyde the Slide," as in his form. It'll be sad to watch that with Dame on a marginal playoff team.
Agree! Dame wants to win and win now! Either you blow it up, Do Dame a solid by trading him to a contender where he can win. Or. You stay on path and build though trades. The Lakers sacrificed there young talent for AD.
I just don't see this year as a doom and gloom, blow it up, we're screwed like some of you are seeing. All the moves made this past summer don't do a damn thing to our future flexibility. Even if you consider CJ's deal as poor, it certainly is not untradeable, nor is he a negative asset. The lack of synergy between he and Dame has certainly been an issue and why I'm open to trading him, but we also saw what he did in Game 7 @ DEN. We aren't getting a player like that in free agency.
This is where im at. This season absolutely sucks. But its one season and there is a bigger picture here. The long term goal hasn't changed, nor has it been marred, in my opinion. This is an instant, drive thru, world though and long term/big picture views escape many. Could this team be better if better moves had been made in years past? Of course. I'm pretty sure every team in the league can say the same. Hindsight is 20/20, yet some act as though its the only vision GMs should use... before its attainable.
Okay. So, first of all, you're essentially writing off THIS season, which is probably wise. And you're right: we have Dame and CJ and Nurk under contract, fine. How do we get the rest of our team? Do we continue to scrounge for other team's rejects, hoping for another Nurk? Will you be happy to have a lower-tier (at best) playoff team for the rest of Dame's career? Do you really think that a team with Dame, CJ and Nurk as its 3 best players is a championship contender (even assuming Nurk is at least as good as he was)?
What if I told you that Dame and CJ have, in all likelihood, peaked? And that Nurk was not going to return to his pre-injury form?
I think I'm extra-pissed by the Mavs passing us up so quickly because they went for it and got one of the top players of the coming decade. And it wasn't like he was some big hidden secret (like Antetokounmpo). But even I didn't think he'd be better than Dame in his second season.
And I would add that Dame/CJ at their peak can win a title with the right group around them. But they are difficult to put the right group around. And this would be my speculation.
My problem is Neil went all in with highest payroll in NBA by a mile with only one decent playoff run... everyone talks about the contracts of 2016, yet Neil kills all future flexibility by giving CJ 30-35 mil extension. Committing 70% of salary cap to 2 players who do similar things, when both players have similar defensive deficiencies, and both are entering their 30’s.
Think last night broke my spirit about this season. Watching Melo get chants while we had our most embarrassing loss pretty much ended me. But your question was answered by one of my first posts today. We need to extract a wing out of the HW/Baze deals that will last past this season and someone who figures to slot in to that 3/4 spot for the long term (Roco/Porter/etc). Letting them walk is not exactly a failure either if we can secure a lotto pick to trade with our 10-15 mil of capspace for the same sort of player. What I definitely do NOT want is someone like Love who will kill all our flexibility without addressing any of our core needs. Trading Ant/Zach also not options for me unless we're getting a definite All Star in the return. Provided Nurk returns healthy after year 2 of his rehab, a core of Dame-CJ-player to be named- Zach-Nurk will win you 50 games and a shot to do some damage in the playoffs. And if a CJ trade were to arise for the likes of Tobias or Ben Simmons, I'd jump all over it. Simons should slot in fairly well into the SG spot full time after next year. Granted, the moves Neil makes this summer onward will have to be absolutely perfect, this year alone haven't changed my opinions on the long term futures of this team. Look at what happened to Lebron last year with all his injuries and to his teammates. Certainly didn't change his prospects at all.
Hmm. First, there's VERY little chance CJ would get us Simmons. I think it would take Dame for that (unless some serious explosion happens in Philly). And I see Tobias as a taller CJ without the huge arsenal - it's a lateral move at best. I know Simons is young, but he is simply a major negative on the court at the moment. (Look it up.) He seems to lack basic BBIQ. Plus he's scrawny and a completely inept defender. People think he'll just replace CJ, but that's seriously undervaluing CJ AND overvaluing him. Okay, c'mon dude. Anthony Davis isn't walking through that door. That's a crazy comparison.
