I don't know how me saying he was "supposed to be an excellent defender coming out of college" has anything to do with him currently being a shit defender. They're two completely different points. The guy needs a change of scenery. Maybe if he changes to a better culture he will improve defensively.
I disagree their talent level is bottom 5ish in the NBA with the injuries. Most teams the Blazers bench would struggle to crack the rotation, there is also a reason no one wanted Melo, he’s not good, the best you can say for him is he’s a better distraction than Tolliver is, but his advanced stats are horrible. Dame and CJ + Stotts system needs certain defenders to work that they dont have. Stotts should do more to change it up but he wont.
Just curious why you are so high on Harrison Barnes if this is your outlook on Melo? Edit: This is meant as an argument, I'm genuinely curious.
I don't think Barnes is like Michael Jordan or something... I just think he would be a decent fit, and I think right now he's a better player than Melo. I think he would fit well as 3 while Hood is out or if Hood never returns to his former self. Also think Barnes fits the bill of someone under contract (even though I think he's being paid too much), so they aren't relying on Free Agency. The trade I had with Dedmon was because I think he's an ok back up big to Nurk, and Ferrell is at least a PG, I'm not sure what we have against having an actual backup PG... When everyone is healthy though, You either have Hood or Barnes coming off the bench.
IMO, Dame can be a 1a or 1b on a championship team as long as the other option is at least at Dame's level. Somebody like Paul George. Portland at least needs a big-2, and they don't have anything like that right now. They need another perennial all-star otherwise they are spinning their wheels while looking at more talented teams gaining traction but CJ is taking all the air out of the room with his usage, his ball-dominance, and his contract. He uses possessions and consumes the salary cap at the level of a perpetual all-star, but his efficiency and impact aren't anywhere close to all-star level and to you other point about Dame's size, age, and position, I tend to agree, at least in this sense: Portland is too dependent on Dame because not only is he Portland's best scoring option, by far, he's also the only Blazer capable of consistently running the offense while also being a big scoring threat. That's a heavy burden on Dame, and it leaves Portland vulnerable on nights when Dame isn't both scoring and play-making well. the Dame/CJ pairing is simply not good enough to make for a contender
When I looked at those stats before asking you the question, I just don't see a big enough difference to warrant both wanting to trade for Barnes or bashing Melo.
Well, their somewhat comparable, but Barnes is better IMO. Melo is supposed to be good offensively, but he's not, barnes TS% is quite a bit better, he passes the ball, where as Melo really doesn't. Barnes is a better player. The thing is, I'm not saying Barnes is great, but he's a long versatile athlete, hitting his prime with no real injury history, also Barnes BPM is -1.2, Melo's is -3.3 that's fairly significant, not that either is good. I don't think trading for Barnes is some heavy weight move that'll bring the Blazers to a championship, but at least he is tall enough to fit a role the Blazers need and knows his role in the NBA. Win shares get brought up a bunch in here and Barnes doubles melo's...
Probably wouldn't be the first thing I do, but somewhere on the list I would try to lure a scout from the nuggets or the heats cause they're always finding those diamond in the rough type guys.
The problem with all of that is: if you "get rid" of CJ, where the hell are you gonna get a Forward like Kawai, Siakem, George,Lebron or prime KD? it's so impossible that it makes me believe the only alternative is a complete reboot.
Here's what I would I would do. Pray for a miracle; Threaten the team doctor with firing him unless he got Nurkic, Collins and Hood back healthy again, pronto; Find an adequate replacement for Gasol and hire him yesterday. Do those three and we'll be alright. See? Easy peasy.
I think salvaging this season has sailed. It's about building for the future. I'd trade CJ for Tobias Harris. That slots Simons in at the starting SG for a test drive, which is where he really belongs. I think Melo does return, just because he seems happy in Portland and we gave him the chance to come back. Next year we start the season with Dame/Simons/Harris/Collins/Nurk, with Melo/Hood/Skal coming off the bench. That's a lineup I can get behind. People looooove shitting on Stotts, but he's really only had one season where he wasn't stuck with the Dame/CJ back court. He was our coach when Matthews blew out his Achilles and what looked like a really deep playoff run was suddenly cut short. He's proven he can coach other types of systems. He's a great development coach, but the problem is with CJ's high usage we don't get to see players like Patty and Napier expand their games.
