It sounds as though you want the Blazers to maximize their chance of a title regardless of the downside risk. Maybe changing the GM or coach would make an improvement. But there is a risk it could also cause a big decline. We've had very shitty GMs like John Nash and Rich Cho, coaches like Cheeks or Carlisemo. While I agree Neil and Terry are not great, they are not bad. The team is run for more than pursing titles. Having .500 seasons and not .300 seasons is important. If titles were the only concern they should hire a GM like Heinke. That has never been how the Blazers are run. I'd argue its actually more important for a small market team to be run conservately in this manner. They need decades of steady play to earn revenue. A large market team can be terrible and survive, then earn more during a period of title runs.
I don't know if there needs to be a firing of either guy but there definitely needs to be a reckoning. Olshey has to turn the talent he has on this roster into a cohesive team and needs to start holding Stotts responsible for his lack of discipline on defense and his lack of adjustments when we struggle offensively. Someone needs to come in and shake some sense into Olshey and Stotts and remind them that this isn't summer camp, it's not about everybody getting along and learning lessons, it's about winning a title. We have some really good if not great players in Dame, Nurk, CJ, and Gary and a lot of young potential with Zach, Nas, Wenyen and even Simons (obviously Nurk and Gary haven't hit their ceiling but they've both shown that their floor is pretty high). We even have some guys that still have some gas in the tank and just play winning basketball in Ariza, Hood if he gets healthy and Melo if he re-signs. Then we have all of our future draft picks. Those are a lot of assets, Neil needs to turn them into parts of a whole instead of just a jumble of valuable components to different machines. Then Stotts needs to actually coach them, not pat them on the back no matter what they do. If Neil and/or Terry can't get that shit done then ship them the fuck out.
For one thing...Stotts can keep players in Portland....players have bailed on OKC over and over....if your players constantly want out....you might not have an edge in the long run over players that want to spend a career with your franchise. Again I think it comes down to whether or not fans can take the ups and downs of a players coach who gives his players all the freedom to improvise over coaches with rigid systems....I like the Stotts approach to basketball personally...Olshey needs to find 2 way players for Stotts to have more playoff success....he should have done whatever it takes to get a Jimmy Butler playing with Dame...
True....players may keep bailing over and over again....and yet, the still finished with a better record than Portland this year and Donovan's playoff record is quite a bit better than Stotts.
If this isn't a reckoning, I don't know what is. from the thread "What it will take to get Stotts fired?" I reckon they were on his short list to be fired last May.
Yes, and for all of Heinke's tanking, the Sixers haven't even reached a conference finals and Olshey's team has. I'd be so depressed if I were a Sixers fan. All that tanking for nothing but a first round sweep.
Sure he would. They're all about equal. That's why most teams change coaches every 2-3 years--to see what's on the other side of the hill. There is no risk--the reverse draft compensates for that. Ups and downs are the spice of life. You could stay with your first girlfriend from age 15 till you die. But unless you're a deadhead status quo-er, you have a lively mind and want to experience life. Grow up, all you chickens!
So.... he apparently mutually decided with OKC to leave because he didn't want to be part of the rebuild. Then decides he's OK with the 22 win Bulls.
