Sign Crowder and I think we are the 2 or 3 seed worst case. Roco and Crowder are D Forwards that also hit the 3 and don’t take shit. Would be the best Frontcourt we have had in 2 decades.
I'll make it easier, CJ's ball dominance and lack of size make him a better fit at the 1 than at the 2... remember because CJ does like to forget, there are two ends of the floor but even on offense, CJ is better when he is relied on to be the primary play maker.
I guess I would go for JaMychal and either Dunn or Payton. Doesn't seem like any PGs have it all and Stotts may not want to use a second PG anyway, so might as well go with a guy who could be used in certain spots on defense. Maybe put him out there if an opposing player gets too hot.
I don't think either will be available; I think Crowder really wants to stay with Miami and Noel really wants to go to Philly.
Given the available roster that the Blazers had most of last year, I'd say that it's more like, "Dame is out, who the hell else but me can put the ball in the hole?"
CJ was tied for 10th....10TH in eFG% last year with Zach Collins. It seems like there were a number of options that had a better chance of making a bucket. CJ just doesn't seem to realize that. eFG might not be the best way to measure, but CJ wasn't overly proficient either.
An interesting depth chart if Neil decided to do this; Sign and trade Whiteside for LaMarcus Sign Millsap for tax MLE Resign Hood Resign Melo Sign Austin Rivers for BAE Trade for Kanter with trade exception Dame Rivers Simons CJ Trent Roco Melo Hood LMA Millsap Little Nurk Kanter Collins Would be an offseason trader Bob could appreciate. Don't have to worry about hard cap if the team uses tax MLE instead of full nontax MLE. Of course this exact depth chart isn't likely... but shows that Neil has a lot of options to add players. Hopefully he can do better than our normal free agent offseasons.
No that is completely wrong as well. For one thing, you are too hung up on size. Think Chris Paul. The dude is about 5'11". He can guard almost anyone. Hell, he did better against Durant one year than his teammates. “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” Lightning-quick PGs are a nightmare to cover. You think because CJ is short he can guard quicker players better than he can guard taller players? Granted CJ is not a willing defender until late in the game. A lot of scorers do not turn up the D until the 4th. Stotts needs to make sure now that with more depth behind him, that he does. As for being better on offense when he is the primary playmaker, sure he scores more when he plays with the 2nd team. That is his role and why Terry plays him with the bench. But when he is surrounded by multiple shooters like Trent/ Hood/Melo (And of course Dame) he is not the black hole others complain about. Personally, I have no problem with him coming off the bench behind Trent at SG, because I know he will be out there when the game is on the line. And that is more important.
No. I like him but I think we need a true 4. Also we have Nassir who can play some minutes. Millsap makes more sense to me. Or Christian Woods.
Who ever Neil goes after with the full MLE today he needs be aggressive about it. If he can't get his guy then he needs to break it between usable players.
I really think LMA's days at the 4 are far behind him. I've watched him pretty closely the last two seasons and his mobility has gone to shit. So it's probably not good for our team to plan on starting him and Nurk together. I realize that on offense he can stretch the floor but our perimeter D with him at the 4 would be even more disastrous than it is already looking like it will be without him.
I'm not going to argue that CJ is an efficient shooter. He forces way too many bad shots. I do think that you have to acknowledge that some of that is a result of him not having a lot of good options when Dame isn't playing. Here's a box score from the Boston game last season, when Dame was out with the groin injury: There are decent options with the starting unit, but not much with the second unit. When Dame isn't injured, the only time CJ runs the point is when Dame takes a break, so that's mostly with the second unit. But, yeah, CJ would be a lot more palatable as a player if he was a bit less of a black hole on offense.
Jae Crowder is not a good shooter. His shooting splits with Miami look like an aberration if you look at the rest of his career.
