This is such a bullshit take. If nobody is willing to make a good offer for CJ, Olshey has no immediate pressure to do a tear down. What I expect is that Olshey will overpay for Norm, say goodbye to Enes and Melo, use the MLE to sign a wing (Batum?), fill in the roster with cheap vets and count on better coaching, a commitment to defense, and hopefully health, to get the Blazers in a better position by the trade deadline. If CJ is playing better, make a trade then. If not and things are going to dumper, do the wholesale clearance on the top end talent then, get a boatload of assets, and begin the rebuild. With Dame and CJ on long term contracts, there just isn’t any immediate rush.
I hope this isn't how Olshey is thinking. Dame was asked point blank if he thought that Chauncey was a big enough change to make the rest of the current team meet his expectations and he said that Chauncey could be the best coach ever and it wouldn't change enough. You're proposing two things that are scary, one that Batum is the big upgrade from last season and two that Norm will stay if he's told he's going to have to start at the 3. We're not going to outbid the Knicks by enough for Norm to want to be in the kind of position that he was in against the Nuggets. So I think if we don't move CJ by the time free agency starts that Norm will walk for nothing and then not only have we not met Dame's mandate to improve the roster but we've let it get much worse. I am hoping that Olshey, especially because of the way he talked about CJ during the Stotts presser, is ready to get the best he can for him. I'm hoping that the rumors floating around that the offers for CJ aren't good enough are just to drive the offers up. Right now the word from a few different journalists (for whatever that's worth) is that regardless of what happens, Dame is willing to start the regular season with the team and won't demand a trade until he sees how the team that is put together is playing and wouldn't expect to be traded if he did demand one until the trade deadline. I know that these journalists have said all sorts of bullshit but this makes sense because if he's willing to wait to see what the team will do next off season what the fuck was all of his "urgency" talk about? That being said, I think Dame is expecting Neil to take him seriously and make at least one big move if not more and that's what Dame is expecting to evaluate during the first part of the season. I've said it before and many in here think I'm wrong but if Dame comes back from Japan and no major move has been made besides Norm walking with nothing in return... that might accelerate his timetable because at that point what potential do we have to get better by the trade deadline? So why would he even wait until the start of the season?
I just can't see, if I'm right and this trade deadline timetable is to see if the moves Olshey makes actually make the roster better, why Dame would wait at all if by the time he gets back from Japan, Norm has walked and no upgrades have been made to the roster. At that point how could we possibly get better like Dame said has to happen? So I think if CJ isn't moved for a player that makes the team better and Norm is gone, Dame will demand a trade and Olshey will have to be fired.
I'm really hoping we can swing a deal with Simmons and then pick up some decent bench players. I really think a starting five of Dame Norm RoCo Simmons Nurk Could be really good. That's three really solid three point shooters to go with Simmons.
You skipped right over my initial conditional “if” there, bk. The take that I was commenting on is that no GMs are going to cooperate in making a fair trade with the Blazers because they are “trapped” into having to improve immediately this summer or lose Dame. That is BS for the reasons I outlined last night. I don’t think that’s the plan, but it’s undoubtedly the fallback position if a good trade doesn’t present itself. I keep reading nonsense takes like that one that the Blazers will be forced to trade Dame soon because there are no likely avenues to make the team better immediately. I don’t think Olshey is operating under an “immediately” mandate.
Some Defensive Minded bargain bench players the Blazers could target in Free Agency. I'm sure there are many others these are just the first ones that come to the top of my head. Avery Bradley (If Houston Doesn't pick up his option) Ed Davis Hassan Whiteside
He should be otherwise Dame could change his tune and demand a trade. I don't buy the he won't be able to make a trade argument. Giannis wanted changes last offseason and the bucks were able to line up jrue holiday and bogdanovich (who decided against going there). Seems like a lazy ready made excuse for Olshey when he sits on his hands and does nothing.
I think Olshey is just trying to drive offers for CJ and future assets up with the leaks about the offers for CJ not being enough. If Olshey doesn't make a move it's a slap in the face to Dame who gave a mandate to improve this roster in a big way, not in a small way. I don't think Dame will take that lightly after his last presser in Las Vegas.
Pass. I like those guys, they're great dudes. But they are pretty much past being able to help a team consistently. We need impactful, on the good side, role players with tenacity.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...opes-To-Reach-Decision-On-Future-Over-Weekend It's real now. Shams reporting it.
Probably likely Dame talked to him on team usa. They aren't a good fit but i'd watch them and give them a shot. He is definitely better than CJ. Just would be concerned how Powell would view that.
I don’t buy the he won’t be able to make a trade argument either. Which is what I said at the start of this conversation. I don’t buy that GMs won’t make a deal that benefits the Blazers’ situation with Dame. That’s a stupid statement. Any trade worth a damn benefits both teams. I don’t buy that every GM out there’s plotting to force the Blazers to trade Dame. How stupid is that line of reasoning? If Dame is traded he’s definitely NOT going to 28 teams. Only one team can acquire him.
again...I do not believe the "KP won't trade with Portland" stuff. It's way to CYA for Olshey....you know, the guy who is never accountable whether it's true or not simply wasn't tested by the offer Olshey made when he held CJ and Nurkic untouchable in a trade for PG13
here’s my question Does Portland make a trade at or before the draft? Or should I not even pay attention until FA opens
Depends if it’s a 3 team deal with picks involved. I’m just waiting for the first domino. Gimme some tradesssssss. Schroeder, Covington and Holiday were all traded before draft day.
last yr the Roco trade happened a day before the draft. think we might be in for some fireworks this summer in the NBA this year. but i think our deals might come after the start of the new NBA yr a week from now. We can then move picks and need guys like DJ et al to opt in first.
