Yeah we'll have to wait and see on where the Pels end up. The hype around CJ's arrival is a bit overblown. They beat the Suns without CP3 and Aaron Holiday, not to mention Cam Payne the guy they were depending on to help do damage control from the loss of CP3. They also beat a Lakers team who have been a mess all season when healthy and didn't even have AD. I'll hold off on the coronation of them beating out the Lakers in the play ins or the Spurs if they jump in there and I'll just go on record saying I don't think they'll beat the Clippers or Wolves. So to me odds are still pretty strong that the pick conveys and it's looking likely to be the 10th or 11th. I do agree that without the Pels pick we'll be in a far worse position to improve this off season, mores so I think regardless of if there was a mandate to get under and stay under the tax, Cronin is going to be in much bigger trouble than the team is, in regards to getting that interim tag taken off and not being replaced... probably before the draft. A lotto pick, Hart and cap relief for CJ isn't all that terrible... it's still a bad deal but not horrendous. Hart, cap relief and wherever the Bucks pick ends up in 2025 would be a hard pill to swallow especially if CJ keeps on putting up the numbers he is and leads that Pelicans team to the playoffs robbing us of the pick.
Ewwww, thank God neither of you are the GM. I’ll be irate if Chet is the player the Blazers are targeting. A stiff wind will snap that kid in half (or a swift forearm from someone like Andre Drummond). No fucking thank you.
Without the Pels pick the CJ trade goes from weak to a total screwjob. I have long rejected the idea of CJ being our "2nd star", but you can't trade a useful NBA starter without getting something!
I suspect you won't have to wait long! If the deal had just been Hart for Nance - that would have been a good deal. A healthy Nance would have been worth more to us than a wing - but a solid and healthy wing is worth more than a broken down Nance.
When he was healthy, I liked what he brought to the team, but at some point you have to stop betting on players who are always hurt. I'm looking at you Mr Little!
Dude. Hype and who is injured doesn’t matter if they are winning games. If they make the playoffs, the fact that CP3 didn’t play won’t give us our pick.
Yeah if CJ is the difference between where that team was headed and the playoffs and we don't get a pick until Milwaukee's in 2025 then Joe fucked up so bad... which he already did trading a talent like CJ and for that matter talents like Norm, RoCo and Larry away for so little in return. Without the Pelicans pick it's going to be very hard for us to use our pick and get anything of real value with the TPE that so many have praised the value of that was opened up by giving up so much and getting back so little. I still don't think that the CJ led Pelicans will beat either the current iteration of the Clippers or Wolves in a play in game. So it won't be over-hype or injuries that end up helping us getting their pick. It's just that they won't be good enough. That's what I think but it will come down to one or two single elimination games and those are not things anyone can be sure of. Therefore, again, Joe really fucked up.
Historical tanks. In 2011-12 season: Finished 28-38. Ended up with the 11th best odds for the #1 pick. Got the 11th pick (Meyers). Nets finished 22-44. Ended up with 6th best odds, got the #6 pick (Dame). 12-13: Finished 33-49. Ended up with the 10th best odds for #1. Got the #10 pick (CJ).
I doubt this current Blazers team wins more than 2 or 3 more games. There's just not enough talent. Anfernee has been rendered ineffective due to teams giving him the Dame treatment. And Ant has not dealt with it well . Just have to have the ping pong balls fall right.
Please stop comparing this kid to Durant. It’s not even remotely responsible to talk about Chet and KD in the same sentence. While at Texas, KD was universally recognized as having the potential to be a once in a generation scorer. Chet couldn’t lick KD’s jockstrap in terms of overall talent. I see a Shawn Bradley type career in Chet’s future.
Equally annoying as a Durant comparison would have to be a Shawn Bradley comparison. Bradley’s only ability that led him to a long NBA career was standing in the paint and raising his arms in the air and disrupting things. He could’ve only dreamed of having the skills that Holmgren has. Whether it’s shooting, handling the ball or even navigating the court. Shawn Bradley for sure…