If you or your son is around 6'5", there is a legit chance to be signed by the Portland Trail Blazers. That seems to be all the rage in last years Draft, the FA signing of Payton, and the myriad of underachievers Joe Cronin just brought in. To review the YMCA deals: Svi Mykhailiuk OUT Matisse Thybulle IN Gary Payton OUT Kevin Knox IN (Wiseman and Bey were also moved in the multi-team deal. Would have rather had either of those) Josh Hart OUT Cam Reddish IN (Mykhailiuk also included and traded for Thybulle) Assets: The NYK's Lottery protected 1st round pick. (Turns into 4 2nds if the pick doesn't convey this year) 5 future 2nd round picks obtained in the GPII deal Waived: Greg Brown III Ryan Arcidianoco? Players that were moved that would/could have actually helped the Blazers. James Wiseman Mo Bamba Thomas Bryant Mason Plumlee Saddiq Bey Jaden McDaniels Jarred Vanderbuilt Dwayne Dedman It's nice getting some Draft capital, but we needed size and there was plenty available. Bamba was traded for Patrick Freaking Beverly and a 2nd round pick for goodness sake. Wiseman may have fallen FAR short of living up to a 2nd round pick, but there are things he can do no other big on the Blazer's roster can. Thomas Bryant just tore the Blazers a new one just a week or so ago. Even Plumlee would help. But no, we bring in Olshey-type reclamation projects where were once high Draft picks in Reddish and Knox. Thybulle can play D, but if you didn't like that Hart wouldn't/couldn't shoot, wait till we all get a load of Matisse. Brick City Rhapsody!!! This roster did not get better.....period. They did not get the size this team so desperately needs. They did save some money, so if you love Bert and Jody, "all hail." They could pick up someone off the Waiver Wire here shortly. It sounds like Dedman has already been waived. I've heard "flexibility" being thrown around which is another way to say we got Jack Squat but might be in line for a late Lottery pick. Here are the current standings in the race to avoid the Play-In: #6 Clippers.... -1.0 #7 Pelicans..... -1.0 #8 T-wolves... -1.5 #9 Warriors... -2.0 #10 Blazers.... -2.5 #11 Jazz......... -3.0 #12 Thunder.. -3.0 #13 Lakers..... -4.5 The Clippers, Warriors and Lakers all got someone to quite a bit better IMO. The Jazz continued selling off assets, the Thunder didn't do much of anything. The T-Wolves made a move, but not sure how much it helps them. Portland got worse, Hart/GP2 out and scaps/underachievers in. No matter how much the Blazers or the media tries to spin this, they did NOTHING to help elevate the team for this year. So another year down the drain. It might be time to start studying Draft pick. Who are the Blazers going to catch in the standings? And very likely, the Lakers catch them, so they might be looking at the #11 spot, just outside the Play-In. For this, we get the opportunity to pay even more for this group next season. Yay!! What it's like to be a Blazer fan.....
Our team got worse, and we're told to stop whining. Intimidation and insults is a hostile, agressive corperate marketing strategy, not humble fans who simply want to see their local basketball team succeed.
They are going to succeed, but because of unrealistic expectations based on unrealistic circumstances people are upset. Just look at the facts instead of making your own expectations then you'll be just fine
I don't grade Joe on this deadline. He is obviously putting his eggs in the basket of draft night and I will judge him then. I honestly don't think he cares whether we win or lose for the rest of this season. It's the only reason why he wouldn't address the big man mess. So he gets an incomplete from me but you don't get credit for incompletes so it's an F until he goes back and finishes the job.
As a fan, in a vacuum, today sucks. It's not fun to watch your team lose on the floor or at the deadline. As someone who's invested a ton of time, money and emotional energy into the franchise, it sucks to see such a pathetic ownership group. All that said, today was about continuing to pay up for and try to right past sins, and honestly, I like the direction we took. Any chance of being truly competitive for a championship was out the window the second the Durant trade went down (spoiler alert: we couldn't have been competitive for him ANYWAY, but that's besides the point). Despite what all the armchair GMs here want to think, there wasn't another player available that would've really put us in the discussion, and anything less than that would've just fallen short and worked out like another Roco type move in the long run. The worst thing to be in the NBA is mediocre and without assets -- and that's precisely what we were. We weren't going anywhere except maybe the back-end of the play-in tourney with GP2 and Hart, and one of them didn't seem bought in and the other was leaving for nothing in the offseason. So yes, our roster got worse today. But in the process, our situation, beyond a year that didn't matter either way, improved. NY will make the playoffs, which means we'll get a late teens pick in a great draft. We'll miss the playoffs, which means we'll get a top-10 pick in a great draft. We open up time for Little, Sharpe and our flyer bigs to develop. It sucks to punt on a year like Dame is having, but these conservative moves were the right decisions in the right climate, Dame or no Dame.
It's a C for me. I don't think they got better, but I don't know that they got worse. Payton/Hart/(GB3) for Thybulle/Reddish/Knox/FRP/5 SRP's in a vacuum is not really a bad return, and though we didn't bring in any bigs, we did, in fact, get taller and longer. Thybulle is 6'5" and loooonnnngggg, Reddish is 6'6.5" barefoot, and Knox is 6'8" barefoot. I don't expect a big jump up the standings, but doom & gloom is a bit premature.
I don't that we even have to tank to lose right now. Every team above us, accept maybe the Jazz got better. The Lakers below us got better. It's going to be hard to make the playoffs.
I was kind of annoyed they didn't get one of the big men available, but they all had some flaws and I think acquiring one would have added just enough wins to get us out of the lottery. I am in tank mode now for this year. Of course, like a fool, I will still be rooting for us to win every night.
100% this, but without being on those phone calls, all you have to go off of is their actions. It seems to be pretty clear that Bamba, Wiseman and others were VERY available, and the actions we took on them were to do something else. That suggests to me that, for better or worse, we weren't as interested in those guys as suggested. The inaction at the position also leads me to believe that they look at this season as part of a rebuild. As such, I fully expect us to feature Nurk heavily once he comes back healthy in hopes of recouping some of his value.
first things first: there was never a realistic scenario in which trail blazers can become a contender secondly, wise thing would be to wait and see how new guys look on our team, dont make judgements before they even step on the court in our uniform who knows, maybe not having josh hart (guard) play small forward position and having someone else play there will be a better fit and gp2 wasnt really what we expected (im glad hes gone), maybe thybulle becomes what we expected from gp2
As someone who supports the tank nonetheless, I think our roster got better. Thy is better than Hart and Reddish is more needed on our team than GP2. We got a little taller and more athletic. Thy is being incredibly underrated here. People overrate Hart cuz he’s 6’5” and grabbed 8 rebounds a game. No worries. The team will rebound fine, esp with Nurk back.
Well, all that's left is seeing how this new roster fits together. Nurk still out another week. Hopefully, Winslow is back soon.
Can see people making a case for a B, C, or D. Anyone giving out A's or F's is grading based off emotions and unrealistic expectations.
I graded it a “C.” And not a bad one. The reasoning above — with varying conclusions — I like them. The poll is spot on. The outgoing players were likable and had strengths, but they aren’t needle movers — Hart didn’t shoot the open 3 and GP took too long to help on court. (Some mentions of that.) Their contract situations sealed the deal. Getting the draft capital was SOLID. The players returned? Reclamation lottery picks — #9 and #10 in their drafts. Hart and GP out, Matisse in. At least Knox and Reddish are taller than 6’6”. Thybulle for defense and ignored, garbage man near the hoop. I like Thybulle.
