both. The team is waaaaay underperforming due to shitty coaching, imho. Losing a nice double digit lead is the team's, and Billups', identity. This is a 500 team and now with Dame sitting more and more it's clear the tank is on.
Easy one. Dame was out with "calf tightness" or whatever it was... Does he play the Pels game if it's actually important, like a playoff game? Of course. The fact that he didn't play when the team has a big, winnable road game and is "competing for a playoff spot" tells us all we need to know.
You want them to be bad perpetually so you have something to talk about, so you should be very happy.
Our best stretch was with Winslow running the bench mob....they are tanking because they won't let him play plus the Lillard calf is an obvious one giving it was the Pelicans that we were playing. The tank is on.
I know there are a number of Ant supporters out there but I just don't see it. When we are missing Dame, the offense flat out misfires. I'm sure part of that is coaching and not having a real/decent offensive plan (other than Dame) but I just don't see Ant doing anything that gives me any confidence to trust him to lead the team anywhere. Others have said we desperately need a backup PG. That is true. It is not Ant. He really is CJ 2.0. An undersized SG who, when he is on, can be a scoring machine but doesn't provide much else, especially defense. Without Dame, we are just flat out a bad team. With Dame, we can be mediocre but the way this team is constructed, we are perpetually a Dame injury away from being a lottery team and not even borderline lottery, a full season without Dame and we'd be in prime position for the #1 pick.
You have to see the humor in that we replaced CJ with CJ after watching the team fail with CJ for six years.
The Blazers get blasted by opponents not named Spurs, Pistons, Rockets, etc.... This team stinks. The GM has put together a severely undersized roster that can pile up losses to lose for higher drafting purposes. The Coach is too nice, and doesn't hold players accountable for playing terrible defense. Billups has made the team a fun place to play, regardless of the outcome. Everyone gets to shoot the ball and nobody gets yelled at. None of the key players get benched for slacking on the court. "We got good looks, just couldn't hit shots". I have yet to hear Billups asked why guys aren't moving their feet on defense. Why Blazers are running half speed to get back on D. Conceding easy baskets to pad offensive stats has not become a winning strategy.
I hate to say it but I'm ready to put him in the Nate McMillan bucket. Nice guy but can't seem to coach his way out of that bucket in which he has just been placed.
We have a type. Mo Cheeks Nate McMillan Terry Stotts (outlier) Chauncey Billups Former player Point guard Shitty coach
I don't see how anyone would REALLY think we are intentionally tanking. Dame only missed his second game this calendar year, and Billups continues to run our starters heavy minutes (last night being an exception). I don't think the team is terrible, or even necessarily bad. It's just below average, and our record reflects that. A hot streak could still land us all the way into the second round of the playoffs, I think .. but that would be a fluke and we all should aspire to more than a second round exit as the best possible result.
Ant isn't Dame? You don't say! Ant will never be the leader of a playoff team. There is no sentient being who would argue otherwise. Ant doesn't need to be an All NBA player to be a valuable contributor. That said, I'd trade Ant in a millisecond if it would make the TEAM better.
Ant isn't the problem with this team. The problem is the team doesn't have a true number 2. Both Ant and Grant are at best a number 3/4 on a contender. They are not what's wrong with this team. What's wrong with the team is the lack of players better than Ant/Grant/Nurk. It's pointless to scapegoat players for not being something they aren't. The blame should go to the team management over the past 10 years. Not the hapless players wearing the laundry.
Like many have said it's both. I think if this team were healthy we would have been in the playoffs and out in the first round in a sweep or gentlemen's sweep. If you watched the last game you saw the numbers that we've had players miss more games than almost any other team. At the same time I think this last game with Dame sitting was the all in move on the tank. So we are really that bad and now we're leaning into it. Besides the injuries you have management. Cronin said the team wasn't complete before the season, he said he couldn't get done what was needed to be competitive at the deadline. I don't think there's much more to say when your GM says he hasn't got the job done yet.
Ant can be a #2 on a different team. He can be Jamal Murray, IMHO. To answer the poll question, with the injuries to Nurkic and Ant, it’s become a stealth tank. Play hard. Get the free look at the incoming players. If they squeak into the play-in and get hot, okay. But it’s never been the priority this season. Cronin talked “process” from Day 1. Plan A didn’t get done at the deadline because they didn’t have the draft assets to compete. That’s been part of the conversation on this board. This summer they’ll have the future picks and are positioned for swing away. It’s connect or Dame’s time will be short on the Blazers … and I think they connect.
