The fact is all three of you are right obviously, I think the difference is that this summer is put up or shut up. If Joe can't get a deal done then he'll have to answer to Dame for it and what he'll be answering is a trade demand and not a mid season one, a trade demand in the summer, so Dame can have a full season with whoever/wherever he ends up. I honestly don't think that Joe wants to be the guy that lost this organization Damian Lillard. So I think he'll do what it takes to put a competitive team around him by acquiring a second all star/superstar even if that means an overpay on the star and then going out and getting role players that make sense around them or keeping them in the case of Thybulle. I could be wrong and we could see this guy (Cronin) punt for the third time only this time making the ultimate punt of trading Dame for young prospects, draft picks and salary filler... it's just not the read I get from Joe.
Im reading the same, so Im not putting much into this years picks as Im convinced picks along with players will be used to reload.
Yeah May 16th should be pretty interesting to see how much value that pick has or if we're somehow getting Wemby.
Being that Dame doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild, Should the Blazers be looking at Scoot Henderson as well?
The Blazers should ONLY be dumping draft capital into players 6’7 and taller. As far as I’m concerned, moving forward, “height” is a MAJOR factor in the “best player available” criteria. Elite wings are what win championships.
I think they took Dame's post game comments about rebuilding out of proportion. I believe Casey Holdahl asked Lillard a puffy question about how great Thybulle might look on the team next season. Lillard didn't want to talk about rebuilding the team next season.
- "He's going to make a trade to build around Dame." - "He's not going to succeed. It won't work." - "Well, it didn't work this time. He's going to make a trade to build around Dame." - "He's not going to succeed. It won't work." - "Well, it didn't work this time. But who could we have traded for? He's going to make a trade to build around Dame." - "He's not going to succeed. It won't work." - "Well, it didn't work this time. But this next time is his last chance. And who could we have traded for? He's going to make a trade to build around Dame." I wonder if he's going to succeed. I wonder if it won't work.
A package set around Allen + Garland would be a huge haul. The downside to trading with Cleveland is they don’t have 1sts to trade.
And they don’t need to trade for dame. I’m sure they’re happy with their roster enough that they aren’t concern with getting dame
Outside of the summer of 2019, they've said that every single offseason. They really do. "If they don't win the lottery they're trading the pick." Remember that old saw? People said it last year and they're saying it again. Don't be surprised if the team doesn't win the lottery, makes the pick, and does smaller moves around the edges again. It's more methodical and it's also hard and it's the least risky, least Tim Connelly way of doing it. (I'm of the opinion that the only path to a championship includes drafting well as 'the' center of it. It's the most efficient way to collect assets and we're a team without many.)
Feels like it makes just as much sense as Scottie Barnes or Minnesota trading for Gobert in real life.
Minnesota and Detroit are in two totally different situations. Minni thought they had a team ready to contend and made a dumb move, Detroit is nowhere near contending.
Worst part about thinking of a Dame trade is there aren’t many teams with both the players and the picks to trade for him. MPJ + Murray (traded to another team for more assets) + multiple 1sts is the closest realistic trade I can think of. But I can’t trust MPJ’s health and the next pick they’re able to trade is what, 2026? Honestly, one of the only things I could think of doing is trading Dame to Boston for Brown and multiple 1sts, then trading Brown to another team like the Knicks or a lotto team for young guys + multiple 1sts. Complete teardown and try to get as many 1sts as you can. And honestly, I’d be okay with that. Draft guys like Hendricks and Lively to build around Ant and Sharpe. Suck for a couple seasons and get some high draft picks in addition to the 7-8 picks we get from the Dame trade. That’s probably the quickest way to contending in my mind.
So get a good top six pick this year. Tank by the end of the year again next year. Not at first of course because that would make the number one pick a better option. Tank 10-15 games after the All Star beak so they get another top 6 pick. Do this 6 years in a row and you might have a decent playoff team. Then try to get the trade for the piece that puts them into contender position? Now understand this depends on all of the picks being good picks and them all staying healthy. Otherwise this could go on for 8 or even 10 years. Can the Blazers get back to being relevant by 2030?
The Blazers haven't been relevant since around 2000 regardless of who we have put on the floor. Injuries to Oden and Roy, and getting nothing back for Aldridge, Matthews, Lopez, Batum, Afflalo, etc haven't exactly helped.
They're a top-4 team in the East, but pretty clearly a step below the other 3. Personally, I agree that it makes sense to grow with the group they have, but I could see an argument for upgrading their backcourt with the best leader in the NBA.
