This is the way. I am befuddled that almost everyone isn't thinking like this. The Blazers have a rare top-8 draft pick (90% that it'll be top 7) in a draft loaded with forwards or players like the Thompson twins that are 6'7" with very high athleticism.
Did you see this year's results? Why would we keep doing the same thing and expect things to be different?
I don't think we'll do the same thing. Last off season we acquired a quality starter in Grant and a blue chip prospect but not a second all star or superstar. I think that's what the team will be looking to get this off season which is different than anything they've done during Dame's tenure.
Cool. I'm not talking to you, then. I am asking why doing the same thing as we did last year would be a good idea. That's why I quoted BankTeller's post. (I do find it amusing that, after years of trying, the Blazers will magically get a second all star or superstar this year. OK. Whatever. haha)
I think it depends on how far the team is willing to go. If we get the first pick and use it on Wemby that still leaves us up to 4 first round picks that we could trade and 3 swaps. We also have the salaries of Ant, Nurk and Nas that could all presumably be sent out. If we don't get the first pick and presumably then trade our pick in this draft, we will have up to 5 first round picks and depending on how we fulfill our obligation to the Bulls up to four swaps. You can get an all star with four first rounders, some pretty good players who are there mostly to match salary and some swaps. You can get a fucking superstar with an early to mid lotto pick along with four other first round picks and some swaps. It sounds to me like the team is all in this off-season in a way they haven't been before. So they will either pull the trigger on a trade we haven't seen before or I think they'll tell Dame they can't get it done, tell him they'll move him to a good situation and start a youth rebuild. I honestly think those are the only two outcomes from this off-season that the team will go forward with. I guess we'll see though because obviously there are thousands of other ways shit could go.
You were looking for things to routinely make sense and stay on topic in threads? Best you stick to mowing lawns because your expectations might be as high as many a basketball forum poster.
I see this being your conclusion from last season: An NBA team cannot add significant talent through the draft of a top 7 draft pick. Because of last year's results.
Come the playoffs when teams have time to prepare for the opponent, Gobert is a proven defensive liability. Just involve him in a high pick and roll and have him switched off onto your preferred guard/wing for a wide open look every time. He's been on quite a few teams that tore it up in the regular season but his career playoff record is 21-33 largely for this reason. STOMP
Signing GPII obviously wasn't a mistake as they got him for just money and then turned him into draft capitol. This past offseason I advocated for not resigning Nurk and instead going after 26 year old Kavon Looney who signed for less then half of what what Nurk did. If Portland had used the future Bucks #1 (which they used to acquire Grant) to instead deal for the #12 (like Detroit did) and draft Jalen Duren, they'd be in a much more ideal place now and into the future.... hell, they might even have been able to take a run at Grant as a FA this summer. STOMP
To be clear, I don’t want Gobert. I just think in panic and desperation mode he’ll be out there for us
Like seemingly everyone, I was in disbelief when the TWolves gave up the farm for him. While I do like having him on my fantasy team just fine, in real life ages 29-33 at 40M a year, I'm for going another direction. STOMP
First off, having researched more, not possible/my bad. Obviously cap discussions are complex and where the team sits is related to who they retain/renounce etc. The extra flexiblity I'm alluding to is if they'd signed Looney (at lets say 9M per... he signed for 7.5M) instead of Nurk (17M), but then I forgot to add in Duren's money (4M). Even renouncing everyone else this offseason they'd have had a tough time putting together a competitive offer for Grant. I still would be much happier about where they sit going into 2023-4 if the roster featured Looney and Duren (at 13M combined) then Nurk and Grant at (45M-ish). I don't think there will be a viable trade avenue available to become contenders so I'd rather they be perusing the slow build over the next couple offseasons. In the short term I think the D would be better and Duren has a very high ceiling IMO STOMP
Jalen Duren would've nice for Portland. I was big on both Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler and felt either would've been nice if Portland acquired the New Orleans pick......so far, it looks like they're doing decently in the league, wouldn't you say? Now, I'm not trying to be a revisionist, pretending that I would've 100% selected Jokic if I was an NBA GM back in 2014. Instead, do you all want to know why I was big on those two particular centers? Because, here is a neat threshold that I found in my research: Since the modern era (1980s-present), traditional centers (the tall and muscular ones) that play a decent role on their Division I caliber teams, who averaged 12ppg/8.5 rpg per 28 minutes (28 mpg is reference to Shaq's freshmen year) on decent FG% (ex. 54+ FG%) as college freshmen, have gone on to have good to great careers in the NBA. Now, obviously, the talent level varies but at minimum, they can make for productive starter material or elite back ups on playoff bound teams. In which case, let's have a look at the players who would qualify under these terms: Shaq, David Robinson, Hakeem, Ralph Sampson, Embiid, KAT, DeMarcus Cousins, Ayton, Sam Bowie (yes, he probably would've been a pretty good player, actually), Greg Oden (would've been a great player). There are 'lesser' prospects who aren't bad, either....Wendell Carter Jr., Robert Williams III, Hassan Whiteside. Obviously, Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler fit the profile and have put up good rookie numbers. Does Chet Holmgren count? I'm not sure...he's not exactly a traditional center due to his skinny frame but he does produce the numbers we're looking for. Now, that doesn't mean players who don't meet the threshold aren't going to be great players. For example, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Bam Adebayo missed the cut off by a slight amount. Rather, to me, it suggests that when you can put up that level of production relative to your age, you are probably a step above everyone else that you can come into the NBA and be productive. Again, the talent level varies. Blazer fans are likely familiar with Whiteside's level of play so you can't just look at stats alone. However, even a player like Whiteside can contribute heavily to wins or be a good back up center. In this year's draft, there doesn't seem to be anyone else other than Zach Edey, who barely misses the cut off point by around .1 rebound per game. Zach Edey's game is slow but he has excellent footwork and height. It's possible he could be a good back up center, somewhere. If he does put up stats, which I think he can, it'll probably be like Hassan Whiteside or Enes Kanter, where it looks good but due to his mobility (or lack of), the defenses might take advantage of his presence.
I hope we keep our pick no matter where it falls and build a core that will be ready to compete in a few years with an aging-but-still-good Dame.
It's just that Dame has stated that he is not interested in that. So you want something for Dame that he does not want for himself. It's a lot like everyone who has been saying for years that they want Dame to leave the Blazers, that's not what he wants. I think the exception might be if we land the number one pick.
