we have polar opposite views of Dame... but if Dame is traded, the presence of Cronin/Schmitz is why I almost desperately want Ant-Nurkic-Grant traded too. Trade all of them for as much draft capital as they can. Get shitty for 2-5 years and let Cronin/Schmitz have 3 or 4 more rolls of the dice for high lottery picks as well as more mid and late first round picks the worst thing would be trading Dame for a couple of solid role players and then trotting out a team that will win enough games to be be locked in the painfully boring purgatory of late-lottery/play-in/1st-rond exits get more top picks. Blazers won't get any from a Dame trade (unless it's 5 or 6 years from now). No more fucking 're-tool' especially around Simons....geeeezuzzz
If we want picks and I agree with you, then the Nets are a good choice to trade with - they have a boat load after Durant trade, forget Miami
but all of their picks, save the Phoenix 2025 pick, are at least 4-7 years from now it seems kind of pointless to count on both Cronin and Schmitz to be on the job 4-7 years from now
The Nets received unprotected 1sts from the Suns in 2023, 25, 27 & 29. https://www.nj.com/sports/2023/02/nets-trade-kevin-durant-in-deadline-blockbuster.html ...I'm pretty sure the Nets have their own future 1sts to potentially trade as well. I'll remind you of how the Blazers attained Grant. Future unprotected 1sts are trade gold STOMP
At minimum, thinking of past Trail Blazers, I think Rupert will be a significantly bigger version of Wesley Matthews, or Josh Hart. I like to think of those two guys because of their workaholic/gym rat ethic. Rupert will be relentless point of attack defender. As the ceiling, I can see the combination of Nic Batum and Wesley Matthews. The measurements of Batum, with the mentality of Wesley Matthews. In the interview with Matt Walsh, Matt said that at the end of Rupert's first season when he was 18 years old, the Breakers played their last game of the season on a Wednesday, flew back to New Zealand from Sydney on a Thursday, and when he went into the practice facility at 8am to review the season with the head coach on Friday, he saw Rupert had been there for about an hour working with an assistant coach. Matt didn't know what to make of it. He said to the head coach "is this a fraud?" (turns out it was no fraud.) About halfway through his second season Rupert broke his wrist and certainly could have returned to France to keep his draft stock up. But he had no intention of going back to France. He wanted to stay with his guys and keep playing.
Like Batum, Rupert's father was a professional basketball player. And like Batum, his father, Thierry, died when Rayan was still young. "Rupert has had to tackle the start of his basketball journey without his father, who suddenly died of a heart attack in 2013. “When I was eight my dad had a heart attack … it was very difficult for me and my family, [but] after we're more close (sic),” Rupert reflected." Thierry Rupert is the late father of Rayan Rupert. Thierry was a basketball champion who had “35 selections for the French national men’s basketball team from 2001-2004.” He played his entire career (1993-2012) as a power forward in the French Ligue Nationale de Basket. Thierry passed away on February 10, 2013, at age 35. Richard Batum: His father, Richard Batum, died of a ruptured aneurysm. “My father was a pro basketball player in France,” Batum said. “He passed away while playing in the game on the basketball court. I was 2 years old. I was in the crowd with my mom when it happened. “That’s a terrible memory. I think about it sometimes. I just remember he got fouled and went back to the free-throw line to shoot his free throws, and then he was falling down at the free-throw line. I can remember when my father went down, and I can remember later, when I wake up, all of the TV stations around and my mom crying and all the craziness going around. Here I was 2 years old, but I’ve got memories about it.”
"Hardest worker I've EVER coached!" Matt Walsh gives Rayan Rupert Scouting Report | 2023 NBA DRAFT - YouTube From his coach in New Zealand...this interview has me stoked...compared to Mikail Bridges.
It the zip code where he’s from. They call it something different but 72 is basically his zip code of where he was born
It's funny because we recently found out that we have a second kid on the way (it's still pretty early) and their nickname is going to be "Oops" as well.
