Wouldn't shock me, either. Like I mentioned in the Cronin thread, the spotlight's on him. He either hits a home run on this trade or he should be out of a job. I don't think there should be any in between. It's too important and you'd think we'd hold the cards unless Dame tries to be difficult. This is like "Glengarry Glen Ross": First prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Second prize is you're fired.
The money works because Brooklyn has two different TPEs that could absorb Nurk's salary. Edit: Miami does need to send out more salary but Brooklyn could take on Duncan Robinson's contract as well.
What I don't get is why Dame claims to "not want to join a superteam"? They went to the fucking finals last year. I am reading "Miami or bust". Fuck that attitude. Again, Dame signs off on re-signing Ant and Nurk for way to goddamn much, rendering them immobile. Dame ~forces Joe to sign Grant, who does not really a difference make. He has a role in this mess. I remember the traps against the Pels in the 0-4 sweep. He is partly responsible.
Now that Dame won't be here, I'm cooling on the idea of Simmons as well. I don't trust him without a solid veteran.
Actually, second prize was a set of steak knives, but your point stands. THIS is the trade where we have to show backbone and not give in. There will be tons of pressure in the media and around the league to do so.
There are so many bullshit assumptions here. Do you actually think that Dame negotiates or signs off on teammate's salaries? I know the team asked him about personnel moves but I don't think he's in other player's salary negotiations. I'm sure he pushed the team to re-sign Grant early but I think it's a stretch to say that you know he was still pushing for that on Monday, let alone forcing Joe for fuck's sake. Dame has no role in the fact that this team's management never put a competitive team around him after LaMarcus (I know we went to the WCF but it still wasn't a good roster). The facts are so incredibly simple. Dame said if the team wanted to go with youth that's not his way, they chose youth. Joe can try to frame it any way he wants and you can buy that bullshit but Joe kept saying he was going to push all of the chips in on win now moves and he kept not doing it. Joe was assistant GM when Dame went off about urgency before the Olympics, the team showed no urgency under Joe. It's fine Joe seems like a very risk averse individual. So he kicks the can for as long as he can. When he picked Scoot and then at the presser said the team intends to keep him what in the world did anyone actually think Dame was going to do... including Joe. Edit: I will say the Miami or bust shit is fucking annoying but I don't know how real that is because it's just reports. If Joe gets a good offer from another competitive team he should accept it and see what Dame does.
I heard that Damian "liked" that tweet, he didn't tweet that tweet. It's nice to see fan support for Damian from time to time.
I watched the JR podcast. All Marang could say is "what would you do? Hmmm? What would you do? I have a Blazers press pass, it's not easy being a GM. What would you do to make this team better? Hmmm? It's not an easy job. See my Blazers press pass?? See it?? What would you do that's different?? There's nobody in the NBA that Cronin could sign. What would you do, hmmm?? I'm waiting... see my press pass??"
Do we get to hold him accountable for all the statements he has made? or just these last few? How about when he criticized people and said he would never join a super team? How about how he wanted to retire a Blazer? how about how he was willing to fight and never take the easy way out. How about all his talk about loyalty and all the talk he spread for years before doing exactly what he coitized others for doing? Can we hold him to those? or just what he said once he signed his big contract?
I'm just a Dame fan. I'm a Blazers fan first but I'm still a Dame fan. I actually appreciate everything he's given to this team. I don't think the front office ever did right by him during his prime but he stayed until finally he reached his breaking point... I could see how that would happen when he makes it known to them that he doesn't want to go young but they do anyway. I really don't think Joe wanted Dame to stay... if he did he's the shittiest GM I've ever seen.
We all make assumptions when we don’t have real data. It’s a fucking fan forum. Remember? The point is Dame could have forced this before resigning Ant and Nurk. I think he was loyal to a fault. If he had a hand in Grant joining then why don’t you think he had a hand in those other transactions? I think, yes think, he did and they were decisions he made out of loyalty to friends. Your assumptions are no more valid than mine. Fuck he said a few days ago he was staying. Remember? We ALL had that impression after the meeting with Joe and even more so after the Grant re-sign. Dame is a great player but perhaps not the best at selecting talent.
You get to feel however it is you feel and see this thing however you want to see it. If you want to demonize the most loyal superstar this team has ever had for finally being fed up, after years of begging for help and having those pleas fall on deaf ears... cool. I don't think Dame should have demanded a trade today, it should have been on Monday. No loyalty should be unconditional except probably to your kids, definitely no loyalty in business should be unconditional. I guess you can criticize Dame for thinking that our front office would keep its word. I mean you can criticize him for whatever you want but I don't find it fair to criticize someone for changing their mind after years of showing urgency to be at a championship level and never getting the same from management.
I don't think next year's draft is expected to be that good. We'll likely be in the lottery as it is. Might be better to spread the picks out over the next three years.
It's probably just being in the moment, but I'm not really interested in Dame coming back to Portland in five years. He's a great talent, but he's not LeBron, and LeBron won in Cleveland before he was 38. As far as I'm concerned, Dame can take a tour of the league for the rest of his career.
Exactly f***ing right. Enjoy being passed around like a joint at a campfire. Maybe then he'll appreciate what he had here.
Kind of the way I look at it is nostalgia signings are for teams that aren't going anywhere and need a spectacle to put people in the seats. We didn't do it for Walton, Drexler, Roy or Aldridge. I see no reason to do it for Dame considering the circumstances of his departure. Maybe we can sign Blevins to Dame's spot on the roster in five years when he's playing for the Hawks.
