Everyone if this is just an emotional response I get it. So go through whatever you have to but Dame has always done right by this team and this team cannot say the same for him. Yes they paid him what superstars get paid. They also said repeatedly that they would put better rosters around him and seemingly every time they said that they put a worse roster around him. For people who said Dame should have given this iteration of the team some time, I disagree. When a person tells the team three years ago he wants to see urgency and doesn't see any and then says he wants vets not youth and they just give him youth, I think that's when it's time for that person to go.
I get that people are upset with Dame. I get that people think he promised he would never leave. My opinion for the past several months is that Dame backed himself into a corner and the team chose to rebuild. Whether they deliberately forced him to ask out, or they did it unintentionally, the fact is that Dame was VERY clear about what he wanted and what would happen if the team went another direction. he did not dispute these reports and in the past Dame would have come out and confronted someone who was spewing bullshit.
In the end, the front office making Sharpe untouchable in trades probably kept the Siakam and Bridges from being obtainable for Ant and a first round pick...early on I read they all asked for Sharpe . I don't think we'll regret protecting Sharpe's roster spot.
My thing is this. If Scoot was so high on other team's list as a can't miss, why weren't there more offers for a haul of quality Vets and a future pick to add around Dame? Or was it that there were, but Joe lied to Dame and didn't really want to build around him. Then don't come out in a presser and lie.
I don't think anyone thinks that Dame made a commitment to stay in that meeting on Monday most likely it was just the tiniest bit short of the opposite. I think that Cronin didn't want to lose Grant for nothing and that's where the deal came from but this is all conjecture but it's also based on seeing how Dame has conducted himself for over a decade.
Maybe Dame and his agent misled the FO to get back at them for doing the same thing to him the last two years... Shitty but understandable if true... Would make the phrasing of Joe's last statement make more sense.
Someone ought to ask Dame how anything Miami could offer would benefit the Blazers. This is a business after all — be specific, Dame.
I don't care what the leverage was. Scoot should have been all the leverage Joe needed if Scoot's really that great to other teams.
If that was his intention why did he give him $100m for 2 years after a serious injury? Or why did he go out of his way to slightly overpay for Grant? Sorry man, this just does not compute.
I hold no ill will towards Dame at all, but it's always been funny to me that he's projected an "I'm different" type of vibe, acting like it was him against the world and blah blah. And now the "I wanna take the high road, and LOOK AT ME I'M TAKING THE HIGH ROAD!" is too funny. I'm reminded of three pieces of media: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lady_doth_protest_too_much,_methink 2. 3. "I'm so Humble" by the Lonely Island. (It won't let me embed it, but worth a watch )
He's been quiet except for that tweet which didn't tell anyone anything. I can tell you that every reporter that tweeted out that Amick had reported that for Dame it is Miami or bust either sucks at reading or was intentionally misleading because Amick wrote in his articl that for Miami it's Dame or bust and that Miami was Dame's first choice with Brooklyn as a second choice.
He's "always done right"? Did you see the players that he advocated for? After butting his nose in, trying to play GM? That was never his job and he was terrible at it. That's not doing right. Awesome player, but definitely seems to overestimate his abilities off the court.
I think Dame tried to be but when the team did the express opposite of what he requested after telling him one thing and doing another for a lot of years, I think the ride became a little too rough. I bet Dame is probably more upset with the outcome than any of us are. He just built that compound. He has said all of the things he's said about loyalty. He didn't want to do this but when loyalty is met with some really aggressive disloyalty or even if that's just someone's perception, what are they supposed to do? He's not a fan. This is his life, it's his career, it's his legacy and he's running out of time to make the most of it.
It's a good question. I think part of that is Cronin's only trades being practically giving players away. I think that set a bad precedent and teams had no reason to bring good offers to the table when they thought they could fleece him. I also think the new CBA has played a big part in teams being less willing to make moves. Bad fucking timing.
