I still can't believe the Jazz traded two stars and got 2 stars back ON TOP of everything else. You can make the argument Markkanen had a better season than Mitchell and Kessler had a better season than Gobert. Markkanen makes half of what Mitchell makes and Kessler was a rookie! On top of that, they got 8 unprotected picks (!!!!), Vanderbilt/Beasley which got ANOTHER 1st, Sexton, and Agbaji. Danny Ainge is goated. Hindsight is 20/20 but there was talks about Ainge becoming GM when Olshey was ousted - and the rumor at the time was that he didn't want to take the job without being able to blow up the team (including trade Dame). Instead, we promoted Cronin, and paraded around the idea that we were going to build around Dame - only for him to ask out this off-season anyways.
I think Washington is the only team we will be competing with for worst record in league, really wish it was a good draft next year.
I am going to aim this post to the people who still love Dame but just think it's time for whatever reason that the Blazers and him part ways. I realize that Scoot looks very good and that Sharpe has shown flashes of extreme promise but hope and potential do not always equal success on the court. Look at Roy and LA then Dame and LA and then Dame and others talent does not always means wins this team has been a prime example of this. I know there are things that have gone wrong to hamper the success I mean you have Roy who has the knees of a old man and then Oden who for various reasons was a bust and then LA who I think he wanted to remain with the Blazers but I wonder if they pulled the same thing on him only to a lesser degree that they are doing to Dame. This front office / Vulcan tends to like the new shiny things and pin all of it's hopes on it and how has that worked out so far for them .... it has not and I feel like this is take two or three of the same old story. Now to the question of how many wins and I will break down how the next few seasons will go without Dame. Season 1 : Blazers will be up for a Top 5 to 6 pick the first season Season 2 : Blazers will be fighting for a play in spot but fade around All star break and finish with 6 to 9 Lotto odds Season 3 : Blazers will have a real shot at getting in the play in for the playoffs This is the best case and realistic scenario for the Blazers going forward and this is fine but fans need to realize this is prolly the future or it could take an extra year or two so you need to be prepared for this possibility and then the wildcard. I am talking about Jody "Cheapskate" Allen and this joke of a GM what can we expect from them to help this team see the potential of the new big 3 of Scoot , Ant and Sharpe cause right now I have zero faith in them to get jack squat done. Enjoy this reality cause it will be full of losses and hopefully moments of greatness in those three and a glimpse what the future holds for this new Blazer team.
Agree with everything you say except that this is a joke of a GM. It's a GM that does the right thing, which unfortunately means that the way to fix the garbage he inherited means a reset that will take multiple seasons.
This GM might be doing the right thing with this Dame trade ( yet to be seen ) but can you honestly say he has done a good job like Roco / Norm Trade and the GP2 signing etc etc -- he is a complete joke and a Jody yes man -- facts
Yes, I can and I detailed it before. He said his goals are: 1. Increase the talent (and he has, Sharpe and Scoot definitely brought new talent) 2. Balance the roster (in process, Grant has been the best Forward the Blazers had since LMA) 3. Address specific issues on the roster (GP2 / MT are a POA defender the Blazers did not have since Wes Mathew). I don't care about individual trades, I am looking at the goal and the trend, and he certainly was doing it before Dame decided to run from the grind. The GP2 fiasco showed that he was able to quickly pivot from it when it went south, the reasoning to do it was right, it's a shame that the injury derailed it, but the idea was right - and he salvaged it quickly, he basically got 5 SRP for a TPMLE, that's pretty good). Being Jody's yes man is going to be the rule no matter who the GM is, GMs do not stay if they go against the owners, so that argument is nonsense about the GM. I stand by what I said, Portland's issue is certainly not our current GM. It's what he inherited and maybe whatever the Vulcan's give him as marching orders, but Portland, imho, should feel lucky to have someone that has a clear idea how to fix it's sub-par last decade of existence and is doing it methodically.
Balance the roster ..... when did this forum become a comedy club cause that is the funniest joke I have heard is ages. This idiot GM signed GP2 to a contract KNOWING fully he would not be able to play til new year best case and all star break or later at the worst. I give up trying to talk sense ... NM .. TRUTH to some of you is like talking to a brick wall I could hand you evidence and you would still kiss Cronin's ass --- you and the likes of fools like you are the reason Dame is leaving -- Thanks - You do not have to like me , hell you can think I am a a-hole but again -- I speak the truth and am blunt about it and if that offends you -- TUFF cause me and others who speak the truth are the the lines of defense that is trying to keep this fan base sane but as of late that is turning into a war since so many silly fans right now.
So, investing in a forward instead of CJ as the #2 option on the roster is not working on balancing the roster? GP2 had the same surgery that Dame had the year before. If he recovered in the same time Dame did, he would have played in October. Unfortunately, it did not happen, but that was the idea, sign a POA defender. When it did not happen, he replaced him quickly with MT + 5 SRP. Sound logic. Kiss Cronin's ass? Made sense to do what he did. The reason Dame is leaving is because NeO fucked Portland's assets and Cronin, against your expectations was not able to replace garbage for immediate gold within 18 months. Seems like unreasonable expectations on your part, not Cronin, but whatever. How can you say that, we do like you, but what you believe is the truth seems unreasonable to me. You can be as blunt as you want, no-one cares. What you say does not make sense to me and if it offends you, TUFF? (Am I doing it right?) Sheesh man, the problem seems to me unreasonable expectations on your side, not incompetent GM'ing. But, you do you man, I don't think anyone cares if you disagree with them, no one is getting upset. It's all good.
They need more talent. Plain and simple. They need a second star to go with Wemby. I know they have been kicked around as a spot for Dame, but he's just too far out of the same timeline.
Yeah. Roco and Norm have been shit. They weren't worth more than we traded them for with those contracts. They weren't going to help us win or help us improve talent wise, and nobody wanted them for what they were making. So we had to dump them. Sucks, but it is what it is.
I think some of you are just like sure maybe he messed up a little but look what happened we got Sharpe and Scoot and he lied to Dame and he is now asking out but who cares he got his money right ( sarcasm BTW ). Just cause this team got lucky with Sharpe and maybe with Scoot does not make Cronin good or NOT bad it just makes him lucky it worked out as this front office wanted. They wanted to push Dame out and build with youth even though they lied to Dame in the process but again just small facts do not let that get in the way of the TRUTH and all. I have made no secret that I hate the fact Dame is leaving and have passed the blame to Jody and that loser Cronin but the truth is I have come to terms with it just do not like how it all went down aka the Lies and deception to Dame. I would have loved Dame to be a Blazer for Life but the truth is even if Jody was willing to spend money aka go over the cap ( something we have yet to see ) but the truth is I was never really sold on Jaylen Brown and maybe another vet or 2 being enough to get it done in the loaded west. I do think the ceiling for that team if it were to have happened was 4th seed ( best case ) to 5th to 6th seed more then likely. The reason is this team was not built correctly by NeO and you may not want to believe the truth but also by Cronin after he took over. This team would have needed a total overhaul not just trading Ant and 3rd pick for a star but Nurk , Little and then some and even then it would have been really hard to do. Also not to mention the contract to Grant and Brown that would have handicapped this team going forward for 3 to 5 years minimum. It's not out of the question this team might have gotten further if Sharpe blossomed and such but with those two would he really get a chance when you would have had those 3 on the team. It's possible but it would have made it harder and hampered his growth a little or worse we would have pulled another Jermaine O'Neil trade and traded him for more help for Dame. This new plan of the front office and taking out the fact I do not trust Jody or Cronin is still a crap shoot but at least they are a little more flexible in a couple years IF it does fail or need tweaking. Also some of you will go you just made my point about Cronin no I am not cause he and the "B" Jody will be held responsible for driving out the best player this franchise has ever had just because they could not be HONEST with Dame. Even if this ends in a title 5 to 10 years from now with these players that is a HUGE blackmark on there record and one that fans like me will never forget even if it does payoff. They say the ends justify the means but that's bullshit not when it means doing to Dame what they did so this front office and Jody can go screw off. BTW if you think this was the rant I was talking about .. nope this was just my warmup my rant like i said will be AFTER Dame is officially traded and not a second before.
I've got to think we've got another thousand at least before the NBA goes under, the team leaves or the complete undoing of human society stops us.
