I'm not criticizing just asking, are you mixing measurements? Are you sure that the average heights you are referring to are barefoot measurements and not listed heights that teams tend to list with shoes on. Regardless your point is 100% dead on in my opinion we have to stop with these shrimpy lineups, it's not OK and it hasn't been OK. I really hope we move on from Ant very soon, if Lowry is coming to us in the Dame trade I hope shipping Ant somewhere is the next order of business.
I think Ant is capable of playing PG. He's shown it when Dame is out of the lineup. I wouldn't try to acquire Ant to play SG. It would be to play the 1. Unfortunately, starting at SG won't show how he's capable at playing the 1. Best bet is to have him come off the bench and convince other teams he can take on a bigger role.
So would Little at the 3, or someone else via the Dame trade like JJ jr, or even a throw-in from Toronto (Achiuwa or Boucher) I think Simons and Thybulle off the bench is ideal.
So far, Shae has not shown that he is an above average rebounder. In fact, it could be argued (and most likely) that he will end up as a below average rebounder.
last year's rebounding rates among Portland's perimeter players: Josh Hart 14.1 Justise Winslow 10.7 (has he signed with any team?) Gary Payton II 8.8 Nassir Little 8.3 Damian Lillard 7.6 Shaedon Sharpe 7.6 Matisse Thybulle 7.3 Jerami Grant 7.2 Keon Johnson 6.1 Skylar Mays 5.8 Anfernee Simons 4.3 need to see Sharpe in a consistent role to reach a judgement on his rebounding prowess. Josh Hart had a rebound rate of 7.5% in his 2nd season, when he was 23. Then he found his niche as a player (energy and hustle) and bumped that rate up to the 12-14% range note: last season, of the 190 'qualified' players, Simons finished 189th in rebounding rate. Out of the 539 players who logged minutes in the NBA, Simons posted a rebounding rate that ranked 522nd of 539. Add anemic rebounding to his horrible defense and there's yet another reason for Portland to cut bait and sail away
He's had some good rebounding games. Anything he would give would likely be better than Ant in the rebounding dept.
If we could trade Nurk for Ayton and just green light Scoot over Ant then I would feel pretty good going into the season that at the least we see an improvement on how we finished last year. I definitely think moving on from Nurk is a must regardless of if we refuse to trade Dame. Ayton could theoretically be the change we need to break through to where we’ve wanted to be. But at this point we are banking a lot on Shaedon and Grant. Still though, that roster could be legit. At this point I’d hope we can make a move involving Nurk for Ayton and keep Dame here. If it doesn’t work out then maybe the market will be hot before the deadline. Easier to find suitors looking to be involved with a team like Miami in a Dame trade. Been saying it for a while and talking about Turner.
At any rate, Kris Murray is 6' 7.75" without shoes, so about 6' 9" with shoes. That should be about average for a PF.
what's up with these gambo tweets. any examples of his track record? also, why is suns interested in nurk for ayton only if dame is traded? that's what his tweets seem to insinuate. if they want nurk for ayton, it can be done w/o dame. i'm not too excited for ayton, just pointing out reporting i find odd.
hes the insider about phoenix suns stuff, a very reliable one phoenix has interest in nurk, hes not the guy who speculates
Has it been 24 hours? Last night, after going through several tweets, I was convinced Ayton was already a Blazer.
It makes sense to combine Nurk for Ayton deal with a Dame trade as salary matching is easier. Phoenix will need another piece but still wants to save a lot of salary. Other piece is probably in the Dame return and other teams can take on some Phoenix salary since so many contracts move in the Dame trade.
PHX owner has stated many times that he in not about saving money at all. it wont be fore the savings it would be for a better fit for the team defensively. I hope it works out. having a center who can dunk will at least make the Blazers less frustrating to watch......Nurk with his ridiculous hip flip shots when he is in the paint...
It's not just money - if they can get under the 2nd apron they open up the tax MLE, less trade restrictions, can sign buyout guys, don't risk a future pick being locked and falling to the end of the 1st round. There are many competitive reasons to avoid that 2nd apron this season regardless of how much cash they are willing to lose.
Ayton, Scoot, Sharpe, Simons, Grant and another seasoned, solid front court defensive vet would be decent.
I actually know Gambo. Good guy. Well connected here. Portland is only interested in Ayton if Dame is traded. Everyone knows that Nurk is Dames center. If Dame is traded the Blazers would rather have Ayton with the young group over Nurk. Dame did not want to play with Ayton in Portland when he was initially available. The story here is Booker specifically is done with Ayton. KD agrees. Been listening to the local talkers and Gambo all day. Hope this helps.
