I tend to agree, but the flipside i see is this team desperately needs outside shooters around Scoot, which is Ant. And then how does Malcom fit long term with the youngsters?
I would prefer to keep both Simons and Brogdon. I don't understand why our fans hate depth so much. As we saw in game 1, players get hurt. Of course, if we lucked into a scenario where we got a good young player back in return then sure, but another pick around 23 does not excite me.
I think it's important to consider what the team will be like in 3 years. I'm imagining.... Starters: Scoot, Sharpe, Ayton, (Camara, but idk if he'll be a starter). If you think Grant will be on the team, then include him too. If we make a trade, imho, we need to get a player who'll start for us at the 3 or 4.
If one can't see how desperately the team needs outside shooting, than I dont know what to say. Not sure why folks are so set on dealing Anfernee. Dude is a deadly shooter. No one else on this team is anywhere near. It's a key piece to sustaining an offense over time.
25 games in or so we'll know whether we need to make a trade. If they aren't clicking by then, then there's no point in keeping the roster as is. I like the depth and balance so I wouldn't trade just to go with a weaker bench filled with young unknowns. CJ Elleby isn't going to give you what Brogdan will even for the next couple of seasons. If they trade any vet I think it'll be Thybulle or Ant at this point but I think they value Ant a lot more than the market does.
Scoot will absolutely be the starter in 3 years. Record is almost immaterial, so he should start now.
Agreed. Until Scoot figures out his shot, it actually will space out the floor way more with Ant and Sharpe starting. Thybulle, although still inconsistent, is shooting a respectable percentage thus far at 38.5%. If that guy is the worst shooter in the starting lineup, that’s bodes well for spacing. Ant will also get a ton more minutes playing PG.
It has to do with more than just Scoot. We aren’t just developing Scoot, we are developing the rest of the roster. Starting Ant and Shae with Thybulle, Grant, and Ayton spaces the floor so much more for the entire team. If Scoot doesn’t figure out how the refs call fouls by the time Ant is back, I think it’s best to not handicap the team by starting him and he gets 2 early ones. You might as well start Ant and Shae, then bring in Scoot for Thybulle with 6m left. If Scoot gets his fouls early, at least we are closer to the end of the quarter than the beginning.
I want to see a stretch of Ant without Dame as an offensive engine before I think about trading him. Not three years like with CJ, but a full season would be nice.
I know that Camara isn't a PG, but he really reminds me of Robert Pack. Oldies will remember Pack as practice fodder who was not expected to make the team, but become a rotation player almost immediately.
Love me some Robert Pack. We traded him for a future second who was not good. Ended up playing like 12 more seasons. Great job, Portland.
Crazy fact about Camara: He signed a full 4-year deal for jack and shit. Feel bad about that. However, if we win the in-season tournament (we won't), each player gets 500k, which is half his salary this year.