Game Thread 2023-24 GAME #48 - BLAZERS VS BUCKS - JANUARY 31, 2024 - WEDNESDAY - 7:00 PM PST - ROOT, ESPN

yeah....I can't know for sure what Cronin said to Dame, but I think clearly that Dame feels Cronin lied (subjective) to him and did so over an extended period of time. If what Cronin said to Dame matches what Cronin said publicly, for months, then there is probably a substantial conflict between Cronin's words and actions; at least there would be from Dame's perspective

Dame himself said he understood using the 7th pick on Sharpe in 2022 and that bringing in that rookie didn't change his mind about staying. But it was pretty obvious that Dame expected the Blazers to use that 3rd pick as leverage in a trade; and I have a hard time seeing Dame holding that belief based upon nothing rather than discussions with Cronin. Using the 3rd pick on another 19 year old, and a PG at that, was the back-breaking straw

that doesn't mean Cronin didn't choose the best path forward from his perspective. But I think it may have been he knew Dame did not want to leave Portland, at all, and may have planned and acted to force Dame's hand....and Dame knows this and resents it

 

Its kinda hard to watch because my initial reaction to him going to the Bucks was " Yes! One or Two rings for sure for Dame!!! They don't even look like a finals team let alone a fav to win it all. Id just love Dame to get a ring or two and then come back and retire here(hopefully with new ownership in place).

 

There are only a few ways to stop Giannis:

Keep the Bucks from running where Giannis is impossible to stop on the fast break
And giving up your body by taking a charge. Props to Camara for doing that last night.

 

At this point, with hindsight vision, if all Blazer fans aren't universally Anti Olshey, I don't know what to say. The guy ruined Dames prime. And with an egocentric attitude about it as well. Fuck that guy... What used car dealership is he running these days? And this is coming form someone who tried to give him time and the benefit of the doubt.

 

I have been watching the Bucks quite a bit this year. At times yes they seem to falter but not near as much as they seem to dominate the other team. My feel on that game last night is there was a team that was really motivated (Blazers) and a team that was kind of out of sorts with all the fanfare (Bucks).
Beating the Bucks in a 7 game series with all the weapons they have will be very tough. Remember they have Dame and he will win them a game or two. They also have Giannis and he will also win them a game or two. Then they have Middleton who has shown to be effective in the playoffs as well as Portis who for some unknown reason seems to just will that team to wins at times?
The Bucks are contenders without question in my mind.

 

It’s not ESPN. It’s your TV provider. YouTubeTV records the whole game no matter how long it is.

 

Good reason.... like sending him to play with one of the top 2 or 3 players in the game.

 

How does the tv provider control ESPN deciding to schedule another game in front of this one and then stay with it until the end? Denying the MUCH larger fan base the introductions to maybe the most important game this year in the NW?

How does my tv provider control to 5-7 commercials every break compared to the standard 4 commercials root has? Yes, the recording length sucks and we often have to record the show after to ensure we don't miss endings, which I fully admit I failed to do, but its typically not an issue with Root and their standard 4 commercials/2 minute breaks.

 

Also the second game with a new coach.

I expect that team to heavily lean on pick and rolls/pops with Dame and BroLo to free up Giannis or get other shooters completely wide open looks or obviously get scoring out of that primary action. I expect them to run a bunch of pick and rolls with Dame and Giannis. I think fairly quickly you'll stop seeing Giannis setting things up in the half court. He'll be the ball handler on the fast breaks and secondary breaks and then if those get stopped they'll reset by getting Dame the ball. All of that will give Giannis more energy on defense. All of it will also give the Bucks a better chance of scoring at a very high rate which will allow them to set their defense more often.

 

Griffin didn’t last long

 

The shortest-tenured coach in NBA history is the late Jerry Tarkanian of the San Antonio Spurs, with only 20 games under his belt in the NBA. Tarkanian was more well-known for being a college basketball coach, but did coach 20 games for the Spurs in 1992.

 

Did anyone other than the Bucks front office think this was a good hire?

And they could have backed off when people were immediately laughing at the report.

 

Hard for me to say how someone is allowed to feel, especially without knowing the behind the scenes details.

If he wanted to stay in Portland and was promised the Blazers were going to go all-in, I could see how it might be bummed with how things turned out. If he was promised he would be traded to his preferred destination if he ever wanted out, and Milwaukee, wasn't that, I could see how he wouldn't be thrilled.

So tough to make a strong judgement without knowing more information. I'm not bitter towards Dame, that's for sure.

 

no clue. Just posted what I found when I searched for shorting coaching tenure. Wasn’t meant to be in favor or against anything.

 

You're only allowed to feel the way I tell you to feel.

Because I'm always right!

 

You are the exception to the rule!

 

Wow, what a night it was. Amazing atmosphere, great game and fun night. The arena was hyped and electric! I haven’t seen Moda bumping like that since the 4OT playoff game vs Denver in 2019. It was a perfect celebration of Dame and all he’s done for the organization and city.

It was also my first time seeing Giannis in person and he is impressive. On TV it looks like he’s going so hard but live he makes it look so easy and effortless (except shooting free throws). One of my favorite parts of the night was a large part of the arena counting him down at the free throw line.

I was debating whether to fly in for the game or not, but I’m definitely glad I did. Once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

why would they be in contact?