Game Thread 2023-24 GAME #53 - BLAZERS VS WOLVES - FEBRUARY 13, 2024 - TUESDAY - 7:00 PM PST - ROOT

Understood. The video was in direct response to a specific claim made in the game thread, in which I responded with a prediction, that I felt deserved an objective look once the game was completed. I did not say Simons had a good defensive night or that he is a plus defensive player for his career, so your response felt a bit out of left field. Appreciate you clearing up the fact that you weren't attempting to move the goal posts after the video evidence disproved the original claim.

 

Portland looked like an NBA team for 40 minutes. Then a series of blunders, bricks, and flat footed defense for 5 straight minutes... allowed us the wonderful opportunity to watch a good Timberwolves team claw the Blazers face off and take a 20 point lead.

Dammit this team is choking, our guys had rest, practice and gameplans to at least make this game competitive.

The Blazers keep choking, it's worse then ordinary losses. The team choked games last year too, even with "better talent".

Losses = better draft pick

I'd rather watch the scrubs lose by 40, at least the kids would gain experience. We're watching good players embarass themselves in a hucky chucky system designed and executed by Coach Billups.

 

I had just watched the game and saw Ant get beat repeatedly on defense; there was a discussion about Ant's defense in the game...didn't seem like left field but ok

 

Someone around these parts keeps gaslighting us about Ant.

 

Extremely exciting game being able to watch Jerami Grant play a team-high 35 minutes and shoot 5-17 and Simons shoot 6-19.

Someone (maybe it's a group effort) is trying hard to make me not want to watch the rest of the games this season.

Kris Murray played 4 minutes and Rayan Rupert was sent back to the G league.

Matisse Thybulle was 0-5. He started this game at guard. Some type of guard.

Thybulle seems not to have to worry about playing time, though for me it would be nice for Rupert to take all his minutes at this point of the season.

I know Thybulle does more than what we see in the box score, but there has to be some level to be expected isn't there, before a role player just gets benched?

 

The third segment this morning made me think of you.

 

Just providing facts.... which for certain agenda pushers, could be frustrating.

 

Anfernee was hiding in the camera well and jumping from the crime scene, as big Minnesota monsters ripped through the painted area.

There's threads and debates about Simons defensive flaws. He's an outstanding creative scorer, top class shooter, but a bit undersized and lightweight for the 2 position. Put Ant on a team at true PG with lanky defenders, things might look different.

Blazers drafted Scoot, can't go back in time. It's Small Ball City with the hope of landing more phenom rookies. In the meantime, I've been told to blame Lillard & McCollum for the Blazers bad defense. Even though those guys got traded to better teams.

 

I used that one already. been in my bag bro.

 

It's the accent. The Refs don't like waffles.

 

It’ll never happen, but Ant would be perfect off the bench backing up Scoot and Sharpe. I hate these financially motivated coaching moves that hurt the team.

 

i don't think Ant's salary has anything to do with why he starts. It's because he's currently our best player and draws the kinda gravity and defensive attention to allow for softer coverage against his teammates.

One of my goals this season was to see if Scoot/Ant/Sharpe can coexist. We can't truly answer this question for multiple reasons, unfortunately.

 

I’ll answer it for you:

No.

Small 2 guards that can’t defend are a liability.

Our best bet is trading Simons to a team that values him as someone who can bolster their bench and bring instant offense.

 

I think he's caught in a space where he is overqualified for that role, but not quite the star you can truly build around.

 

or to a team that has enough passing and play-making elsewhere in their starters to allow Ant to play the PG position. And likely to a team with enough length in their starters to off-set Ant's defense and size

that's what worked for CJ. The Pels' other 4 starters are 6'8 - 6'8 - 6'6 (Zion) - 6'11. Ingram & Zion are averaging more assists than CJ, yet the starting unit averages 20/game with CJ averaging less than 25% of starting assists and less than 18% of team assists (for comparison: last year Dame averaged 35% of the starter assists and 30% of team assists)

 

That would work, but not to re-hash this debate for the millionth time, it only helps us if we get a significant return for Ant.

Until he actually comes out and says he would refuse to come off the bench, I think it is ridiculous to assume he would pout in any way if he did. Moving forward (next year) we will need his shooting and we need the depth coming off the bench

 

Been reading this conversation here and obviously throughout many threads over the last couple years. Thought I would drop my two cents in.
I totally agree with this. Nobody knows how he would respond until it actually becomes a question. As years and the cap changes his salary becomes way more palatable for this. I have a hard time seeing Ant having a problem with it if he takes on that role and he flourishes not only on the court but if the team is winning. I absolutely do not see him being happy coming off the bench for a team that is perpetually tanking. Growth or no growth this will not happen unless they are a playoff team and at least close to contending.

 

does that really need to be said though? I don't see people advocating for making any bad trade.

obviously, this is all very subjective. There are pretty significant gaps on what value people assign to Ant and what value he adds to the Blazers. Those differences inform what expectations different people would have on what a "significant return" would be. In the 2015-2018 seasons I saw people strenuously advocating that CJ shouldn't be traded unless at least an all-star or a top-3 pick was coming back. That was Masai Ujiri level over-valuing

as for if Ant would be OK coming off the bench: maybe, but I'm skeptical. Sure, if he was averaging 32-35 minutes coming off the bench he might be OK with it. But if Scoot/Sharpe are worthy starters they'd need 32-35 minutes themselves and that's not leaving any extra minutes; it is also a continuation of Portland being undersized if Ant gets lots of run as the SG

I'd agree trying the experiment is worth a shot. It's too bad Sharpe got injured because for a good chunk of the games he was healthy he was showing starting-level production (kind of turnover prone though). And Scoot has certainly made a case for starting with his play lately

 

Yeah, that is the problem IMO. There does seem to be a pretty large gap....and because of it, IMO, some people are advocating for a bad trade. Now I personally don't expect an all-star back, but I would expect a damn good young forward coming back in return.

 

I have to disagree sir/maam…… Ant is our best player and his ability to explode for buckets in clutch time is why he starts and plays. No secret hidden agendas here. Chauncey knows this.