This is absolutely not a knock on Ant but he is not a number 1 option. We better hope that Sharpe or Scoot are. I love Ant but think we need to trade him this summer to open up time for Scoot and Sharpe to take over this team. I mean I wish Ant could be our 6th man but no way he accepts that and I don’t blame him he’s a starter for 40-50% of the teams.
Ant isn't a guy you build a championship team around. He might be a missing piece to an already established contender at some point. And that's fine. There is nothing wrong with that.
Trade Ant to the east and get a 6'9-7' forward that can shoot with range and rebound or picks. His salary off the books pays for a lot of Banton type players on cheap deals.
Not sure why this keeps being repeated. There is absolutely nothing he has ever said or done to suggest he would not accept that role. But until Sharpe and Scoot stay healthy enough to improve we have to wait and see. Sure if you get a young forward that is worth trading him for you consider it, but will that young player be better than who we draft this year?
Ant is as close as the Blazers have to a number one option. Grant is in second place. Scoot and Sharpe may be the future, but neither has been healthy enough or consistent enough to justify clearing the roster in front of them. Use Anthony Edwards for comparison. He’s a monster this season and looks every bit the number one option on a contender this season. But this is his third year in the league. I hope Shae and/or Scoot can achieve that level of play by their third season, but they have a lot of growth to do this summer and next season.
He’s not. Sometimes the greatness of a player is based on knowing who they are, or aren’t. He should be an instant offense, heat check off the bench and I’ve been saying this for a couple years now. If he’s the #1 option on your team, you’re team more than likely sucks.
doesn’t surprise me you’re easy to lose, JK. I mean I like Ant and don’t want to offend him but IMO he’s not a guy you can count on night in night out being the number 1 option. That said I really like him but feel like keeping him will stunt growth of two other guys who could potentially be a number one option. If Ants starting them Sharpe or Scoot aren’t.
Thanks. That’s what I wrote initially and then thought it was only 3. That actually makes the point better: it takes time to become a true number one option.
I've been one of the biggest Ant supporters here but I agree. Think this season has shown he just can't be that lead guy on a good team. Maybe Ant will best be suited as a backup long term - who knows. The larger problem for the Blazers is we don't have one player who projects as an above average starter. Sure I hope Scoot or Sharpe will but that will be a pleasant surprise not something I'm expecting. We probably need 3-4 of those to eventually contend. We're just so far away from that - even if we draft a stud this summer were multiple moves away from it mattering. It's going to be a long rebuild.
We saw glimpses from Edward immediately as a rookie. Most of the elite players have those moments their rookie year. SGA had them, Donovan Mitchell had them.
I agree....Ant is a 3rd option type of player because of his limitations. He can certainly get hot and he's been stellar in the clutch this season. But he's a supporting player on any good team I think Grant is about the same level; maybe a little more versatile because of his length. And Ayton is also about the same level, but I don't believe role-playing bigs ever have a consistent offensive impact which points out the elephant/room conundrum: Portland is paying over 90M/year for three 3rd-option level players. And we saw with Dame that a contender needs a couple of 1st option players; at minimum, one 1st option and two consistent 2nd options. Portland needs 3 players better than the Ant-Grant-Ayton trio and I don't know they have any, now or in the future, on the current roster
Blazers already have that style of player by trading for Jerami Grant. The money part is a bit different, but Jody Allen is rich, so it's all good.
Short Point Guards as the lead offensive option rarely win championships, anyway. Steph is the only one in the last 30+ years and that's arguably because he's the GOAT shooter. That Simons can average 23ppg on a bad team and probably 17ppg on a good team would be a sign that you have depth and a variety of offensive options within your starting five. The blueprint for most championship squads dictates as such - one MVP contending superstar (usually not a PG) and three All-Stars/borderline All-Stars helping them out (starters that can hit 17+ppg - though, one of those guys could be a defensive type like Ben Wallace or Draymond). 3/5 starters must play defense. Most championships in history reflect that In that sense, you keep Simons with the hopes that he comes off the bench as a sixth man or as a potential option if Scoot doesn't pan out. Unless you get Ausar Thompson or Tari Eason back, trading him would probably be a waste.
I think Ant is gone this off season. I think we'll get to see Scoot and Shae for the last handful of games and I think it will look a lot more cohesive than Scoot and Ant or Ant and Shae have. I actually think we may have seen the last of Ant in a Blazers uniform. We can likely get good assets for Ant, that will propel the rebuild. I think we'll get a little less return on Jerami and even a little less on Malcolm. The three of them could really give us returns that will lay the groundwork for this team's contending future.
Yeah I wouldn't trade Ant unless we're getting a quality player that fits better. Certainly no fire sale.
Cronin screwed the pooch on the McCollum trade correct? I'd hate to see him do the same here with Ant. Hope he has learned from past mistakes. That said I'd keep Ant because the young ones seem to be injury prone thus far.
He is just about the deadliest shooting guard in the 4th quarter....in the NBA. Not a #1 option? Ok. But to then say because he is not, that we need to trade him seems like smashing one's face with their own fist. If he was on a Dame/CJ max contract, I'd get the belly achin.
