Game Thread 2024-25 GAME #44 - BLAZERS @ MAGIC - JAN 23, 2025 - THUR - 4:00 PM - CHARGE - KUNP - BLAZERVISION

Banchero's worst game of the season scoring by far (excepting free throws). Only 1 field goal made.

 

Same. As great as Dame was, no lead was ever safe.

 

The front line played really well. Walker, Camara, Deni, Williams, Grant, and Murray, all played aggressive D.
I know we want them to lose but you still want them to play that way.

 

But the Blazers were losing to teams like that.

 

God, that statement is insane. We have a better record than a Philly team with Embiid, George, and Maxie. Sucks to suck.

 

Random "when will they learn?" thoughts...

Chauncey must be the only coach who sees no issue with leaving a player in with 3 fouls in the first half. Not surprisingly, Scoot picked up his 4th before halftime and couldn't get enough run in the second half to do much. How are we supposed to give up a late lead without him?

Coaches should have figured out by now to ignore their Euro players when they beg for a challenge. Wagner's foul on Grant was all wrist. If he can't tell that he got literally none of the ball, how can he be trusted? Likewise, Deni looks like someone kicked his puppy whenever a call goes against him, and any time he insists Chauncey challenge, it was clearly a good call. Fortunately, we've got guys like Grant and Shaedon who take that responsibility seriously.

Blazer Broadcasting, and Lamar Hurd specifically, are soooooo bad at showing replays over live action. I think they did it two plays in a row at one point tonight. How hard can it be to have a finger on the button to immediately cut away from the replay when play resumes?

 

Can't stand the Ayton Ant Grant core we have ...... Even when the most annoying of the 3 is sitting out somehow this franchise figures out a way to bench their prized 20 year old #3 pick who finally was having his only solid stretch of starting games. He was actually above solid, he was playing very well shooting, passing, and defending while leading the Blazers to wins.

To all those posters that have been fine with Cronin holding onto the Ant Grant Ayton trio these last two years - do you still feel the same?

I'm happy to have this franchise win games - but when your rebuilding it should be wins from a future core. Not mediocre overpaid role players that have zero future here long term.

Such a frustrating franchise to be a fan of. We somehow found a way to develop a strategy worse than the two timelines. New franchise strategy is bench your future when they play great.

 

There are probably 5 other players who could be better than anybody on our team now.

 

As they should

 

Currently the Blazers are slotted with an equal chance of the #8 and #9 pick. So don't worry we most likely won't get any of those 6 players.

So we can continue with this roster more or less as is next season. Such a great rebuilding strategy.

Funny that last year in one of the epically awful drafts of decades we had the 3rd highest odds. Now in a loaded draft we're instead in the back half of the lottery.

It's almost as if someone is playing a joke on Jody or us fans or something and trying to pick the worst strategic choice for this franchise at every opportunity.

 

This organization is fucking directionless.

 

That's the problem. Nobody in the FO wants/knows how to win and play good basketball. I can see this organization being content with perpetual mediocrity: fighting for a playin spot, and, every now and then, being swept in the first round. Ant + Grant iso for the foreseeable future.

 

The question I have is how the hell can a team like Orlando who is desperately trying to win games, only score 79 points against that starting lineup.....at home? Is Camara that good that he was a +26?

 

Exactly. My gripe as well. It’s making me pissed at management. We have the ability to get a high pick in a draft where there is star power 1 thru 5 and we’re fucking it up epically. Why you ask? Well it’s so we can play Simons , Grant and Ayton over the young guys. Three guys who will be an after thought with this franchise by the time the team finally makes the playoffs.

This is a down right disastrous situation by management and the very reason that teams stay in purgatory for years.

All because we decided to stick with this silly two timeline approach to team building with vets who may get us a couple more wins in the meantime while damaging the future of the franchise.

Honestly Cronin can fuck the hell right off. He seems like a nice guy that is just really dumb. I fully expect him to sit on his hands during the deadline. At the most trade Williams. We’ll end up with a pick in the 8-12 range and draft a role player that could possibly be out of the league in 5 years.

 

I have family in Philly. "Trust the process" is not 3 words that they are amused with.

 

Have you seen Orlando's last 10 games? They have been horrible!

 

Sure but they got back Franz for the Blazer game and he played pretty well. The Blazers held them to their lowest-scoring output of the season.
Regardless my question still stands, why are they so bad despite being in first place in their division? I thought KCP was supposed to be a better option than Simons. Banchero has been back now for 7 games and 5 of those he played very well. Is Anthony Black that horrible of a replacement for Suggs?

 

Suggs was really the straw that stir the drink. Specifically defensively. Lock down defender and their go to scorer before Banchero came back.