I don’t wanna trade Sharpe/Scoot lol and I don’t think he would want to come here. Let’s just win the lottery instead.
He made the hard move a hatchet man is supposed to, but he got us value in return, which other hatchet men we've had before didn't do.
You’re Now, first and foremost, I am a fan of the name on the front of the jersey. Dame was amazing when he was here and got ZERO help from Olshey. However, he decided to say fuck you to the team and its fan base. Those of you that still support him, great. Like Clyde when he asked for a trade, Dame died to me when that happened. I’m not happy that he got injured, but I’m damn happy Joe was able to salvage a good return for him. Feel free to lose it if that will help you in any way. I’ll even act offended if you want me to
Nobody said he died. This is a horrible thing for someone to have to go through. Money doesn't change that.
A big part of the future of this team hinges on the Bucks being bad between 2028-2030. Dame getting hurt plays a big part of how that future is shaped. I think it's normal for Blazer fans to talk about how his injury impacts our team.
I didn’t read MM’s post in that way Bones. None of us wish ill towards Dame. In hindsight, we have a brighter future with the additions and without being strapped with such a huge salary. Let’s all say our prayers for (Blazer for life) Dame and hope he, with the help of God above, recovers soon!
The Bucks look bad because of multiple reasons, one of them (the main one) is roster construction. They had an identity with an excellent perimeter defender backed up by a monster interior defender - instead of surrounding them with shooting and secondary playmaking, they changed the identity of the team for the promise of an elite offense/shooting and playmaking while losing their elite perimeter defense. They were hoping that Dame and Giannis would gel and their offense will overcome the loss of defense on the perimeter. Unfortunately for them, it did not happen and the rest of the roster aged or was injured (Middleton) and is no longer have an identity they can rely on. Subpar coaching does not help - but I do not know if any coach in the world would be able to do something with this version (before injury) of Dame, Giannis and the rest of the roster the Bucks have.
Bolded is the only part I disagree with. In his position where a great career was winding down and the roster was no where close to competing, I don't blame him for forcing his way out. How he did it sure wasn't to my liking as a Blazer fan though and in general I thought his side handled their business poorly. Sitting on the fence to make it seem like he might stay so as to help his buddy Grant secure a ridiculous max deal and then immediately demanding the trade to only Miami seemed spiteful/completely selfish actions. Specifying only the Heat as a trade destination sullied his loyalty reputation not just here... heck I live in the Bay where he's from and local sports talk was killing him for weeks. Joe has managed to navigate matters quite well since then and I have real hope as a Blazer fan for the first time in a decade plus... definitely he deserves credit for turning this around. Best of luck to Dame going forward including a speedy and complete recovery STOMP
My first thought when getting the text about Dame 'possibly' tearing his achilles, was damn that's too bad for him. That thought immediately followed by, how does this help the Blazers and those draft picks? Call me cold hearted, I can live with that, but if you are in a Trail Blazers fan forum, than I expect you are a fan of the TRAIL BLAZERS! I get that many choose Dame over team and if not, than it's a 1A/1B scenario for many of you. The guy didn't die, he wasn't in some life threatening situation, he tore is achilles. Hell I would have felt like @Mediocre Man was more of an ass if he did this after the blood clots situation, but a basketball injury is a basketball injury. I only wonder if Dame is out for next year, does that kick start the Milwaukee rebuild this summer by trading Giannis and can they get back to respectability by 28?
I was fine with Dame wanting out. But the one team trade demand and toxic communication was the ridiculous part. There was no need for him or his minions to go scorched earth to the Blazers organization. He always said he would act differently, quietly, and respectfully if the day came to leave Portland. Said that set him apart from all other NBA stars. Then when it came to his time - he was as bad or worse than all the other entitled NBA stars he spent over a decade criticizing. Thankfully Cronin didn't give into his ridiculous demands. It ultimately got Dame nothing but a tarnished legacy.
You know your post has me wondering if this Dame injury actually could HURT the Blazers picks they are owed from the Bucks. If Dame was healthy next year the Bucks probably run the group back, and maybe even run it back two years until Dame's contract ends. Giannis would have been older and would fetch far less in a trade. The Bucks could have been stuck where those 2028-2030 picks were pinned at the top of the draft with no options. But this summer Giannis will be able to fetch much more in a trade and it seems very plausible if not likely the Bucks will pivot to that direction. They have no way to construct a contender around Giannis with that Dame supermax contract and few other trade assets. Trading Giannis this summer could get the Bucks rebuild going far sooner - so they instead become a respectable team by 2028-2030. In that case the picks the Blazers hold might only be in the middle of the draft.
That was my issue too. I was fine with him wanting to try elsewhere, but dude spent 11 years selling a yarn and then in a matter of a week burned that yarn to the ground.
Yeah, I had been wondering this myself since last season when Dame and Giannis didn't seem to pair well. If they rebuild too early it could weaken that draft pick. Now with Dame's injury that path may be all but decided on.
OKC would be interesting. They have lots of future picks. They also have the matching contracts with Hartenstein and Joe (or Dort)
I don't believe Dame's injury has much to do with 2028-2029-2030 Milwaukee picks. The final year of his extension is 2026-27. He'd be 37 years old, even without the injury, and might not have even re-signed with the Bucks the bigger issue is the status of Giannis. If he demands a trade this summer, Milwaukee might actually get a godfather package and who know how rapidly they could rebuild. There would be 3 seasons between this summer and the 2028 swap; and 4 seasons between this summer and the 2029 pick. A lot can happen in that amount of NBA time...for both teams edit: saw in your follow-up post you wondered the same thing. Not sure an accelerated timeline for a Milwaukee rebuild will be good for Portland
