Narrative I'm pushing? Well there is a reach. It was a comment made in response to another post. But okay, if they were in such demand or even were so coveted as to be missing pieces here in Portland, why didn't we see their names often suggested as so many other names were? As fans, (or GMs) many times we tend to overvalue our players because....they are ours and we have an affinity towards them just out of our own fanatism/fandom. They may well be solid contributors and there are certainly things they do that are unique to this team. But it's seesm fair to also point out the both the upsides and the downsides. DJJ is a freakish athlete who certainly causes havoc defensively, and Giles is one of the better passing big men in the league with tremendous skills. That DJ can't shoot yet, has no handle or that Giles body has betrayed him to the point where he can't apply his vast skills is just seeing the whole picture. But if some want to call that observation 'pushing a narrative', perhaps that shouldn't be surprising these days.
1. Who’s the biggest winner of the offseason so far? Matt Dollinger:The Blazers. The moves out of Los Angeles ultimately may have a greater impact on the title race, but Portland may have snuck into the festivities with a series of shrewd moves. Robert Covington adds much-needed grit and defense, giving the team a sneaky-good Big 4 with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic. And the team added considerable depth by signing Enes Kanter, Derrick Jones Jr., and Harry Giles while retaining Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood. Having mix-and-match options and a safety net in case injuries strike is huge, especially for a team snakebitten by them so many times in recent years. Justin Verrier:The Trail Blazers. They brought back key figures from the 2019 Western Conference finals team (Rodney Hood, Enes Kanter) to go along with all of the principals of the team that barnstormed into the playoffs, and finally found a solution on the wing (Robert Covington). This is probably the most talented team Damian Lillard’s ever had behind him—which is scary, considering the meals he’s been able to make out of Allen Crabbe in years past. 3. What was the best move? Favorite move? Portland trading Trevor Ariza, 2020’s no. 16 pick, and a lottery-protected 2021 first-rounder for Robert Covington—precisely the sort of defense-first wing, small-ball 4/5, and low-usage 3-point bomber to serve as the connective tissue between the Damian Lillard–CJ McCollum backcourt and a healthy Jusuf Nurkic. After Portland got bounced from the bubble, I wrote that the Blazers might be “one move away from something serious” without needing to break up Dame and CJ; I don’t know if this is that move, but I like it a lot 5. What was the best under-the-radar move? Uggetti: I said it when I wrote about the offseason’s winners and losers, but Robert Covington is exactly the kind of player the Blazers have been missing these last few years. He might not make them contenders full stop, but he solidifies their place in the tier just below the Lakers and Clippers. You can already tell Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will love playing with a two-way wing like him and he’s bound to improve their porous defense. https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/11/25/21621797/nba-free-agency-draft-best-worst-moves
all those type of articles jabbering about how great the off-season was for Portland are doing one primary thing in my view: putting tons of pressure on Stotts to make sure the team performs at a high level because you know all these talking heads are not going to pivot to "I was wrong" if Portland under-performs. They'll point at Stotts
good. That’s where the pressure should be. He’s got no excuses, minus a catastrophic injury, which I guess is always possible in Portland.
Im cautiously optimistic and yes we are much deeper than last year, however, like any team with new players, we wont really know just how this team gels until we've played a number of games. If we can stay healthy and the D has improved in the front court, and we have a gun slinger off the bench we should be a tough out. Frankly, the key imo will be DJJ and how well he fits and contributes and Terry's game plans. If we slowly bring the ball up court (CJ said you cant run in the west) and not swing the ball, we will have issues.
They rave about adding Covington as a defensive presence (which they should) but this wasn't done in a vaccum. The Blazers lost likely the best defender from last year's team in Ariza. There definately was an add....but there was also a loss. It's up to how much better Covington is vs Ariza that will make the difference.
https://www.si.com/nba/2020/11/24/nba-free-agency-report-card-grades Portland Trail Blazers: A The Blazers continue to build splendidly around their dynamic backcourt, and the 2020 offseason has been defined by Portland’s maneuvers in the frontcourt. Robert Covington brings impressive defensive versatility–as does Derrick Jones Jr.–and Enes Kanter adds a legitimate center alongside Jusuf Nurkic. This Portland roster is deep and malleable, able to upsize and downsize seamlessly depending on the opponent. Neil Olshey may have built the third-best team in the West as we approach 2020-21.
The pressure is really mounting here on Stotts. Everyone seems to agree that this was a great off-season for Portland. I thought is was good, but nowhere near as 'great' as all the national media is hyping it up to be. It is definitely NO best off-season since he's been here.
The lack of another ball handler still bothers me. Remember when the Blazers signed Jaylen Adams before the bubble? Here was the reasoning My question is what’s different now? If anything were even shorter on ballhandlers as we traded Hezonja. Do they view Ellebe as a ball handler? Are they going to sign one on a two way?
I’m sure having Ariza in the bubble and in the playoffs would have been huge. I like that Covington is younger than Ariza.
Covington is better and younger than Ariza and the Blazers also added Derrick Jones Jr., who is a good defensive player. Add Trent's greater playing time and defensive presence, Nurk back for a full season and, hopefully, a healthy Collins sometime in January, and it's clear that the Blazers will make positive strides defensively.
I still don't understand why we didn't trade him..... unless nobody wanted him, which I guess wouldn't be surprising at this point.
We all have narratives, which is fine. I'm probably a little too much "rose garden-colored", but like to get excited about our team (even though I know we'll probably never win a championship). I would also like to say that I really enjoy your insights, and like many of your posts. That being said, poster's sometimes forget some things: It is right to point out that DJJ "can't" shoot, however neglecting that if he could shoot, he'd be WAY, WAY out of our price range. You're not the only one to do this of course. One poster (not you) said that it would be a good signing ONLY if he could shout 35% from 3. Of course, if he could do that he'd be paid more like 4 years, $80 mil. Ditto with Giles injury history, however it really needs to be pointed out that if he didn't have that history, he'd be WAY, WAY out of our price range (more likely not available at all, but especially for the vet min). Ditto for all many of the potential acquisitions in the league. The truth is, we're all going to wait and see how this all works out.
