Game Thread 2022-23 Game #34 - BLAZERS VS HORNETS - DECEMBER 26, 2022 - MONDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT) ROOT

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by Chris Craig, Dec 23, 2022.

  1. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    2019-hornets-hero.jpg

    ______________________________________

    STARTERS

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    Damian Lillard Anfernee Simons
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    Josh Hart Jerami Grant
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    Jusuf Nurkic



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    LaMelo Ball Kelly Oubre Jr
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    Gordon Hayward PJ Washington

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    Mason Plumlee

    _________________________________________

    WHEN: DECEMBER 26, 2022 - MONDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT)

    WHERE: MODA CENTER, PORTLAND OR

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    TV BROADCAST

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    RADIO BROADCAST

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    ____________________________

    BENCH

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    Gary Payton II Justice Winslow
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    Nassir Little Drew Eubanks
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    Trendon Watford Shaedon Sharpe
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    Keon Johnson Jabari Walker
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    Greg Brown III John Butler Jr
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    Ibou Badji



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    Terry Rozier Dennis Smith Jr
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    Cody Martin Nick Richards
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    Jalen McDaniels Bryce McGowens
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    Kai Jones James Bouknight
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    JT Thor Mark Williams
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    Theo Maledon

    _________________________________________

    COACHES

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    Chauncey Billups

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    Steve Clifford


    ______________________________________

    INJURIES

    BLAZERS

    Damian Lillard - Wrist - Probable
    Jusuf Nurkic - Calf - Probable
    Josh Hart - Ankle - Probable

    Drew Eubanks - Hip - Probable
    Gary Payton II - Cond. - Questionable
    Justice Winslow - Ankle - Doubtful
    Nassir Little - Hip - Out


    HORNETS

    Cody Martin - Knee - Out
    Dennis Smith - Ankle - Questionable
    Terry Rozier - Hip - Questionable


    _________________________________________


    NOTES

    • This is the second of two games this season between the Blazers and Hornets
    • The Blazers defeated the Hornets 105 - 95 on November 9th in Charlotte
    • Mason Plumlee played for the Blazers from 2015-17
    • Dennis Smith Jr played for the Blazers during the 2021-22 season
    • Gary Payton II hopes to make his season debut against the Hornets
    _________________________________________

    75bzm2~2.jpg
     
  2. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    Maybe the Blazers will show up for this one.
     
  3. Cugel

    Cugel The epitome of mediocrity

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    what are the odds GP plays? Any takers? I am saying NFW.
     
  4. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    2 weeks
     
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  5. Fairly-Hard

    Fairly-Hard Former Member Gone New!

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    It’s the word on the street from multiple people who say they have inside information but I have yet to read it from the people who actually know.
     
  6. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    I'll believe it when I see it.
     
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  7. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

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    Wouldn't that be nice.

    "He's 2 weeks away.....from being 2 weeks away."

    Fran Frachilla (edited)
     
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  8. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    This is the only post game interview that was on the team's YouTube page. This is exactly what I've seen with this squad. When they are focused like they were late in the first half, they can not just hang with but dominate anyone. When they are just going through the motions they can hang with the bad teams and get killed by the good ones.

    What that tells me is the team does need to learn and grow into what it takes to win at the highest levels in this league but it also tells me that we need a more cohesive unit that can make up for the lapses in intensity that all players and units go through.

    I think we'll beat the Hornets and may go on a six game run until we have to play Cleveland who seem to be far more dialed in both with the way their roster is constructed and the consistency they play with. If we do have that win streak it will be fools gold because it will be against teams that aren't going to do anything in the playoffs and the Warriors without Steph.

    I just really hope that regardless of how we do going forward that Cronin keeps the idea in his head that he said he had last season when he traded CJ. That is that he knew we could probably make the WCF again but still probably couldn't win a game in them and that wasn't good enough. I don't care if that means gutting the team of everyone but Dame and Shae or even if it meant trading Dame for the right package, trading our other vets and building around Ant, Shae and whoever we get for our vets. We just need to do something.
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2022
  9. Fairly-Hard

    Fairly-Hard Former Member Gone New!

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    I don't really believe in "Fools Gold". In the NBA you have to win the games you are supposed to win and compete in the rest. If they get a 6 games win streak it is exactly that. With or without Curry who looked at the schedule at the beginning of the year and thought of these next 6 they might win all of them? Hoenets, Warriors, Pistons, T-wolves, Pacers, Raptors. 4 games on the road and 2 at home. The two games at home are both a "One Home and One Away" schedule.
    Seriously ridiculous to think this team would win all 6 of those and call it "Fools Gold".
     
  10. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

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    Sadly, we have heard similar quotes so often, and just as unfortunately, the same type of inconsistent effort from the team as a whole over the years. They will eventually go on a nice winning streak just like they do almost every season, but in the end, will it be much different than basically every other year?
     
  11. Fairly-Hard

    Fairly-Hard Former Member Gone New!

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    Wait? So you thought this team was going to be better than the last few years?
    What did you think was going to happen? HCA and a run to the WCFs?
    What will be an acceptable outcome for you this year?
     
  12. BigGameDamian

    BigGameDamian Well-Known Member

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    I wouldn’t mind the Blazers trying to get PJ Washington or Jalen McDaniels at the trade deadline.
     
  13. OR-84

    OR-84 Rip City Baby!!! GO BLAZERS!!!

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    Hopefully they can get a win for my birthday! :)
     
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  14. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

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    I thought the team 'should' be better just due to getting a player like Grant in their front court. He is better than anyone they have had there in quite some time, so the sum of talent over all is better. However, the sum may not equal the whole of the parts. Grant can help, but he can't cover up the multiple defensive holes that exist all around him. Hart is a warrior, but IMO, is still too small to be a starting SF on a contending team. Nurk helps at times, but get him in space, and it's often a disaster. Then there is our first line of defense, which has been bad for years.

    I did think Grant would help them be better and maybe they will be by the end of the year. But as of now, it is looking a lot like years past. The guards taking most of the shots, whether they are making them or not. Our defense being lower than teams that are trying to tank, and 'mediocrity' being the continued label of this era.
     
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  15. blazerfan11

    blazerfan11 Well-Known Member

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    what happened to Ben McLemore? Is he playing anywhere?
     
  16. Fairly-Hard

    Fairly-Hard Former Member Gone New!

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    This is why i asked the question.
    What would be an acceptable outcome this year for you?
     
  17. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    I know you're not asking me but I don't think we have "an acceptable outcome" right now. If the team stays as is and stays healthy I think they'll make the playoffs but I doubt they make it past the second round. If we make moves it changes the whole equation and maybe the "acceptable outcome" becomes at least the WCF. Also I personally think that making the playin but missing the playoffs is an acceptable outcome because it would give us a lotto pick in this draft and obviously mandate even bigger changes than we've seen in the last year.
     
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  18. Fairly-Hard

    Fairly-Hard Former Member Gone New!

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    So acceptable to you is anywhere from Lotto to WCF's.
    Right On! It's pretty much where I'm at as well.
     
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  19. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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    I have a sliding-time-scale of acceptable outcome

    the threshold for acceptable started low and bounced way over the baseline because I was just happy that FINALLY, the lamebrain Olshey-loves-CJ-beyond-measure-with-Powell-at-SF stupid fucking idiot roster was shit-canned. That carried me thru the summer and into the first part of the season

    I think I said, somewhere here, I thought the team was about a 44-46 win team with 6th seed as the ceiling and play-in as likely. That's what I though were reasonable expectations for a process that started with dismantling the ingrained, broken, 7 year roster. My expectation was that the process was just starting and might take a couple of years. For certain, one trade deadline and one off-season without cap-space weren't enough time to dismantle, remodel, and rebuild. Sure seems like some expected that to happen though.

    my expectation was the the Dame/Ant experiment should be given a season to see if it tracks the same as the Dame/CJ failure. If the returns are pretty conclusive at the trade deadline, then perhaps, if a trade is available, Simons might be moved. And my expectation/hope is that Cronin won't be so idiotically welded to Simons as Olshey was to CJ

    I wish Portland was winning more games, but where they are right now kind of matches my expectations
     
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  20. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

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    Dame, Ant, Grant and Nurk as your core? I expected at least Top 6 and out of the Play-In. Given the lack of dominant teams in the West, I think they should be maybe even better than that.
     

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