Game Thread 2022-23 Game #59 - BLAZERS @ KINGS - FEBRUARY 23, 2023 - THURSDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT) ROOT

Does anyone honestly think this Blazer team is any better than the one we had with CJ McCollum, or has a brighter future? I don’t. To me it feels like we’ve traded one set of interchangeable parts for another.

 

The team is definitely worse now. The last 2 trade deadlines we have traded our players for worse players.

 

All for part of this ‘greater plan’

 

We’ve pretty much sucked since we dealt away Aminu/Harkless/ET. They were the defensive engine for our team and best gave Dame a chance to win. We also have a worse coach now.

 

You thought our future looked brighter last January? I find that crazy.

 

I can think of a bunch of other packages we could've got in return that would've been worse. Pick your list of long overpriced contracts.

The move was to get off long term salary. If the Blazers could've got some stud player on a good contract in return, I'm pretty certain they would have. Pretty obvious why that wouldn't be offered though.

 

I think with the 7th or 8th best chance we land the first pick and Wembanyama. Then we take all of our draft assets after that and land a guy between Bam and Julius Randle. Big things happening in 2023-24.!!!

 

Near zero chance Billups is not coaching to start next season, regardless of what happens on the court, trying to win or not. Jody is not going to pay him for 3 more years to not coach.

 

Health is a big problem right now. If's and buts, but if the Blazers can get Nurk back soon, and have a lineup of Nurk, Jerami, Nas or Justice, Shaedon, and Dame in the starting lineup, the slow starts can become a thing of the past IMO. Justice' defense and playmaking as a facilitator have been badly missed. The lineup without Nurk has been eaten alive in the paint. I think going with this lineup helps in Shaedon's development, and that might be the most important thing going into next year. Get Sharpe to elevate his game by playing with Dame. Coming off the bench makes no sense. After a big potential move to add OG this offseason, it makes sense that the backcourt next year will be Dame and Sharpe. Use this time now to make that happen.

 

*5th year is a team option. If he’s not cutting the mustard early next season I think canning him is fine—sucks that Snyder is off the board, though.

 

yeah, this won’t ease the pain but I challenge anyone to name a team that wouldn’t get blown out if you pulled their top 4 players *and* a heavy rotation player (winslow).

this is what parity looks like: distributed talent across the league. and when you pull that talent y’get blown out on the road.

- nas looked nice. he needs to show that level of intention every night.

- nice to see some signs of life from keon johnson, who looked like he was on his way out of the league.

- cam reddish looks exactly like who we thought he was. he’s a role player at best in the league who still is hanging onto his fading blue chip pedigree. he looked decent in his first stretch but doesn’t seem locked in on the defensive end and I’m not sure he’ll ever get there on this team. the only hope for him is that he’s still scraping the rust off after being sidelined for two months by thibs—but this is such a critical juncture for his career that he doesn’t have time to ramp up anymore. get busy living or get busy dying.

- thybulle is a pretty meaningless player if you don’t have gravitational playmakers around him on offense or team help defenders and a drop big behind him on defense. I worry he’ll be wasted on this team due to scheme even when they’re healthy….

 

Blazers didn't lose by 40. Cronin has dramatically improved this season's tank squad.

 

Blevins was worth about -12 points alone.

 

I thought Reddish had a nice first quarter, was HORRRIBLE in the second quarter, and a mixed bag in the second half. Overall I'd give him a D+ for the game. He has obvious talent but his game has a lot of maturing to do if he's going to be an NBA player.

 

Cam Reddish dropped Simons numbers on the board.
24/4/4, Blazer fans should be oozing with gratitude, recognition and comrodery about Cam's bright future as a young player with tremendous upside on the Portland Trailblazers.

 

It's a cheaper team. Fans are supposed to root for Jody and Cronin avoiding luxury tax and saving money.

 

Great game by Little, let's go back to 15 mins the next game