The conversation is about the line that Vegas set at 39.5 but if you want to simply compare a completely different team that is fine with me. Call it what you wish. Bottom line is this team isn't winning 48 games this year.
Maybe look at the roster of that team and the roster of this team and your original comment was about the line being 39-5? Then make an assessment based in reality. One Nurk injury and the obvious Nassir missed 5 games out of every 10 plus a Rookie Coach with a bad schedule. Is Drew Eubanks going to carry this team on those 6 game road trips? I'm also feeling the impending doom of cutbacks and price shaving due to management trying to get the team ready for sale. Sorry but i simply don't have the "Magic" feel this year at all. The team is tip toeing around a complete rebuild and trying one more year not to throw the towel in. Lillard will most likely be gone by the trade deadline if this doesn't work and they will be lottery bound again is what i feel.
Yeah but if some how the Blazers are at least in the playoff hunt at the trade deadline and they happen to get a good trade that nets them someone who could make a difference and the injury bug stays away while maybe even giving them some help that $100 bill might change to 100 $100 bills. Long odds are just that.
It seems like the broad consensus here is these rankings are pretty fair, that the 2022-23 Blazers are clearly not a contending team, and possibly not even a playoff team. Maybe the Blazers get a few breaks and exceed expectations, but even winning one playoff series would be a massive overperformance. That current lack of talent on this roster, lack of expectations, and lack of flexibility is directly linked to the deadline moves. Its linked to the lack of talent/assets the Blazers received back in trades, and was predictably the expected outcome to be at today of a rational fan back then. It's a bit odd to me, as going back to the trade deadline there were all these Blazers fans positing here applauding the moves and how happy they are the Blazers were zagging from the Olshey direction. How there was all this "flexibility" the Blazers now had to improve, and how the Olshey assets had to be dumped right away basically regardless of the cost. Fast forward 6 months and the team has one of the worst projections in the last decade, hard capped as they've rarely been which prevents adding a starter let alone star, no future picks from trading away those 4 vets, still owes one of their own picks, and finally has a more guard heavy unbalanced rotation than Neil ever had. Were those posters applauding the February moves mistaken at that time and now proven to be wrong? Were those posters in February just a loud minority, with most reasonable Blazers fans realizing then that this team was making poor moves? I'm not sure. I do know I was furious with the February moves back at that time because it predictably and likely would directly lead to the type of situation the Blazers are in now. The problem is Cronin has set the talent stage for the years ahead; a below average NBA roster with a lack of future assets or means to improve. This isn't an exciting roster, team, or year(s) coming up to root for the Blazers. Would love to hear a rational argument of why I'm wrong, as opposed to "Don't count out Dame" or "change for the sake of change" or "National media never gives us respect" or "its only been xxx hours into free agency" or "at least its not Neil" arguments.
Regardless how we got here I'm pumped to have Grant and a whole squad top to bottom that will be bought into Chauncey ball.
My only concern is not getting Randle and 11 from NY. But if Sharpe really is that good it was the right call.
Someone explain to me what starter they could've gotten had they not been hard capped. And I don't mean "well this trade machine idea worked and we got Jayson Tatum!11!"
There were a number at the start of free agency, headlined by Kevin Durant. Will there be more from now until the trade deadline? History would say likely yes, and teams that acquire starters or stars in those trades almost always take on additional salary, which the Blazers do not have the "flexibility" to do.
Were you pumped when the team traded for Roco, Nance, and Powell? I don't see how Grant has any significant difference. Maybe his play will be a bit better, but he will likely cost much more than any of those guys as well. Along with the huge contracts for Simons and Nurk bidding against nobody the Blazers are locked up against the cap with this ~#10 seed mediocre roster.
Now I get there are a group of Blazer optimists who are excited for the team just about every seasons almost regardless of how good or bad the moves are. There is another group, the "Neil pitchfork crowd", that wants any change for the sake of change from the players and assets Neil had. Outside those two extreme groups of Blazers fans I don't see how anyone can be happy with the overall direction of this roster the last 6 months. The only potential bright spot is the Sharpe pick, him becoming a star is about the only chance this contend with Dame idea has of going anywhere. Not a great start 5 minutes into his play, I'm hoping he does something and shows some promise this season, although that would seem to be another "exceeds expectations" outcome. If Sharpe doesn't bust out; I don't see how there is anything to be excited for with this franchise in the years ahead. Seems like a bit of a long shot having the entire future of the team resting on the gamble of an 18 year old project panning out.
