Have really been thinking about this since game 5. And how deflated Dame looked in his post-game interview from a body language standpoint. He said all the right things a leader should say to have a shot at winning game 6, but you could feel the undertone there and how destroyed he was. He literally played the best game of his life and we didn't win. He had no help at all when it really mattered. His partners in war have failed him time and time again. After seeing his IG post last night, for the first time ever it seems like Dame is seriously considering his options and thinking about what it would be like to leave Portland. Can you blame him? I mean if he left would everyone not understand he's given his all to this franchise for a decade and continually hit his head up against a brick wall against better teams. At this point, all that matters to me is that Dame gets a ring. He is the best Blazer ever, and is arguably after MJ the most clutch player in NBA history. Top 3-5 all time for sure without a doubt, but a case can be made after that game 5 performance that after Jordan he is the 2nd most cold blooded clutch player ever. Does Portland realistically have a chance to win a ring in the next 3-4 years? That is all that's left of his prime most likely. And I really don't think we do. I would rather Dame leave and win a ring in the next year or two because he deserves it. He's too great of a player, and too great of a competitor to not win a championship. And his legacy will take a hit if he doesn't win a ring, which is not right given his talent and how great a player he is. Stotts is a joke. CJ is a joke. They both have to go immediately. Nurk is the most overrated player I have seen in years. He is so fucking bad. So undisciplined. The fouls he takes. His body language on the court after he disagrees with a call. How inconsistent he is. He's weak mentally. He's not a true competitor. And I understand the greatness of Jokic but my god at least be competitive with the guy. He gets shit on every time we play them. He cant do anything at all and is so useless on the court. His screens are lazy, he doesn't box out and rebound well enough for his size. He doesn't play defense well enough for his size and athleticism. He's just so overrated and needs to go. So CJ AND Nurk need to go. Stotts obviously as well. But we've already came out and said we are not trading Nurk, we will exercise his $12M option for 2021-2022. Whatever changes this franchise makes wont be enough. I've heard rumors today of Karl Anthony-Towns who I think would be a great fit. But in todays NBA you need 2-3 bonafide superstars to have a chance at a title. What FA wants to come to Portland? Powell has been average at best, hes okay but doesn't move the needle. RoCo is average at best. He's okay but doesn't move the needle. DJJ is a joke. Kanter and Carmelo are the biggest defensive liabilities this league has ever seen. This roster needs a complete overhaul from coaching to the roster. How in the world is all this going to happen and we compete for a title in the next 2-3 years. Its just not realistic. At this point I just want to appreciate the greatness that Dame is, and apologize that we didn't give him enough to win a championship during his time in Portland. But to me he deserves a ring more than anyone. And at this point, not only will I be fine with him leaving to chase one, but I want it to happen for him. Because there is no scenario where I see us competing with a healthy Lakers team or Brooklyn, or a healthy Nuggets team for the next few years. It's just not going to happen.
I just throw in another name, Demar Derozan, he's close with Dame, and the Spurs have basicly no need for him, he could do a lot of playmaking so Dame can play off the Ball more
Old as dirt and plays even less D than CJ. Worse than CJ in most respects. I say this as someone who actually suggested this a while back.
Blazers were +50 with Nurk in and -50 with him out. This is an awful take. bro Lillard had a great game in game 5, but you know what he didn’t do? Defend or lead his team in any meaningful way... yeah he got tons of crazy buckets on fadeaway deep threes that were absolutely godly... but when he goes back on defense he just stands around and does nothing and Denver breaks him down with a simple pick and roll and scored almost every time - that’s why we lost. He is a Steve Nash like player whose offense is almost nullified by his terrible defense. He can’t gaurd the pick and roll to save his life - he doesn’t even try. and how are you gonna carry his jock strap like this when by your own admission Dame quit on the team after game 5? We could have still easily won this series but he threw in the towel early. That’s not the heart of a champion. Losing one game in the playoffs shouldn’t destroy you. His effort yesterday in the 4th quarter was embarrassing. He was literally walking around on defense, slamming the ball when his teammates committed turnovers, and he scored like 2 points during “Lillard time” when we faced elimination. Now he’s posting on Instagram like a drama queen. If he keeps this shit up I hope he leaves. His arrogance has gotten completely out of control because of the Dame Dolla cult / people from Portland carrying his jock strap. This dude will never be the #1 option on a championship team and will always be passive aggressively blaming his teammate and blowing up his team every year.
Look at what the Rockets got for Harden, and add a bit because Dame hasn't publicly asked for a trade.
