Again, none of that means anything. If Neil was interpreting that as some kind of unspoken guarantee then he was relying on emotional thinking instead of plain horse-sense. Since Neil strikes me as a master spin doctor I have trouble believing that he fell for that kind of shit. Honestly I'm starting to think that Allen had given him a mandate not to trade Aldridge, which would be exactly the kind of short-sighted dip-shittery I'd expect from that aspie fat fuck.
the timing does seem suspect. I mean, when was the last time ANYTHING got leaked about this teams trades/drafts/signings/etc? They've kept a super tight ship in the last 3 years (which has made it kind of boring for rumors).
I think what Olshey knew was that Aldridge did want to leave. But Neil believed that this roster could do damage in the playoffs, possibly making it to the Finals or Conference Finals, and so he thought that a deep playoff run would make Aldridge stay. Yes, that's a gamble, and one that he lost badly. But hopefully, he had some contingency plans.
Let's ignore all the smoke about LA being a jealous insecure dipshit and blame Olshey instead. The same Olshey that seemingly every player around the league that knows him loves. Or wait Olshey probably forced them to say those things. Nevermind.
Makes me think of this movie quote from Army of Darkness: http://www.hark.com/clips/bsvzfdlrqh-chinese-jet-pilot
Those stats aren't relevant to LaMarcus situation. Since the 2011 lockout under the current CBA how many max players have signed extensions? I can't think of a single one. Do you think teams should always trade away a max free agent? Losing LaMarcus sucks but I believe if Wes was healthy we keep the core together and have a shot at contending. That was worth the risk. When you take a risk there is a chance you can lose. We lost and it sucks but I still believe it was the right choice at the time with what we knew then.
Olshey knew Aldridge didn't want to be on a rebuilding team and wanted to play for a winner. Neil Olshey went out and built a winner which gave Aldridge a reason to stay. After last season Aldridge even said he has no reason to "jump ship". The team failing down the stretch/post all-star break is the reason Aldridge ultimately left. I don't believe for a second his mind was made up that he was leaving before then. Fuck Chris Haynes
If the Blazers would have made it past the 2nd round this year LMA would have stayed. That's the gamble Olshey took. He believed in the players.
I'm not talking about the team that drafted players I'm talking about the team that had them at the deadline before the player entered free agency; and under the current CBA where max players can't sign extensions. Those teams are in a difficult position.
