Dame is a leader and I love his attitude on and off the court. But a couple years of losing and he has the personality to demand a trade, IMO.
I think Aldridge will be incredible on the Spurs. They'll know how to use him to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. All that said, I don't care. He's been erased from my memory as a Blazer. To me, he's just another elite player, like a John Wall or Marc Gasol; a guy that only will cross my mind when we play them.
I think the opposite actually. Damian has shown loyalty, wherever he has landed, in his BBall career to date.
I think the team should aim for as many wins as possible. No matter what the roster is. The last thing we need is a losing environment, we've been through that. It's hard to shake.
Call me optimistically crazy (or 'Mags' to use the parlance of the board), but I think our defense will be improved as the coming season progresses. Aldridge was a terrible defender who was lazy and allergic to jumping, and Rolo was a half step too slow. Thus we were terrible at defending in the paint. That has all changed with guys that are athletic, have lateral speed and are workers. Additionally, Batum was lazy and I'm convinced Aminu will be a better defender. So I'm totally Mags on the defensive side of the ball - just offense may prove to be a bit of a problem . . .
I think there are 3 different cases here: Afflalo was a short-timer. PDX never had a chance to bond with him, or vice versa. Him disappearing silently is no big deal. Matthews and Robin - the organization decided not to make them offers (or at least, not offers competitive with what they got elsewhere). That's got to color their view. They didn't ask to leave (they just asked for more money than Neil was willing to pay). Since Portland (the organization) didn't value them, they might not feel they 'owe' us anything. And if they read S2, they'll realize the fans had the exact same idea as Neil. Aldridge - well, he might just be an asshole. barfo
I suspect we'll hear from Matthews once he has Officially signed his contract . . . Once his bank is secured, then he can praise another teams fanbase.
Outside of Lillard, who is "very talented?" We've seen some nice flashes from McCollum and Meyers in the playoffs, but that's nothing I'd hang my hat on. Vonleh is moderately intersting, Plumlee isn't a total stiff, Ed Davis plays hard . . . I'm not saying one or two guys won't take a step and emerge as more than just tantalizing prospects, but its premature to call this collection of unknowns a "very talented" team. I sort of think of it like Shrödinger's cat. So long as we haven't observed them sucking or being good we can say they are both (or neither), but you can't declare one or the other true until the observation occurs.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure we need a training camp before we see what's possible. Stotts job just got a lot more complicated
You could totally say the same thing about a bunch of dudes who went to the finals. The reason you are wrong here is that the players on our roster aren't stiffs they're lottery picks. I am saying let the cake bake, but if we did this would certainly become a playoff team in 2 years. A smart trade here, a free agent there, and this could be a VERY good team. The reason you logic would normally be correct is that the roster would be half full of vets who've reached their potential. That's totally not the case here.
I've seen how difficult it is to be a decent team, let alone a contender. I was content just being a solid playoff team for a few years before really taking a step forward. Maybe we win a 'ship, but probably not. But it was certainly more fun to watch than the lotto teams. Kinda sucks to blow it up and start over now. Even when I consider the pool of potential we currently have on the roster.
85% agree. I'm less convinced about LA being a jackass. The guy is top 5 in a dozen (positive) franchise records including #2 in points and # 1 in total rebounds, and the team makes no effort to retain him? That'd be understandable if he came off a a sloppy season, but he didn't lose a step from 2014, stepped up and put the thumb surgery on hold when it was clear the team was staggering, and all he got was a "Don't let the door hit ya in the ass". Word is the relationship between LA and Lillard turned from tepid to cold when Lillard had his tantrum about not being named to the All Star team. When it was clear that the team was groveling all over itself to retain Lillard, it was equally clear that LA was outta here. It's quite possible that LA laid out a "him or me" ultimatum which, due to the timing of the contracts, essentially set the stage for his departure - and made it clear to the organization that it wasn't worth trying.
I doubt this is lamarcus himself so I will go with either his agent or a relative. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
