That is certainly one option. But drafting a 19-year-old that may not be ready to lead a team for a year or two, does not mean they need to reshape the team right away. I am already tired of the lottery after just two years. I don't want another 4-5 years.
Unless we are making a run at titles simultaneously, this is exactly what Dame said he is not here for. People who think Dame would be cool with us using the most valuable asset we've had since he's been here to draft his replacement and then ask him to mentor that replacement while treading water have got to be kidding. If Joe can pull off some other fancy stuff to make this team a contender around Dame while using that pick on Scoot then cool but I think if Scoot drops to you, you have to choose between Dame and Scoot.
Boston got to the conference finals with a 2nd yr Brown and a rookie Tatum playing 30 mins each. It's not unfathomable that we can still build a good roster around Dame/Shaedon/Scoot. If we can turn Ant/ Nurk/ 23 into something like OG and WCJ, and hit on the right FAs, bring back Grant, then have Shaedon take a tangible leap, this can be better than you expect.
Like I said, if Joe can pull off some magic then great. It just doesn't seem to be likely. I do not think that Dame and Scoot are a good fit, I don't think you want your franchise player and the guy you take at three to be a bad fit. That being said, if Joe can straddle the line and make this team relevant while developing Scoot and Dame thinks that's cool, then cool.
I just find this as a viable path forward if the alternatives are drafting a subpar talent for a positional fit, or giving up the pick for a non all star just because he's older.
Yeah, if Scoot is there then he is definitely the pick and if you can't get fair market value for him with incoming players that are a better fit and help us win now then you either try to pull off what you're talking about or find the best deal sending Dame out and start the youth rebuild.
Lol I just had LeBrons movie on Peacock on while doing some busywork and one of the kids looked like Scoot. Looked up IMDB, and it's him! Didn't realize he was an actor too!
Brown and Tatum were both starters and don't play the same position. Seems a bit different than Dame/Shaedon/Scoot where Dame/Scoot play the same position and if you actually wanna get Scoot to 30 minutes per game, you'll be playing Dame/Scoot together which is about one of the worst ideas on the planet considering neither of them can guard a light post. Not to mention Brown and Tatum are both much better defenders than the 3 aforementioned players. I don't get why people keep comparing good "two way" players to Dame / Shaedon / Simons (and now Scoot). None are good defensively, maybe not even average.
Yeah, defensive juggernaut Damian Lillard... And yeah, I'm sure of it because even Scoot fans will tell you the guy is invisible defensively. He has the "tools to be a good defender", but he hasn't acted on those tools yet. You probably can't find a single "draft guru" that says "Wow, look at Scoot on defense!". I damn near guarantee they all have "improvement areas: Defense".
What is Dame going to do? Retire and give back a quarter of a billion dollars? Sit out half the season like the last two? I'm not someone who thinks he'll be "cool" with it, but I definitely give zero shits about his opinion, since our team hasn't been good in many years in spite of Damien Lillard on the roster and I can't imagine us losing many more games than we have the last two years (56.5 losses on average) even if he simply doesn't show up for training camp.
This take just shows a general misunderstanding of player v management relations. Superstars don't stay on teams they don't want to anymore, like it or not. The amount of times that Dame has showed loyalty to this franchise almost demands that the franchise show loyalty to him if he wants to play elsewhere. It's been done this way so many times for so long that it's kind of crazy that people are acting like our team can hold Dame hostage because they have him under contract. I do not think it will come to that. I really think that Joe and Dame have been in contact and either Joe will pull off something big or he will tell Dame that the team is going to do a youth rebuild and get him to a good place. I think it will be Joe getting something big done. Maybe I'm wrong and Dame and Scoot will play on this roster together for the next five seasons, it's just not what seems logical to me.
So you give zero shits about his opinion. Fine. Bogus, but it's your right . But to blame Dame for the teams desire to tank as a way to get better is ridiculous. Dame was hurt with a serious core issue 20-21 , which limited his ability to operate at optimal level. He got that repaired. Last year he played at a spectacular level, but multiple key players on the team dealt with injuries, so the team shut it down again to situate themselves better for asset acquirement. Just sounds like you're blaming him for the whole thing. Like he did you wrong. Which i see in post, and hear from a few on the radio. I find it very disrespectful. And a tool move.
Scoots seems like a great kid. But i think it makes no sense to draft him. To me, it's a lot like Aaron Rodgers , at the top of his game , and in need of top flight receiver help, and the team drafts another QB. Dan Reeves did John Elway in the same way. Elway needed receiver help, and Reeves drafted Tommy Freaking Maddox. Reeves sealed his Broncos fate with that move.
Becuse you always draft the best player available. No matter what. We passed on Chris Paul because of Sebastian Telfair. We passed on Michael Jordan because of Clyde Drexler. If we pass on Scoot because we have Dame, and then Scoot goes on to be the best point guard in the league down the road, how will you feel?
I tend to agree the problem is unless there is an obvious generational talent available, deciding BPA is very subjective. The Spurs don't count anymore so Charlotte holds the god card in this hand. If Scoot was the obvious BPA, then they'd take him; and they might. But they might not; they might decide that Miller is BPA. Then it's Portland's turn to gauge BPA. And the Blazers may gauge Scoot & Amen as just about the same level and go with the potential better fit in many ways, BPA is short-hand for 'your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine' personally, I think if Scoot is available the Blazers will take him. And they will sign him to his rookie deal. And Dame won't ask to be traded at that time or for weeks after, if ever. And everybody, including Dame, will see how things shake out in the first part of the season and what players might be available before next season's trade deadline; and which teams might be wanting to make a major change, including Portland unless the Blazers trade #3 during the draft of course
You almost wonder if they have pretty good intel that Miller will go #2 and Scoot will be available at #3?
