Event Around the 2025 NBA Playoff Madness!

Nembhard has looked terrible in the last 2 games. He needs to step it up.

 

Yeah it's a huge problem for the Pacers. If he doesn't step up soon they might end up in the finals.

 

I wonder how many OKC fans were pissing and moaning about 2018 draft. If the team had done a better job tanking they might have moved up! Instead they got a #11 castoff for their star player.

 

My guess is none of the OKC fans were pissing or moaning as OKC didn't have a pick in the 2018 draft.

OKC pick was traded years earlier and used on #20 Josh Okogie for Minnesota.

SGA was picked at #11 by the Hornets who traded him to the Clippers for the wife beating Miles Bridges. A year later the Clippers traded SGA to OKC.

 

Yes. A #11 pick on his third team in three years. Sounds like a bust ... oh well.

 

Ya remember these 2? Hehe

 

Knicks are cooked… Writing maybe been on the walls but now it’s pretty much guaranteed that the Pacers make the Finals.

OKC vs Indiana?

OKC in 5… OKC is going to win it this year. Wow…

 

And we’re still celebrating the bye bye shot against them smh lol

 

the point being they had a star player to trade. When they traded PG13 he was a 6-time all-star; a 4-time all-NBA; and a 4-time all-Defense.

the Dame-Aldridge team became the Dame-CJ team in 2015-16. That's 10 seasons from then to now

in those 10 seasons, Blazers have had one single all-star and the same player was their only all-NBA player

over the same stretch OKC has had Durant (MVP); Westbrook (MVP); Serge Ibaka (3-time all-Defense); Oladipo (2-time all-star; all-nba; all-defense); Domantas Sabonis; Paul George; CP3; SGA; Jalen Williams; and Holmgren.

The point being that OKC landed elite talent from the top part of the draft and has been able to leverage and pay that talent forward to where they are right now. Portland finally added another all-NBA selection in Camara, 2nd team all-Defense. But OKC has Dort, who was 1st team

for all the chatter around here about how elite talent is found at the end of the lottery and outside of the lottery, over the last 30 years Portland hasn't found any...and they sure have had a lot of opportunities. In the last 24 years, Portland has had 3 all-stars: Roy-Aldridge-Dame. 2nd-6th-6th picks in the lottery. The last time they had an 11th pick: Meyers Leonard; 10th pick a year later: CJ

I guess you could say "well, they are due"....but history suggests do-do

 

Yeah I think Masai really missed his chance on cashing in for Siakam & OG. I bet we would've sent much more than they got but he wanted to play hardball.

It's kind of shocking how little talent the Raptors have from all the young players that won a title.

 

Dame's shot may have been a huge blessing in disguise. If they won a round or two they probably try to run it back. Instead they cash out Paul George for one of the biggest trade hauls ever. Then flip Wesbtrook for picks and CP3 then flip CP3 for more picks. Then get a half dozen more picks.

I remember tons of posters here complaining that they didn't want to have a bunch of losing seasons in a rebuild like the Thunder.

Thunder had two years with more losses than wins. We're at 4 and counting.

 

OKC had a few more assets than we do. Those assets help speed up the process of a successful rebuild.

 

OKC didn't use picks for PG13.... they took a gamble on him walking for nothing but won that gamble and then cashed him out.

People here ripped on Olshey endlessly for gambling that Aldridge would resign. I still stand by it was the smart gamble at that time. Sucks it didn't work out. Then a couple years later the NBA basically eliminated 95% of all stars leaving in free agency.

Blazers have had good picks later in the draft, Simons is one, Batum, Rudy, ZBo, Jarret Jack, Patty Mills, Will Barton, Trent, Connaughton. More role players than stars but those can be guys to win a title, just not top3 players to lead you there.

Look at a few decades of the Kings/Clippers/Wizards/Hornets/etc that have crap picks many years even up in the lottery.

All else equal I certainly prefer higher draft picks. The Blazers have probably added as many or more of their best players through trades though. Even Roy was a Telfair trade - Dame a Gerald Wallace trade.

 

Nah. Aldridge was always going to leave. As soon as he refused the max extension he should have been dealt.

Definitely trades for draft picks are good. Even trades for recent draft picks.

 

He couldn't get a max extension - the rules required him to wait to free agency in order to sign for the max. Rules have since been changed.

LMA was just a finicky dude. One day he wanted to stay here for life. Next day he wanted to leave. One day he wanted better teammates. Next day he was jealous teammates got attention.

I stand by that he didn't know what the hell he wanted. His opinions changed as often as the wind blows. Ultimately he left. Blazers took a gamble and lost. Toronto gambled and lost their star. Durant left too. PG13 said he'd leave but stayed. Lakers traded picks for Dwight Howard then he walked for nothing.

It was a different NBA back then and teams risked guys leaving for nothing. Guys also weren't traded for as much.

If anything I wish Olshey risked MORE on players to leave for nothing. We saw how useless the addition the next decade after LMA all were.

 

c'mon man...that list of yours kind of proves my point....none of those players are talented enough to alter the trajectory of a team. ZBo was closest but he needed to be on the floor with a DPOY talent in Gasol along with all-Defense talent like Tony Allen, Shane Battier, and Tayshawn Prince to offset Zach's defensive flaws

Portland's 1st round picks outside of top-10 since 2000

Erick Barkely
Zach Randolph
Qyntel Woods
Travis Outlaw
Sebastian Telfaire
Sergei Monia
Vikto Khryapa
Jarett Jack
Sergio Rodriguez
Joel Freeland
Rudy Fernandez
Petteri Koponnen
Jerryd Bayless
Nic Batum
Victor Claver
Luke Babbitt
Elliot Williams
Nolan Smith
Meyers Leonard
Caleb Swanigan
Anfernee Simons
Nassir Little
Kris Murray

that's 23 chances to find a player like Giannis or SGA or Kawhi, and the best the Blazer could do is Batum or Ant

 

MVP are not likely in 23 tries.... Otherwise we'd see one drafted just about every year. It's more like once or twice a decade in a 30 team league. Blazers got one at that level back in the 80s.

That draft record looks about average to me. It's certainly not great, but I'd guess a lot of teams are even worse. Ultimately it takes a number of hits in draft/trades/free agency to build a contender and only a very few teams do it each year.

The more chances and more swings the better. Definitely would rather see us swing and strike out on draft picks than flip them for known vets with a low ceiling like Nance or Roco.

 

No question losing Benedict Aldridge for absolutely nothing was tough for this franchise.

 

That list is just plain Harsh. WOW it almost hurts to read.