I see KB as a long term solution. He's the same "career arc" as Lillard. He is a real 3 & D guy, which is exactly what a team that has stars needs.
People who have been bashing Stotts and Olshey have been on the crow diet for like a couple months now. Pretty sure they are Needing the definition. Then they can snack away. Yummy!
You see KB as a long-term solution to what? backup shooting guard? Is that really something the team needs? I don't see him as a solution to anything, short or long term, unless the goal for the team is to tread water.
He's an excellent defender on defense. He hits the 3 at a high enough rate that the defense can't just focus on trapping Dame and CJ. That's exactly what we need.
Well, he's better than any player that came off the bench last year and capable of replacing many of Turner, Curry and Hoods minutes
I don't know if Bazemore is “the” solution, but I think he is part of it. He doesn't need the ball in his hands, is a good 3 point threat an average defender, but his skillset fits the Blazers more than ET’s did. ET’s skillset never quite fit right. Bringing in Bazemore gives the Blazers another option out of traps, which they desperately need.
Two of the last three seasons Kent Bazemore's effective field goal percentage was 47%. That's the same as Evan Turner this past season, which was easily the worst for the Trail Blazers and the only guy who shot below 50% (eff). People here are being blinded by his 3-point-shooting percentage two seasons ago (39%) and his career 3-point shooting percentage of 35%. I am not going to ignore that he was an atrocious scorer last season (eff 47%), mediocre the season before (eff 50%), and atrocious the season before that (eff 47%).
Watch how teams guard him vs how teams guard Bazemore. Teams begged ET to shoot, they wont with Bazemore that alone helps as the defense will stay honest.
When you have teams trying to stock their starting lineups with stars, one of the best ways to overcome that is with depth. If their starters outscore yours by 10 but your bench outscores theirs by 12, you win. If you are challenged to bring in a couple of big-name free agents, having a bunch of solid players is a great alternative.
Here’s Lillard on Bazemore and Vince Carter’s podcast a couple months ago. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...s-rookie-moments/id1442260442?i=1000434955108
Never been a fan of NO. He's made some really insane signings and picks, but he's really done a fantastic job this last year. He probably deserved more love for exec of the year.
