Here’s an interesting thought experiment: Rate the Blazers’ expected roster starting position by position plus overall bench going into this season’s camp against the roster last year. Assign the following point values: 0 = no change 1 = improved 2 = greatly improved -1 = worse -2 = much worse Total your results to see how Cronin’s first off-season compares to Olshey’s work. Here’s my take: PG: Healthy Dame vs ab injury Dame = 2 SG: Simons vs. McCollum = 0 SF: Hart vs. Powell = 1 PF: Grant vs. Covington = 2 C: Nurk vs. Nurk = 0 Top Bench: GP2, Sharpe, Little, Winslow, Watford Eubanks vs. Simons, McLemore, Little, Nance, Zeller = 0 Overall Change = +5
PG: Healthy Dame vs ab injury Dame = 2 SG: Simons vs. McCollum = 1 SF: Hart vs. Powell = 2 PF: Grant vs. Covington = 2 C: Nurk vs. Nurk = 0
I like your score for the starters. The bench could also end up being better just by staying healthy. Little, Nance, and Zeller did not play that much and Simons started more than half of his games last year.
PG-2 SG-1 SF-2 (7!) PF-2 (9!) C-1 Score:8 Integrity forces to comment that we have no idea what this roster will look like, rotation wise, on opening day.. But, based on the matchups given, I wish I could give a seven, and a nine, on the forward positions. I also gave Nurk a point because I believe he wants to play for Chauncey Billups system. The bench compared to last season? I agree with @Pinwheel1 , in it's all about health..If this years group stays healthy and evolves, there's no contest here.
I was really high on the team going into last year, so I'm trying to do this based on what I thought the team was going to be. PG: Healthy Dame vs ab injury Dame = 1 (Dame's revenge tour is going to be legendary but he also averaged 30/8 the season prior so going into the season last year I didn't expect the injury to plague him as much as it did) SG: Simons vs. McCollum = 2 (Ant is going to be a star) SF: Nas vs. Powell = 0 (I think Nas will be the starter. Potential to be a 2 but can't say that with certainty yet, Powell is a good player and heading into last season it would've been impossible to predict he wouldn't buy in to Chauncey) PF: Grant vs. Covington = 0 (Again, potential to be a 2 but RoCo was actually really good defensively the season prior and his fall off/stat chasing was not something I expected) C: Nurk vs. Nurk = 0 (Self Explanatory) Bench: 1 (I love the bench depth 2-4. If Nurk goes down we're screwed though. Last year, going into the season they had Zeller, who should've been at least a capable backup in theory, and Nance. Watford will undoubtedly play some center but I don't like him there as much and IMO Eubanks is more of a 3rd big than a backup big. At PG, if one of Dame or Ant misses a game they don't have another true PG on the roster.) Overall Change= +4
Healthy Dame vs. "gut it out, hurt Dame", no contest +2. Ant vs. CJ , no difference yet. Subject to change though. I actually have Nas starting at SF. Nas is ready for his breakout year. +1, Grant vs. no PF since LA +2. Nurk is improving under Chauncey +1. Bench Hart & Payton II , huge editions +2. +8, if team stays healthy they will be a factor. Maybe a contender if Nas makes the jump i think he will. Gonna be fun.
