Last years team was knocking on the door for the 2nd seed in the west on March 5, which was past the trade deadline. Wes' achillies snapped that night. It would have been VERY VERY unusual and unprecedented for a team to trade its best player just a few games out of 2nd in the Conference, heading for the postseason. Hindsight is so easy, I know Blamers!!
You forgot the clip where Homer bags on the Isotopes early in the season and then shows up at Moe's in the middle of the pennant without realizing it. That's another great sports fan montage.
Actually I think the goal is to not make the playoffs this year. Develop the young guys and get a high pick to solidify the core. I know you're getting old, but practice that patience.
Back on topic please save your whining for the other 3000 threads. Or better yet start your own crying thread where you can all gather in one place and cry.
Alexander gets a shot to resurrect his career, coming off being a Top College Prospect. Its an upside gamble for the Blazers, but a very inexpensive risk at that. Teams goal for 2015-16 is to try to develop a couple of pieces to join with DL, by earning a low number draft pick and by using cap space. It's the goal for the next 2 years probably.
This kid gets my pick for the surprise of the next two years. You don't get recruited by Kansas if you don't have a lot of talent. His mom seemed to muck up his single year by doing some stupid things that brought on an NCAA inquiry. He was a top five recruit out of high school. And, he didn't start playing ball until the 8th grade (due to unsafe conditions playing outside in gun free Chicago).
Here is a good analysis on how Alexander ended up where he is: http://www.sbnation.com/college-bas...-alexander-kansas-playing-time-synergy-sports
Funny to think that if the NBA allowed high schoolers in the draft, this guy would have probably gone top five. One year later we get him for nothing. Maybe he does have a fatal flaw, but I don't think half a season at Kansas is enough to tell.
The more of this stuff I read, the more stoked I get for this guy's future. I can barely imagine how stocked our front line could be if Vonleh and Alexander both tap into most of their potential.
He's a bit under-sized for his position. He's injury prone. (or using injuries as an excuse) He comes with his own "Hoops Family". His BBall IQ has been questioned. His college coach openly questioned his motor.
His size is fine, his weight is perfect, his reach is above-average for his position. You don't play with the top of your head. His injuries have always been minor sprains, nothing more I haven't seen anything about his "hoops family", so I guess I'd need to see the evidence of that before I could respond. The BBIQ issue is definitely a question, but of course, he's just 19 and has only been playing basketball since 8th grade. Of course there's room for growth. The only time Alexander's motor was openly questioned by Self was after a game on Jan 17 against Iowa in which he was pulled after neglecting to properly close out on a three-pointer. One (debatable) incident does not a pattern make. I doubt there's a single first round pick would couldn't be nitpicked in a manner similar to what you're doing with Alexander.
And despite all the nit-picks, they got drafted and Alexander didn't. Since the team got him for free, I don't really care....I just don't get the enthusiasm.
Alexander was buried behind upperclassmen by a coach who is generally loathe to play freshmen, even when he routinely performs than the older guys. Had his coach actually allowed him to play the minutes his performance deserved, there would likely have been a different result.
