I just don't see how they can compare. It was a completely different ownership/GM/coach for most of those 9 years.
Dame was eligible for a 30% of cap contract instead of a 25% contract because of making an all-NBA team. But he split the difference and settled for a 27.5% base salary so Olshey could have a little more flexibility; they BOTH talked about it at the time. Olshey then used the space he had to sign Evan Turner, match Crabbe, and pay Ezeli for not playing, among other things. The 2-3M year Dame gave up went into the morass of Olshey's failed roster building
I get what you're saying but is it fair to say that even if you built that as your brand there might be an understandable breaking point.
100%. Nets fans went through something similar with Vince Carter. True Blazer fans will be here cheering on Scoot and Sharpe. Turn the page folks. Grieve it up another few weeks then get over the feels by training camp. K thx bye.
If you want to spin it really negatively I think it's very obvious that's the point we're at. Dame thought he was loyal no matter what and it turns out that wasn't the case. I think we've all been there. We think one thing for a long time and then we have a change of heart. I'm assuming most people in here don't look down on people that get divorced.
I’m okay with Dame not being loyal. The NBA (like every company) is a business and you have to look out for yourself, because the company will only look out for itself. But the branding of “I’m as loyal as they come, built different, better for my team than those ring chasers” doesn’t play when it’s your turn to get yours. I will only be mad at Dame if he continues to play this off as him being betrayed by the franchise because it held its own needs above his exactly one time in the last 11 years. That’s bullshit.
Sure. But it is also understandable that those of us that bought his claims feel cheated and have lost respect we once had. I would have understood if there was clear ill-intent on Portland's side, but there was not, they did give him the extension, they did moves to bring the forward he wanted to play with last year, they overpaid said forward this year in the FA period. What they did not do is find a deal that they considered better than what they could get in the draft for their picks. He did not even give them more than a day to try and make some trades. This to me feels like if there was unfairness, it was not from the Portland office side. I understand all of it. I also feel justified in what I feel about Dame after this happened. Told us he was different, seems like it was a lie.
Dame himself is a company (the first star in Portland to do the whole “parasocial personality as brand” thing) and we have no obligation to be loyal to him, and every right to feel like he is screwing over people who believed he was what he presented himself as. He’s not just a player he’s an influencer and that includes all the baggage influencer culture comes with.
I can't stand this Aaron Fentress guy on Twitter He's so biased and negative I hope he won't jump on the bandwagon if Scoot/Sharpe are as good as we hope
I hear you. I just feel like it was not a lie. Due to the situation, some of it maybe Dame's fault but most of it because we've had two shitty GMs, Dame had a serious change of heart. I'll go back to the divorce analogy again. I don't think when someone tells you they don't love you anymore after saying they will love you for the rest of their life at some earlier point it makes that person a liar.
I don't believe we had 2 shitty GMs. We had a shitty GM, replaced him with one that knows what is doing but is not a magician, so can't turn a pile of turds into gems in 18 months. Every move Joe did seemed reasonable and when it was proven wrong (GP2 injury) - he pivoted quick and fixed it. You can't make trades for gold with sub-par assets, especially when your star player is all over social media making demands that lessen your hand. Dame decided he does not want to wait for the time it will take the FO to fix the mess. That's OK, but it is absolutely opposite his position before - and for that he is rightfully panned.
