So, you really think if Jimmy Butler was going to be an unrestricted free agent this year, the Bulls would've been okay with him turning down there extension last year? You really think last summer would've been BULLS: Hey jimmy, here's your offer. Jimmy: Thanks, but I'll pass. BULLS: (hypothetically he is a UFA and not a RFA). Oh why not? Jimmy: don't worry, I'll come back. Just wanna enjoy the process. Bulls: oh sure alright! Jimmy: don't mind the reports of me wanting to go to LA..nothing to them. Bulls: oh good we won't trade you to another team then. Jimmy: cool! ______ BULL. SHIT. They woulda traded him ASAP if he was unrestricted and refused a max extension.
Li Okay? What does this have to do with anything? Edit - you're saying he would refuse a trade to the lakers, if this indeed where he wanted to go and demanded a trade? Cuz in this scenario we would be talking the bulls organization refusing to grant HIS trade request. Seeing as you say this is applicable to LMAs situation...
This is the hard part for me. I've been a die hard Blazer fan forever and am to the point where I don't know if I have it in me to continue to even be an NBA fan I'm so disillusioned. It feels like we get more than our share of disappointment and even our own local media makes it seem like Portland is the worst possible place to play. Like we still owe #12 something when he was all about CTC and pretended otherwise - the fans were nothing to him. He NEVER cared about us, so he got paid and earned lots of money and applause and now he's gone and we're done. He doesn't deserve any more love from this franchise or the fans and will never deserve to have his number retired... in fact, I hope #12 is the first number given away to a new guy. How do I continue to cheer for a team that has absolutely no chance of ever succeeding? I'm feeling pretty hopeless. #12 had every right to leave but I don't understand how a person, who truly was beloved by tens of thousands of fans here (whether he wanted to accept it or believe it is a different story), could not at least privately go to Neil and say, "I'm really leaving", instead of false promises or wishy washy answers. That former player not only made a western conference team better, he completely eliminated us as competition. He did not have to destroy the team on the way out.
The Bulls wouldn't trade him to LA. They'd trade him to Minnesota or someplace else he doesn't want to go. He'd refuse, so they're stuck with him. LA isn't giving up squat in return, because they know they can sign him without compensating the Bulls. We saw the Lakers take a huge gamble once, taking DHoward in trade. He bolted that summer as a UFA. Nobody's going to make that mistake again. You asked about players/teams that took risk. The Bulls risked losing Jimmy for nothing. He could have signed the regular QO and left for zippo, nada, zilch in return. You asked, you got a good answer. But as BrianFromWA keeps posting, something like 3 of 38 big name UFAs have left their teams for nothing in recent years. I guarantee you if Olshey traded LMA, half the fans would have been very pissed off. The other half would have been pissed off if he used a couple of 1sts he got in return for Thomas Robinson and Jimmer Freddette. He actually did the right thing, which was to try to get LMA to stay. There really aren't many players you'd get back, even as 1st round picks, who'd be worthwhile in actual trade value.
I'll defend Olshey. His moves have been fantastic, as the OP states. Given: If you aren't likely to win, a reload makes a LOT of sense. If you don't have a means to add to the existing core to improve your chances enough, a rebuild is called for.
The Warriors were ready to trade Klay Thompson+ to get Kevin Love last summer. Anything can happen, of course. That's why they play the games. But you have to try to position your team to win it all, if that's your goal. If you assess you're not going to with the roster you have, you have to change the roster or pray other teams get injured (as GSW's opponents did in the playoffs, no?)
Shitloads of people around here were saying this at least 18 months prior. That's foresight, not hindsight.
Its pretty simple, LMA would still be on this team if Wes didnt tear his achilles, which given his iron-man status, and being a healthy nba player in his first 6 seasons, was not likely /discussion re-lma I'm ok with the risk that was taken. The reason people were thinking of trading him then is because we came off of a 33 win season, and im sure you, nik, one of the most pessimistic on this board, would have never guessed we would have won 54 games the following season
Maybe if our players went the route of Channing Frye and embraced the actual city life and didn't move to fucking Tualatin or Lake Oswego word might spread that Portland isn't such a shitty place to be. Take the tax aspect out of the equation and I'm just having a really hard time digesting that Portland couldn't be a great place for a young professional athlete to live. I'm sick of hearing it. This isn't Terry and Clyde's Portland. Shit, this isn't even Sheed's Portland. The city has grown up quite a bit. And it's not like because it's a majority white city that the African American players are living in some oppressed community. There may be a lack of racial culture in Portland but that doesn't mean people are racist. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
Before free agency the Blazers were 50/1...as of July 6 and the subsequent free agency losses the Blazers now stand at 100/1.