Free Agent Dennis Smith Jr. to Training Camp

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illmatic99 said:
Ant played most of his time at SG next to CJ
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the starting shooting guard? Not true btw. The two lineups he played in most last year were with Dame and as the lead guard of the second unit.
 
Scalma said:
the starting shooting guard? Not true btw. The two lineups he played in most last year were with Dame and as the lead guard of the second unit.
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how long did he have the ball compared to CJ/Dame, though? im just saying the opportunities weren't there for Ant to get many assists in his role.
 
Does he still have the 48" vertical? Or did the ACL injury take care of that?
 
illmatic99 said:
how long did he have the ball compared to CJ/Dame, though? im just saying the opportunities weren't there for Ant to get many assists in his role.
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Smith had a similar usage rate as Ant last season and averaged nearly 3x as many assists. Almost like one guy is a point guard and the other is a shooting guard they’ve been trying to force into a different role. The less Ant has to run an offense, the better.
 
Another thing I like about smith is that he attacks the basket. Outside of Dame, Nurk, and Powell no one averaged more free throws/36. We know Billups values guys that can attack. I also wonder if Billups takes a liking to Smith, and vice versa, because their early journeys in the league aren’t that different; former lottery pick that hasn’t settled in anywhere yet.

We’ll see who else gets a training camp invite, but I doubt it’ll be anyone with Smiths ceiling.
 
Scalma said:
Smith had a similar usage rate as Ant last season and averaged nearly 3x as many assists. Almost like one guy is a point guard and the other is a shooting guard they’ve been trying to force into a different role. The less Ant has to run an offense, the better.
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im in full agreement that Ant is not a PG, what I'm saying is that wasn't his role. It was always CJ as backup PG.

this is semantics and i think we're aligned on this.
 
Scalma said:
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I am guessing the answer to that question from Brett Usher is...probably not.
Against the Blazers where Kanter had 30 rebounds, it was a blowout. He did not shoot well but had a couple of steals and 3 assists. But I can't say I remember anything from that game other than Kanter. And I did not watch any other Detroit games. They are not high on my priority watch list.
 
Mediocre Man said:
For a roster that wasn’t the problem defensively, we sure are bringing in some defensive guys, or at least better defenders
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What were we supposed to do?

not make any changes at all? Bring in worse players? Lol
 
JoshuaHall said:
Why does it matter if he admits it or not as long as it’s being addressed?

to satisfy your ego? Your ears? To say I told you so? Who gives a fuck.

just be happy it’s being addressed for fucks sake
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So when it’s been broken for years because of his ego, fans should be happy it’s being addressed out of desperation?
 
Mediocre Man said:
My one hope for this coming year is Stotts being on a telecast being asked about our improved defense and answering “ NO SHIT, look at the roster”
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Then I hope the announcer counters with..

It’s the same starting lineup… why are they so much better as a unit? Can you speak to that? (And I hope it’s true).
 
Mediocre Man said:
So when it’s been broken for years because of his ego, fans should be happy it’s being addressed out of desperation?
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Covington & DJJ both were added for defensive purposes which signifies that this isn’t the first time he’s attempted to address it, thus the latest attempt is not out of desperation but out of acknowledging that more needs and needed to be done despite what he says at press conferences.

This has been a real turning point off season for Neil imo. Finally canning Stotts. Made the right hire. Let the defensive weak links / legacy players leave. Hopefully he is at the point where he is ready to let CJ go for the right deal.

Ive got a feeling you’ve got a bad case of confirmation bias though and don’t want to look at the possibilities. Not sure what bringing up old quotes has to do with the present. He said one thing. He’s doing another thing. Big deal.
 
Also, if I recall correctly he said “defense/roster was not the reason we lost that series.”

Doesnt mean he thinks that was a championship roster.
 
JoshuaHall said:
Then I hope the announcer counters with..

It’s the same starting lineup… why are they so much better as a unit? Can you speak to that? (And I hope it’s true).
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The Blazers starting unit were 5th best defensively in the entire NBA of all 5 player units that played at least 300 minutes or so - being much better than that as a unit is going to be mind boggling and very unlikely.

If that happens, it will be either because Billups is a defensive genius or because that unit has more games to play together than since the mid-season trade with limited practice.

I would actually be interested to see if that unit is going to be better defensively at all and even more interested to see if that unit will have a better net-rating than under TS (where it was 3rd in the league for 5-player-units that played at least 300 minutes.
 
I think the idea that the Blazers are running it back is out there...we dropped Kanter, Hood, Trent Jr, Blevins, Giles, DJJ and Melo and the whole coaching staff.....4 of those players were rotation players for us. I forgot RHJ...he played the short time he was here as well also TJ Leaf
That's nine players gone and half a dozen coaches
 
riverman said:
I think the idea that the Blazers are running it back is out there...we dropped Kanter, Hood, Trent Jr, Blevins, Giles, DJJ and Melo and the whole coaching staff.....4 of those players were rotation players for us. I forgot RHJ...he played the short time he was here as well also TJ Leaf
That's nine players gone and half a dozen coaches
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damn you and your logic and facts.
 
Paine Tablet said:
you remind me of a reddit moderator and that's not putting it kindly.

people who complain about text are probably people who don't read capably. I really think that is what it is. I read fast and if it's irrelevant to me I move on quickly. What I guess is that it takes you an hour to contemplate a sentence and you feel aggrieved because you wasted your time. Instead of improving yourself, you blame others.
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No. Just like the main page on here to be clutter free.
 
Few players have entered the NBA with as much hype, and after a decent rookie season, fallen off the map like DSJ. Big things were being predicted for him after that rookie season. Definitely worth taking a chance on. Portland is good for players seeking redemption of their careers. Kermit Washington & Melo to name a few.
 
Scalma said:
I don’t think anyone is worried about it. It’s funny.

edit: nevermind, blazers edge exists. Fuck em tho
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People might piggy back this onto the coaching search issues and think Portlands going thug again!
 
Scalma said:
I don’t think anyone is worried about it. It’s funny.

edit: nevermind, blazers edge exists. Fuck em tho
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Dave Deckard is always looking for a cause to champion.
 
RR7 said:
Oh yeah, I just thought it was funny!
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Wasn't chastising your post. Just the tweet's ma'an, just the tweets.
 
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Teams invite all kinds of people to training camp. A few stick. Most don't. It's not anything to get riled over.
 
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