Really got tired of listening to Joe, Chauncey, Dame and Nurk all blame injuries for this season. Everyone knew they had little depth. At least Chauncey made some reasonable comments about simply not having veterans and talent to compete. He at least also said he never wants to be in that position again. Joe doesn't seem to have the kind of fire to be the leader this team needs to get the deals done. The guy is obviously a tremendously likable guy but just doesn't seem truly driven to win? I'm a bit conflicted here? I like these guys but i just wonder if they can pull this off? I really didn't like Bert Kolde sitting at the game running his mouth the entire time and Joe just sitting there nodding his head. I wonder if the only way this team has a chance to win is if it's sold and Lillard is traded? As much as I hate to say it I'm getting ready to throw in the towel.
the difference between winning and losing in the last two seasons had zero to do with Jody’s appetite to spend into the tax. These teams were poorly constructed, either by circumstance or by design. Spending into the tax to make ‘these specific teams’ decent would have been stupid. right now that formula is a handful of moves away.
The bolded portion is what most of the national media left out (typical of not getting the whole story) and they ran with the rest of it. The issue will be, if Portland is lucky enough to get the #1 pick, Dame needs to get on board with another 19 year old in a hurry. There is NO WAY you trade him. That said, if Dame feels that is not the path he wants to go, no issue with him asking out and it sounds like that is the way he is leaning if Portland was to get the #1 pick. I want him to get a ring and it likely isn't happening her regardless of what happens, but very likely not in the next couple of years if they were to get Wemby. To trade Wemby for a still not very likely shot at winning a title in the next 2-3 years, and then having to watch him play in the league for the next 15+ years would be too much to take.
Sean Highkin: Chauncey Billups on changes this summer: “We’ve done the ‘tweak’ thing a few times. We’ve got to do more than that this summer if we want to do right by the best player in franchise history.” How about if we do it for the long-suffering fans? BTW saw that Lillard says he has talked to big time players who want to come to Portland. Did he tell them they need to demand a trade?
High performing players demanding a trade is the only way we might get one and if we do, the only way to have any leverage in the situation so we aren't out of Draft picks/swaps for the next 7 years and with even less depth than we have now. Supposedly there are a couple of 'very good' players that would like to play with Dame, but how the Blazers go about getting them is a different matter altogether.
Dame should really ask out; hate to say it. You know how many needles they would have to thread blindfolded to get even close to the finals in the next, say 3 years? People tend to assume that other teams won't get better.
They're at a crossroads again. If they trade they're future picks and don't win a ring after those moves, in a few years they'll have a roster of aging players, a star that's on the downside of his career and no picks to build on. I see another issue, too. If Dame gets traded and Ant becomes the PG for the next several years, who leads the team? Ant is not a leader, neither was CJ which is why they get along next to Dame so easily. Sharpe is by nature not a leader, either. The leader of your team can't be the third or fourth guy off the bench. I think Ant's best role is coming off the bench but that's a ton of money for a non-starter. This team needs a big shake up without sending out their picks or they're in the first stage of repeating the same cycle.
I was ok will trading him initially but after the year he had it gave me hope that they could keep him.
Overall I like liked the interview with Joe. There were a few cringe moments where he talked about his inexperience, but I liked that he took responsibility for the team's shortcomings. He also mentioned that they can't be reckless with the pick, he used Sharpe as an example where it would have been a disaster if they would have traded the pick for a marginal player. This confirms to me that SS is going nowhere. It also confirms he would not trade the #1 pick if we got it. But he did concede that they need more vets. He might not have much personality but who cares?
I wonder what the vert market is this summer? and I agree, I don't think Sharpe is going anywhere. I also think Cronin has almost certainly gauged Sharpe's upside and that is informing the value he places on the pick
