Or it could be due to the fact that he was fine with drafting projects when he was on the other side of 30.
Hart wasn't playing out of position. Hart is the guy the Knicks put on Jimmy Butler at the end of a game. This is a typical lineup with Hart in it. And it has been very effective for them. Quickly, Brunson, Hart, Barrett and Mitchell Robinson.
I probably worded that wrong. Hart can start at SF next to smaller guards on a team who is playing on the road in the 1st round of the playoffs. I was more talking about how I see Hart being used on a contending team. In those situations I suspect he'd need to start next to versatile defending guards or come off the bench. My assumption was that Cronin was looking to build a team who can contend and didn't think the best route was to have a large chunk of the cap given to 4 guys 6'4" and under.
I always took that to to mean "Because we can't pay him this summer" is a much better excuse than "He wasn't going to re-sign, regardless of how much we offered".
Here is Hart hitting a 3-pointer as part of a lineup that broke open the game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland. The lineup was Hart, Quickly, McBride, Barrett, and Hartenstein. The is zero reason why Hart could not have been an important part of the rotation with the Blazers, especially if Sharpe gets some minutes at small forward.
I'm surprised to see the Hart being traded issue being litigated by folks. This always seemed like the likely outcome before the season even started. It had nothing to do with his play or even him as a person. So much better than letting guys go for nothing (LMA, Matthews, RoLo, Collins, etc).
Who is a better defender and rebounder? Jerami Grant , or Josh Hart? I think it's odd to many Blazer fans that they shipped off Josh Hart yet are willing to pay up long-term to Jerami Grant.
I can find you screen shots of Hart doing things well in Portland and things poorly in New York. What the screenshots don't address is how you plan to build a contending roster with Dame/Ant/Sharpe/Hart/Grant/Nurk making $135m/year.
Josh Hart is a bit of an NBA enigma. He will be beloved wherever he plays because he plays hard, limits his mistakes, and has that dawg in his attitude. All this said, he is an awkward fit for almost any team due to the following reasons: His best NBA skill may be his rebounding... which frankly isn't all that important for a wingman. A nice bonus? Sure, but not vital. He is undersized both in terms of height and length. You can even argue he is undersized for the shooting guard position. He is reluctant to shoot and a below average shooter when he does shoot. There is no reason to guard him or close out hard when he is on the perimeter. He is a solid defender, but not a great or elite one. I think people overestimate his impact on this end because of his "dawgedness." He is far more effective playing up tempo (i.e. not a good fit for a Dame-led Blazers) and in semi-controlled chaos. I love Josh Hart and will always root for him, but he requires such special circumstances to be at his peak effectiveness, and the Blazers were never going to be that fit. I think we'll miss his cap-slot more than anything.
Grant is better. Grant is taller. Grant is longer. Grant is a better shooter. Grant plays PF while Hart is a SG/SF. The Blazers already have 3 talented guys under 6'6" on their roster. They already had a deal agreed to with Grant, while they didn't with Hart.
Grant isn't the answer. The Blazers should have kept Hart instead of Grant. Now the Blazers need a player who can really play Power Forward, then Grant can move to Small Forward. When Hart is a better overall and cheaper player at small forward. Hart was a point-of-attack defender the Blazers desperately needed. Grant is not.
Hart isn't the answer. The Blazers should keep Grant over Hart. Grant is a PF, not a SF. Hart isn't better overall and he's cheaper for that reason. Grant has length the Blazers desperately need. Hart does not. Most importantly. Hart is gone. Grant isn't. That ship has sailed. Congrats to Hart for making his first playoffs this year.
Just like game threads on here….the people who expect to win every game will leave disappointed. Plan on us slipping to 8th and you’ll walk away very satisfied.
Probably true…although while watching the lottery, if we are not called by #7….everyone should get very excited
Yeah, I think Hart filled a need when they traded for him. (a bigger SG) But we did not know we would draft SS at that time. Grant, even with his lack of rebounding, fills a bigger need. Thybulle, while not as good as Hart, comes cheaper and can duplicate Hart's (and Payton's) defensive ability......while not commanding as many minutes or salary.
We should get every single person back onto the same room we were all in for the Oden lottery…… hopefully that same mojo would carry over.
Positions 1, 2, 3 is 144 minutes. Divided by 4 is 36 minutes per player. the question has to be answered: how much is Hart going make, and how much is Grant going to make? Before making a comparison. Also, Hart can play multiple positions capably. Grant struggles with one position. If Grant isn't scoring, what's he doing? For New York, Hart is shooting 52% on 3-pointers, 62% on 2-pointers, 79% on free throws and has a true shooting percentage of 70%. He's coming off the bench playing with 2 smaller guards. edit: I forgot to mention that Hart is getting 7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals (team-leading) per game in 30 minutes off the bench.
