Game Thread GAME# 61: BLAZERS @ HAWKS - FEBRUARY 29, 2020 - SATURDAY, 4:30, NBCSNW

Alantis Morrisette in the house?

 

There could be one reason. Hoping some club, either here or in Europe, will see something that makes them want to sign him, and therefore he might decline his option with Portland.

 

Man, I hope you are correct.

 

I can see it now: with a better pick on the line the Blazers start Simons/Trent/Little/Hoard/Gabriel - and we get a repeat of game 82 last season!

 

What ya gonna say now?

@HailBlazers if ya wanna play Mod or the forum Gestapo it's time you stepped up? Was it really necessary to add the "Not so Low key" personal attack at the end?

 

Good luck with that philosophy. I actually tried a year or so to talk to bonesjones in a pm suggesting we both should take responsibility in helping make this a better forum. He responded by telling me he doesn't need to take any responsibility because he does no wrong. That was all I needed to know about that kid.

 

No it wasn't. @BonesJones needs to take the same advice for the sake of us all. I'm not playing sides. Tired of the drama.

 

The Usual Suspects. May they never change.

Hahahaha.

 

So does no one think we should be performing better against the lowly Atlanta Hawks roster with our current team? I certainly do. Are we still making injury excuses for Stotts when we're losing to the worst rosters in the league regularly?

 

Stotts job is safe. I hate it but that's the reality

 

That wasn't the question. We both agree that Stotts is safe. The question is, are we acknowledging that despite the injuries, he has a good enough roster to beat the worst teams in the league like the Hawks?

 

Without Dame, Im not really sure there roster is better than Atlanta’s. Young is probably the best player of all of them. CJ, Whiteside, (John)Collins are all some where in the 2-4 spots and after that its either old guys who are basically done or young guys that have a long way to go.

If last nights available roster played 82 games they’d have a worse record then the Hawks do... Im not “making an excuse” for their effort or weird game plan, but what the Blazers put out last night is not a winning basketball team and Im not sure it matters if Red Auerbach raised from the grave to coach them. The Blazers have some potential on the roster guys who need minutes, and maybe next year or a year later those guys will be fine, but not today.

 

The good thing about this seasons is it's exposing Stotts, the bad thing is that it gives him a big excuse.

 

I kind of think this season has exposed Neil and CJ more than Stotts. Neil’s trade deadline interview was so much spin he was circling his own story... If CJ was as “good” as the organizations believes (look at the contract extension), they should have a much better record then they do, because while there have been injuries in theory CJ and Dame are their “stars”, Dame is the only one who has looked like a Star all year. Neil’s still being bit in the backside by the 2016 mess, the cap is in a terrible spot. They basically said Simons is ready (because they provided almost no other point guard options). They’re in a real mess right now.

 

Kind of seems like they threw in the towel last night. It’s over. They know it.

 

Dame not making the trip?
Care to read between the lines there?

 

Yeah he’s done this year. They needed to win a few without him and it would have helped if they would have won a few that got away.

 

You mean when you were constantly trying to instigate drama (like you are right now) then you messaged me telling me to relax and take more responsibility?

And why are you bringing up PMs from a year and a half ago?

Just stop.

 

All I said is he didnt understand the point Eric was trying to make, then I explained it. Thats literally it.

 

Could the Blazers have beat the Hawks? Yes. Any team can beat another team in the NBA, we've seen 60+ win teams lose to 20 win teams even when healthy.

Vegas had the Hawks as the favorites to win, so apparently they didn't think Portland was the far superior team.