NO hogtied himself with the 2016 offseason FA signings. But, he became an escape artist by improvising very well to work around the problem. Not sure any other GM could have done better with a payroll in the tax. I do not believe NO has a long term strategy. But, he does leave options. He has found ways to take advantage of opportunities that develop that he did not create or control. I doubt he ever hogties himself again. His recent contracts have been more reasonable. I believe NO will have the Blazers in the playoffs for years to come. And give the team a chance to win a ring, when an opportunity out of his control develops. Grade B
I voted B before reading your comments and now I don't have to write much because I fully agree with your comments and grade
Lillard was drafted in 2012. Since then, Olshey has failed to put another all-star next to him. He's made many mistakes, notably in 2016 but the Afflalo trade was another black mark. He's made good under-the-radar moves to counter that, but still hasn't made Portland anymore than a darkhorse even though they have arguably the best player in franchise history. He has a good long-term vision and has learned from some mistakes, but until that plays itself out for the better, I can't give him credit. Grade: C
Counter points. NO Went through a major rebuild, maintained being competitive, whether “luck” or not, got Nurkic and a pick for Plums. Dame is the best Blazer or one of the, and has still struggled to get into the ASG, it has always been traditionally really hard for Portland to get two guys into the ASG, even if by record / numbers they have two guys who could get in. The Blazers are one of the more stable teams in the NBA. I mean I pretty much agree, and I wouldnt go higher than a B, BUT the last few years the Blazers have found themselves in a league that GS basically dominated, and honestly he’s made huge gaffes, but at least the teams always competitive. Its not just Dame either, he’s the star but they always seem to find guys who can contribute to a winning team.
and yet he kept a team in the playoffs after losing 4/5's of his starting lineup and then put together a team that made it to the WCF and all you give him is a c? You just salivate any time you can denounce accomplishments of Olshey.
Cup, he's right. Let's take the target off of BJ's (lol) back for a little while. You might not agree with him, but his opinions are thought out and he backs them up with examples and numbers and all that good stuff. What more could you ask from a poster?
You ask and I will answer. I deserve the right to my opinion and the right to disagree with someone's opinion. That seems pretty fair.
That isn't an answer to the question I posed, but that's okay. And you should know I'm not saying you shouldn't have or express an opinion. I'm saying that you can say wtf kind of take is that and it'll land with greater profundity and garner more respect if you don't include things like: "You just salivate any time you can denounce accomplishments of Olshey." (Which isn't really an opinion the way it's stated, btw.) Those words are baiting. It's the place where constructive turns to destructive. AND it's a good example of something you would (most likely) not say in person. Do what you do, I'm just trying to tell you what it looks like from here.
For the last time - the afflalo trade was made to have him on the bench. It was before wes went down. Its not a black mark. It's called shitty luck. Lay it to rest. There is no argument.