i want nothing more than to beat the clippers but they exposed us last night. we just dont have the personnel to match up with better teams. they forced the ball out of dame and cj's hands and made our other players beat us....and we all saw how that went. aminu is not the answer....we need go after another knock down shooter at SF(id much rahter have Harrison Barnes taking all those shots). and man...how inept is plumlee at putting the ball in the basket? I think we will a couple games in this series but i think reality set in last night. we are still multiple pieces away from contending in the playoffs. this hurt to write BTW
Very close I think, but I think we are only one more pc from contending in the playoffs. 2-3 more pieces to contend for the ring.
Not really "harsh." This is a building year, and this series is a start. Let's hope getting these playoff lumps now will do us good in the future.
Id much rather take these lumps now and lose the pick we had, over having another project and no experience.
Well now it's not the time to harp on the reality. I myself have moved on regarding the basis that these extra couple games will be better than a draft asset. My goal right now is to keep the score close and the narrative after the clippers beat us this series is that "Blazers were tough to beat and boy that team is going to be a problem in the near future" that's all I'm asking for at this point but so far although it's one game, it's not coming. But we still have a lot of time left, I have confidence Blazers will compete much better in game 2
I'm pretty encouraged by it... we shouldn't even be in the play offs right now and I'm excited to see what Olshey adds this off season. It's easy to identify where we need help and Neil knows the kind of players to bring in to fit with Dame and create a strong culture.
I did not say that. We're young and in need of assets, but it became very clear that with Dame and a very weak West, losing that pick was an inevitability. Make the best of that situation now. Predicted 1 win in the playoffs in the game thread. I actually think we can sneak away 2 wins. Only 2 teams have a legit shot at a title this year anyway, so I have no problems with losing in the first round. We have already over achieved this year.
I'd much rather have the pick if we get swept by blowout losses. If we win one game, then the playoffs were worth losing the pick over.
I think Aminu more than anyone looked like the atmosphere was too big for him. Crabbe and Plumlee, also, but to a lesser extent. Yes, I realize Aminu has played in the playoffs before, but not in a role where he was needed to provide offense. I know he can hit these shots, because he hit tougher shots in key situations during the regular season ... so I'm kind of willing to overlook what he did last night and see how he performs through the series as a whole before making a judgement. Crabbe still is young. He was forced to put the ball on the floor before he shot. I think next year that will be part of his game. Plumlee was just physically overmatched. Aside from the 3, the Blazers are greatly outsized at every position. I think Plumlee can be part of a championship team, but almost certainly not as a starting center. As for how many pieces the Blazers need before contending, I think it depends what those pieces might be. If someone like DeMarcus Cousins would be added to the current nucleus, I think that one change greatly closes the gap with the Clippers. I know Meyers Leonard isn't particularly popular, but his size and ability to shoot the ball really are tailor-made for the Blazers when they play the Clippers.
I personally think power forward and center should be our targets. We're getting beat because of Griffin and Jordan. We could live with Paul and Redick. If we could sign Horford or Whiteside and then make a trade for a power forward, I would feel pretty good about next year. There just really aren't that many power forwards in the league right now. Maybe sign Horford and trade for Noel? I'd offer up Crabbe/Aminu/Plumlee for a decent power forward.
That's very ironic to hear. The lma haters were saying for years pf was the easiest position to fill and basically was a worthless position. We are so weak at pf though, that we need a good one badly. Millsap would be perfect but he would need to be had in a trade.
Monroe for the Cavs pick. In the back of my mind I feel like this trade is an inevitability. I don't know how I feel about it....
This is Aminu's first year having a green light from three and Harkless's first playoffs. Give how good of defenders both are, and that their mechanics on their shots look decent, I would like to see them grow in experience and not replace them. I am a little less confident about having a center who is neither a rim protector nor a shooter. I like Plumlee, but think his spot is the most in need of an upgrade. Meyers would have made a big impact in this series.
Millsap is 31 and the cost would be high. I thought of him too, and a Millsap/Whiteside combo would be awesome. I just don't think the cost would be worth it at his age. I wonder how much Gasol would cost. He would be a perfect stopgap until Vonleh develops. If we could sign Gasol/Whiteside and bring back the rest of our core, that would be a decent team next year. Dame CJ Aminu/Harkless Gasol Whiteside With Crabbe, Harkless, Davis, Vonleh, Leonard off the bench.
It would be different if we actually had something to show for the pick. You'll notice that nobody is kvetching about giving up the pick that brought us Plumlee. Phrasing the issue as play-offs vs pick is rather silly since losing the pick did nothing to contribute to the team's surprise success. People need to stop linking the issues. I will now put away my soapbox.