That's a fair question. (I would note that you could ask the same about Nurk) My honest answer is that the Blazers are unlikely to find someone better, so I would rather keep the guy who has at least some proven positive assets. You can make a reasonable argument to keep Davis and Collins and let Nurk walk, as there is the very real possibility that the Blazers will have to over-pay to keep him.
Hater News: If Neil signed Ed, you'd say "Business as usual, keeping a team together that was swept in the playoffs, going to stick Collins at the 3 point line again, blah, blah, blah." Bad News: I'm starting to become a Hater myself. At that price, should have kept Ed.....
I think the Blazers see Collins as their COTF. I think they will push for Nurk to take the QO, play Collins behind him at center next season and then decide whether Nurk is worth a new contract.
He delayed the righteous rage into a whimper years later, by conning us that his incompetent evaluations showed that he had gotten equal value in Vonleh and Henderson. The fatigued remains of a righteous rage finally came when he gave away Vonleh for nothing (his only motive was economics, not as it should be, a continuous series of trades to improve the roster). That meant that the had gotten nothing for Batum.
Patently absurd. ANY team ponying up $4.1 for 1 or more years could have had him (for basically nothing), and no one wanted him. You think he was fielding multiple offers?
E-Blazer has always opposed change in the 16 years I've read his posts, and he sure won't change this summer. To silence the commotion, he invents an invisible secret Olshey plan.
The call to cancel season tickets is silly anyway - the Blazers gave us a discount to renew them back in the spring - when were in 3rd place in the Western Conference and everyone was excited.
It looks pretty stupid to wait for years for a mythical “plan” to materialize when there obviously isn’t one too so... who’s the idiot now?
His plan is to get an "impact vet." That hasn't happened yet, and probably won't until a couple of days after LBJ signs. Until then, we have to wait. That being said, we may end of being locked out of free agency, so yes, it's frustrating.
But it’s not just about just this year. Neil’s entire tenure in Portland has been a disappointment. Outside of drafting dame and cj what hasn’t this guy fucked up over the last 5 years? How many trades has he been on the winning side of? 1 maybe? How many diamonds in the rough has he found? How many of his fa signings have been really impactful and improved the team? The answers to these questions are not flattering to olshey.
How does losing a fantastic bargain, Davis, who contributes about $12M worth of play in the Stotts system yet costs only $4M, fit into this plan to sign a veteran (which exists only in E-Blazer's head anyway)? We are a worse team now. Any veteran will now be less likely, not more likely, to sign.
The Lopez trade was genius. Everyone was saying he was a "backup, at best", Neil said he was a starter. Neil was right, everyone else was wrong. The Nurk trade was ridiculously one-sided. Great move by Neil. Getting value for Batum was a great move. 1 year later, Batum signed a long term bazillion dollar contract we wanted no part of. .... But, I understand the criticism. 2016 was a critical time, and ultimately he, like everyone that year, screwed up. Regardless of "fault", we're still paying for it.
to answer the thread's question...the way to get their attention is to stop buying tickets, jerseys, showing up at Blazer events, etc......I'm not even close to that point as a fan but that's how you do it....empty seats...
I'm not sure why you're both wanting to take shots at me, personally, but that's your choice. But, since you both bring up the issue of a "mythical" or nonexistent plan, let's review: 1. At the end of the playoffs, after the Blazers had been ingloriously swept by the Pelicans, Olshey said that that series had revealed things about the state of the team that needed to be addressed. He said that the team needed more veterans and it needed better shooters. He said that since the Blazers don't have any cap space, they would be looking to use the Crabbe and Vonleh TPEs aggressively to try to resolve those needs. He also indicated that the team would not be averse to using the 24th pick as a sweetener to get those objectives done. That is "THE PLAN", or at least as much of it as has been made public. It's not mythical and it's not hidden. It's right out there in the open for everyone to see. 2. The draft came and went without a deal getting done. Olshey took flyers on two young guys who may or may not be worthwhile, but they certainly aren't addressing the things that were identified as needs, so they don't fit "THE PLAN". Strike one. 3. The Blazers didn't tender QOs to Napier or Connaughton because they don't fit "THE PLAN" and what they do offer can be had for cheaper in today's market. 4. Yesterday at 9:00 pm PDT it became July 1st on the east coast and the free agency negotiations period opened up. The league also went into a one-week moratorium while the bean-counters figure out the salary cap for the coming year. Free agent signings can be announced, but not consummated until July 6th. Trades can't happen until then either. 5. Teams with cap space or exceptions that allowed for free agent signings began to make tentative deals immediately after the opening of the FA negotiation window. The Blazers, not having any cap space only did one signing for the vet's minimum. They let Ed walk, presumably because he doesn't fit with "THE PLAN". The Blazers held off on using their MLE, most likely because they want to use the TPEs first. 6. RipCity2 goes ape-shit with calls for Olshey's head because he hasn't executed "THE PLAN" BEFORE IT CAN POSSIBLY BE EXECUTED. If Olshey whiffs on improving the team this summer, you can add me to the list of people looking for a replacement GM, but I'm at least going to wait until it's actually possible for the Blazers to do something before getting my knickers all in a bunch.
We effectively replaced Davis' roster spot with Nik Stauskas last night. Does having Nik Stauskas instead of Ed Davis on the roster make the Blazers any better able to beat the Pelicans in another series?
