I want it to be noted that I was against trading Ant Simmons....

I think we see what his skill set is now and will be in the future but playing with Dame hampers him on both ends of the court, playing with the level of players he's played with when Dame has been out just limits what we can know about what he would do if he were playing with players who are better and whose skill sets are cohesive with his.

 

I’ll just say that if Ant had demonstrated the ball handling, court vision and passing skills of a true PG to go along with his shooting skills, his trade value would be off the charts. As is, I think he’s primarily viewed as a combo guard.

 

Ant's handle is nice. His court vision and passing on the other hand... you've got a good point with that, I think. It's still hard to definitively say given the opportunities he's had... dude has started next to Dame or when the team was tanking and he didn't have NBA level talent to pass to.

I do think Ant's value is as a scorer in an offense with a better facilitator than he is but I do think that Ant has starter value in this league or at the very least super super sixth man and I think his contract is indicative of that value... not super team friendly but not close to negative value.

 

dumb-threads-r-us

 

Noted. Now know that nobody on this entire planet gives a flying shit where "you were on the Ant trade".

 

MoneyMaker , Your formal complaint will be filed and noted at E.S.M.F.

 

But Dame and Steph aren't in the same category. Dame is a really good shooter. Steph may be the greatest of all time. Dame is best with the ball in his hands. Steph is great with the ball or off ball. So they aren't that similar other than they are both offensive PG's that don't play much D.

 

Good News Money Maker. Since you are loaded with dough , you can follow Ant to his new team , and root him on in person. I think Ant will have a nice career and hope he succeeds. But he's not better than Dame , and is not a facilitator. He's a 2 guard. I'd be fine with him as our 6th man. He's a sharp shooter for sure. But his salary is too high with the true needs of this Blazers team.

 

I’d love to see what Dame’s shooting percentages would do if he had teammates like Klay and KD to draw a lot of defensive attention, but having the second best distance shooting PG to Steph isn’t a bad thing.

 

that's not how it works; get with the program: Dame isn't Bird or Magic or Lebron or Curry so he's not good enough...trade him!

 

FYI I like Ant and would be perfectly fine having him be our starting PG but only if Dame ask to be traded. I love the thought of Ant and Sharpe as backcourt.

 

A lot of NBA titles and MVPs represented there between Bird/Magic/LeBron/Curry. To compare Dame to those 4 or put him in the same conversation.....well, to each their own.

 

I hate the idea because I want Dame to retire having only played for our team but if Dame asked out then Ant, Shaedon and Miller at 1, 2 and 3 would be pretty fucking cool.

 

lol wut....you say that in reply to what I said, after you've made several posts in this forum lately complaining about people twisting the context of posts and making arguments against things people didn't say?....geeeeezuzzz

I'll simplify so you can't misinterpret: I did not say, at all, ever, not once, that Dame was on the same level as those players. What I implied was that he's held up against those standards, found wanting, and vaguely criticized for not being as good as generational talents.

 

So you think he’s going to suddenly experience dramatic improvement in his seventh season?

 

CJ doesn't fit with Dame. Ant doesn't fit with Dame. Scoot doesn't fit with Dame. I am starting to see a pattern here.

 

could it be the pattern is not to put a midget guard next to Dame? The NBA isn't a 6'3 and under league

 

Or, or, or could it be he isn't the easiest guy to play alongside? Probably the most ball dominate guard in the league. Hard to find a SG to play along side that. So what is the perfect guy? 6'5"+ that is defensive minded over scoring? Thybulle?

 

Last time Dame played a competitive season.

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=nba usage rate leaders 2020-21

Year before

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=nba usage rate leaders 2019-20

The guy isn't close to being the most ball dominant guard. The fact is that he hasn't started with a guard in the back court with him that makes sense since Wes. The fact that you're not seeing that is a bit concerning. On offense Dame is anything but a liability, his teammates not making the wide open looks he gets them has been. Dame isn't a great defender so the answer to that has been to put guys next to him in the back court that are worse defenders and ask one of those poor defensive small guards to defend a big guard. The fact that you think that it's Dame and not roster construction is ridiculous.