this is the final standings for the 2018-19 NBA season: remember how it kind of seemed the Blazers were close if only they could make a couple of key moves? well, it's actually pretty amazing how many teams have lapped the Blazers since then. In the east, Miami, Washington, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York were all much worse. In the west. Utah, Memphis Dallas, and Phoenix were all worse that's 10 teams, 1/3 of the league, that have found different ways to get better and pass Portland. Yikes! yes, other teams have regressed as well, like Houston Indiana, and OKC. But being a fan of the Blazers makes it seem like the steepest drop in the league, and maybe Portland isn't done dropping yet
well, we were 8 games below .500 the following season going into the bubble so the drop off happened fast. Not sure what your point is though. We’re barely the 10th seed in the West. Of COURSE teams have passed us.
those teams just didn't luck into getting better. They had good management and a plan. Portland won 34 more games than Phoenix in 2018-19. Look at the two teams now. improvement (or regression) can happen very fast. It has happened fast for several teams. That should be a lessen Portland is mindful of when voices say it's too late for Dame & the Blazers to contend together.
The point is people were feeling some positive vibes about simons, so someone has to come in and take a dump in the forum to get everyone back on track I guess?
bullshit. This had nothing to do with Simons. It was more about how quickly the fortunes of a team can change depending on management, and some key moves. Miami and Phoenix were much worse than Portland less than 3 years ago (thread title). Since then, both have played in the finals. Chicago was 31-41 last season; they are the #1 seed in the East 7 months later. People are saying Portland can't keep Dame and find a way to contend. Maybe they can't, but acting like it's an impossible task is crazy
This thread shows the things that really fucked the Blazers: 1. Zach Collins injuries. If this kid stayed healthy, Portland would have been in a much better place. 2. The value of a deep bench (ET, S-Curry, EK) 3. The ongoing injuries of Nurkic (he is finally starting to look a little like he did before that injury at the end of that year) 4. The value of long, athletic wings next to Dame / CJ (Aminu / Harkless). I still think that the #1 issue unfortunately, was Z-Co - he was the X-Factor for that team imho.
