In true sportsmanship we play like there's no tomorrow and let the chips fall where they may. Frankly with our underrated young bigs I say we do make the playoffs.
Let me ask you this MM... Truthfully: Are you advocating that we actually go out and lose games on purpose?
You are delusional homers if you actually think we make the playoffs. Golden State, San Antonio, OKC, Memphis, Clippers, Dallas and Houston are all basically locks to make the playoffs out West. Pelicans should improve and make it as well. Their roster is superior to ours. And even if one of those 8 teams I listed slips, I still think the Suns and Jazz have a better roster than us. Hard to know what to expect from Sacramento and the Lakers, but both have improved this offseason. Even if we can manage to get the 8th seed, what good does that do for us? We aren't going to beat a 1 seed on the road. In the long run we are better off racking up the losses and a top 3 pick.
Im not a fan of mediocrity or tanking. Im a fan of developing our players at this point. If that gets us 10 wins awesome if that gets us 45 wins awesome as well. We also cant tank 76ers style because we already have a player in Lillard that is better then anyone on the 76ers.
Personally I'd rather the team rebuild into a contender than tank. What has the 76ers organization done basketball wise while they've been tanking? They tell their fans to trust the process.. But for how many years now have they've used that? MCW/Noel/Embied/Okafor... Turned into Noel/Embied/Okafor Noel had okay defensive stats and his offensive game improved as the season went on.. But lets be real he's not a generational player like AD, who has the potential to become a top 3 player in the league. At best Noel is a DeAndre Jordan... Embied could equal Greg Oden in terms of injury.... Back Injuries are not typically going to be "okay tomorrow". And Okafor has yet to play an NBA game yet. What if 6 games in he pulls a Randle and is never the same player? Or what if his ceiling is David Lee? For all the tanking the 76ers have done in the past.. 3/4 years.. where are they in terms of building a contender? Personally I don't think they're going to be much better this year... If at all better... They've been in full tank mode for 4 years now right? Yeah "Trust the Process". I don't want to see a mediocre team. But I also don't want to see 15 wins per season for the next 4 years with no improvement or light at the end of the tunnel.
Not a fan of tanking simply because it builds a losing culture and no one wants to play for a loser city with no crowd. I believe it's a decision Olshey should make around the All-Star break, give these guys a chance to make a surprising jump.
We gave up on Wes,Lopez and maybe Afflalo. Nothing you can do about the divas of the world (LMA\Lebron\Howard etc).
But it's not just divas. Greg Monroe, Spencer Hawes, Hedo Turkoglu. None of these guys are big names, but they still chose another team over us. And two of those three chose a team with a worse record. So I wouldn't say tanking is big factor that deters free agents from coming here.
If this newly rebuilt roster is capable of earning the 8 seed in year one, that would give me tremendous hope for the future.
Greg wanted to make the playoffs, Olshey showed him he is getting rid of Wes,Aaron and Lopez. What did we expect?
I don't think they should add any players that make us better. Only maybe players that make us younger; like trading Kaman for a younger player; he might be valuable at the deadline as teams lose big men to injuries. They could still look for young guys who have been overlooked like Hassan Whiteside was; I think we have a lot of open roster spots; don't we? This is a young team now, they should devote this year to developing individual skills and learning to play together, learning a defensive system and an offensive system that fits the skills of the players. I think some coaches should be added who can help do this. I expect them to give 100% every night and we will see what the results are; playoffs or not.
We might lose a lot of road games but I think with guys like legend and lillard who love our fans the rose garden is still going to be a hard place to win for the enemy. Im fine with .500 if we win 75% + home games. It will show we have the skill we just need to mature. On the other Hand if these guys gel and embrace the underdog like lillard has and decide to win I wouldnt count them out. All it takes is 1 or 2 projects having a break out year. This is the pros any team can win any night. Ill always be convinced hard work, smart play, and team ball is more important than big names.
When did that theory get tested? By the time July 1 rolled around the Blazers were in meltdown mode, the word was out around the league that LMA was on his way out of town and the Blazers were entering a rebuild. Some of us fans held out hope to the bitter end that he would have a change of heart and re-up, but that was definitely not what agents and talking heads alike were saying. If there's one lesson to be learned from this summer's FA signing period it's that the old mantra that FAs won't go to small market teams is bull. The Lakers got stiffed, the Knicks settled for mid-level talent, and the Clippers couldn't retain Jordan and only added old man Pierce. Meanwhile, Milwaukee got Greg Monroe and the Spurs got LMA. What attracts the best FAs is a team that has a solid core in place or one that is definitely on the up-tick. Sure, if there are two teams in a similar situation and one is a major market and the other is a small market, the major market has a significant advantage. The best thing the Blazers can do to improve their ability to attract FAs next summer is to be successful this next season. They don't have to make the playoffs, but they do have to show that they can achieve more than what was expected of them and that the pieces they have here mesh. Lillard has to expand his game and step up into superstar ranks so that other stars want to play with him. PA may need to spend big to get a coach with a bigger rep. In short, the Blazers have to make this a place where NBA players want to come because of the basketball that's being played here.
I dont think it is small market as much as small town that matters. We are a hippy non-bathing white boy town where half our women think its more attractive to don Gothic attire rather than the hollywood look most players find sexy. We are a great town for a family man, like Canzano wrote. Those are the types of personalities we need to try to attract. Lillard has proven that market doesn't matter. Several players have also proven that environment does.
