It's Time

[Boise Blazer]

I think the combo of this game and Nurk has convinced me it's time to go big for next year. Maybe we will play well at home in the next games and make a series of it. But either way it's time to get rid of some of these bench players that don't step up and get some veterans on this team to make a run for next year.

We have our core in Dame, CJ and Nurk. But I think it's time to go after another solid 6th man type scorer and a few veteran role players. I no longer care about developing youth. I would seriously trade all 3 picks and some of our guys for a solid scorer and a veteran role player. The title of youngest team in the league doesn't impress me. I want to have the title of contender and its going to be really hard to do that as the youngest team in the league.

 

[BrunoSOC]

Agree

 

[KeepOnRollin]

I think you have to have a combination of both to have a (hopefully) sustained run. I would like to keep at least one of our picks but I also do want to see some trades this summer. We need some mean.

 

[H.C.]

Selling draft picks when you're not a contender, to build a contender doesn't work.
This has been proven time and time and time and fucking time again.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Selling draft picks when you're not a contender, to build a contender doesn't work.
This has been proven time and time and time and fucking time again.

I'm not saying going to ALL veterans but we have NONE. None of the true contender or even teams that are almost there have NO veterans. We have a team full of draft picks

 

[BonesJones]

Just dump all are big contracts, by attaching them with Harkless and the 26th pick.

Draft 2 rotation players, then fill out the roster with more well rounded vets.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Just dump all are big contracts, by attaching them with Harkless and the 26th pick.

Draft 2 rotation players, then fill out the roster with more well rounded vets.

Should Neil slip in a "roofie" while he's at it? 'Cause that's the only way I see him being able to shed some of that money without a lot more inducement.

 

[A$AP Meyers]

You are overvaluing our draft picks and also not acknowledging that no one wants any of our scrubs on their roster. Who the f would want Leonard, Harkless, Turner, or Crabbe? Especially with those contracts.

 

[KingSpeed]

I'm not saying going to ALL veterans but we have NONE. None of the true contender or even teams that are almost there have NO veterans. We have a team full of draft picks

Turner, Dame, and Leonard ARE our vets.

 

[PCmor7]

Just dump all are big contracts, by attaching them with Harkless and the 26th pick.

Draft 2 rotation players, then fill out the roster with more well rounded vets.

Well-rounded vets cost money. This isn't the type of team right now or by drafting two rotation players to add to Dame, CJ and Nurk that is going to attract the David Wests of the NBA, who will come here at a discount because they think they had a chance at an NBA title.

 

[Nikolokolus]

You are overvaluing our draft picks and also not acknowledging that no one wants any of our scrubs on their roster. Who the f would want Leonard, Harkless, Turner, or Crabbe? Especially with those contracts.

Harkless is on a market level deal. Somebody might want to see if they could salvage Leonard (even at his current price). Turner and Crabbe are gonna be tough.

 

[Strenuus]

Turner, Dame, and Leonard ARE our vets.

Dear mother of god that's the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen.

 

[Chris Craig]

Turner, Dame, and Leonard ARE our vets.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

I not saying he is the answer necessarily but Harkless seems to be the least of our problems when we are talking about any player outside our big 3.

Obviously you try to move Leonard plus one of either Crabbe or Turner (not both).

 

[Strenuus]

Can we get a new amnesty clause to get Leonard off the team?

 

[PDXFonz]

Hard to disagree with the idea of trading some of these guys. If you are getting paid Crabbes money to disappear as bad as he has in the playoffs... He should be ashamed of his performances. I hope he's as pissed about the fact that he's been laying eggs as we are.

Dude is shooting 12.5% from 3 in these playoffs...

 

[Nikolokolus]

Can we get a new amnesty clause to get Leonard off the team?

Does anybody have a cousin from Jersey, that "solves problems?"

 

[Trackjack]

It funny everyone what to trade these guys but the problem is you need a partner to trade with. I really believe Olshey will try to make some deals this summer to improve this team but I guess we will find out how value some of our players are to other teams in this league.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Turner, Dame, and Leonard ARE our vets.

First of all I was referring to veteran role players so maaaaaaybe I will give you Turner (but his price tag defeats the point of getting a veteran) but that's not really what I meant. But second and more important if you ever call Meyers a veteran ever again I'm taking your Blazers Fan Card. Period.

 

[Minstrel]

This is the problem that I (among others) have been mentioning for a while: the Blazers don't have the flexibility to remake their roster. They're capped out and not because of great, movable contracts--they're saddled with some doozies that no one is likely to be interested in, notably Crabbe, Leonard and Turner. If you don't move those three contracts, they only sizable salary you can move is Lillard or McCollum.

Beyond that, the Blazers have little in the way of trade assets. Harkless is a playable role-player. You could trade him for value, but he'd only bring back minor value. The same is true of the Blazers' first-round picks--none of them will be premium (top five or six) picks, so they're not bringing back either a star or good complimentary players on decent contracts (because good complimentary players on decent contracts is basically what you hope those three draft picks become). Aminu won't have much value--defensive specialists who aren't that special on defense and are offensive zeroes aren't in demand.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for the Nurkic deal, I'd say that Olshey would be in the running for worst GM of the year. Nurkic keeps him away from that dubious honor, but it doesn't really absolve him because (IMO) Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic isn't enough to make a contender. You need more good players around them and the Blazers don't have the ability to get them and probably won't for the next couple of years.

That said, there are people on this forum who are very certain that all three players I pointed to (Crabbe, Leonard and Turner) are valued around the league and can be traded for good value easily. If that's true, Portland is in great shape. I'm skeptical but perfectly willing to wait and see.

 

[MARIS61]

I think the combo of this game and Nurk has convinced me it's time to go big for next year. Maybe we will play well at home in the next games and make a series of it. But either way it's time to get rid of some of these bench players that don't step up and get some veterans on this team to make a run for next year.

We have our core in Dame, CJ and Nurk. But I think it's time to go after another solid 6th man type scorer and a few veteran role players. I no longer care about developing youth. I would seriously trade all 3 picks and some of our guys for a solid scorer and a veteran role player. The title of youngest team in the league doesn't impress me. I want to have the title of contender and its going to be really hard to do that as the youngest team in the league.

We were the youngest team in the league when we won our only Championship.

 

[WillG]

It wont matter if these new players come in and are playing in the same ineffective Stotts systems.
New players under a coach who lets players half-arse it and cannot get them to play with tenacity - will not make a difference.

 

[tester551]

That said, there are people on this forum who are very certain that all three players I pointed to (Crabbe, Leonard and Turner) are valued around the league and can be traded for good value easily. If that's true, Portland is in great shape. I'm skeptical but perfectly willing to wait and see.

None of Crabbe Meyers or ET will have 'good value'.

I'm hopeful that Crabbe would have minor value (2 high seconds). I'm also hopeful that someone would think that Meyers JUST needs a change of scenery. If we can trade him for a slightly better bad contract, that would be fabulous.

 

[BonesJones]

Should Neil slip in a "roofie" while he's at it? 'Cause that's the only way I see him being able to shed some of that money without a lot more inducement.

Harkless is on a market level deal. Somebody might want to see if they could salvage Leonard (even at his current price). Turner and Crabbe are gonna be tough.

A team like Sacramento or Brooklyn doesn't have Many options to add young talent.

They'd both value Harkless, with Crabbe and Leonard being meh. Turner doesn't help.

Would the Kings add a player they'd value (Moe), and a pick, in order to take on two players they think could be salvageable, and a bad contract in ET? Maybe. Cap space won't do them much good anyway, so free assets at the cost of something that isn't valuable to them might make sense.

Teams would take Aminu and Davis. We could probably get a couple 2nd round picks, and trade back into the late 1st.

I mean, who knows, but I think its possible. I think we could put a better team around our Big 3 with picks and $40M in cap space than we otherwise could.

 

[BonesJones]

I think BKN would take Leonard or ET if we gave them Harkless and Crabbe.

 

[JDC]

The draft this year is pretty important as far as where this team will be in 3-4 years (right around when our real contention window will open imo).

 

[joeBlazers]

If we give up our garbage, we need to be willing to take someone else crap.
How in the world did we pay Crabbe, Leonard and E.Turner so much money?

 

[Rhal]

I'm not sold our contracts are unmovable. Harkless seems like he would be pretty easy to move and Crabbe at 3 years left on his deal as a shooter that shoots over 40% from 3, who would be a teams starting SG not coming off the bench like he does for us, doesn't seem like a horrible contract. Meyers/Turner we are most likely stuck with but even Meyers you have a solid 7 footer who is a good 3p shooter who has played the second half of the season with 2 herniated discs in his back, with how the league is evolving to want a stretch 5 I don't think it will take a first rounder for a team to take him off our hands. Turner we are stuck with.
You go all in if there is a situation where a star becomes avaible but for the next two years the warriors are going to be an unbeatable road block in our way, I like the idea of aiming to be get better each year with the idea of being able to displace GS when in 2 years they can't have KD/curry/Green/Thompson under salary due to massive LT penalites.

 

[Denny Crane]

Harkless is on a market level deal. Somebody might want to see if they could salvage Leonard (even at his current price). Turner and Crabbe are gonna be tough.

TNT announcers last night talked about how most teams are looking for shooters. Crabbe's .444 3pt shooting should be in high demand.

 

[BBert]

Watching the game last night I kept thinking and hoping Harkless works all summer on his three point shot and is a better more consistent shooter next season. We really need that.