"Keon Johnson wasn't on my radar, so Joe Cronin NBA GM must have randomly traded for Keon Johnson." Is that what some people are thinking? LOL.
Kind of like the guy who coach’s him. I’m impressed how much much his jumper has improved in just one offseason. It looks smooth and he has confidence in it.
It wasn't difficult for me. Not even for a minute. Not even towards the end of last season. I watched, from my locker room hallway perch, as Joe Cronin transformed this team, almost right in front of me. I heard the decibel level increase, (even during the ridiculous losing), I saw players who were about each other, not themselves (cj & norm), I saw players willing to "mess their hair up" (Josh&Justice) as opposed to the absolute zero roco was. (and..he was a ZERO!)...I watched as Cody Zeller became Drew (dawg) Eubanks, I watched a young shy guy from Florida become an actual leader on this team, and in the process, get paid!!...I saw nothing but positive growth. I saw a Coach who is so respected and loved by the entire Association, that I knew there was no way he was going to fail at this...And I saw, an all time, Top 75 player (who in 2 years may not be the best player on this team!!!..Think about that!) with a look in his eye that told me, like he told the crowd on that final game last year "This will not continue"... Gone are the Kelvin whatever, CJ Ellerby, replaced by Shaedon Sharpe and Keon Johnson, and the addition of Jerami Grant is nothing shy of monumental. I recently told Mr. C. that he is my favorite Blazer!..Needless to say, he likes me...LOL!!! Happy to be serving the crow, as opposed to eating it...(table for 2 for @oldmangrouch and @SlyPokerCat (who seems to have disappeared) What was so frustrating for me this past summer, was I saw all of that, I knew things were gonna get good. But, I didn't think it would be this good.
Whoever gets hurt next. That is one thing about this team that never seems to change. Disclaimer: when and if Payton actually takes the court and plays like he did in GS, I will take him seriously. I also won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
Why? GP2's defensive game will not have to change in Portland. It is still a point of attack on defense - there is nothing specific about the scheme in GSW that will not translate, switching a lot, a read safety in Nurk instead of Draymond, and on offense, he is basically a Josh Hart with less ball handling duties and maybe more corner 3P shooting duties - he is not something that is dependent on a scheme - and with Portland doing more ball movement (even if it is not up to championship level GSW) - that's basically the same idea.
There are plenty of minutes to go around. Heck, this team is so deep, they can give guys "days off" as the season turns to 2023. Maybe, if there is a playoff run, Dame won't be spent by game 3 of the first round.
When a team starts in with the "re-evaluate in 2 weeks" and "no timetable to return" type statements, I assume the injury is far worse than initially claimed. Yes, I am a cynic, but I don't trust teams to be honest when injuries are concerned.
He is now in "reconditioning" phase - which to me say that he is healthy, just not in shape. We will see, but overall, it is supposed to be a simpler version of Dame's injury from last year. Dame seemed pretty fine before the calf strain (unrelated) - so I doubt GP2 will not be effective once the initial rust period is off.
Joe put some real money into support and training staff this season....I think we're seeing the benefits of that with guys sitting at the first sign of discomfort instead of running them into the ground to put up wins. The depth of our rotations is working because of Chauncey's plug and play system. Good things are in place for the future in Portland!
Yeah, oddly enough Cronin is bringing basketball guys in that I’m excited in, and they don’t even play. I’ve been going on about Mike Schmitz all summer, and the dude is an assistant GM LOL.
I get what you’re saying, but Dort is also a fucking chucker who’s PG-sized with no PG skill. For Keon, it looks like there’s a plan laid out for him to develop as a lockdown backup PG who can do a bit of everything, which includes being an actual PG. I never had faith in Keon becoming a PG. But the team keeps playing him there and he does seemingly get better with every game.
Excellent post. I didn't know anything one way or the other so I didn't take a stand. I was happy to see change and liked everything I'd seen and heard of Cronin, and Billups won the right way as a player. So I was happy with the change and giving these guys a chance to deliver for Dame. It seems to be working out and I'm incredibly excited for the next few years. *Also, I really appreciate you guys with inside info and your willingness to share.
This is fun. I do have an amazing position. I interact, literally, with everyone in the league. I get to hear and see things, and meet people, that, as a lifelong NBA worshipper, is truly an honor, and I do not take for granted. The hardest part, is not sharing everything I see with you guys...lol.. In addition to Blazer games, I have met DuaLipa, (got a "ello darling ow are you?" from her)..Had a nice convo with Pete Townshend, (as a guitar player I cannot tell you how cool that was!), Had a great time with the girls from HAIM, been "on the stage" with everyone from Jack White, Imagine Dragons, Justin Bieber, and my favorite so far, Toto.(opened for Journey)...Tonight I get Dave Matthews Band, and tomorrow I'll be rinkside for the Winterhawks game. Life doesn't suck.
