Herro & Simons might be too good together. Having 2 of the most rapid fire 3 point shooters in the NBA, could adversly effect the quest for another top 5 draft choice. Tyler is coming from the Heat's winning culture. How would he respond when Cronin & Billups ask him to grab some wood? We need you off the court so the team can lose for a better draft pick. We all saw how Lillard responded after being asked to sit games out. Dame became disgruntled, and wants to get the hell out of Portland.
Who are the 2 young players? Because Herro + JJ.jr+Jovic is about 9 million short. And is Miami even offering JJ and J?
Or, hear me out, it's not? Miami stands to lose a *lot* more than Portland does. All Portland has to do is sit back and say "fine, you you can just sit at home. But out of respect for what you've done for the franchise, we won't fine you or keep your money from you." And all Miami can do is sit back and say "wait, we're Miami. Let me rephrase that, we're Miami. Don't you understand? Our fans believe that being a Miami fan means they're better than others while simultaneously convinced the NBA has it out for them. Your fans are just jealous of our city, our weather, and our taxes. So why don't you do us a favor and give us Damian for are bench warmers and a few 3rd round picks, and go along with your pathetic little life? And don't you dare bring up the fact that if we don't trade for Damian that the team is going to struggle massively, that's only because Joe Cronin is trying to out smart Pat Riley! And that never will happen. " Wait, I think I meant they can sit back and start off the year really bad because outside of Bam, Butler and *maybe* Herro, their roster isn't exactly striking fear in the hearts of any team in the EC, let alone the rest of the league. So they have far more to lose than Portland does. Portland keeps Dame and doesn't play him? Ok, they'll suck. Portland trades Dame for the moldy bread the Heat are offering? Ok, they'll suck. What exactly is the gain here? They'll have more "assets" to trade? Oooh boy....
Ex Exactly, Miami has more to lose and feeling the Heat so to speak. They also have a 34 year old superstar that needs to win now, so if they don’t do something soon Jimmy will be 35 next season. All this talk from certain posters that we must take what Miami is offering because we have nothing else, let’s get this over with talk and etc is super cringe. You guys don’t know how to play hard ball in the NBA and play chess to get the best value out of a assets, just want us to bend over and take whatever Miami is offering is gross. Look at how patient the Nets were and got nice value for KD in the end. There is a risk Dame value goes down, he gets hurt and etc, but even if his value goes down, still would be better to have him than the crap from Miami
It is pretty amusing when you don't leave your brain at the door and stop letting yourself get swept away in the tidal wave of pro-Heat punditry and fandom. You realize Fentress's proclamation that young current Blazer players won't re-sign with the team if they don't trade Dame for peanuts would actually be he thinks they'd care more about Dame in Miami than themselves. You realize that those like Barry Jackson saying how much the Blazers have to lose by not trading Dame immediately is infinitesimal compared to what the Heat stand to lose by not finding a way to make a worthwhile offer ASAP. Also, it's minor compared to what Dame himself has to lose. You realize just how much this whole loyalty thing that everyone made so hyperbolic about Dame actually was more mutually beneficial and mutually exercised between him and the team.
Heat are in panic mode sending incognito messages to Dame to start getting nasty. LMAO And we have dudes on here wanting to cave and take Pennie’s on the dollar. “He’s old, we need to get what we can” F That. Hold Firm Joe
Same kind of people that also respond to wanting a better trade return with "He's not going to be worth what he's making in a couple of years." Yes, Dame, these ^ are your new fans. Can't wait to have you but also are looking ahead at your departure. Have fun!
There are downsides to playing in Portland, but there are benefits, too. One of the biggest is an off-game or a down week doesn't wind up with a hoard of well-followed beat writers hitting the panic button and a rabid but not particularly thoughtful fan base losing their minds. I won't be interested in what Lillard's up to when he's playing for someone else, but how he handles the 180 he's going to experience in a city that sees him not as the respected representative of the community and more as a vital piece needed to win a title that has 5 to 10 times the media covering his every move. If he was shaking his head on social media at some of the stuff tweeted by outsiders about him the last few years, he's going to looooooooove getting those kinds of comments ad nauseum every time he has a 5-for-20 shooting night.
Lillard is playing the best basketball of his career right now. That's a fact which needs be mentioned in conjunction with his age.
Joe to Dame: Give me more teams to choose from then we'll start going somewhere. Until then, nothing changes, Does Dame want to lose a very precious year of his prime? Joe don't care much if the Blazers suck this year. Jimmy is old, so as Pat Riley. Blazers are not the ones who need to panic and rush.
It's more exciting to stand in the kitchen with Cronin, fill water balloons with Lillard insults, and hurl them at Damian while he's trapped behind a Moda Center couch.
Is something an insult if it's true? I suck at math. If you tell me I suck at math.... is that an insult?
I know that there's some truth in the mindset that since Portland has 1 major league team there's a lot more attention given to the players (not counting the Timbers, because let's be honest, the MLS isn't on par with the NHL, NFL, MLB or NBA), but realistically, there's something different about how those in the west coast, especially those in the PNW, deal with sports. For example, Damian has been horrible at defense for the majority of, if not all of, his career. It's not a major issue here. The franchise has been really bad about helping him with decent talent, and it's not a major issue here. The fans here have pretty much turned a blind eye to certain things (not like illegal or unethical things), which doesn't necessarily happen in other markets. Think about it, IF he goes to Miami and they don't win a title (even with him, there's no guarantee), who is going to get blamed? Riley? No chance. Spolestra? No chance. Butler? You mean the guy who has already taken then to 2 finals in 4 years? No chance. Bam? Unlikely. The guy who hasn't ever shown he's willing to put in the effort to be an even *decent* defender, is the new guy, is going to be paid 214 million dollars over the next 4 seasons, and is going into his 13th season? He has no connection to that fan base, that city or that community as a whole. Most people here don't blame Damian for the 19 conference finals and for the most part, most of the fans here don't blame him for the series vs the Pelicans... Damian needs to be careful for what he asks for (esp given his mantra used to be he was fine with whatever happens in Portland, because he wanted to finish playing in Portland). Even if he wins a title next season, it would be similar to how Drexler won a title. He wasn't there for the grind, just the rewards.
