Look..I completely understand the whole making the Playoffs at a 7th or 8th seed being bad premise. I also understand that there is a draft pick involved. But listen to me out here... The Blazers are going to lose that draft pick anyway one way or another. Sooner or later really makes little difference. Making a trade for a draft pick is never out of the question. What kind of effect do you think making the playoffs will have on players mentality for continuing to play as a team and working hard every single game? As unlikely as it might be that they actually make the playoffs there is just no way i could honestly feel that would be anything except very positive for this team. They will get a chance to play in a playoff series against not only a quality opponent but will also see the kind of dedication it takes to beat that kind of team with that kind of experience. Another thing, what if they actually play a good series and take it to 6 or 7 games and they get some of the luck that GS had last year? Just about every team they played had a major injury to deal with right on up to the finals. Funny what some confidence does to a team....Then think about the trade and free agent market? if they actually come away with a good showing and the tools to really have a solid bench behind a quality FA they just might land a game changer. Money talks and the Blazers have lots of it. There is just no way i will be pulling for this team to miss the playoffs if they actually have a chance to make it.
That's not necessarily true. If the Blazers miss the playoffs this year and next, then Denver only gets 2 2nd round picks, and we don't lose a first at all. I'm still firmly in the "it's better for our youngsters to be good than to add a draft pick to a pile of crap" camp, but it's important to have the facts.
Yes i guess if they were to actually try to keep it they could for a bit longer. I just feel there will be picks available at some point. I would never work to be worse to keep a pick that might not even work out well. Always try to win and keep that tradition of hard work going.
Thanks for the bump btw.........As I may not be too far off. From the start of this thread we have gone 6-5 with the 7 game home stand coming up. I thought we would win 10 of the 18, so we need to go 4-3 on this home stand to meet that. I still think that is doable.
This isn't a wash. First, that pick you get this year or a draft-day trade of the player you take with it could lead to something that puts you over the top in a couple of years. Also, I haven't looked at next year's prospects, but I really like the top 7-8 this year, and you only need one of them to fall to you. Plus there is the thing that if we do somehow miss the playoffs next year, too, we only lose a second rounder down the line ... I don't see that, but you could be giving up a pick in the 16-20 range next year but keeping one in the 8-12 range this season.
But what happens if were a borderline team next year? Do we miss the playoffs then as well? You're point about having another trade asset is debunked by the fact that we can trade a future first from 2018 instead of waiting till 2019. That 2018 pick will be a bit more valuable. I just don't think someone like Jakob Poeltl moves the needle at all. We got Meyers at 11 and all y'all hate him. Is that what you wanna miss the playoffs for? Another Meyers? That's how losing cultures develop. Don't give the losing culture a chance to grow. Stomp that shit out with a playoff appearance
I was watching Poeltl against Oregon last Thursday........not understanding the love. Not in the lottery anyways.
It's because the draft is only 7 deep. People say that the playoffs are the worst case scenario, but for me it's picking between 8 and 14.
In January before Lillard was drafted he wouldn't have been even in the top 14 of his draft class. MUCH too early to say it is only 7 deep.
Even if we end up on the short end of the lottery (say 8-14) it's still a possible trade chip, or maybe someone the Blazers like falls? Some are lamenting the loss of RHJ, and he was picked somethings like 23rd. And Meyers was picked 11th so clearly there is gold to be found. (ducks) Seriously though, wasn't Drummond like 10th or something? (Ok ninth).
I'm on the record as not being a fan of Poeltl, and I don't hate Meyers. But you can't draft anyone if you don't have a pick ... talk about not moving the needle at all. There is no losing culture. There never has been. You look at the guys on this team. But missing the playoffs doesn't mean you have a losing culture. And missing the playoffs is not the worst thing that could happen to this franchise ... but this has been discussed ad nauseum. As far as next year, who knows? We aren't trying to miss the playoffs. We aren't trying to miss the playoffs this year. It just happens to be probably the better scenario for this team. Why do you think the 2018 pick will be more valuable? I'm not following you on that reasoning.
Skal, Brown, Ingram, Simmons, Dunn, Bender, Rabb Lillard was an anomoly. I mean maybe Kay Felder rises up the board but I doubt it.
It's a win-win scenario. Make the playoffs and have more leverage in free agency, or miss and keep the pick. There is no better scenario, it all depends on what Olshey does this off-season.
I would bet it is not as rare as you think. I would guess 50% of drafts have someone outside the top 14 in January that goes in the top 7 come late June.
