Portland has Powell under contract. As far as I know, they are allowed to discuss just about anything with him and his agent Powell would be an idiot to agree to anything at this point, IMO. He can nod his head and make encouraging noises though
Oh yeah, I'm just saying that we can work out something tentative with Norm and at least know the ideal situation for keeping Norm.
me too Dame gone while Olshey and CJ remain...that's yuck to the 7th power on the bright side, a blazer fan wouldn't have to worry about watching blazer playoff games and the lottery would have meaning again
I haven't been "pushing" for it, I've been pointing out that it's the only thing that makes sense. And so far, nobody's bothered trying to rebut those arguments. (Saying "ew" is not a rebuttal.) To recap the main points: 1. Dame is at his very peak, both of talent and value. It's downhill from here. 2. CJ is probably at the nadir of his value. His value would improve if he played without Dame 3. If we trade CJ to "make the Blazers better in Dame's window" then we'll almost certainly have to package him with picks. 4. Picks are more valuable to a small-market team that can't sign FAs than to other teams (like the Clippers) that have unloaded them 5. Trying to build a better team around Dame by trading CJ will fail and hamstring us for years. To be clear, I know no Portland GM has the cajones to trade Dame. But Olshey is also no doubt being made painfully aware of how little he can get for CJ and will not trade CJ either. So. Get ready to run it back with diminishing returns.
Just curious, whatb are the names of some players that you think could be acquired for Dame? Unless you are talking AD, Greek F, Doncic, Tatum and some you shouldn't even give it a consideration. Doncic is the only one I would consider becasue of his age.
The Warriors should trade Steph, he's at his very peak. It's downhill from here. We don't know that. And CJ is a a whole (checks notes) 14 months younger than Dame. Not really sure that's the case. Westbrook and Harden were both traded by Houston after last season. Harden was traded with 2 2nd round picks and the right to swap picks. Westbrook was traded with nothing. OKC traded Westbrook with zero picks. Now I'm not saying that CJ in on par with those players, but usually it's the incoming trade parts that have the picks tacked on. As much as we crack on CJ, he's still one of the better players in the league. It's highly likely that IF they trade CJ, it'll be for some anchor contract like Kevin Love + picks. Maybe this years (but I really really doubt that), or the right to swap picks for a few years. And trading Dame and building around CJ will cripple the franchise. Players like CJ are significantly easier to trade for (hell, it took Hood and Trent Jr to get Powell). The returns for CJ would be better than the returns (and after effect) of trading Dame. Look at Houston after they traded Harden. That's Portlands future if they trade Dame instead of CJ, plus it'd be magnified by the fact that this is Portland and not Houston (read: Houston is a more desirable city/franchise for players to want to play for). IF Dame wants out, trade him. But if he wants to stay, you don't trade him.
Not sure what your point is. They probably should, but they think they can contend when Klay comes back. (I have my doubts.) They might want to do something splashy, because they want to distract from the fact they took Wiseman over Ball. So you're saying CJ could get worse? Possible. I bet he bounces back - he's got a lot of pride and he always has. But yes, the clock is ticking. If he's still with us in 14 months I'll push to trade him, too! ??? Are you saying Harden = CJ??? FOR AN EVEN WORSE PLAYER WITH AN EVEN WORSE CONTRACT!!! Your argument is completely specious. The teams that traded the players you're comparing CJ to (a) WERE REBUILDING - if we're doing that, we trade Dame. (b) WERE TRADING THE BEST PLAYER IN THE TRADE - I thought the point was to trade CJ to IMPROVE. Then let's keep him! Oh, that's right, he doesn't "fit". Well, we've been talking about trading him SINCE HE WAS DRAFTED and it hasn't happened, mainly because nobody could come up with a plausible one. Well, there was one, but that window passed. I love this game people on this board play: "CJ'S A PILE OF SHIT! WE'VE GOT TO TRADE HIM! Hey, maybe we can get Ben Simmons or Paskal Siakam for him, because let's remember, "as much as we crack on CJ, he's still one of the better players in the league" Um, if it's a choice between that trade and not trading CJ, then I think not trading CJ is ABSOLUTELY the best option. "Cripple?" I guess Sam Hinkie really "crippled" the 76ers, huh. Ironically (or something like that), it would make Olshey's life a lot easier if Dame demanded a trade. Then he could do the right thing and look like he was forced into it.
Remember Harden and Westbrook wanted out of Houston that right there hurt there trade value. I don't where CJ or Dame wants out of Portland makes a big difference when your trading someone in there stature.
Who knows what Olshey will do. Historically, he has been very tied to his players or players he drafted. That said, this team is going no where without improvements and better balance. If players like CJ, Melo and Kanter are back, then he is not serious about winning. You can hide maybe one poor to average defender but not multiples....and that is where Portland starts every game with a Dame/CJ back court. Add in Melo/Kanter, and it gets more ridiculous. Melo can't be back either because no matter how many times he goes nuclear for 3-5 minutes, his overall contribution is a big negative. Don't care about his legacy, don't care how much Dame likes him. Dame liked Stotts and wanted Kidd....suspect at best. Kanter on a cheap contract is fine as maybe a 3rd string backup but any more than that, and again, you're not winning anything.
But Harden, at least, IS A TOP PLAYER. That means teams are going to offer you something good for him NO MATTER WHAT. You get Harden, you're instantly a contender. Sadly, that is not the case with CJ. With Harden, you can sit and wait for the offers to roll in. With CJ, you're calling around saying, "no, wait - he's really better than you think!"
To be fair Norm played out of position having to guard someone that had 4-5 inches and 30lbs on him. Like Roco guarding Jokic. norm is ideal pairing next to Dame. Guy who pushes pace and can get to the rim. Now need to surround him with players that actually play their normal position. Nas intrigues me I feel like Stotts gave guys shots in shorts doses but never fully backed them. They would fall in and out of rotation causing them to lose confidence.
Unlike most I’m not as dead set against trading Dame. I think it seriously needs to be considered. You get max value, including several first round picks (maybe 3 team deal). I love Dame consider him the greatest Blazer of all time but if we can’t put a championship around him then trade him. You can’t fall in love with your players to the point you set back your franchise for decades. Sorry not popular view I’m just saying look at all options would love to put the right players around Dame for him to get us championship but if you can’t find that 2nd all star then trade him (for his sake and our franchise).
