I only count this season as half a season for Scoot for 2 reasons -- 1 ) banged up a good portion of it and 2) He has a bad coaching staff / HC not sure what one
Let’s hope we know a little sooner. Two seasons more, with him starting and getting good minutes and of course staying healthy. After two seasons (more) I think we will have a pretty good idea if Scoot is the answer at point. I see some Terry Porter in his game - but Scoot has to learn to shoot more consistently from the outside. I like how he and Ayton were playing together (pick and roll) as the season was around 3/4 of the way done last season.
I think Scoot and Shae can show their potential without winning games but more so by playing winning basketball. There are a ton of players like Joker, Giannis, Steph and KD who all started out on losing teams for multiple seasons before working towards the playoffs and then being contenders. Building through the draft, seeing what you have and then through trade and signings is the most common way that any team especially small market teams builds contenders. I don't think we've built enough through the draft or seen enough of what we have to start building around it through trades and signings.
Agree. But don’t forget that Portland does not attract free agent signings. Trades and the draft are the primary tools for building a Blazers roster. Playing winning basketball means you are winning games! Just saying
how do we know that's true? I'm not sure how the Blazers can trade Randall when he's a Knick, but what if, realistically, the trio of Grant + Brogdon + Williams can only yield one first round pick and it's in the 20's? I refuse to credit that any team will trade a 1st round pick for Timelord. And the only type of team that would trade any draft capital for Brogdon is a playoff team, and that pick, even if it is a 1st (unlikely?) won't be good. The only shot at a decent 1st might be Grant, and I'm not even sure he'd fetch a lottery pick. Maybe in the coming draft, but maybe not
one player is hardly a "team" ...takes 8-9 rotation players to contend at least. Grant is definitely talented enough to play for a contending team. The key is having a bench that can hold or build a lead...very few single players can carry a team on their own....Dame didn't win a title that way
It is what it is, right? We have who we have. Because Grant and Williams have multiple years remaining, they are chips we have to trade this year at the trade deadline, next off season or even the following trade deadline. In the meantime (2024/25) we have to field a competitive roster in order to properly develop Scoot (and to a lesser degree, Sharpe). In the upcoming draft, I believe it best to draft: Risacher or Sarr or Holland I think we have to trade up. Then I think we have to trade Ant, as much as I really like the kid, because Sharpe has to get the minutes in order to blossom. As I have said, my idea is to trade Ant with Thybulle to the Knicks for Julius Randle and a quality 2nd. Randle, Ayton and Grant make a formidable front court for a year or two and a quality environment for Scoot, Sharpe and our 2024 draft pick - hoping for Risacher, Sarr or worse case, Holland. It’s part of a strategy toward a 2-3 year rebuild and at the same time, avoiding a future that looks like the Detroit Pistons. Only 2 teams get to play in the finals. It takes a mix of veteran and young talent.
A playoff contending team around: Ayton Julius Randle (trade of Ant & Thybulle to NY) Grant + 2024 pick of Risacher or Holland Sharpe Scoot plus Timelord, Walker, Camara, Rupert, Banton, Reath, etc.
I'd love to see the Blazers radically improve. I just watched a season of Vancouver Grizzlies basketball. The only vet that didn't quit was Ayton.
Not sure what you mean by formidable, all of them are below average NBA starters. It won't lead the team to the playoffs. But they are legit NBA rotational players so they won't get blown out as the Blazers were most of last season. To build a contender it would be better to flip all these guys for youth/draft capital and work towards a superior long term goal. But I am concerned the Blazers will go in this direction you mention. Paying these guys huge salaries and giving them large offensive roles just screams mediocrity and purgatory will be the Blazers direction. It has similarity to a lot of Olshey moves over his decade plus. We should instead try to get a better starter alongside Scoot/Sharpe. Settling for these below average starters will echo all the failures we had of building around Dame.
Thats not close to a playoff team, it might even be worse than last years roster that finished with the 3rd worst NBA record. Brogdon was the most impactful player to the wins the Blazers had last year, nearly all of which were with him playing prior to the allstar break. If we dump both Brogdon and Ant the backcourt is going to have massive lack of production, especially when one of Sharpe/Scoot is out for a game. Now I might be fine with this if we are rebuilding with another rookie PG or such, but if were trying to have all these vets to compete for the playoffs that guard rotation makes no sense.
Grant being resigned was announced just prior to Dame demanding a trade in what seemed an effort to appease him. Had Lillard demanded a trade before that announcement, I would hope that Joe would have accepted the obvious short term low ceiling of the team and gone another direction. STOMP
This has been refuted - Blazers knew full well Dame was not committed and was not happy with their draft, and very likely to demand a trade. Now whether the Blazers gave Grant the contract from a prior promise or because they just considered it a good value is unclear.
Tons of stuff is said behind closed doors that never happens. Going public with trade demands is entirely different STOMP
The Blazers can recoup value on Grant by signing him, and I'm sure they were obligated to take care of him to get him to leverage his way to Portland. It only makes sense. I don't fault Cronin for that at all. I just hope we move Grant for draft capital or quality youth soon. It's hard to watch him with this team and this coach.
It is a fair question and I am not sure what the answer is based on highlight video. Both are sold 3 pt shooters. George is a little bigger and I assume a better ball handler. Probably can play 3 positions on offense. But Williams is a little longer and uses his length on offense to finish with either hand with shots off the glass. Not sure who has the better mid range shot or who is the better defender.
The fully intellectual answer is that "we kept bringing in his guys" as if we did a good job of building around him?
Yes you need other players, but the problem is we don't have that star, and it'll take time to get that star because we'll have to draft/develop them. Grants value on the open market should theoretically be greater now than his value to us in the future when we finally have enough in place to make a push. And when he can be flipped for assets that make more sense on a younger timeline, then thats what makes sense to me.
Good point about the timing, but my point is that the team has not been tanking, and that they re-signed Grant is evidence of that. Even if they decided to start tanking the day after signing Grant to a new deal, that's 11 months ago, so those who are tired of tanking already don't really know what tanking is
