Oh, I agree we've missed the playoffs and our team defense has been bad. I've been saying for years now that the roster, not the scheme, not the coaching, and not one player was the problem. I certainly got push back on some of those thing, but it's still bad despite coaching changes, scheme changes, and roster changes. I guess next year we'll see if we're a top 10 defense because Dame was holding the team back; I doubt that'll be the case though. I haven't seen anything that has shows the teams defensive rating is worse when Dame takes an early, deep three. I'm not saying it's better either. I just haven't seen any data to back that up.
He’s 20. He has a ton of potential. So does Scoot. There’s gonna be people who put too much on him. That’s just how it works. He just needs to keep improving. Maybe he never will. Part of the game.
Potential is what leads to wins in the NBA. The clock is running out on Dame. We wasted his prime. Now we need to find another Dame. We have to reset the clock.
I don't think the first part is accurate. I agree we wasted Dame's prime. I don't agree we have to reset the clock, but it appears we're going to. I'll be rooting hard for the next group to turn into contending team. Scoot and Sharpe specifically.
It's not about Dame wanting out. I think universally people respect that decision. It's how they are going about the strongarming of the organization that people are taking issue with.
So what was the realistic alternative to what we're doing? Keeping in mind we're Portland. The only answer: Reset.
Dame has been amazing in his Dame Time shots to win games, his 70+pt scoring, coaching of Simons and Sharpe, and team leadership. It was highly entertaining to watch him have his best season last year! Dame has 5+ years as an All-star player left, based on his strength, work ethic, and infrequent missed games due to injury. And he has a lot to offer in leading and improving Shae, Scoot, Kris, Jabari, Ryan, and others. There is a major role that Dame can play to help the 2023-2024 Blazers before he leaves. After Dame is gone, I will root for him to continue to excel, with improved scoring of 80+ in a game, an average of 32+ ppg, and continued key play of the season highlights. If there is no value trade deal that makes sense for the Blazers, Dame may have a major positive influence on the Blazers this season.
That a lot of fans don’t really care about winning a title That a lot of fans think making baskets is the most important thing
My view of him hasn't changed, except for wondering how sincere he was about not going "ring chasing". His desire to spend the last few years of his career somewhere else is fine by me. That doesn't make him a bad person. But the fact that he thinks he has the right to dictate that he be sent to one team is a bit twatish. Has a player done that before? Given a 1 team demand with 4 years left on his contract?
There was always a chance the team could be sold to a better owner and the proper moves made. But yeah, Blazer basketball became too predictable.
Not getting a legitimate All Star return for Aldridge was almost criminal. I think Olshey should have been fired for malpractice right then. Honestly, as soon it appeared Aldridge was going to choose becoming unrestricted over re-signing somebody should have stepped in and made sure he was traded.
Absolutely. But the way Dame is going about it is going to hurt his legacy in Portland. I don't necessarily blame him, but it is what it is. The blame here lies on Olshey and the Vulcans. We really need to see this team sold.
Frankly, for me, I was bored even tho everything you say about Dame is true. In the last several years the only time I was really excited to see the Blazers because of Dame was the one month a year he goes super nuclear and leave scorched earth behind him. Last year was actually more entertaining because we had new faces on the roster, seeing Grant for a while, seeing Hart and Winslow pushing the tempo, seeing Sharpe as he developed. But even that year, the Blazers as were still boring to see on defense mostly - since you knew what will happen - and it was just a question if the opposing team attacked down-hill or got hot from the 3 since the Blazers were so exposed on defense. Part of the boredom is the monotony of 82 games a year which is, frankly, too many. Part of it is that there is only so many times you can get excited about seeing the same thing which is mostly individual excellence. If the Blazers played a more pass-happy game (think, the Spurs of the 2014 season) - it would be more entertaining to watch. But the Blazers mostly played a Dame centric offense and a bit of the off-the-ball movement that we saw under TS has gone away under Billups. Here is hoping for more ball movements, more fast-breaks and interest see higher tempo and hopefully, some day, defense.
So you think the best way for Scoot and/or Shae to learn defense is to have them play behind Anfernee??? Has Ant mad defense a priority over offensive development? I honestly think both Scoot and Shaedon have shown that they want to go out there and get to it on the defensive end and they've shown that desire more than any guard who has regularly started for our team since Wes. So why not get them out there right now and have them learn from getting reps, getting experience?
I don't like it that Lillard wants out, but totally understand it & in fact fully expected it. That said, the way his camp has conducted themselves this offseason is very disappointing. While I never bought into the Saint Damien reputation he built in Portland, the self serving, tone deaf way things have been handled has been a needless gut punch to the fan base that completely exposes that reputation as a fraud. I'm very much on record hating most of the moves that Olshey made back when he made them, but they were not inexpensive. Ownership shelled out plenty for those moves and the fanbase/market largely supported them. No team is given a solid supporting cast. That has to be built over time with a series of shrewd moves. Portland's roster was constructed by a former Soap Opera douchebag seemingly spitballing together yearly episodes without any real plan. Ownership should have fired Soapy many years prior to when they finally did... hell, why did they hire such an idiot? Thats their failure here. But the lion's share of blame for why things didn't work out better belongs squarely on Neil. STOMP
They hired Soapy McGee because Paul Allen wasn't nearly as shrewd a basketball guy as people posthumously claim he was. I.e., "this wouldn't have happened if Paul Allen was still alive", as if this kind of shit didn't happen on a regular basis.
Who else should we have based the offense on? He was top 10 in assists per game last year, so it's not like the offense died when the ball was in his hands.
Without Dame, this franchise would have had a decade like the Kings. Olshey inherited LMA. The closest the Blazers came to adding an all star to the team during the Dame era was a washed Carmelo.
