Half the season is behind us. 31-11 record. 3 bigs down just before the allstar break. This is the time of the season when teams tend to lull, experience some drop off or catch the injury bug. Fortunately Lamarcus didn't break a bone last night although he may miss some games. The bench is getting experience that it sorely needs and as of last summer, the organization opted to develop from within. It's paying off. Allan Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, Joel Freeland, Dorell Wright and even Victor Claver have shown the ability to play at a high level. TRob, Will and CJ have struggled with small samples of contribution. Will and TRob played their best games against Sac. Staying pat may pay off come playoff time when hopefully Lamarcus and Rolo are healthy with Joel and Kaman coming off the bench. Injuries have caused the team's chemistry to splinter and adjust. Will a new addition to the bench really make that much of an impact on our ability to beat the top teams? With Rolo and Joel coming back and bench players earning more minutes, I'm thinking staying pat is the right move. Thoughts?
I would also add that Batum has been well below the career average. That won't stay because he will eventually come out of that slump. I'm totally fine with staying the same. I would hate for a major change that completely destroys our chemistry.
My thought is that the only kind of bench addition I'd want to make is someone who could provide consistent and aggressive offense. When we lose, it generally is because we have wide swath of poor shooting across our entire backcourt. So to answer the question, yes, I do believe that an addition of that type would improve our ability to beat the top teams, specifically, our ability to beat them 4 out of 7 times.
That would be my only request if there is one. It would be nice if the Blazers had that "go to wing", that could slash, get to the line and have a decent mid range game. Maybe a player that could ISO other than Lillard. Melo without the cancerous attitude!
I think Allan Crabbe and Dorell Wright are both capable of scoring from the wing. Both play good defense and rebound as well. I'm baffled at Crabbes's lack of court time over the last stretch
What's there to be baffled about? His knee was troubling him so he sat out a couple of games and the Blazers are being cautious in playing him yet. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
When have they got consistent minutes this year? I already said it, but unless there's a good player on an expiring contract that is available for cheap then we won't make a trade. Besides even if there is, that player most likely won't make us that much better. This isn't the last year that we can contend. Olshey has set up the last two summers to have flexibility this summer. Why would he take back an ugly contract to try and win this year. our window is not about to shut and we will back in the lottery if we don't go for it this year.
I think we were 6-0 with Crabbe starting and DWright is playing better the last few games he's played
While our window may not be about the shut, the window for a flawed roster winning the championship may very well shut after this season. This year it's all up for grabs. The team that wins it all this year probably wouldn't win the championship in any other year due to the extreme parity and lack of a true powerhouse. Unless Silver really has created a more equal NBA, and this isn't just an anomaly, it's just a matter of time before a new powerhouse or two come along. Will we be one? Possibly. But I'd rather strike now while everything is up in the air than cross my fingers hoping that we can somehow maneuver our way to powerhouse status.
I think parity has happened and it's this season that the window is flung off the wall..it's going to be wild in the west!
Standing pat means keeping our first round pick, I assumed that was part of the reason it may be better to stand pat.
While CJ, Barton, and Blake all showed why we still have a gaping hole at backup SG/SF. We NEED a secondary ball handler that can attack the rim and score.
Blake is our secondary ball handler, then Nico, then Will is the guy who drives the lane to score, CJ is a rookie with potential. CJ and Will have little to no trade value so it's even more reason to stand pat.
