Agreed! They might not trade Dame right away and might wait till trade deadline to do it. However if they draft Scoot that’s a good indication that the Dame era is coming to an end.
I wouldn't do Dame like that. I would have a contingency in place that gets Dame moved before the start of the season. No more straddling the line. Either we go all in and try to win championships with Dame or if you don't think that is a possibility like many in here, then you move Dame. I think a great situation would be to talk to the Nets now and get them to trade up with their two firsts, pick for us, give us Claxton, we take on the Simmons contract and they throw in two or three future Phoenix firsts. We could probably throw them Nurk as well.
Or the Anfernee Simons era is coming to an end, if it's decided that Scoot and Sharpe are the backcourt of the future. Dame still has three years on his contract. The Blazers could trade Simons for a forward and be in a better position to win now with Dame.
Highly disagree, if Dame is sold on Scoot being BPA and impact ready I have no doubts he'll embrace the kid.
I just posted this again in another thread, but what part of this statement from Dame leaves you with no doubt that he would be happy with another 19 year old rookie...... who plays the same position as him. "I don't have much of an appetite for building and guys 2-3 years away from really going after it. I think we get Shaedon at 19 and he's just different. I think just being around him, his disposition, how he listens, his frame, his natural talent and his ability... that's enough 19 year olds. And you probably won't find one that will come along the way he has. I'm just not interested in that. This is not a secret. I want a chance to go for it. If the route is to do that, well that's not my route. I think we're all in line with doing what we gotta do to put a team together that we can actually go out there and get something done."
You can agree to whatever you want. So they just don't sign the guy they draft for us and it's a few days into free agency when the trade actually goes through. I don't think that's illegal or tampering.
Honestly, I think if Scoot drops and we tell Dame we're going to go another direction, he's going to go to one of maybe 4-6 places. I think Joe will bend over backward to put Dame in a good situation. Philly Boston Milwaukee LA (either the Lakers or Clippers) Miami (maybe... depends on what happens in the Finals) Denver (maybe... depends on what happens in the Finals) I don't think the Knicks have the firepower. I'm still intrigued by a three team trade with Boston and maybe Houston or OKC.
He is 2-3 years away from being able to have an impact like Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, or Mikal Bridges..... and Dame knows that.
I don't agree with that statement. He'll have an immediate impact. The bigger concern would be fit and that limiting how good Scoot can be behind Dame. I have confidence that Dame sees what everyone else does should we draft Scoot. He did with Shaedon.
Okay, we will play this game out. Who would have a bigger impact next season: 1) a rookie point guard who is playing maybe 15-20 minutes per game 2) a starting SF or PF who is playing 35 minutes per game and is averaging 22-25 ppg? Don't get me wrong, I love the potential of Scoot, but there's simply no way that Dame is going to get excited about mentoring the future point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers over bringing in someone like Jaylen Brown who could start immediately, average 25 ppg, and help us try to contend. When Dame says 2-3 years away, he means that the kid is most likely 2-3 years away from realizing his potential. I think we can still say that about even Sharpe. Jaylen Brown, for all intents and purposes, is a finished product. He might improve slightly over the next few years, but he's a fully baked cake. He's ready to eat. Someone like Scoot is a freshly cracked egg in a mixing bowl.
Boston does not want to trade Brown, and he wants the pay day they are going to give him. Brooklyn does not want to trade Bridges. The Chicago players make me ill. Neither are worth the 3. Draft BPA at 3.
I'll say again: it's pretty clear that Cronin is keeping Dame fully informed on the trade options for the 3rd pick. If team's are asking for a ransom, like Toronto was for OG, Dame will easily recognize that situation. he didn't show up at Scoot's workout because he's 100% opposed to using the pick on Scoot. I think he's allowing for the possibility it's the best option available. That quote you guys are dredging up is as meaningful as the several quotes and tweets he put out in 2021 after losing to Denver. Do yo guys even remember what he said back then? now, maybe Dame will digest the draft and first part of the off-season and eventually decide to ask out. But I think it's goofy as hell to believe the difference for Dame boils down to: if Portland drafts Scoot, Dame is gone; if Portland drafts Miller Dame stays. That's just nuts because Dame isn't that simple-minded
I think you can make moves to get better now without having to sacrifice the #3. You still have Ant and future picks that can get you better. I agree that the fit with Scoot is off, but if he's there you have no choice but to take him. We're not sure the Blazers are going to get commensurate value for him so why not wait, play him, let him inflate his value the way we did Sharpe, and then trade him for a star when the time is right?
He specifically said that this is different than 2021. You guys are frustrating. Our speculation is just crazy, and Dames own quotes don’t mean anything anymore because they were before the draft, but your speculation that’s not based on literally anything factual should be taken at face value.
Scoot is the highest ranked prospect to visit us since 2007 and there isn’t a single photo of Dame at the workout……
If Scoot comes off the bench for Dame & Ant, would we expect more of the same very limited playing time like Shaedon last year?
