So NOW do you understand what I'm talking about??? We are a better team this year.

I'm right there with you. Virtually the same prediction.

 

I'm not basing my expectations on 1 win. I'm basing it on the team itself. We're a better team, top to bottom, this year. What will our final record be? Who knows? A lot of variables. But the team is clearly better. How am I one of the only people who can see that?

 

Because the issue for me is that we're going to see more games like the one in Phoenix. We're young. We're inexperienced. There's going to be ups and there's going to be downs. We go on big runs because we have a lot of talent, but we'll go on long droughts and the veteran teams will be able to chip away. The team is going to lean a lot on Dame and CJ to create points.

 

Okay. First, we always lose to Phoenix. Second, Lillard is a real leader who can keep the team focused and get the win. Every good NBA team has two superstars they "lean a lot on" to create points. How are we different?

 

I love your enthusiasm, and I also appreciate those who call themselves "realists". It is pretty easy for me to see both angles. I fall somewhere in the middle. I personally don't think we are a better team this year. I do like our components better though, and think we could and probably will be better than last year's team in the future. We have a great solid base with a lot to build on. I am happy with that. It is going to take a year or two for this team to truly get comfortable with eachother though. A true contender has a group that always knows where the other players are, where they are going, their tendencies, where they thrive with the ball, their limitations, when and where not to pass to a teammate. And our team is still figuring that stuff out. But we have a lot of young talent, and I believe that they will get there. It seems like we actually have a fairly intellectual group of guys right now. Add a couple more pieces this offseason and give some time and space for the players to learn, grow, and gel together and the sky is the limit. With that said, keep being who you are. I love reading the positivity.
Word.

 

Kingspeed trying to act like he deserves some kind of credit. You weren't on the get rid of LA and Batum bandwagon last year were you?

 

You're obviously underestimating your immense basketball knowledge, that the rest of us can only hope to understand one day.

It's not your fault. You've tried to tell us, daily, how much smarter you are than the rest of us, but we just didn't listen.

Having you here, sharing, no gracing the rest of us with your basketball IQ truly makes this forum better, in every way.

For a man to put his obvious coach or GM calling on hold to pursue his dream of being an actor is so courageous.

Thank you for the gift you give us every day.... you

 

Are you flirting with Eric? I'm pretty sure he's already taken.

 

No. He just knows SO much more than the rest of us. It's so obvious to me now. He is to basketball IQ what the Kardashians are to anal bleaching

 

Sorry. No.

 

Seems to me King is the yang to your yin.....you two keep things balanced for the rest of us.....

 

Not sure what you mean? Eric is a forum treasure, that we can all learn from. I'm just sad that some of you haven't yet realized that he is the expert on all things basketball. You're just fooling yourselves thinking you can ompete with his knowledge

 

Did you ever stop to consider that if you'd quit leaving your bowl of Cheerios (oh irony) unattended on the kitchen counter, people might quit pissing in them.....?? Just a thought...

 

A) You are letting your (entirely justified) disgust with LMA cloud your judgement over just how much he contributed on the court.

B) You are severely under-rating how important Wes was to the team.

 

We are better than the team post-Wes injury, no buts about it. That team was mentally checked out, exhausted, and "led" by a dimestore mannequin.

This team is scrappy and crazy and energetic and focused. The and-one Aminu got in the 4th last night, and all the f-yeah celebration around it really felt more like the Blazers we know and love.

 

For starters, we only have one star.

(when do we get to the tough questions?)

 

The biggest issue is that we had more guys that could go off for 25+ points last season.

Dame
Wes
LA

Even Nic could do it. Right now I really only feel confident in Dame and CJ as guys that could have that kind of game. So there's a lot of pressure on those two to produce night in and night out.

 

We have two, but Aminu is a threat to go for 18-20, and I feel like Harkless is too... if Crabbe could get his mind right, he could too. Having three 25-point threats is good, but maybe having two 30-point threats and three 20-point threats is better.

 

fer sure!
aminu has most deff showed he can make shit happen, I have really enjoyed watching him work.