So let's see what we lost off the list: Aldridge #2 Fropez #15 Batum #25 Matthews #infinity We are definitely moving towards less diversity in draft position. barfo
Are you serious dude? We are still better than kings, Lakers, nuggets and the jazz. Just stop. And we banned mixum for his antics? Are you kidding me?
Mannnn i fucking hate building thru the draft, it's slow as fuck (unless you pull 'a Prichard') and most prospects turn out to be garbage, i really hope we won't take that path. My last hope is CJ, i think he is made out of All-Star material\Jamal Crawford material and he has a good head on his shoulders.
So it's a bit of a shame we've traded so many picks, isn't it? But it's okay - we got half a season of Arron Afflalo out of it.
I just keep thinking that somewhere there's a Blazers fan who went camping in the wilderness about three weeks ago who's thinking: "I hope someone like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson dropped to us in the draft, and, I know it's a long shot, but maybe we got Marc Gasol in free agency! Or, no, let's just keep the starters the same and sign a solid bench player... I can't wait for next season - this time we've got a real shot!" I'd kind of love to see his face when he gets access to the internet back.
I don't think we have much of a choice. The draft and trades are the only way to build in this market. The last big signing was ....Brian Grant?
People will tell you Andre Miller, but he wasn't a top tier player at that point. Teams like us build through the draft. Then you can trade those assets for players....maybe
not quite on topic, but if you look at what Utah's doing it's very much in line with how I might run a team. Stockpile picks, have players who aren't in the long-term plan sent out one year early rather than one year late, sign the keepers for as long as you can get them, use cap space to take on bad contracts and more picks, and try to hit on as many of them as possible. 2015: 12 (Lyles), 42, 54 (sold to us for cash) 2016: 1st and 3 2nds 2017: 2 1sts (GSW's unprotected) and 4 2nds. 2018: 2 1sts (OKC's lotto-protected) and 2 2nds and a roster of Hayward, Gobert, Exum, Favors, Lyles, Burks ... but it's taken them a few years to compile that. BOS, on the other hand...if I trusted Ainge's drafting, they could be dangerous. Hell, they might be anyway with Stevens coaching them up. Check out their future draft haul: 2015: Rozier, Hunter, Mickey, Thornton 2016: up to 4 1sts; theirs, BKN (unprotected...who does that anymore?!), DAL (1-7 protected), MIN (1-12 protected), 3 2nds 2017: can swap with BKN (unprotected), 2 2nds 2018: up to 3 1sts; theirs, BKN (unprotected), MEM (1-12 protected), 1 2nd
Free agency of course! Portland practically sells itself: 95% white! Scruffy hipsters with waxed mustachios! Bay area transplants clogging the freeways! High state taxes! Imagine the possibilities.
Right now, this roster looks like Damian Lillard and a good bench...maybe CJ and Meyers will continue where they left off in the playoffs, and if that's the case, we could be an above .500 team. Hard to say till we see them in action.
Sign FA European players each year and hope for a gem,sign players who can actually do their job (sf\sg who can shoot and defend,big men who can rebound and block etc) and then do smart trades. I think Riley,Bird and Morey are the best examples of GMs who can build a team without all that tanking bullshit. How on earth did Riley stumble upon Whiteside?
