The Blazers as a team have talent. However, we also aren’t very good without Dame. Many here, myself included, are excited about the Sharpe Prospectus. As I watch the Blazers and wonder why we seemingly dropped off a cliff when Dame went down, the answer is increasingly apparent. We have no leader. Dame is the undisputed leader of this team. We don’t have a second leader. Ant? Talented but not a team leader Grant? Same. We have a lot of good, even very good role players but outside Dame we don’t have a leader. Sharpe shows flashes of “Wow!” but I cannot picture him calling for the ball with .9. We’ve had some great players who were not leaders-that is how I picture Sharpe. If we want to succeed long term, we need a backup leader who is trusted and respected. That is the trade we need. Not just talent, but leadership.
I think it's a little early to know just how assertive a guy might be in the future when he's only 22 games into his career on a team with established players.
We're 7-4 with him and two of those losses came with him sitting the fourth with his injury. That's "not very good"?!?
Any team missing their best player would mostly be going through the same. We're just decimated with injuries. If this team is healthy, it's going to be really hard to beat. Doesn't mean we shouldn't look to upgrade areas where needed.
1. We caught a lot of teams off guard. 2. Even when we were winning, our stats were mediocre. Our record was better than the stats would predict. So, yes, Dame willed us to a couple of undeserved wins, but that's not sustainable.
