The hate for Neil is real

I think Billups is far closer to stoic than he is fiery.

 

Dame is a chill dude off the court, too. On the court, he and Chauncey are/were assassins. Jordan, Magic, Bird were all calm off the court. Competitive, but not the same person they were on the court.

 

I actually think Neil will have his best offseason. Sorry, but i don't hate him, or what he has done. The injuries key players have suffered over the years have affected his performance as well. Has he made some bad signings, sure, but some good ones too. I don't blame him for Flaky LaMarcus' decision either. The worst trade ,IMO, was the Will Barton to Denver deal. That was a fail. Listen guys aren't lining up to come to our beautiful city, because in most cases, they're blinded by the Smog & Glitz of Big City Life. Could he have drafted better, Yes! But so could most other GM's. That being said, he needs to hit a home run this offseason. And to do that, CJ is gonna be part of that deal.

 

I think you could use this same logic about coaching to.

How do we know what <insert coach> told their players to do? I've been told at some point, it's about the results.

Every other elite player who has been in the league the last 7 years has had a GM who has managed to get him at least one all-star teammate. Olshey, let Dame's only all-star teammate walk for nothing in 2014 and hasn't provided him another player at that level sense. That's a total failure in my opinion.

There are also plenty of moves we could point to that have prevented us from having the assets to obtain a 2nd all-star.

 

I've said many times I don't like volatile coaches that scream through a game...I don't think it motivates players at all...I think it causes tension on the court and off the court and it's why Van Gundy gets fired over and over...I think high strung fans like high strung coaches and the adrenaline rush from big ups and downs....it's why I like easy going coaches and likeable players

 

What do you think it would take for him to have "his best offseason"?

 

I thought Griffin was completely washed, but it turns out he was just tanking on a tanking team and saving what’s left of his knees for a buyout.

 

Agreed. I think Dame would be a stoic coach as well. Don't you?

Isiah Thomas was an assssin on the floor as well, but that doesn't always translate to the bench.

 

Trade CJ for Ben Simmons or Ingram. Re-sign Norm. Add a veteran sharp shooter for the second rotation. Go after Josh Hart.

 

Yeah, I don’t think using the media to criticize his players is Billups’ style. Pitino did that to him his rookie year so I’m guessing he’s averse to doing so because it destroys a player’s trust in the coach.

Im talking more behind closed doors. Here’s an older article I posted from his playing days that shows me what the Blazers should be getting from him as a coach. Not sure if you’ve seen it but it paints a broad picture of him as a person and a competitor.

much more at the link

https://grantland.com/features/it-a...topped-putting-together-one-nba-best-careers/

The Professional

Eight teams. Five trades. Injuries. Doubt. It wasn't always easy for Chauncey Billups. But that hasn't stopped him from putting together one of the NBA's best careers

by JONATHAN ABRAMS ON DECEMBER 12, 2012
Larry Brown walked down the aisle of the bus transporting his Pistons, looking even more solemn than usual. Hours earlier, Detroit led Game 2 of the 2004 NBA Finals by three points with 10.9 seconds remaining. Brown instructed his team to foul, but the veterans in the huddle — Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Chauncey Billups — resisted his order. Brown relented, but only on the condition that should Shaquille O’Neal catch the ball, they foul him immediately. O’Neal did receive the ball on the ensuing possession, but he quickly passed to Luke Walton, who found Kobe Bryant for an acrobatic 3-pointer that sent Staples Center into a frenzy. The Lakers prevailed easily in overtime, evening the series and leaving the Pistons reeling. “We’re crushed,” Brown told reporters after the game. “We had a winnable game. And everybody in that locker room’s down.”

These were the Lakers, a dream team recalibrated: Bryant and O’Neal in their primes, Gary Payton and Karl Malone in the twilight of their careers, heavy favorites to win the franchise’s fourth title in five years. With the series headed back to Detroit for three games, the Pistons had just handed them a second life. Brown sauntered to the back of the bus and thought about apologizing to his team, knowing he should have been more adamant about the foul.

“I remember in Philly … ” Brown started.

Ben Wallace cut him off: “This ain’t Philly.”

Brown kept going, his voice rising. Chauncey Billups listened until he’d heard enough.

“Go back to the front of the bus,” Billups told his coach. “We’re not coming back to L.A.”

 

That would be better than what I expect. Also, if that's his best offseason in 8 years, that's an indictment on his previous offseasons.

 

Billups might be great behind close doors. He might be a great coach in general.

I don't know what coaches are like behind closed doors, so it's hard for me to compare Billups to or last coach or our next one in that department.

 

I mean more about in the locker room and not being afraid to tell players what they are doing wrong and what their role is while on the court. I don’t mean ranting and raving on the sideline like a Pitino or a Bobby Hurley or Sean Miller, to make a couple college coaches. NBA player tune that shit out fast and then you’ve lost the locker room. The only screamers Billups played for are Pitino and George Karl and they eventually were tuned out by their players. Chauncey has seen every thing in the NBA and should know what work for star players in the modern era and what doesn’t. He played against Dame and CJ.

 

I hope you're right.

More importantly, I hope he's given a contending roster to put those skills to good use.

 

Getting a real back-up veteran PG instead of having Ant play out of position would be a good start. Ant is a way more athletic/less polished Seth Curry, but he’s only 22. Neil needs to accept it and move on. That’s a hell of a role player for a 24th player selected. Let him develop into that instead of thinking he’s a poor man’s Steph Curry and playing him out of position off the bench.

 

I don’t either but from the anecdotes in the article, I believe it’s in him to do so. Paul George can’t say enough good things about his coaching style. I’m sold. I don’t know what a guy who barely hung around the league like Ime is capable of doing, either, but he may not command that instant respect IMO and would have to earn it. I was also concerned with what kind of assistants Ime could pull to Portland, either.

Ime is awesome, but to me there were more question marks as a first time coach for a franchise that’s superstar is in his prime and desperately wants to contend.

 

But this time they are right. Olshey is a joke.

 

People forgetting that the Blazers were almost universally hailed as the most improved team last off-season and praised Olshey. As predicted however, it didn't matter who Olshey got, under Terry Stotts the team wasn't going to do anything in the playoffs. Unfortunately for Neil, his legacy is tied to Stotts. Here's hoping he can change that this upcoming season.

I think Neil will give his best this off-season. He has something to prove and I believe in him. Mostly.

 

Ime was my first (realistic) choice as well. I also haven't had faith in Olshey for some time. What baffles me is that so many fans find the Billups hire to be the breaking point. Do people really believe Billups is some sort of sexual predator based on an unproven story from 20+ years ago?

 

no...they're not...they're just forming another mob Stren..twitter sucks and the only person who need be concerned about Olshey is the owner of the team...like I said, he shouldn't be a big deal at this point...he either gets it right this off season or he's gone....the price for this twitter shit is that fans are dragging the franchise through the gutter and making it less appealing to free agents...guys like Dame, Nurk start questioning the fanbase....there's nothing to be gained from the bitchfest on twitter...nothing