Doubt it. They won 28-games last year & have improved significantly. I'd expect them to be right around 35-40 wins. They have an outside chance of making the PO this year.
I really have no idea what the rest of their roster looks like - just cracking on former Blazers. I liked all three to an extent, but a good team would only have one player of their caliber in the rotation, not three.
A team that has won 20, 21 and 28 games in the Eastern Conference the last three years has no business cracking on a team that has won 44, 41, 49 in the West. I love Ed, but between him, (Avg FG Distance = 2.4 ft.), Jarrett Allen (Avg FG Distance = 3.7 ft.) and Kenneth Faried (Avg FG Distance = 4.5 ft.) there is a lot of duplication and it's going to get awful crowded under the basket. Shabazz and Crabbe are decent backups, with significant limitations. I wish them well, but don't regret "losing" either. BNM
THIS TEAM WILL MISS ED DAVIS FAMS! Off the court as much as on. In the locker room and huddles as much as on the boards.
Nobody with common sense would believe this. If people think what we will miss from Ed is offense, they don't know the game.
Thats why I'm saying they'll be fine without him. The teams offense limitations (due to poor spacing, lack of consistent outside shooting and the inability of the players to create their own shots) hurt them much more than anything positive Ed brought on the court defensively.
HCP was saying that you don't know the game because you think removing him from our team doesn't hurt... I agree with HCP here. Ed brought SO much more to this team that it far outweighs his offensive limitations.
I didn't say it didn't hurt, I'm saying that his offensive limitations (and the teams limitations) are not beneficial for the teams overall long term success. the team was easier to defend when he was on the court *because* of his offensive limitations. Why do you think his minutes went *down* in the playoffs? Because offensively the team was stagnant. When you're playing 4 on 5 on offense (or 3 on 5 on offense), unless the player is an all time defensive player (see: Ben Wallace), he's not going to help you win games. Why was the team able to basically double Damian and cancel out anything he did? Because the team has no one (not named CJ) who could shoot outside shots well, or create their own shots. Throw into the fact that they are hoping Zach (who actually would spread the offense) will make the move this year, it wasn't really worth the cost to the team, to keep Ed, especially since it sounds like he's really doing the role of a coach. It's like when people complained that Juwan Howard wasn't re-signed years ago. he was providing a veteran presence off the bench/huddles, but really didn't provide anything to help the team on the court. Almost every year that Damian has been here (after his rookie year) they've lost someone who was 'close' to Damian, or provided a veteran/stabilizing force. And every year, they find someone else who does it. The bigger picture is who can they put on the team that makes Damian's job easier. Who can they add to the team that makes CJ's job easier, or Nurks? While Ed did surely provide some defensive chops that the team does lack, talent progression will help the team more. It's how teams get better. And if the stabilizing force/glue that holds the team together is a backup journeyman center, that's kind of sad. The hope is that within the season, Zach will be producing at a good enough clip offensively and defensively that it will have made sense as to why re-signing Ed wasn't necessary.
I liked Ed a lot - and I am sure some of his contributions would be missed - but I think that throwing Zach into the deep end is the right thing to do. It either accelerates his development (much higher ceiling than Ed) or he bombs and the organization has to change direction. Either way, this team was not going to be a contender because Ed was on it - so it's time to check if someone that might (Zach) can really help.
Ed's best trait is that he knew his limitations and played within them. But at best, he's an 8th man on a good team. Great teammate - I'll give you that - but mediocre player.
I've been projecting a bounce back year for CJ and his media day interview is making me more confident in that. Really like where's he's at mentally to start the year.
As soon as we have a 2 or 3 game losing streak the haters will be out in force, and they'll point directly at the Ed Davis non-signing. And this time, I'll be at least mildly sympathetic to the haters.
That's a backhanded compliment if I ever saw one. He was one of the best offensive rebounders in the whole league and was an elite backup big man. In addition, he was one of the consummate pros on our very young team, who our prized rookie actually grew close with, while being a great leader on and off the court.
Is there such a thing as a elite backup? Sounds like an oxymoron to me. If he was elite, he'd be starting. BNM
