Not really THAT painful. I'm the biggest Dame fan in the eastern time zone, but I can accept that things have to be absolutely perfect for us to win a title with him as the sole leader. He is unequivocally a top 10 player and I see him sustaining this til his mid thirties given how smart and well-conditioned he is. But he needs to be top 5 to lead us to titles.
Obviously he needs the right fits around him. But what define the "right fits"? If he can be so thoroughly neutralized by high traps, what kind of "right fits" would be necessary to build a championship roster around him? Does one of those "right fits" need to be a player that is better than him?
Well, I am a Dame fan, I don't think he's Steph, Lebron, KD, Kobe, Micheal, or whatever but I think as with all of those guys, you put the right pieces around them and they "could" win. Not even the best basketball players in the leagues history won without good fits. It's not about thinking wow Dame's so good he can without any help. I think what this year really proved was that a.) They really need Nurkic, and b.) gotta have more consistent production from the 3/4 because Dame can't win it without the right pieces around him. No one else could either though...
The only scenario where Dame can win a title as the leader is probably similar to what happened with Dirk in 2011. Or maybe Detroit in 04. He needs to get hot like he did against OKC, and we need perfect complementary pieces to address his weaknesses (traps/defense) at an elite level, and our opponents will need to not be ready or in turmoil (MIA/LAL).
I don't think it has to be "better" than him, he's arguably a top 5-10 player right now. They didn't have a healthy Center their second best player is a center. Their Forwards were terrible, like just down right terrible. Even if they have a guy like Milsap as a forward they are a much different team and he's not even in the same realm of player Dame is.
They need a Healthy Center who can play defense, and be an adequate offensive player (Nurkic), and a Forward that can give you something as an outlet and teams wouldn't trap Dame as much as they do now. I'd say even 2 average nba starting forwards and they'd be a much better team. Unfortunately, Aminu / Harkless are way too inconsistent.
Using the Golden State model, we're definitely missing a Draymond Green...a guy who can distribute the ball, rebound, defend, drive to the hoop, shoot from distance, cover ground quickly, and play with endless energy. Would someone please dial up one of those guys for us?
Replace Harkless and and Aminu with let's say Bogdanovic and Millsap. Bring back Nurk. Do we win the title this year?
That's such a hard question to answer, in my opinion, if KD is healthy they're literally the most talented team in the history of the NBA that isn't so much oh you can't win with Dame, it's well they've got two MVP's in their prime and 2 other legit all-stars. Could the Blazers w/ Millsap and Bogdanovic win in many years, yes, and they would not get swept by the warriors, it would be a good series.
Absolutely; This play-off run cemented the need for a Green type of player, and the need for more consistent role-players. To the larger point of the thread ... We're starting to talk about players 3rd contracts, after making the WCF. This team is no longer "young" as defined as a bunch inexperienced high-hope draft prospects. We are firmly into a new phase of this Blazers core (and I'd argue we started transitioning to this phase last year).
Do not ever compare Buck and Turner even in age together -- Turner could not carry Bucks jock strap However i get what TB is saying and it is something we forget and since Stotts is here to stay the only thing left is the players and with Dame prolly signing a new deal this upcoming season might be the perfect time to make a big deal even if it means a small step back IF it means a bigger step forward. The Blazers cannot be afraid to consider any player outside Dame for a trade if it means improving this team for the future. NeO -- grow a pair and be bold not afraid but not be stupid when thinking of any move you might make
Kanter JUST turned 27 2 days ago...seems like erasing a year to say going to be 28.....he's got most of a season next year to still be 27....same age as my youngest son...sure doesn't seem old for a big in the NBA to me...Meyers is like a 7 year old car with 200 miles on it
it needs to be a player at least as good. If Portland had Paul George or Kawhi to team with Lillard, a defense could not sell out to stop Lillard. Option 1b would tear them apart the big vulnerability Portland has is that if a team takes Lillard out of the flow, they are getting a two-fer. Not only do they limit Portland's best scorer, they shut down the only guy who can consistently run the offense. That's a huge payoff for one defensive strategy
I think Nurk is actually a pretty good response to that strategy or was becoming that. They used him a lot at the top of the key to control and distribute from the middle of the court. He definitely had work to do, because at times he made unnecessary passes but he was the outlet who could run the offense, and create for himself or others. CJ really isnt good at running the offense, he can run his own offense.
So let me get this straight. As soon as Lillard hits 32 we should start counting him out? Got it. Does CJ have that same timeline? Or because his game doesn't rely as much on athleticism. He will age well?
Nurkic can make some good passes; but he can't run the offense. That requires a player with handles and vision.
It really doesn't. It takes a player who's patient, and Nurkic does have good vision. It helps being 7 feet tall, if they tried to run two guys at him he'd just flip it to a wide-open cutter because his passing lanes are different at 7 feet then dames at 6'2-6'3. Draymond doesn't have good handles, AD doesn't have good Handles, Jokic doesn't. They have adequate handles for being huge, and so does Nurkic. I'm not saying bring back Nurk and that solves everything for them, but it certainly helps.
Nurkic averaged 1.8 assists his 4th year in the league. Jokic averaged 7.3 assists in his 4th season. Green averaged 7.4. Pretty sketchy comparison IMO
Nobody addresses the elephant in the room, which is that the members of this forum are getting older. Many of us have lost a step, or fallen down the steps, or have step-children. Face it, the forum needs fresh blood. And then after our transfusions, perhaps we'll have the energy to recruit some new younger members. barfo
