No other way to put it. This offseason was a complete disaster. We blew up our team for “more flexibility”, “more size/length/athleticism” and the result? We arguably got smaller. I’m not sure we have any flexibility given Dame extension, Nurk (and Ant) probably got overpaid, same with GP2. Grant is probably going to get overpaid. MLE - Guard Draft pick - Guard At least we got Grant, I suppose, but this off-season was truly an Olshey-esque like disaster. We pretty much blew up the squad (good decision) in order to replicate all the same mistakes (unbalanced guard heavy roster with a bunch of overpaid players). God damnit, Joe.
Our only hope is to have one or more of Sharpe, Little, and Ant really pop this season and boost their value for a deadline deal.
Disappointing and I've been a Cronin critic, but Grant is better than anyone we've ever gotten before. Sharpe has star potential. Nurk will have his best season yet. We'll be better, but not the massive upgrade many of us were looking for if nothing else is significantly added to the team.
We're the Blazers. This is how it always goes. We were lucky to get Grant and Payton. We got Sharpe. It something. The Blazers got a little better. We will have a healthy Dame. If we can stay healthy they can make a good run.
We weren't a contender before we blew it up. We're not a contender now. We won't be a contender in the next three years unless Ant or Sharpe blow up. This is our reality. This has BEEN our reality. Hopefully if things aren't working out, the team will realize that and make some trades before the deadline.
No, it’s reality. Where is the length? Athleticism? Size? Roster balance? The flexibility? Answer those questions, sir. Everything he said he wanted. We arguably got less of.
i told you guys before the draft when people wanted to trade the pick for a vet or take the most NBA ready guy.... this team with Dame/Ant/Grant/Nurk is a borderline playoff team. There was no one available in the trade market (for us anyway) who would drastically change our ceiling. that's why the Sharpe pick with his high boom (or bust) potential is the right guy, because if he pops, we can finally climb out of this treadmill. This is hardly a disaster, this is on par with expectations. I just wish we hadn't hard capped ourselves for a guy whose only track record is from a heavily specialized system that's hard to replicate.
For me it’s not even about becoming a contender ASAP. It’s about making the right foundational steps towards becoming one. We addressed nothing that Cronin said he wanted to do. The Sharpe pick, I get. Pretty much everything else is a disaster. Still a short - no defense backcourt. Still undersized overall. Still poor roster balance.
We still have trade potential, and the development of our young assets. This was going to take a couple years to develop. Rome wasn't built in a day. Keep your chin high , and enjoy the ride. Or not.
the hard cap sucks, but in reality, for our team that has no hope of landing Simmons/Durant/etc, it's relatively minor inconvenience. the only reason for this level of disappointment is if you had hope that we'd build a contending team this season.
The Sharpe pick was a good move. It’s a potential ceiling raiser. Blowing the MLE on an undersized guard is flat out stupid. Sticking with the 3G lineup - stupid. Not getting a SF - stupid.
It’s why we should be looking to trade Lillard while his value is still high. This roster is working on two completely different time windows. You don’t want a star to grow old and get no return for him. It’s a business as much as we love Lillard and it’s an ever evolving league
