I know, i've opened too many threads recently but i promise you this one will be my last (at least for awhile) Since i've been here (since 2014 as my nickname said) i was addressed many times as a "hater" or "troll" but i want to give you a little context of who i am I'm from Italy (and i'm 100% italian so you can forgive me if my english isn't perfect), i never had the privilege of traveling to Portland but i hope to achieve that in the future. being a Blazers fan from Italy means that every game, every event (like the draft) you have to wake up in the middle of the night to catch it live and for many years i've been doing this you can understand that only a fool would wake up in the middle of the night to "hate" a basketball team knowing that little later you have to go to work for me the Blazers are a real passion, you really can't understand how much i would love to see them succeed but in order to succeed i just see things different from many people in here as Blazers fans we all know pain, real sports pain, but what's really bothering me in the last 24 hours is that what i foresee coming is a different type of pain... We know the pain that comes from having our stars retiring due to injuries BUT WE CAN'T CONTROL THAT We know the pain that comes from seeing that stars don't want to come to Portland during free agency BUT WE CAN'T CONTROL THAT What WE CAN control instead is our moves during draft/trades Our biggest chance to compete will always come from the draft, matter of fact i still dream about what a Roy/Aldridge/Oden core could have done 30 minutes after the lottery last night i was still shaking in my bed due to adrenaline, but as the picture of the next months became more clear in my mind my adrenaline became sport depression the reason has a name: Damian Lillard i know many people are sensitive when Lillard's name come in play He's an All Star who has embraced the city more than others but there must be context in this He never took 1 dollar less than the SuperMax contract extension He's being treated as Michael Jordan even though he hasn't accomplished much in the Playoffs outside of two buzzer beaters Tell me in which other city he would be treated like a god like in Portland I really think that Portland gave to Lillard more than what it receive and i'm afraid we put ourselves in a position in which we have everything to lose Lillard is smart, he made hundreds of interviews/PR to publicize his love for the city but honestly i think he has more interest in his own interest he knows that in Los Angeles or other big cities his defense and his underperfomed playoffs performances wouldn't be accepted like in Portland and so he has a lot of interest to stay here now he wants veteran help even though we all know we are far FAR away from competing, so we should mortgage our future to satisfy the requests of a 33 years old player, that is madness but why i'm so sad? because for the first time in a long time i FINALLY SEE A PATH Shaedon Sharpe Scoot Henderson/Brandon Miller Assets from a Lillard trade The one above is ONE HELL OF A CORNERSTONE TO BUILD UPON! i would be so thrilled to start a new chapter with those basis Instead i foresee a halfway house that would make everybody unhappy Trading Henderson/Miller or even Sharpe for the likes of Anunoby/Siakam would be a complete DISASTER 2/3 years from now we would be in this position --> 0 titles, Lillard even older on the verge of retiring, Anunoby/Siakam with little value and even worst Henderson/Miller/Sharpe on the rise to stardome in other cities man i really can't accept that, it's so frustrating i hope for a miracle, as Blazers fans we deserve better after years and years of suffering selfishly i've opened this thread to let off steam, i hope to look back months/years from now and say "man i was wrong!" but i don't have too much faith in Cronin, Lillard has a edge on him and i don't think he has the balls to go against him, even mediatically he would be slaughtered by the media friends of Dame...
Didn't they pass on trading Sharpe? Let's hope Scoot kills his workout and impresses everyone so we have no choice but to keep him.
Glad you are a devout Blazermaniac! Appreciate your support. Respectfully I disagree that Dame is not capable of being part of a contender in PDX. A guy like Siakam that is a great transition player and very solid at D, just a beast would be nice addition. Bridges also would be nice. And if Sharpe pops big time wow!
Question isn’t if dame can be a part of a contender, question is if we can build a contender? Reality is that a trade for Siakam or bridges limit us in what we can do to build depth after those trades. Those guys won’t push us to title contender by themselves
I appreciate that you love the Blazers and are a devoted fan. No superstars have taken less. And it isn't fair that you bag on Dame for getting his. He's carried this team farther than most would have. He lost the best player he'd ever played with in LaMarcus Aldridge. His playoff success isn't just 2 buzzer beaters. He was a fantastic player in the Houston series that ended with his buzzer better, as well as THE dominant player in the OKC series that ended with his buzzer beater. He wasn't chopped liver against Denver in the Semi's same year, and helped the Blazers reach the WCF. He was the dominant player for the Blazers , a virtual one man team, vs. Denver in which he battled through a core injury to avg. over 30 pt. per. in 2021. He's been named to 7 All NBA teams, 7 All Star teams. Has invested in the community. Has had, or still has , many National Commercial deals with mainstream products. He has a huge shoe deal with Adidas. All Earned. To me your letter comes off like a jealous lover. Truly sad. And you're supposedly all in on players who haven't proved JACK! You are the epitome of a Dame Hater. Show some freakin' respect.
@Portland2014 ....tremendously appreciate your open letter. It shows passion for the team and a true love of the Blazers. Whether people agree or disagree, they can't fault the emotion that you showed and anyone should applaud that. Personally, I agree with most everything you posted. It is a case of poor timing as I've posted elsewhere. But it feels like it is time to move on to the next era....one that we hope will be more successful as a team.
I just think what most people in the 'Keep Dame' camp miss is that to trade for good players will cost them not only the picks (this year and future) but also what little depth this roster has on it already. They will be left with three or four good players but no one to back them up and no way to add to the depth through the draft, meaning it will take a few seasons of adding those veterans (assuming they want to come to Portland) to get to a championship window, at which point Dame will be late 30s and no longer the player he is now. This is why the timelines don't match up and why threading the needle of keeping Dame and making sure he's happy, while also looking to the future is such a narrow needle to thread.
If the Blazers had some midsized contracts, like Joe Ingels, Eric Bledsoe expiring deal, Norman Powell, etc then it might change this calculus significantly. They could send out some deadweight contracts with picks for a few starting level players. But your right, instead the Blazers currently have to send out Ant and Nurk to acquire starters. So they lose two starters, plus lose a draft pick on a cheap rookie deal, plus likely lose future picks, and gain back two starters. This all just leads to the realistic view that there isn't a way to juggle this roster where it has a realistic chance to contend with Dame soon. That's why I want the Blazers to keep the picks. If Cronin knocks my socks off with some fleece of a trade that gets the Blazers to contention immediately then yes by all means go for it. That just doesn't seem plausible, even with the great luck the Blazers had with moving up to pick #3 in a 3 player draft. This is the biggest element of why I was so against the Clippers trade, why I so wanted a thorough GM search when Neil was fired, and why I was so against the moves last summer. The Blazers lost all the "flexibility" to improve the roster they claimed they received from cutting salaries. Cutting those salaries didn't get the Blazers cap space, so now they actually have less flexibility to acquire veterans to win now with Dame. It's almost as if the Blazers have forced themselves into a position where the only reasonable path forward is to rebuild and possibly explore trading Dame.
Trades to acquire game changing talent always require giving up value in return. Unless you're the Lakers. It hasn't changed. The good thing is that the #3 pick has the potential to be highly valued by other GM's. Which might help lessen the need to overpay. Rarely a trade goes perfect for both sides. There usually is a winner. But if the Blazers are able to acquire a few game changers that can boost the team's strength to contend right now by giving up some youth, you do it. This GM has a chance to surround a generational talent with some real pieces that make a difference. That's not an opportunity that comes around on a regular basis. Especially in Portland. There's plenty of time to get the "Flavor of the day" one and doner in future drafts after this era has passed. The Blazers aren't going to be trading 10 years of picks away. They're not allowed to. As much as some of you like these unproven youngsters now, in a few years there will probably be better ones. Dame just wants a chance. If the franchise gives it their best shot and fails, at least they tried. But to not even try is criminal.
