not only does every Blazer get A's and B's for end of season grades... Portland can easily trade #7 & #14 picks to move up and draft Sarr at #1, while also dumping Thybulle's beefy contract on Atlanta to avoid Cronin's self induced tax dillemma. welcome to Blazers Edge, your 1 stop fantasy store for clickbait conversations
The Orlando trade is horrible. Ant alone for WCJ is a rip off, 2025 FRP wont be a high pick if Orlando makes the playoffs again. What do you guys see in WCJ? Super injury prone too, he is nothing special. Odd take from you guys, and if you want to pair Carter and Ayton, even more hilarious.
We got more for Damian than we did for the loss of Drexler,Wallace,Roy, and Aldridge combined. Which is to say, at least we got something instead nothing. We all know that sucking for a bit is better for the future than having Dame carry us to first round exits.
I think you under-estimate WCJ. He's a plus defender. Good rebounder, very efficient scorer, both inside and from 3. He brings roughly the same value to the PF/C position as Simons does as a guard. So it would be a roster balancing move for both teams. Especially if the Blazers end up drafting another guard. And why can't Carter and Ayton play together like Towns and Gobert?
Trying to picture what the general attitude in this forum would be if that vision were to actually materialize and we entered Summer League with a roster including: PG: Scoot/Black/Banton SG: Sharpe/Thybulle/Ivey/Fournier SF: Camara/Cody Williams/Rupert PF: Risacher/Walker/Murray C: Ayton/WCJ/Ware/Reath I'd have a tough time not being excited about the future of that roster, even if I wouldn't expect many wins over the next couple seasons.
I think you overate WCJ, and by a big margin. First off, he isn’t a good rebounder, he is an average one. Last season his rebounds dipped and he only averaged 6.9 reb per game as a center. He isn’t very efficient from 3, as you stated. He is a career 33.4% from 3. He is super super injury prone. He averages 45 game played per season in 8 season lol. That’s horrible. And once again was injured with many different injuries last season. The reason him and Ayton are way different that Gobert and Towns is because Towns is a great 3% shooter and can spread the floor. Towns is a career 39.7% from 3. Way different and once again you guys are overrating WCJ greatly and I’m glad none of you are GM’s lol
His minutes were also reduced. His per/36 did decrease, but it was still a very solid 9.8. Career rebounds per/36 is 11.1. He's just fine as a rebounder. Over the past 3 years, he's at 35% from 3. Not KAT-level, sure, but certainly respectable. Certainly a concern... but less of an issue than with RW3, who would also be sent over in the trade proposal to which you responded. I look at this as Ant for Black/2025 FRP RW3 for WCJ IMO, the benefit to us in upgrading from RW3 to WCJ is greater than the detriment of sending Ant out for a prospect and a pick, so overall it's a good deal for us.
who are you talking about? WCJ has played 6 seasons, not 8; and he has averaged 55 games (adjusted for Covid), not 45. That's still not good, granted, and would be a major concern with adding him I think you are underrating him as a rebounder. He posted a high of an 18.5% rebound rate in 2021-22; that ranked 13th in the NBA. His career average is 17% which would have ranked him 20th this season. He did dip to 15.9% this season. But that was still a better rate than Sengun, Holmgren KAT, Myles Turner, Naz Reid, Zach Collins, Markkanen, and Porzingis. And he happens to play on one of the best rebounding teams in the league. Orlando ranked 2nd in defensive rebounding rate and 7th in offensive rebounding rate; meaning his teammates are grabbing rebounds that he might normally secure as far as his three-point shooting, I really don't think that's too important. Ayton never shoots them and no Ayton fan here says that's a negative. WCJ has improved quite a bit from three in any event: in the last 2 seasons he has converted 144 three's out of 396 attempts. That's a 36.4% conversion rate on 3.5 shots a game. That's right around the NBA average and that high a rate from a big changes a defense but three's aren't the only shot in the NBA. Over the last three seasons, WCJ's TS% has been .601-->.621-->.623 while his FT rate has hovered around 31.5%. Those are very efficient numbers. Ayton's TS mark this season was .587 and he had the best mark in Portland's rotation and of course, what was being discussed was a Simons + Timelord for WCJ + Black + 2025 first; not a straight Simons for WCJ trade. I think that's pretty unrealistic because Ant just doesn't have that kind of value, IMO. But I'd really like for Portland to find a trade partner for Ant because the Blazers+Simons has become just like the Blazers+CJ. There's no good reason to spend the salary and give him the usage that Portland does. edit: the platypus beat me to it
It's a thing. Michael Lewis wrote about it in The Undoing Project I think. Our mind jumps to the most simple comparisons first and goes from there.
I'd be far more interested in developing Ware than playing WCJ, which I guess we'd be able to for nearly half the season due to his constant injuries.
I'd be far more interested in developing Ware, taking a chance with WCJ, and finding Ayton another zipcode
If I'm moving Ant, I'm getting back Black and a 1st at a minimum. WCJ is pretty irrelevant. I'd keep Ayton for at least another year to let Ware have a skilled mentor. Probably won't be able to move Ayton for another year anyways.
Agreed. If Black + next year’s DEN 1st is the best we can get, I’m not sure I’d be fine with it, but whatever. I’m totally not on board with WCJ or Isaac as the main piece coming back. Going from DA to WCJ isn’t franchise-altering, a raw 6’7 PG with some promise could, even if unlikely. DA + rookie + Reath is no worse than rookie + WCJ + Reath.
Wait, you think Ant is worth last years 6 pick and another 1st? I think you are dreaming, no way is Ant worth that
Not at all, Keldon is the same issue as Ant but at a different position (will never be a starter on a good team but paid like one)
If he was a little longer maybe. I believe he is only 6'4.75" with a 6'9" wing span. He does weigh in at 220 though. But we need a forward if we trade Ant IMO
Kelton Johnson is a real player as a shorter SF, but that’s why I’m with Black at 6’5.75” / 6’7.5” wingspan / 210 as a PG and possible point-forward. 3 guard rotation that might just together at the same time. Orlando’s timeline is ahead of the Blazers, so getting 20+ points now with Simon’s makes sense. The question of trading for Giddey coming up with chatter about the Spurs willing to trade 8 for him is interesting, but Giddey is a PG only which the Spurs need. Black’s D helps out the Blazers. Teams hunting for Black on D should be much less an issue.
