Whats a good way to compare the two? TO's? Anyhow, I put my money on CJ. I watched alot of Crawford. He is good, but I think CJ has better handles and he is still improving.
I am 100% against trading CJ. My biggest fear is that CJ will be traded. Reason, he maybe the only Blazer player that can get Olshey out of the huge mess he created with the cap situation. While making the team more competitive. My guess is a trade centered on CJ and the Cavs first to Philly, for Noel and their unprotected lottery first, fine tune as needed. This trade would balance Philly’s roster. We would get a starting center, and, probably a top 3 pick on a rookie contract.
Outside of traded to PHI or a 3 way trade with them included there is less than a 1% chance that CJ is traded before the summer. Even if you are sure PHI is going to be involved I would put any deal happening before summer at 5% chance max.
I don't think we need to get rid of cj for Noel. I don't even think we need to trade cj. I think we can keep both guards. We honestly just need a better supporting cast around the two. Olshey and the team have really marketed this team behind dame and cj, them being brothers practically living here with their families and what not. Both got huge extensions. I don't think the plan is to even look for a trade for cj. Dame is completely off the table as he should be. Supporting cast. It's what we need
I didn't mean we would consider trading CJ for Noel. That would be a massive overpay. I merely mean if CJ is moved before the summer (which I highly doubt) PHI has to be involved in some way.
I've definitely gotten to the point where I question whether the two can work together as the starting back-court of a championship team. I think the answer is probably "no". However, I would like to explore a coaching change before trading CJ to see if we can't make Dame/CJ work. It's a hell of a lot easier to replace a coach like Stotts than it is a player like CJ.
You can surely replace easier Stotts than CJ, BUT what would be the point? Is Stotts the problem that Dame and CJ might not be good enough as a backcourt or is it that they are identical players that are good on offense and bad on defense and they are also both 6'3? I mean we need to look at the facts and wonder how can this work and would anything be really different with a new coach? I think it's more of their fault than the coach's fault that they are a liability defensively. They are not trying as hard as they should be and they never manage to avoid a tough screen, after the first screen they always seem lost.
The point would be to find out if Dame/CJ can be a championship caliber back court. I don't think they can, but I'd rather gather more evidence to support/refute the claim before trading CJ. A coaching change is the best way to gather more evidence. Replacing Stotts is not hard. Finding a player of CJ's ability is much more difficult. If after a new coach implements their system we're still no better off, then it's time to make a line-up change. Unfortunately, we'll probably end up doing this in reverse order.
Agree, we both have the same concerns. Replacing CJ maybe more than difficult, it maybe next to impossible. It appears the end to the shortage of quality SGs is nowhere in sight. DraftExpress only projects one SG drafted in the first round, @ #18. There are quit a few PGs & Fs in the lottery. Only one is a PG/SG combo. Monk playing for Kentucky appears to be a CJ clone/replacement.
Replacing Stotts with someone better is hard. And not because Stotts is great, but because finding difference-making coaches is very difficult--maybe as difficult as finding a star player. There are only a few in the league, in my opinion. Most likely, whomever you replace Stotts with will just be a different version of Stotts--similar quality, different strengths and weaknesses. Maybe that's fine for "data collection," but remember that you're burning prime years of Lillard's and McCollum's careers while you try to collect more data (a new coach will need some years to implement his system and build things his way). I'm all for trying to find a better coach than Stotts, but I think roster-building--including a potential McCollum trade--needs to take place in parallel. The Blazers need to find the right combination around Lillard as quickly as they can, because even after you have, there will likely be tweaks necessary, growing pains with that roster and maybe contention years that don't end in a title. All of that takes up time. In my opinion, it can't wait until after you've cycled through a coach or two to be absolutely certain that Lillard and McCollum aren't an ideal backcourt partnership.
I'm a Stotts fan...it's just that I think he needs a better big man coach and a designated defensive coordinator which he scrapped when he got here...I think we also need to send a couple of 3rd stringers to the D league throughout the season to get them some court time. We suck at using the D league
So. I've seen both extensively and far superior is just not what I'd say. Yeah but if you can get Noel for Crabbe and scraps you do that instead.
I agree, to an extent. I do agree that most coaches are not difference-makers, and that includes Stotts. It's possible that we'd end up with a worse coach, but not necessarily likely - while it's not only likely, but pretty much a given, that we'd end up with a worse SG than CJ. I'd much rather make a lateral move with the coach, than a step backwards with the roster. And the chance for improvement in coaching is much greater than the chance for improvement at SG. Basically we have very little to lose, and potentially a lot to gain, with a coaching change. A roster change involves a hell of a lot more risk, and potentially more reward. But the reward will still be limited by our current system/coach.
