We are not that far off from the elite tier of the NBA

What I watched from our Portland Trail Blazers last night was our two stars struggling (Dame probably because he has a lot on his mind, not an excuse but I get it.) and we still only lost by 4. Our role players have really bought in to team basketball and that may be out saving grace come playoff time. I mean, if we can keep the score THAT close against the best team in the entire NBA with our two stars combined for 28 points... A lot of things are possible.

I still stand by that we are one more good player away from making the leap to the Rockets/Warriors/Healthy Spurs level but that is also a true statement for most western teams, difference is we have maybe the most ice cold killer in the NBA leading our team and a HC who has the attention and respect of his locker room.

Playoff success is a big factor in if we can lure a Carmelo type (disgruntled star under contract) this summer, I think that was the deciding factor in Melo choosing OKC over us.

 

Fuck the Lebron billboard. That's a complete wibbly wobbly waste of time and space.

If someone thinks a billboard is going to sway someone, make it a Paul George billboard.

 

I agree. So long as it isn't Carmello we're luring

 

Simply having a starting line-up of

• Dame
• CJ
• Harkless
• Collins
• Nurkic

will make us a better team next year. But yes, we still need either a dynamic 6th man, or a significant upgrade over Harkless, in order to take the next step.

 

Yeah, I mean there aren’t many stars that are gonna be available. There’s 3 guys I have in mind this summer who I think could change our team tremendously.

1. TJ Warren, the Suns probably are gonna look to move him with Jackson emerging. I think a two way player like him would be a great fit with our team and he will only be making ~11M per season so we could probably do ET, Swanigan, and our 1st rounder for TJ.

2. Tobias Harris, unless the Clippers see him as a cornerstone piece I think he should be available for a draft pick and young players.

3. Kevin Love, now... this is only if LBJ decides to leave Cleveland but I imagine Cleveland would be looking to offload him for a couple draft picks and solid players on decent contracts back. Now, would Cleveland be interested in 2019(full rights)/2021(lottery protected) picks, Aminu, ET, and Swanigan for Love and Korver? Idk.

 

That's gonna make us extremely good. But I think we're almost that good now.

 

A 6th man is definitely needed, I like Shabazz but he’s not a scorer... he’s trying to be for the betterment of the second unit but it isn’t his role. He should be focusing on ball movement and defense, he’s really good when he can run offense not create it. Maybe the Heat would part ways with Waiters for our TPE? Coming off an injury and he makes 11 mil, it would be a high risk/high reward type move.

 

I think Napier is really good on defense and will soon be a great three point shooter.

 

I’ve been really impressed by his on the ball defense. He had a great shutdown of Harden last night, it was amazing footwork.

 

I agree, his defense is great for his size. He has a bit of an Avery Bradley to his game.

 

Agree with those comments. This team is definitely on the rise, and young to boot. Some in here will be bummed that the days of trolling with negative comments no matter what's happening on the court are beginning to look more stupid, and insane by the day. There's less trolling here than that other site for sure, but I've seen the occasional asinine remark, so I know it's out there lurking in the shadows. But this season is going in the right direction, and the development is fun to watch happen before our eyes. This franchise is on the cusp of something very special.

 

Much like Davis, Aminu playing better this year has been due to health.
Both have proven themselves to be worth more than just a throw in to match salaries.

 

How can you troll a team this good? Not that you should ever troll.

 

You can throw Turner in that discussion of playing better because of improved health.

 

Well I mean, we aren’t perfect by any stretch. We have financial issues.

 

Not just health on ET part, I think he is finally accepting his role. He’s taking open shots and he’s using his Livingston-esque post up fadeaway move very effectively.

 

Remember that, then I wondered why he was never seen guarding Harden again

 

I believe Turner is more mental than anything.
He was drafted #2 overall and touted as the next Brandon Roy.
Unable to live up to those expectations he struggled. Only when he had a clearly defined role which fit his ability did he thrive(boston)
He gets a giant max contract and he tries to live up to expectations which come with said contract. Only to struggle to live up to those.
This year he has a clearly defined role and is playing within himself.

Turner did get hurt every time he was coming on last year.
I was one of the few people on this forum who thought it was a good signing.
But I still believe his struggle is about the 6 inches between his ears. Not his ability.

 

I would say almost entirely his improved play is because of his improved health.

 

The reason is because the coach knows less than you. You should take his job.