You don't have to ask me. Ask Paul Allen. (.... Pulls out two blank checks......) Guess we get our cake and eat it too.
The Blazers are a pretty physical team. With Aldridge/Lopez/Wes/Batum/Afflalo. The Blazers are long, and physical. I'd like to see everyone brought back, loss in the first round or advancing to the finals... I firmly believe the Blazers as constructed can win a ring. Two superstars, one is the best big in the game.. Other is a top 5 guard in the league. Rolo/Batum need to play better. Wes needs to hit shots so people will stop whining about how poor he's playing. If anyone thinks the foul Wes did on Westbrick at the end of the game wasn't the move Terry Stotts wanted to happen... I question their sanity. Other players might make the team better, but unless they're named Marc Gasol... I don't want them. Not a homer, realist. The 2/3 are weak positions in the NBA at the moment.. Personally outside of the top top top(kd/melo/lbj/harden/kobe) who are untouchable/decide where they play... I don't see a player that really "moves the needle" by a lot.. That the Blazers could acquire. For example... If the Blazers had Klay Thompson over Wesley... Would that really move the needle? I don't think so.... Thompson's usage rate would go down on the Blazers.. He wouldn't get as many looks or touches. He's the #2 option on the Warriors.. Wes is the #3 sometimes #4... Thompson would be the #3 or #4 option on the Blazers. If the Blazers were to get Andre Iguodala over Batum.. that might move the needle but... People would hate him because he's just as passive as Batum is at times. And still.. Iguodala would be the #3/4/5 option on the Blazers.... Would Waiters move the needle? I certainly don't believe so... Beal? No. Realistically there aren't many players out there that significantly move the needle. Monroe? I don't think him and Aldridge could play together.
Im starting to think Neil's 2 year plan was to sign everyone right before the big boost in cap so we can have a whole roster under new contracts and be under the cap.
I think there is a good possibility that we will be over the cap regardless. Maybe they can back load the contracts a little so he doesn't have to pay as much next year, but with Dame coming up for a max contract and all these guys this year, I am not sure we will be under the cap for a while.
I think he meant that everyone can be signed. It's okay to be over cap... The concern maybe being in luxury tax threshold territory.
Exactly, but the deals will be good for 4-5 years and only 1 year of luxury tax before wed be back under cap. Im far from an expert in this field but im just basing this guess on what ive seen from posters here, it sounds like olshey looked into the future and came up with a genius plan to either blow it up or keep it in tact. Afflalo is exactly what we needed in a 6th man, why would we look to lose matthews for him and be back in the same predicament?
PA got burned chasing a title before. Early 2000s teams showed total disregard for being fiscally responsible/ evaluating character & ended up with no title, Jail Blazers persona, & impossibly bad contracts. During the lockout he was on the front line against the players union and vowed to be under the cap. For the past few seasons things have gone according to plan. But he still wants that elusive championship, & most people believe he'd trade the luxury tax for a ring(s). If we have a good run in the playoffs he'll pay out whatever it takes to keep the team together. If he owned the Thunder he would have kept Harden. He just doesn't seem to care about his team being profitable if they win. It's when they lose + being over the cap (and him being subsequently ridiculed) that he starts to have buyers remorse. The luxury tax is chump change for Allen. That's why the cap doesn't bother me.
And Jerry Buss wasn't, being in luxury tax, because he had proven superstars to take it home. The 2000 team had zero superstars, at least ones that can carry a team during crunch. Also that 2000 team had bad personalities, which seriously decreased their value.
Doesn't the new cap go in effect next year? Makes a huge difference in this discussion if true because I disagree with Kaydow - I don't think we are going to see PA goes into the penalty again anytime soon. That clearly has been a priority since the Jailblazer era ended, and you see Neil mention fiscal responsibility often.
Paul Allen has fat stacks I doubt he gives a doobly-dibbly fuck about the luxury tax. The Bulls on the other hands....
He has said in the past that he would go into the penalty if necessary. What he won't do is pay the penalty for a team that is not going anywhere. He wants Neil to be smart with his money, unlike Bob. But there is no doubt in my mind that if he was the owner of the Thunder, Harden would still be on the team with Westbrook and Durant. Paul is not going to refuse to sign a player because it puts him over the luxury cap, if he thinks that player will help us win it all.
That would be tough to swallow for a lot of fans and the team I'm sure. You could very well be right though.
AA didn't have the best shooting game, but his D was on point. It's like how Wes does things. Think if we had both. I'd love that.
/Thread. Why on earth do people think they have to choose... Just because we have a starter quality backup doesn't mean we need to start him. We need that kind of bench. Paul Allen is a multi-Billionaire whose NFL team recently won a Championship, If the Blazers are challenging for a championship, He will go into the Luxury tax for 1 season.
