What should be done with Anfernee?

yes he is and from the times I've seen him he didn't look like a starting talent needing a bigger role either. But you brought him up as a reason that the Raptors wouldn't be interested in trading for Ant which is the only reason why I commented on him.

STOMP

 

well, no way Fred would be involved in a trade with Portland so my point was they would still have both. If Simons is dealt to Toronto it won't be for another guard.

 

You're correct about his height not being a real issue at the 2 as you don't play hoops with the top of your head. However, most SGs have 20 lbs on him & 2 Guards often are switched onto SFs in defensive rotations. The wings he's matched up on often bully him using that big weight discrepency.... he can't hold his ground against them. Defensively, his best position is clearly against the other team's 1 where he has good size and adequate weight.

STOMP

 

My point was a good reason Toroto could hold interest in Ant is if they don't believe Fred will be playing much longer. While I'm not advocating for any specific trade with them, if they were looking to add Ant because of this, I wouldn't be totally shocked if he were dealt to PDX to match salaries in part of a larger deal. Btw, his contract is up after next season.

STOMP

 

I extend these general thoughts to any Trailblazer. The only reason I'd be for moving someone just to make a move is if they're a cancer chemistry wise.

STOMP

 

It's probably been more recent than I recall, but when was the last time Ant got on one of his red-hot streaks?

 

he's averaging 18 a game over the last 19 games

 

Ant is doing a good job next to a player that he doesn't fit with. They are taking turns and Ant's turns are not completely ineffective. Ant also needs a big defensive minded guard next to him in a starting lineup.

 

Wait now?
You and I have gone a few rounds about the Center not being the problem. So now you want to say the back court isn't the problem and it's "Wing and Center Depth".
Essentially you are now saying the Blazers Starters are fine and all the problems stem from the bench.
However in a number of posts you are saying Nurk is getting left hung out to dry by the back court during game threads.

Just seems here like you are trying to hedge on both sides here a bit? Lets look at the Sixers game and the Nuggets game. Both are pretty obvious choices beings they are against decent teams and were played recently one home and one away. To me it looked painfully obvious the backcourt was small and could not hold it's own unless absolutely shooting lights out and the starting center was heavily outmatched.

This team IMHO lacks talent at the starter level and is relying on what would be end of bench players for rotational positions. Nurk now would be considered a good back up center. Simons would be a great 6th man(or starter on his own team?). Hart would be great off the bench as an energy spark plug type 2nd unit guy. Grant should be playing SF. I think we agree Eubanks brings energy but probably is a bit small and needs improvement in a number of areas. they currently are using two rookies as rotational players.

 

I said center DEPTH. we have no interior defense when nurk gets in foul trouble or is injured. Our guard defense is obviously not great on defense and we dont have enough ball stoppers so rim protection for 48 mins is key. We dont have that.

 

Of course Ant isn't CJ, he goes about things in a much different way but the combination of his lack of size with Dame's is a defensive liability that you can see hurting the team just like has hurt us since Wes left. Then there is the fact that except in a stretch in one game this season, Dame and Ant haven't got a two man game going and take turns just like Dame and CJ did. The one thing I will say is that Ant takes the open shots that Dame gets him or rotates the ball, he does not stall the ball when he is open in order to ISO like CJ did.

So only almost the exact same weaknesses in the back court that we've been dealing with and it just shouldn't be that way. Dame should have the opportunity to play in a back court with a guy that makes sense next to him, who has the size that Dame lacks, who wants to play a complementary role rather than try and co-star, that doesn't mean that it can't be another star but as Jerami has shown there is a smooth transition when he gets the ball where he's dangerous and Dame is still very much in the play.

The fact that people can't see this isn't surprising because a bunch of people, probably more than half in here didn't think that the Dame/CJ back court was problematic. You aren't winning shit with two small guards whose best attribute is scoring the ball neither of whom is ever in consideration for all defensive teams and Dame being the better defender of the two. This shit isn't hard to understand, I guess people just don't want to understand it because they are enamored with Ant's talent instead of put off by his lack of fit. Same fucking story we had for six years with CJ.

 

if Ant doesn't fit next to Dame and is suffering because of it, then Dame doesn't fit next to Ant, and is suffering too

but looking at Ant's "needs" and the reality that most teams either have a PG similar to Dame or are already stocked with SG's who are better, I just don't see a lot of teams that would have interest in Ant. I especially don't see many teams who would buy into the "Ant plays better without Dame" narrative. That was the narrative used to prop up CJ for years around here, and it was false

and for the few teams that may be interested in Ant, I don't see more that 2 or 3 who would have the assets that Portland would want, or that the other team would realistically move

I think it's up to Portland to make Ant fit better...or just trade him for what they can get. He has supporting player talent, not #2 option talent. Grant is a better #2, at least on Portland's current roster, but Grant would be a #3 on a contending roster. Ant should be a 6th man if he remains in Portland. I think that most people recognize that, but of course, the people that don't are Blazer employees

 

I agree with you they shouldn't expect a better #2 than Grant in return for Ant but they should get what they can for Ant and it doesn't even take 2 or 3 teams that would be interested in Ant and have pieces that would improve our team that they would be willing to move, it only takes one.

However, Ant does play better without Dame and so does CJ and he always did that wasn't a false narrative the basic stats tell that story along with the advanced metrics. More productive without Dame and less of a defensive liability without Dame.

The first sentence of this post of yours is the reason why they need to find the best trade for Ant possible taking into consideration roster needs and fit with Dame, and then they need to make that trade.

 

This is like saying the husband who abuses his wife is "suffering" in the marriage too. (NO I'M NOT SAYING DAME IS ABUSING ANT. IT'S AN ANALOGY.)

Agreed on the "few teams," but disagree on the last part. CJ has been better for the Pelicans as the lead guy than he ever was for us, and it's just patently obvious that Anfernee is better as the lead guard. Same deal as Jalen Brunson and Luka.

Agreed. Dallas (although, of course, Ant would be swapping Dame for Luka) and possibly Orlando are among the very few. I shall hope against hope for an Orlando trade, ideally for Carter Jr. but I don't really expect anything. Of course, we said the same thing about CJ.

If he doesn't fit anywhere else, why would he fit here? He's a flawed player. They only "fit" when they are SO GOOD at their "splinter skill" that you build the team around them - see Iverson and the Larry Brown Sixers.

We have to hope that other teams have the same problem only with a small forward and want to swap problems.

 

I disagree. CJ is the same player he always was:

* his career PER is 17.5. His PER this year is 16.4
* his career TS% is .552. His TS% this year is .542
* his career eFG% is .526. His eFG% this year is .518
* his career FT rate is .162. His FT rate this year is .156
* his career winshare/48 is .102. His winshare/48 this year is .085
* his career BPM is 1.3. His BPM this year is 1.6

yes, his assists are up; so are his turnovers. But that's because he's mostly playing PG and running the offense rather than SG. His numbers are actually worse this year than his career numbers, except those explained by role or playing on a better constructed team. Essentially, he's better or more efficient, he's just in a different role. We had plenty of time to assess his talent in Portland and that talent isn't performing better in a different zip-code

 

Well i can't argue against adding a good backup center or PF. They do need that.

 

I'm going to have to go ahead and sort of disagree with you there.....

 

Sorry, he does that a little less. Honestly watching the games this season is as nightmarish as things got for Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. We thought we were moving on but we're in the same place as far as our back court goes. Not the same player just the same liabilities.