If Denver can play Plumlee and Jokic together Portland can try Whiteside and Nurkic. That’d be amazing if Whiteside stayed. My motivation for dealing him has always been because of the uncertainty of his free agency. If the dude is committed to not only staying, but willingness to accommodate other players, keep his ass.
Doubtful. Jokic likes to be out on the perimeter on offense. And Plumless can cover the perimeter better than either Nurk or Hassan. I guess it depends on the opposition. But a rotation of Hassan, Nurk, and Collin and Skal would be ok with me. Little can help out as well.
Idk, whatever advantage Plumlee has in athleticism Whiteside makes up in length. I’ve seen Whiteside mirror LeBron, he’s not gonna be overmatched. The bigger mismatch will be when the opposition has to put a stretch four on him defensively. That’d be the real comedy. Besides, Nurk is a plus playmaker you can run the offense through, and he can also knock down shots in the mid range. They could definitely co exist in doses if Whiteside is as willing as he says.
Phooey! The last time he was in a contract year he played well enough to get paid $27 million a season. Ask anybody in Miami if he earned that contract. He is playing really well right now - but gambling on him maintaining this level would mean we were ignorant of his past history.
Playing devil's advocate....he won't get 27 million and he didn't have Dame as a teammate in Miami. And before someone mentions Wade..... DWade was a great player, but he could be a dick.
OK, I'll bite. Why did Miami give him that monster deal and if his subsequent play was so great why were they fed up with him?
I can't help but wonder how much Nurk weighs right now. He looks like he lost about 20 lbs. He needs a full summer of lifting IMO. I don't expect much from him this season.
Look at Nurkic in Denver. Melo with D’Antoni. Wouldn’t be the first time a player and a coach didn’t mesh and a narrative formed he didn’t necessarily deserve. Hassan is happy here and we have the best leader in the sport. Maybe you don’t trust Whiteside, but you can trust Dame.
If it’s coming from Whiteside that’s like 3/4 of the battle. With how much Portland leans on their centers defensively, I’d pay Whiteside $10m (or starter type money) to be a “backup.”
Glad that’s settled. Marc Gasol didn’t start shooting threes until he was 32. Wish someone would’ve given him the same heads up as you just did so he wouldn’t have wasted his time. Oh wait..
Whiteside and Nurkic would be a better duo at center than Jokic and Plumlee. Then you've got the duo of Anthony and Collins and Lillard with CJ backed up with Simmons and Trent, Hood at small forward would need a quality backup.
Nurkic can do anything he wants on a basketball court. He’s evidently been working on his three point shot lately. He says he wants to come back a better player than before his injury. Whiteside also says he can shoot but hasn’t been given a chance to show it. And they’re both good free throw shooters (relative to their positions) so to dismiss it completely would be a mistake. Shit they don’t even necessarily have to be good. Just make enough to keep defenses honest. Look at Jokic. Dudes been hovering around 30% the last two seasons yet teams still honor it.
KAT doesn't seem available now but if he becomes available at the draft or in the off season how would you propose getting him if we keep Whiteside?
I like the optimism but there is no way. He's basing staying on being able to play with Nurk. There is no chance that works and then we screw any lineup flexibility we have.
He played even better the season AFTER getting his big contract. I've talked to Miami fans on Reddit about this many times, and they all say he played his best the year after his contract. But then there was some internal issues he had with the Coaching / Staff in the following seasons. Miami has/had a strict and harsh culture, while Blazers are more laid-back and more nurturing (ala Stotts and Dame leadership), so he seems to be happy here. It's a very similar situation to Nurkic & Denver. And you know how that turned out for us.
With the way we are playing right now I think it might be prudent to keep him. When the off season rolls around at least offer him a Nurkic type contract and see what sticks and maybe we could agree to sign and trade if it goes over to what we want to spend.
