Zach Lowe: The Blazers' Oregon Trail to contention

Dude also has something against Turner and Crabbe specifically. Interesting take on our guys, locker room material for sure.

 

I was not sure where he was going with the article. He seemed to be all over the place. But his conclusion was fair.

" The Blazers are good, and they'll stay good with an uncertain path to the next tier up. Overspending this summer cluttered that path with obstacles, but it's hard to find a realistic alternative that would have cleared it up."

 

Lowe is easily the most knowledgable and articulate bball writer out there. I don't think anything he said about Crabbe and Turner are that egregious.

My point about Ezeli has to do with the fact that he really won't get that much of a burden and put his health in any more risk than he has been all his career. We really don't need much out of him. 15 mpg of rim protection and good screens. He should give us about 80 games of that for regular season and playoffs.

 

I thought him bringing up how awful the Turner and Crabbe deals were four times in the article was a little obsessive, even when he was talking about how thin the market is for wings. Like, we have TWO of the wings in this thin market. If either turns into something good, we are ahead of the game. If both in tandem turn into something good we have succeeded. I honestly don't understand his analysis.

 

Bollocks. Meyers? Entitlement? I don't buy it.

 

If so, it turns out he WAS entitled... to SEVENTY MILLION DOLLARS.

 

Yeh, that's what I was gonna quote. I think Olshey started at the top; with the most optimistic scenario of getting two of Durant, Horford, Whiteside. I think he learned even before July 1 that there was no chance on either Durant or Horford. I think it's possible he even learned about Whiteside before July 1. So he went to top wings available, knowing that "The way the game is being played, plus the dearth of available wings, made us willing to pay a premium for players that fit our model"; lost Parsons, quickly moved on to Turner. Overpaid, but at that point and considering the need to use all the money this year, maybe panicked a little. Maybe lucked into Ezeli. Signed all our RFA's because at that point, why not.
I liked the confirmation that Turner was not guaranteed anything, and liked that Stotts is already getting Lillard and McCollum thinking about how to work with Turner.

 

My first thought was Crabbe..... but I guess it depends on what you view as "recent." Would Patty C really come in with entitlement issues?

 

Based on their personalities, it's gotta be either Pat or Meyers. HCP probably wont say so here, but I'm pretty sure he'd agree.

 

I'd go with TRob. He wasn't the Blazers' draft pick, but as a No. 5 draft pick, I could definitely see him having some attitude when he arrived here.

 

I know who they speak of, but am legally bound by a signed contract to not share.........

 

Meyers seems like such a goofball.... but at the same time, it seems like he's not putting in the same work as Dame and CJ.

I guess I could see Pat being the guy. He feels like he gave up baseball to play hoops, so he has something to lose that the others wouldn't. I still think he'll be playing baseball in the not too distant future.

 

hint...it starts with a T and ends with a Rob?

 

I know everyone loves Zach Lowe, but I feel like he's never, ever sold on anything that Portland does.

@BlazerCaravan brought up a good point as well: Was it necessary to continue harping on the Crabbe and Turner deals over and over and over again? And there was really no mention of how teams generally never let RFA walk.

Whole article felt like a backhanded compliment. I could be reading the piece wrong, but that's how I felt while reading it.

 

How about Layman? (I hope not). He could have shown up to the summer league, with an attitude. Dame was sitting right there too.... 2nd choice- Meyers......

 

Pretty decent read actually. It's obvious he isn't sold on anything we've done but who in the league is? I had an argument with a friend the other week and he said, "Face it. You guys are going to be this era's version of the 90's Pacers!"

Well buddy that's absolutely fine. Getting to the Western Conference Finals in this era (for THIS market) is actually a fucking accomplishment! I hate the naysayers who keep preaching, "You screwed your salary structure. You should have waited till next year's free agency period."

And what kind of magical window of opportunity is going to open that makes Portland attractive to free agents? What lopsided trade would have presented itself in a league where teams are hugging every asset they have for dear life?

The choice was simple, take the current roster and a few role players and make a play for NOW. But no one outside of this fan base would ever understand that. And if rival fans have a problem with that they can suck my -----.