Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

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oregontrack
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by oregontrack »

fun road trip. blown out, heart ripped out, blown out.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

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That really hurt. This team badly needs to make a move. It's particularly frustrating as a 3rd seed is still within reach.
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Phalanx
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

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This was a completely expected outcome. The Blazers have been feasting on bad teams, or teams with missing players. This was just a dose of reality - a reminder of the pecking order. Unless Nurkic can repeat his performance of late last year, the Blazers are a team that relies on two guards who huck up 20 shots a game and not much else.

I don't expect a trade that will fundamentally change the fortunes of this year's team, but I do hope they can at least get under the luxury tax without giving up a pick. That would be a minor miracle in itself. Anyone who is feeling bad about this road trip, just wait until this offseason, when they won't even be able to keep the team they have now.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by oregontrack »

who of note won't be with portland next year?

as far as trades go, the only legitimate names i'm hearing that may be moved are nap and moe. nap's trade value will likely never be higher, though the expected return still isn't expected to be much. it seems ominous, if not pointless, to bring up that g-league kid if nap isn't on the trading block. there are a few teams that really like moe, and moving him to get under the cap seems like the most likely move to me. we'll have to keep ET and lurch at least one more year.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Phalanx »

Nurkic, Davis, Connaughton, Vonleh, and Napier are all free agents after this season. The Blazers are already several million over the salary cap for next year without signing any of them. That means that some of them won't be coming back.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by oregontrack »

ack, forgot vonleh. it'd be silly not to (try to) move him before tomorrow.

most of those guys don't matter, no offense to them. nurk's driven his value down considerably this year. last offseason we were arguing about how we'd fit in another max deal, while he won't be cheap at least we won't have to go down the max road with him.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Phalanx »

oregontrack wrote:ack, forgot vonleh. it'd be silly not to (try to) move him before tomorrow.

most of those guys don't matter, no offense to them. nurk's driven his value down considerably this year. last offseason we were arguing about how we'd fit in another max deal, while he won't be cheap at least we won't have to go down the max road with him.
I just listed off most of the bench that actually does anything, along with the starting center. I have no idea what matters to you, but in terms of winning ball games, the Blazers will win less without those guys. The only one that wouldn't have an impact is Vonleh.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by oregontrack »

you did list the starting center, but we're going to keep him so he's not exactly in the oh crap we're facing an unknown future without him equation.

i like ed davis just fine, but he's expendable with collins and swanigan on the roster.

connaughton and nap will depend on the market, i could certainly see someone overpaying for nap; but we've also got at least a MLE we can use if we want to get competitive with either. connaughton is a nice story and all, but i'm not sure what's lost by starting layman over him. they both have a singular strength and all the same weaknesses, except one would think layman could board a little better at that height. long story short, connaughton is not good. we can find a cheaper also not-good player to replace him if we have to. we already have one on the roster, in fact!

we may also jettison our first rounder for cap relief this summer. in either case, a pat connaughton or ed davis is not going to define our season next year. we'll win 42 games and make a swift 1st round exit with or without them.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by oregontrack »

hey, we're under the cap. now paul allen won't need to pay extra for this mediocre bunch.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Phalanx »

Still way over the cap, just under the luxury tax. Pretty pathetic 'trade' since they are still paying for Vonleh's salary while he is in Chicago, but at least they got away from the tax, and repeat offender status in a few years. Doesn't really solve any other problem the Blazers had. The bad contracts are still untradeable, and trades in general will still be nearly impossible, since they are so far over the cap, as will free agents. Which just leaves the draft, with pick 20 or so every year.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Merganzer »

The Blazers won't tank, because that would send the wrong message to the fans. Instead, the team will win just enough to get in and lose in the first round. Allen cleared up the Luxury Tax penalty with the move today; he really has no motivation to make the team better. Allen is actually a drug dealer; who has the fans who keep filling the Moda Center hooked.
Golden State was in the same condition Portland was, actually worse, and that's how they turned it around. The draft turned their team in to powerhouse it is now. Milwaukee got Giannis Antetokounmpo in the draft, the 76ers got Embiid and Simmons the same way. The only chance the Blazers have is to play so badly that they get top 1-3 picks two or three years in a row. Lillard wants to win in Portland. But could anyone blame him if he finally can't take this anymore?
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by oregontrack »

you're absolutely right, bad wording on my part. over the cap, under the luxury. you're also right that it doesn't stem their future problems.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Phalanx »

Merganzer wrote:The Blazers won't tank, because that would send the wrong message to the fans. Instead, the team will win just enough to get in and lose in the first round. Allen cleared up the Luxury Tax penalty with the move today; he really has no motivation to make the team better. Allen is actually a drug dealer; who has the fans who keep filling the Moda Center hooked.
Golden State was in the same condition Portland was, actually worse, and that's how they turned it around. The draft turned their team in to powerhouse it is now. Milwaukee got Giannis Antetokounmpo in the draft, the 76ers got Embiid and Simmons the same way. The only chance the Blazers have is to play so badly that they get top 1-3 picks two or three years in a row. Lillard wants to win in Portland. But could anyone blame him if he finally can't take this anymore?
I'm not sure when they are going to realize that we are in this mess largely BECAUSE of Lillard. Lillard is eating up a huge chunk of that cap space. He just isn't a superstar like he thinks he is. He needs other pieces to win, and other pieces cost money. Him and McCollum can high five each other that they both got max deals, but you can't do that and then also complain that there aren't any other quality players on the team. They aren't there because those two guards ate their lunch.

I know everyone loves Lillard, and he is a good player on offense, but the team will never win with this salary situation, so if he starts complaining, I hope he leaves and takes his bloated salary with him. What Lillard thinks is the last thing I would be worried about if I were Olshey.
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Duck24 »

Is Milocan Rakovic a person or a thing?
Merganzer
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Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2017-18 Thread

Post by Merganzer »

Phalanx wrote:
Merganzer wrote:The Blazers won't tank, because that would send the wrong message to the fans. Instead, the team will win just enough to get in and lose in the first round. Allen cleared up the Luxury Tax penalty with the move today; he really has no motivation to make the team better. Allen is actually a drug dealer; who has the fans who keep filling the Moda Center hooked.
Golden State was in the same condition Portland was, actually worse, and that's how they turned it around. The draft turned their team in to powerhouse it is now. Milwaukee got Giannis Antetokounmpo in the draft, the 76ers got Embiid and Simmons the same way. The only chance the Blazers have is to play so badly that they get top 1-3 picks two or three years in a row. Lillard wants to win in Portland. But could anyone blame him if he finally can't take this anymore?
I'm not sure when they are going to realize that we are in this mess largely BECAUSE of Lillard. Lillard is eating up a huge chunk of that cap space. He just isn't a superstar like he thinks he is. He needs other pieces to win, and other pieces cost money. Him and McCollum can high five each other that they both got max deals, but you can't do that and then also complain that there aren't any other quality players on the team. They aren't there because those two guards ate their lunch.

I know everyone loves Lillard, and he is a good player on offense, but the team will never win with this salary situation, so if he starts complaining, I hope he leaves and takes his bloated salary with him. What Lillard thinks is the last thing I would be worried about if I were Olshey.
Oh, I'm with you on Lillard. Except, it isn't Lillard's exaggeration of his ability that is crippling the team, it's the team that believes Lillard is a player of which a championship team can be built around. The Blazers have deemed him, "untouchable". By staying, Lillard allows the team to keep their façade alive. The Blazers are a mediocre team, and Lillard is a mediocre All Star, together they let the Blazers continue to be The Show in Portland.
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