pezsez1 wrote: Sun Feb 15, 2026 11:49 am
Dame never had a Portland team that could have made the playoffs without him.
Now he's on one that might reach the playoffs without him.
Excited to see what Dame and Deni can do together!
This argument was always baloney, but especially funny now that he has gone to Milwaukee, a top team in the East and one who had won a championship only two years earlier, and now in two years they are a dis-masted wreck and being forced to trade their generational superstar. When you pay a player a supermax contract, you don't talk about how that team would do without him. He is supposed to lead the team to playoff runs. But not Lillard. He needs the 90's Chicago Bulls as teammates in order to do anything in the playoffs.
This is Deni and Shaedon's team. If for some stupid reason they let Lillard take over, they will continue the first-round exits that have defined his career. The best thing to do with him at this point is to platoon him with Jrue and maybe he will learn something about defense from the guy who wiped the floor with him for a decade.
He needs the 90's Chicago Bulls as teammates in order to do anything in the playoffs.
Did you just compare our WCF team with Enis Kanter at center to the 90s Bulls?
This is Deni and Shaedon's team
Sorry, but Shaedon's not that guy.
This will be Dame & Deni's team, and rightfully so. Deni is great, but Shaedon hasn't shown any sign at all that he's capable or deserving of being a franchise cornerstone. He's a solid #3 or #4 player on a playoff roster. Both Clingan and Camara are more valuable to this team.
Shaedon is 22 years old, the same age as any NBA rookie who spent four years in college. He's three months older than Cedric Coward, for instance. It's a mite early to decide that he sucks. In any case, he is the #2 scoring option on the team, so it's safe to say that the Blazers will go as far as Deni and Shaedon take them. We've already seen what happens when Lillard is made a leader on a team. It's funny that you bring up the WCF team. Lillard's career highlight to date is getting swept in the conference finals. I don't say he can't contribute to a team if he buries his 'me first' mentality, but how likely is that to happen? The coaches need to use him like the Celtics used Ray Allen in later years. Actually, that is probably how he should have been used all along - he would have had more playoff success if he hadn't been thrust into a leadership role that he never belonged in.
Anyway, not sure why we are talking about Lillard, who by the end of the season will have spent almost as much time in street clothes as he has played going back five years. He's had a lot of time to practice his 3-point contest skills, but whether he will ever make an impact on the Blazers next year is far from a certainty.
I'm not saying Shaedon sucks, I'm saying I've seen absolutely nothing that shows he's the kind of player to lead a franchise. He doesn't show it in his mannerisms and hasn't shown it in his play. All of these guys pretty much have the green light to grow and show what they can do. You saw Deni rise up and take the opportunity, and you see guys like Clingan and Camara show their worth by rising above expectations. Shaedon isn't even really meeting expectations at the moment. He's easily the most expendable player in our starting lineup. He's a solid rotation player though and worthy of a starting spot considering who else is on our roster, and he could still mature into a more consistent contributor. But players who are THAT GUY (like Dame, Deni, Brandon Roy, Aldridge, and other great Blazers we've seen) typically show it pretty quickly. Still waiting on Shaedon and it's been four years.
Phalanx wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 11:00 am
Shaedon is 22 years old, the same age as any NBA rookie who spent four years in college. He's three months older than Cedric Coward, for instance. It's a mite early to decide that he sucks. In any case, he is the #2 scoring option on the team, so it's safe to say that the Blazers will go as far as Deni and Shaedon take them. We've already seen what happens when Lillard is made a leader on a team. It's funny that you bring up the WCF team. Lillard's career highlight to date is getting swept in the conference finals. I don't say he can't contribute to a team if he buries his 'me first' mentality, but how likely is that to happen? The coaches need to use him like the Celtics used Ray Allen in later years. Actually, that is probably how he should have been used all along - he would have had more playoff success if he hadn't been thrust into a leadership role that he never belonged in.
Anyway, not sure why we are talking about Lillard, who by the end of the season will have spent almost as much time in street clothes as he has played going back five years. He's had a lot of time to practice his 3-point contest skills, but whether he will ever make an impact on the Blazers next year is far from a certainty.
I would quickly take Cedric Coward over Shaedon.
Dame will be 36 next year. I wouldn't expect him to be anything more than a role player with decent offensive production some nights.. similar to what Jrue Holiday has done this year. Both guards can't keep up with the increased tempo that the game is played out now and both are defensive liabilities.
That isn't the comparison I was making at all, but it is an interesting one since they play the same position and are the same age, and the Blazers probably passed on Coward because they already had Sharpe. It will be interesting to see who ends up the better player. My comparison was just that I don't think either player has reached their peak NBA level yet, both being only 22 years old.
Lillard is a waste of a roster spot and taking the salary that a real contributor to the team's success might have had. He represents a forgettable chapter in Blazer history and the profile of the team has been significantly diminished during his time here. It's funny that in interviews he still acts like he did Portland a huge favor by coming back, as if teams were lining up to pay him $27.5 million to play for one year coming off of ACL surgery, with a no-trade clause and a player option attached. I'm not sure why me-first players who never actually accomplish anything are allowed to prosper in the NBA, but I guess as long as Pez and others are willing to buy tickets to see him, the losing will continue. I keep waiting for this new owner to start cleaning this up, but maybe I am kidding myself.
I'm excited to see Dame run the show with Deni and Camara. He's going to stretch the floor and make everyone else so much better. Maybe that extra floor spacing will be what Shaedon needs to finally step up and be the player he's capable of being. Will also be interesting to see how Clingan's growth accelerates with a legit deep threat always on the perimeter.
Scoot has shown a lot in his few games back but he's nowhere near replacing Dame's value on the floor. He's still our sixth man, which isn't a bad thing -- all great teams need one. Dame's stellar performance in the 3-pt contest shows that he's taking his workouts and rehab seriously, and that he's maintained his incredible work ethic even while sidelined by his injury. With that said I have faith he'll return and still be an All-Star point guard. Dudes are playing longer into their 30s than ever before (widespread PEDs?) but, still, the clock is ticking. Scoot needs to keep on growing and he'll be in position to take over as our starter in a few years from now.
Deni is also going to benefit tremendously from Dame's return. He's clearly an all-star, but he's not good enough to be a championship team's #1 option -- at least, not yet. He still struggles with turnovers and consistency, and he doesn't always show great judgement in the game's biggest moments. Dame is a true closer who can win games down the stretch. That will take pressure off of Deni and allow him to grow at a more reasonable pace.
So much to be pumped about! It's a great TIME to be a Blazer fan.
pezsez1 wrote: Wed Feb 18, 2026 1:29 pm
I'm excited to see Dame run the show with Deni and Camara. He's going to stretch the floor and make everyone else so much better. Maybe that extra floor spacing will be what Shaedon needs to finally step up and be the player he's capable of being. Will also be interesting to see how Clingan's growth accelerates with a legit deep threat always on the perimeter.
Scoot has shown a lot in his few games back but he's nowhere near replacing Dame's value on the floor. He's still our sixth man, which isn't a bad thing -- all great teams need one. Dame's stellar performance in the 3-pt contest shows that he's taking his workouts and rehab seriously, and that he's maintained his incredible work ethic even while sidelined by his injury. With that said I have faith he'll return and still be an All-Star point guard. Dudes are playing longer into their 30s than ever before (widespread PEDs?) but, still, the clock is ticking. Scoot needs to keep on growing and he'll be in position to take over as our starter in a few years from now.
Deni is also going to benefit tremendously from Dame's return. He's clearly an all-star, but he's not good enough to be a championship team's #1 option -- at least, not yet. He still struggles with turnovers and consistency, and he doesn't always show great judgement in the game's biggest moments. Dame is a true closer who can win games down the stretch. That will take pressure off of Deni and allow him to grow at a more reasonable pace.
So much to be pumped about! It's a great TIME to be a Blazer fan.
Pez, I like this post. It's total pie-in-the-sky baloney, but I appreciate you explaining your view and laying out your prediction. I guess we'll see what happens; we are both ultimately rooting for team success, so we can high-five each other if it happens, with or without Lillard.
