Blazers 2023-2024 Thread

[pezsez1]

Liked the "If it takes months, it takes months" line. Hopefully he means it. Keep Dame long enough and eventually he'll either warm up to other trade options or the Heat will realize they're not doing all they can to win an NBA title during this small window. Or another contender jumps in and decides it's worth taking a chance on a potentially "unhappy" All-NBA player with a track record of 100% effort.

There are no bad outcomes to turning down bad offers. If nothing changes, then we'll just take a bad offer later. No harm, no foul.

[pezsez1]

https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1678 ... SgEVyCiI-8

Oh yay, another three-guard lineup.

What could go wrong?

[Duck07]

Kobe rip, wasn’t even the best player during his prime. That honor belonged to Duncan. But he played in a small market, and never self promoted.

I rank Kobe higher in the pantheon of Guards than Duncan with Big Men. Duncan's team-first approach was never going to allow him to eclipse those above him.

If I'm doing a player of the decade, its Magic for the 80s, Jordan for the 90s, Kobe for the 2000s and Lebron for the 2010s. To that end, I think Duncan is like Curry in that he'll be known for his winning, just not as much of a name as Kobe (LeBron).

[Duck07]

People have such short memories. The last few years, the Blazers have been trying to stay under the tax, but historically, they are one of the top tax-paying teams. They've been in the luxury tax 6 times in the last 22 years (three times during Lillard's career), which puts them 8th in the NBA in payments, as of last year.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markdeeks/ ... c3aac7432f

The Blazers have been paying Lillard and others as if they were contenders, but they never were. Kinda seems like ownership figured that part out and stopped paying the tax on an underachieving team.

Yeah, when I was analyzing Jody's tenure about whether or not they'd spend to compete; they were obviously above the tax-line early on when they thought they had made moves to compete but then realized it wasn't working and made moves to get under the last few years to avoid the repeater clauses.

Part of me thinks the Grant deal means they really were thinking they could resign Grant and try to flip Simons+Little for a Forward and call it good for Dame. It wouldn't be a contender, but it would be a playoff team if healthy.

[Duck07]

https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1678490799888269312

Oh yay, another three-guard lineup.

What could go wrong?

Well, in a Post-Dame lineup what's the problem? The prize return of a Dame trade will be a Forward or Center and Thybulle will see a lot of minutes and Sharpe is getting better at defense (at least with making the highlight type play, still needs better off-ball attention)

We're essentially this lineup right now with the various rotations and units in a year where we guys to develop and they need court-time to do that. Getting another lottery pick, even in a year where the talent isn't expected to be as high, still has value when you can draft the right F/C to pair up with these guys.

Simons/Scoot
Thybulle/Sharpe
Little/Murray
Grant/Walker
Nurk/Guy off street

If Cronin can get Sochan+Johnson+Picks from the Spurs to held Pop win now with his 5 year contract and Wemby, that seems like a home-run. So don't fret any statements that obviously ignore what the gem of the return package will be. You think if Dame goes to Toronto and we get Scottie Barnes that he's the one sitting beyond a normal rotation break?

[Phalanx]

Simons/Scoot
Thybulle/Sharpe
Little/Murray
Grant/Walker
Nurk/Guy off street

I guess we'll see what the Lillard trade brings back, but man, that is a weak line-up. You almost have to go 3-guard with those players. It's really sad to see what trying to keep Lillard happy has done to this team. I'd love to add Isaiah Stewart into that mix. You know, the guy that was taken with the Blazers' pick a few years ago after they traded it for a player rental.

[pezsez1]

Not only is that a weak lineup, but if you think Nurk was bad last year just wait until this season. His head is going to be everywhere but the basketball court and no part of him will want to be here. I'm assuming he's only being kept around as possible fodder for the eventual Dame trade, but he could make things even uglier if nothing happens until the midseason deadline.

I just hope Jody sells the team and we can get a proven GM before this upcoming period in the tank is over.

[Duck07]

Not only is that a weak lineup, but if you think Nurk was bad last year just wait until this season. His head is going to be everywhere but the basketball court and no part of him will want to be here. I'm assuming he's only being kept around as possible fodder for the eventual Dame trade, but he could make things even uglier if nothing happens until the midseason deadline.

I just hope Jody sells the team and we can get a proven GM before this upcoming period in the tank is over.

What does it matter if the lineup is young and weak right now? Anybody expecting this team to compete now should be laughed at because its all about the development of Sharpe+Scoot. Cronin needs to deal with Chicago to get the team's own FRP back as this is the new reality for the team and frankly when you look at the relative age of most stars/contending teams, there is value right now in building a team for the "next" period of NBA stars.

Further, the only team that would likely trade for Nurk is Miami and only as a means of reducing the overall trade package for Lillard because they'd be absorbing Nurk's contract as well.

Using him as a salary dump is a terrible idea because it would only make the team rebounding even worse than it already is while also getting rid of someone who is a quality screen-setter for your 19 year old PG. There is still a need for a certain amount of Veterans on the roster so you can help the growth of those young players rather than stunt them. Even if the Dame trade returns a young Center, there isn't a need to go all-youth.

Going off a player's natural position, the lineup is this
PG: Scoot
SG: Simons, Sharpe, Thybulle
SF: Little, Rupert
PF: Grant, Murray, Walker
C: Nurk

[Phalanx]

I think what is more likely is that Thybulle will start at the three, unless a better option comes in the Lillard trade.

Scoot/ (Michael Devoe or similar signing)
Simons/Sharpe/ Johnson
Thybulle/ Little/ Rupert
Grant/ Walker/ Murray
Nurk/ Player to be named

Just examining this, I think Simons will play a lot of minutes and take a lot of shots for this team. I also think Walker is the reason they cut Watford, and he will probably play more than we think this year.

[Duck07]

I think what is more likely is that Thybulle will start at the three, unless a better option comes in the Lillard trade.

Scoot/ (Michael Devoe or similar signing)
Simons/Sharpe/ Johnson
Thybulle/ Little/ Rupert
Grant/ Walker/ Murray
Nurk/ Player to be named

Just examining this, I think Simons will play a lot of minutes and take a lot of shots for this team. I also think Walker is the reason they cut Watford, and he will probably play more than we think this year.

While I think both Thybulle and Sharpe can matchup at times at the 3, I think the team will be at it's best defensively if they're not getting more than 12 mpg combined at the 3 and that we're more likely to get a young SF than a C for Dame.

I agree about Walker as he definitely is a more confident player this year, which also speaks to going through a period of drafting players and giving them a chance to develop and see who pops.

I think Ant is going to make himself a quality trade target at some point this year or next as a Jamal Crawford 6th man type player. He'll certainly have every chance this year to get looks along with Grant. They'll be 1A/1B in some order I'd imagine, which is probably best for Sharpe and Scoot to not have to take that role too soon. I'm hopeful that Scoot could get something in the area of 14-5-8 as he's going to have guys that can shoot and when Nurk isn't on the court, RUN RUN RUN.

[pezsez1]

What does it matter if the lineup is young and weak right now? Anybody expecting this team to compete now should be laughed at because its all about the development of Sharpe+Scoot.

Couldn't agree more.

Just making a general statement that if Nurk plays he is likely going to be terrible, perhaps even detrimental to the primary mission of development.

[Duck07]

What does it matter if the lineup is young and weak right now? Anybody expecting this team to compete now should be laughed at because its all about the development of Sharpe+Scoot.

Couldn't agree more.

Just making a general statement that if Nurk plays he is likely going to be terrible, perhaps even detrimental to the primary mission of development.

If Nurk becomes a malcontent and acts like that, he'll be out of the league though because he doesn't have the sheer talent to get away with it. He's obviously got a salary (along with Simons and Little) that could be traded as part of a multi-team package but I wouldn't get rid of him just to be rid of his contract.

[pezsez1]

Sharpe.

[Phalanx]

After the initial irrational exuberance, doubt is starting to creep in that Lillard would make enough of a difference in Miami to justify all the trade capital. Pretty fair piece in the Palm Beach Post yesterday:

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/spo ... 401968007/

“He makes a ton of money in the last two years of his contract and by then his effectiveness will be less,’’ the Western scout said. “I think Miami is concerned about that. I don’t know if Miami is the favorite any more but we’ll see.’’

“They run the risk of making a big change but not knowing the impact positively or negatively,’’ an Eastern Conference personnel director said. “Lillard is a small guard (6-foot) who has struggled to advance in the playoffs against bigger guards.’’

Just please, get out of that contract. Take the best deal and run.

[pezsez1]

Just please, get out of that contract. Take the best deal and run.

No way. Cronin needs to stand his ground in Florida. The contact is definitely a concern, but Miami is under pressure to win now and Dame, by most accounts, is a needle-mover.

Also, this article reads a lot like all those Brett McMurphy realignment articles citing "Big 12 sources."

I still have far more faith in Riley to fleece Cronin than in Cronin to get a fair deal, but Cronin is doing the right thing so far by recognizing that Miami can't afford to wait indefinitely.