Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19

Moderators: greenyellow, UOducksTK1

Thurston
Two Star Recruit
Posts: 185
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:49 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Thurston »

A career 37.6% 3-point shooter who shot a career best 43.6% as recently as 2017-18 with Detroit. Nice back-up 4 rotation guy.
User avatar
greenyellow
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 35679
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:54 pm
Location: Eugene, OR

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by greenyellow »

Jake Layman has agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the T-Wolves. Portland got the rights to 2013 draftee Bojan Dubljevic and created a $1.8 million trade exception. Olshey probably has his eyes on another player on a vet minimum deal to add to the roster, likely another PF/C type. For a team that made the WCFs, Olshey has really replaced a lot of integral parts to last year's team. Hopefully whatever he's trying works out since it's not apparent that Portland has gotten better in comparison to all the other moves being made in the West.
Image
User avatar
Phalanx
Senior
Posts: 3899
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:50 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Phalanx »

Good for Jake; I'm glad he is getting such a nice contract. It seemed like signing Hezonja and Hood made him redundant anyway. Helping the Timberwolves get him was a nice move. It sounds like the guy that came back in trade is worthless - dude doesn't even want to play in the NBA.

So two free roster spots going into summer league means somebody may actually earn a spot. There is a real opportunity for someone to get PT in the post for the Blazers. Tolliver looks to be a spot up shooter at this point in his career and little else. I'll be interested to see how Mike Daum performs. Labissiere is also on the summer league roster, and it sure looks like he'll be getting some minutes this year as well.
thomas time
Senior
Posts: 4677
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:18 am

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by thomas time »

got Bazemore to play sf, I don't think blazers will need him, but good for Jake to get solid minutes. I'm guessing they will use at least one of the two roster spots, so that will be interesting to see who (maybe a backup pf or center).
User avatar
Phalanx
Senior
Posts: 3899
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:50 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Phalanx »

Shannon Sharpe points out that Lillard's extension will preclude other players from coming to Portland and Lillard will be the richest guy in the NBA who never won a championship. He contrasts Lillard with Jordan, who took less in order to surround himself with better players so that he could win. Dame's response:
1st of all I took less on my first max ext Do your homework. but whatever the easiest thing to have an opinion on is stuff that don’t involve you cuz you don’t have to deal with the consequences. And u dnt kno If I’ll win it lol... if I’m forgotten I’ll be a rich forgotten mf
Reminds me of Evan Turner's last message to Portland: "Thanks for the cheese". Not sure what Damian is talking about since his last contract was also a cap-sucking supermax deal. This confirms to me that I have been right about him all along. For him, winning is secondary to hoarding as much of the salary cap for himself as possible. It's fine to say how most other players would do the same if they could, just don't tell me what an amazing team guy Lillard is, and how much he wants to win a championship. Anyone who wants to see another championship in Portland needs to realize that Lillard is actually working against that goal. The only way a championship comes to Portland now is if the Blazers get unbelievably lucky with their yearly late-round draft picks.
User avatar
Phenom
All Pac-12
Posts: 9920
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:49 am

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Phenom »

Why did they even give him an extension?
User avatar
Tray Dub
All Pac-12
Posts: 5004
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:31 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Tray Dub »

Phalanx wrote:Not sure what Damian is talking about since his last contract was also a cap-sucking supermax deal. This confirms to me that I have been right about him all along. For him, winning is secondary to hoarding as much of the salary cap for himself as possible.
Awful take.
User avatar
greenyellow
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 35679
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:54 pm
Location: Eugene, OR

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by greenyellow »

Phalanx wrote:Shannon Sharpe points out that Lillard's extension will preclude other players from coming to Portland and Lillard will be the richest guy in the NBA who never won a championship. He contrasts Lillard with Jordan, who took less in order to surround himself with better players so that he could win.
Where do you get the idea that Jordan took less? Salaries and salary caps have jumped exponentially since he played. The only years he made over double-digit millions in salary were his final two years with the Bulls ($30M in 96-97 and $33M in 97-98.) Those were nearly the entire salary cap for them, but since the rules weren't as strict as they are now for overspending, they could afford to spend that with no threat of penalty.
Image
User avatar
StevensTechU
All Pac-12
Posts: 5391
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:25 am
Location: Hoboken, NJ

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by StevensTechU »

I hate when guy's try to earn the most they can for their work. Tomorrow, I'm going into work and telling my boss that I need a pay reduction so we have budget to go get some other talented people. Time to start being a team player.
User avatar
Phalanx
Senior
Posts: 3899
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:50 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Phalanx »

In a collective bargaining, pre-defined salary cap situation, there is an undeniable, directly inverse relationship between the extra millions that Lillard and his agent demand and the money left for the rest of the team. If the CEO of a company was demanding all the money and everyone else was forced to live on peanuts, I think most rational people would have a problem with that. Especially if it meant that you could only get sub-par employees because the good ones went somewhere where they got paid more. That is what is going on here. Even the homegrown guys on rookie deals are going to be tempted to sign elsewhere if they develop into stars, since Lillard is already eating most of the lunch. It affects the rest of the team.

If you want to argue that it's actually Olshey's fault for giving in to Lillard, that's fine. Nobody here is even doing that though. The most common response is that of a slavering Lillard fanboy who will do anything just to keep him here, even if it means letting go of any realistic possibility of winning a championship. I've been a Blazer fan since before Lillard was born. I'm a fan of the team doing well, not of Lillard lining his own pockets so that he can be a 'rich mf'. I believe that this commitment to Lillard at all costs is detrimental to the Blazers' championship aspirations. If in fact, they even have such aspirations.

Anyway, this isn't a conversation that is going away. People around the country notice that Lillard is getting paid too much and that Portland is not a contender. It's just a matter of putting those two ideas together.
User avatar
Quietduck
Four Star Recruit
Posts: 606
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:43 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Quietduck »

I don't have a dog in this fight but I would say going as far as the Blazers did this year qualifies them as a contender.
User avatar
Phalanx
Senior
Posts: 3899
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:50 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Phalanx »

Quietduck wrote:I don't have a dog in this fight but I would say going as far as the Blazers did this year qualifies them as a contender.
The last Vegas odds I saw had the Blazers at 30/1, which was 8th highest odds. I have yet to read an article outside of Portland that considered the Blazers a serious contender for the upcoming season. In any case, the payroll that Olshey has accumulated just to field this team is totally unsustainable. Going forward, Lillard's contract will greatly reduce the odds of the Blazers reaching contender status. I would be happy to bet anyone here that the Blazers will not win a championship as long as Lillard is on that contract and playing for the Blazers. Any takers?
User avatar
Quietduck
Four Star Recruit
Posts: 606
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:43 pm

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Quietduck »

How does that compare to the odds for this year? Or the odds of the Raptors winning the whole thing. Nobody knows what is going to happen except that at least one or more of these super teams is going to fail.
User avatar
StevensTechU
All Pac-12
Posts: 5391
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:25 am
Location: Hoboken, NJ

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by StevensTechU »

I'm going Golden State or Philly.
Merganzer
Senior
Posts: 3469
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2017 10:42 am

Re: Portland Trail Blazers 2018/19 Thread.

Post by Merganzer »

Post Reply