Blazers 2023-2024 Thread

[Phalanx]

I had to laugh at this podcast from Milwaukee fans starting to realize what they got when they traded for Dame. If you listen, you will hear a lot of the same criticisms I had of him when he was in Portland. Obviously, the Blazers have a lot of problems, but I'm so glad Lillard is no longer one of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJD8SmMOGeM

[squintsdd]

I had to laugh at this podcast from Milwaukee fans starting to realize what they got when they traded for Dame. If you listen, you will hear a lot of the same criticisms I had of him when he was in Portland. Obviously, the Blazers have a lot of problems, but I'm so glad Lillard is no longer one of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJD8SmMOGeM

Pretty sure we understand by now that you didn't like Lillard

[pezsez1]

Pretty sure we understand by now that you didn't like Lillard

It's so subtle!

Many Portland fans (who aren't blinded by Dame rage) are also learning just how valuable he was to the franchise. I remember last season, joking around with my brother that if you took Dame off the team then we'd basically be the Houston Rockets. (Last season's.) In hindsight, my assessment was pretty spot-on. We basically switched out Dame for Brogdon (a skilled vet) and Nurk for Ayton (definitely an upgrade) and added Scoot Henderson to the bench... and while this team has flashed potential, it's also completely fallen off of a cliff without Lillard to carry the load.

I loved the win over Milwaukee and am genuinely excited to watch this team grow over the coming years, but I still find it funny whenever anyone complains about Lillard being a "problem" let alone a problem for the no. 3 seed in the East. They're 33-14 with him, 0-4 without him, and he's already won them a few games with clutch shooting -- and that's despite him not playing his best ball while getting acclimated with a new team.

[Phalanx]

Many Portland fans (who aren't blinded by Dame rage) are also learning just how valuable he was to the franchise. I remember last season, joking around with my brother that if you took Dame off the team then we'd basically be the Houston Rockets. (Last season's.) In hindsight, my assessment was pretty spot-on. We basically switched out Dame for Brogdon (a skilled vet) and Nurk for Ayton (definitely an upgrade) and added Scoot Henderson to the bench... and while this team has flashed potential, it's also completely fallen off of a cliff without Lillard to carry the load.

I loved the win over Milwaukee and am genuinely excited to watch this team grow over the coming years, but I still find it funny whenever anyone complains about Lillard being a "problem" let alone a problem for the no. 3 seed in the East. They're 33-14 with him, 0-4 without him, and he's already won them a few games with clutch shooting -- and that's despite him not playing his best ball while getting acclimated with a new team.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/101 ... -35-points

Lillard is the talk of Milwaukee, just not in a good way. Most fans are having buyer's remorse after watching him melt down late in games and huck up bricks from outside, as well as the awful defense. Milwaukee still has a decent record because of Giannis, but he can't do it alone. The dude shot 15 of 17 last night and then watched Dame throw the game away, getting schooled by a bunch of scrubs on 10-day deals and 2-way contracts. I saw a post of some fans wondering if they could trade back for Jrue. Unfortunately for them, I don't think the Celtics would do that deal.

[nogerO]

Pretty sure we understand by now that you didn't like Lillard

It's so subtle!

Many Portland fans (who aren't blinded by Dame rage) are also learning just how valuable he was to the franchise. I remember last season, joking around with my brother that if you took Dame off the team then we'd basically be the Houston Rockets. (Last season's.) In hindsight, my assessment was pretty spot-on. We basically switched out Dame for Brogdon (a skilled vet) and Nurk for Ayton (definitely an upgrade) and added Scoot Henderson to the bench... and while this team has flashed potential, it's also completely fallen off of a cliff without Lillard to carry the load.

I loved the win over Milwaukee and am genuinely excited to watch this team grow over the coming years, but I still find it funny whenever anyone complains about Lillard being a "problem" let alone a problem for the no. 3 seed in the East. They're 33-14 with him, 0-4 without him, and he's already won them a few games with clutch shooting -- and that's despite him not playing his best ball while getting acclimated with a new team.

We understand you are a huge Blazer fan and charter member of the Damian Lillard fan club, but realize both of these things before you post about your hero and what he meant to Portland. He was a cancer on this team for the last 3 years he was with the Blazers. Milwaukee fans aren't so happy with him at this point of the schedule. They won't be winning the NBA title this year.

[pezsez1]

He was a cancer on this team for the last 3 years he was with the Blazers.

First, let's get one thing straight -- I'm far too old to idolize athletes lol. Maybe you're just being flippant, or maybe not. But let's leave the bullshit outside and stick to things that actually "matter."

Second, Arvydas Sabonis is my favorite Blazer of all time. So if you are going to say something stupid, at least say it within the context of that.

Third, you're kidding about DAMIAN LILLARD being the cancer to this team over the past three years, right? You don't think the problem was the actual cancer that killed Paul Allen and left us with a disinterested steward who made a non-serious GM hire? Give Cronin his flowers for handling the Dame trade well, sure... but this team is still a rudderless ship with two starting PGs and no real answer at forward... with a coach who may or may not have any real coaching talent... and with outward messaging that, just one year ago, was "we're going to push our chips in so hard to help Dame that people are going to be shocked!" Winning teams tend to be part of winning organizations from the top-down. It takes more than talented hoopers. And if you want to talk about Milwaukee (where Dame has won more games than he's cost) then why not also take a look at that organization, too. Literally fired their coach midseason (after said coach drove off Terry Stotts of all people just before Week 1) and now they're playing worse under Doc Rivers. Maybe organization matters there, too. Maybe that's why Giannis hinted about leaving so much during the offseason & that's why they jumped in to get Dame. Maybe, just maybe, not everything is Damian Lillard's fault.

I get it you're on the anti-Dame train and that's cool. But you and Phalanx are letting your hatred of Dame cloud the reality of the situation.

[buckmarkduck]

Dame may not have been a cancer. But he did insist on keeping CJ for years, when we could have traded him for a piece that would have helped far more.

[Phalanx]

I get it you're on the anti-Dame train and that's cool. But you and Phalanx are letting your hatred of Dame cloud the reality of the situation.

I'm not letting anything cloud my judgement, and I think that is pretty ironic, given that I am citing Milwaukee fans as the source of the Lillard angst in my post. Are they letting their hatred of Lillard cloud their judgement, Pez? Or are you just clinging to a narrative that died three years ago? The latter seems more likely.

As for Cronin, unless you are blaming him for all the injuries, I'm not sure what fault you could find with him at the this point. His major mistake since taking over was signing Lillard to that extension, and that is moot at this point. He's done a pretty good job otherwise, given the crappy situation he took over. HE still has to make the picks he traded for, so the jury is out on his ability to evaluate talent.

I invite you to watch the last few minutes of the game vs. Memphis, Pez. If you are still not willing to acknowledge that Dame was a liability, then the Dame-blinders you have been wearing for a number of years still need to be surgically removed. He couldn't have done a better job blowing that game if he had money on the other team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp459ezwOwc

[pezsez1]

Olshey was never going to trade CJ unless Dame actively lobbied for him to be traded, and that would have been bizarre. CJ was a great teammate, a good (sometimes great) shooting guard, and he was beloved by most fans. There's a non-small chance Portland wins an NBA title with Dame & CJ if Nurk doesn't break his leg before that WCF run. (But only because of injuries to other playoff teams.)

I'm with you that CJ should have been traded, but that's on Olshey for 1) getting high on his own supply and 2) not having the guts to make some tough decisions. I enjoyed rooting for Dame & CJ but it was pretty clear that roster was playing against its ceiling.

I still don't know what to make of Cronin. He's seemed in over his head with pretty much everything but the Dame trade. I also fear that if he is in fact punching above his weight class that Jody won't care enough to fire him. This new (young) roster is exciting, but we already have a Scoot/Ant/Shae problem and I'm not eager to appease Ayton with a max contract. Cronin has his work cut out for him. Then there's Billups which is a completely different issue. This team/franchise won't be in contention again until the organization gets its act together and I'm not sold this current crew can get it done.

The obvious silver lining is the more we lose then the more we'll stock up on assets. Maybe we end up drafting the stud frontcourt players we need over the next two or three lotteries. Eventually, though, we'll need a management crew that can put it all together and solidify the roster on the edges. We can complain about Dame or nitpick Scoot (all of us here are guilty of one or the other) but the White Walker issue here is whether Jody & co. can do their parts.

[UOducksTK1]

In his last two games, Pritchard has scored 69 points and dished out 23 assists. That’s wild!

[pezsez1]

All the arguing over trading Dame, Scoot's lack of consistent shooting, Billups being the guy, Cronin having the chops, etc. etc., and the season's biggest storyline was... the surprise emergence of *checks notes* Delano Banton.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Phalanx]

Golly, I sure miss this:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/da ... r-BB1lFzOM

[squintsdd]

All the arguing over trading Dame, Scoot's lack of consistent shooting, Billups being the guy, Cronin having the chops, etc. etc., and the season's biggest storyline was... the surprise emergence of *checks notes* Delano Banton.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Honestly, as piss poor as everything else about this team is, it's nice that something decent came out of it. He's not a starter, but he's a pretty damn good backup.

[pudgejeff]

Golly, I sure miss this:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/da ... r-BB1lFzOM

Miss Stephen A making s*** up?

[pezsez1]

I doubt Stephen A is making things up. He's pretty connected with players. But he's an idiot if he thinks that's affecting Dame's gameplay or desire to win. Dame is on a new team in an entirely new system with a questionable-at-best coaching situation. I'd be more critical of Giannis' desire than Dame's.

Obviously Dame would rather be in Miami than Milwaukee. Who wouldn't be? Dumb to frame that as insider info.