Blazers 2023-2024 Thread

[squintsdd]

The answer is Miller.

I don't think it is and from what I've read, most of the NBA thinks Scoot is the better pick. Miller disappears in big games and against tougher competition. That's a pretty big red flag on a guy who's going to be going against NBA level players.

Trading for zion is laughable. The guy is on the same level as Greg Odin. The only difference between the two is that Odin showed at least a little bit motivation to play, not much, but a little. Not only is zion as injury prone as it gets, but he has done nothing to get himself into a position to stay healthy. Not only that, he doesn't seem to be doing anything to win over is teammates or the front office. The guy sounds like cancer on crutches.

I'm all for trading the 3rd pick and Simons, but I wouldn't mortgage the future for any of the trades that we've seen in the media.

[pezsez1]

I don't think it's fair to say Miller disappears in big games. He only played in one NCAA tourney and he had a murder investigation (and pretty much the entire national media saying he was involved) hanging over his head. I'd call that claim "inconclusive" rather than settled.

Also, we wouldn't need Miller to be our best player. Damian Lillard is our leader and top dog. For now, Miller just has to play D and shoot threes. He has the makings of an elite scorer and could easily grow into a more dynamic role over the next couple of years. Also, he's 6'9" and that can't be earned in the gym. The Blazers are desperate for size and that fits the bill nicely.

As for Zion, I find that scenario... intruiging. He's a top 5 talent with a weight problem. He's also really young, easily young enough to get his body under control if he wants to. CJ McCollum recently said on a podcast that he'd just worked out with Zion and he seemed highly motivated. Maybe he's just really unhappy in New Orleans and needs a change of scenery. Don't forget that he was overweight before last season and actually got into pretty good shape relatively quickly (although his comeback was thwarted by that hamstring injury).

That's a wildcard swing with grand slam potential. Dame and Zion could literally bring a championship to Portland. Or, maybe Zion barely plays and we miss the playoffs.

I'll tell you this, though: Given all the luck that has to happen for a team to make a championship run, trading for Zion Williamson right now might actually be our best-possible shot at winning a title for a very long time.

[dthomas=ddixon]

If the blazers are fortunate enough to get Scoot at 3 trading him would be a mistake. He’s an easy #1 pick in most drafts, and the “better fit” trap is something the blazers should know not to fall into by now. You don’t pass up generational players just because you have a good player at his position already.

[Boom]

Unless Zion Williams is offered... I don't see Portland trading the pick.

[woundedknees]

It's no Clyde Drexler/Michael Jordan quandary, but I get your point...

[pezsez1]

You don’t pass up generational players just because you have a good player at his position already.

Gotta call you out on this.

Scoot isn't a generational player. He's a 19-year-old kid with elite athleticism and good playmaking skills, but he's a subpar shooter and didn't show a ton of growth during his second year of G-League play. He could definitely be special -- probably will be special -- or he could flame out, get injured, leave for a bigger market, be a locker room cancer, wave around guns on IG live like a fool, etc.

Dame, meanwhile, is not a "good player." He's a generational talent -- a top 75 all-time player and one of the top three in Blazer history.

I get what you're trying to say, but yes, you CAN pass up on hot draft prospects if you already have an all-time great on your roster who plays the same position.

[Boom]

You don’t pass up generational players just because you have a good player at his position already.

Gotta call you out on this.

Scoot isn't a generational player. He's a 19-year-old kid with elite athleticism and good playmaking skills, but he's a subpar shooter and didn't show a ton of growth during his second year of G-League play.

All of the reports from his workouts indicate he's been impressive and shot the ball well. I wouldn't read too much into 20 G league games.

[Everythingsducky]

Saw a trade rumor, where the Blazers lose the #3, lose Simons, probably picks, for Paul George. With Sharpe along with him at the 2/3…damn, would end the small (stature) ball issues. And the offense? Yikes.

[Phalanx]

Dude is 33 years old.

That's a bad trade. I don't care what anybody says. That's a bad trade.

[alxtw]

He's also athletically on the decline and would be very expensive to keep for more than one year. If PG13 doesn't resign with us after a year, we would have loss all our young assets for a one year rental.

[dthomas=ddixon]

You don’t pass up generational players just because you have a good player at his position already.

Gotta call you out on this.

Scoot isn't a generational player. He's a 19-year-old kid with elite athleticism and good playmaking skills, but he's a subpar shooter and didn't show a ton of growth during his second year of G-League play. He could definitely be special -- probably will be special -- or he could flame out, get injured, leave for a bigger market, be a locker room cancer, wave around guns on IG live like a fool, etc.

Dame, meanwhile, is not a "good player." He's a generational talent -- a top 75 all-time player and one of the top three in Blazer history.

I get what you're trying to say, but yes, you CAN pass up on hot draft prospects if you already have an all-time great on your roster who plays the same position.

Generic what-ifs that could apply to every player in every draft are irrelevant.

Other than looking at his G-L shooting percentages, what other analysis have you done? Your view of him contradicts essentially every expert analysis out there.

I’m not going to argue with your made up Top 75/3 metric. I don’t even disagree, it’s just not quantifiable nor has it produced anything of substance. Never mind that he’s turning 33 next month, and that level of play could very well be behind him. At best he has a couple more years of it.

The argument for keeping Lillard and trading 3/Scoot is dependent on adding multiple high level players to make a run while Lillard can still play at this level. And possibly finding a new coach too. As of now, that all looks unlikely. What’s more likely is trading a player who “probably will be special” in Scoot for a total fantasy, like something in the Portland air magically transforming Zion from a lazy, injury prone player to a dominant all-star.

[pezsez1]

That's a bad trade. I don't care what anybody says. That's a bad trade.

I see what you did there.

[Duck07]

RE: Scoot's outside shooting, his form looks fine, he just looks like he needs to work on his follow-through on his release. He doesn't need to replicate Dame/Curry to be a high-level PG though.

I do think his play-style as an attacking PG who can distribute will fit well next to a shooter in Sharpe as well as getting more players involved on a play-by-play basis.

I think Dame's highest value/trade extraction is likely around the deadline and not over the summer. It does seem pretty clear that with Scoot you've eventually got to move on from Dame (rather than try a 3-guard backcourt with 33mpg) because you'll have to log a lot of minutes in a Scoot-Dame-Sharpe lineup and that's before you take Ant into consideration and why he needs to be moved before the start of the season regardless of who they draft since they need more bigs who can defend and rebound.

[buckmarkduck]

You don’t pass up generational players just because you have a good player at his position already.

Gotta call you out on this.

Scoot isn't a generational player. He's a 19-year-old kid with elite athleticism and good playmaking skills, but he's a subpar shooter and didn't show a ton of growth during his second year of G-League play. He could definitely be special -- probably will be special -- or he could flame out, get injured, leave for a bigger market, be a locker room cancer, wave around guns on IG live like a fool, etc.

Dame, meanwhile, is not a "good player." He's a generational talent -- a top 75 all-time player and one of the top three in Blazer history.

I get what you're trying to say, but yes, you CAN pass up on hot draft prospects if you already have an all-time great on your roster who plays the same position.

Dame isn’t all time, unless you just ignore he is horrible on D. But for me to put him that high on any list, he would have had to become much better in D

As for Zion isn’t the rumor his people want him in a big market? And that he has sat out, even when he could play? And doesn’t he have some issues with women? Or was that proven false?

[pezsez1]

Dame's inclusion on the Top 75 list was set by current & former players, team execs, media members, and coaches -- folks who know far more about basketball than any of us.

We're all entitled to our personal opinions, but Dame made that list and it is what it is.