Phalanx wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2025 12:09 pm
. There is nothing more fun in sports than when your team was not expected to win, but they do anyway.
'77 was what we're both saying we want. Nobody expected the Blazers to go on their run, then in '78 they were showing how good they were, then well we all know what happened. Clyde and the gang could have beaten the Pistons, then if it wasn't for that guy in Chicago. 2000, we had the Lakers right where we wanted them.
I personally enjoy it more when I know my team is the best and they go out and prove it. The unexpected trip is fun, but fleeting. Getting beat in the 1st round isn't better than not getting in the playoffs, especially over and over.
Well, I said the next four would tell us a lot, and they lost all four. They followed with a few wins over some easy teams, but I don't think they will even make the play-in now. With a really tough schedule coming up, they would need to make up 5 games on the Kings or the Mavs, both of whom look to be playing well enough to stay ahead. Look for the Blazers to finish in the lottery, somewhere around 12th position. A little better if they tank.
I can't get over what a terrible idea it was to sign Grant to that contract. It is really standing in the way of upgrading the team now. Will the Blazers ever be able to originate solid free agent deals, or will they always have to acquire them from teams who have more discipline?
Phalanx wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 10:47 am
Will the Blazers ever be able to originate solid free agent deals, or will they always have to acquire them from teams who have more discipline?
I can't see a time when the Blazers are ever going to be a destination for high level FA's. As you noted, bad contracts really hurt them. There aren't that many real "destinations" Denver drafted Jokic. OKC acquired Alexander in a trade, Minnesota drafted Edwards, it doesn't have to be free agency.
It doesn't have to be 'high level' free agents; Grant certainly doesn't fit in that category. He's an average starter for a lower-level playoff team, but the Blazers are paying him like an elite player. He makes more than twice what Deni Avdija makes! I agree that Portland is not likely to land the big star via free agency, but you do need decent free agents to fill out a team, and Cronin MUST develop some better sense about what contracts to offer. The best thing to do for a team with little pressure to win is to wait until the big money gets spent and then see who is left after the other teams shoot their wad. Every year, there are some great deals at the end of free agency, but never to Portland because they are always trying to make a 'splash' by ridiculously overpaying a middling player.
Phalanx wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 11:46 am
. Every year, there are some great deals at the end of free agency, but never to Portland because they are always trying to make a 'splash' by ridiculously overpaying a middling player.
Agree completely, the status quo of ridiculous "splash" contracts needs to end, or the Blazers will be in NBA Purgatory forever. Some sound strategy is a necessity.
The resigning of Simons was a bad move as well. Nearly everyone and their mom could see that he wasn't a good replacement for Lillard, especially when they decided to take Henderson in the draft. It's impossible to imagine a worse defender than Lillard, but fortunately you don't have to imagine it if you watch Simons play. At least Grant can play defense
We trade our star, draft/trade for some solid rotation players, and then in the year where a high pick could net the next franchise player we... give far too many minutes to overpaid vets who won't be here long-term to... fight for a first-round exit.
We've probably already won too many games to get a franchise star from this draft. And going forward, it's only going to be more difficult for us to get that player in the draft without blowing it all up again. Which means what we're doing right now -- fighting for a play-in berth with our ceiling being a first-round playoff loss -- could be our reality for the next decade.
In this thread, we're rightly talking about how Cronin needs to do a better job of not overpaying for mid players, but that's exactly what he'll do at some point in the next few years if we miss out on a high-caliber draft pick. This roster isn't complete, we still need a star. Cronin WILL overpay for someone and try to sell us on that person being that star.
It will always amaze me that people want to root for their team lose for years on the idea that they MIGHT get the opportunity at POTENTIAL talent 2 draft classes away, rather than rooting for the current to team to play hard and try to win. I will never be able to wrap my head around it
squintsdd wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 11:43 am
It will always amaze me that people want to root for their team lose for years on the idea that they MIGHT get the opportunity at POTENTIAL talent 2 draft classes away, rather than rooting for the current to team to play hard and try to win. I will never be able to wrap my head around it
I’m not a Blazers fan, but I can see the perspective of fans to want to lose given the Blazers only shot to land a superstar and have any chance at a championship in the future is through the draft. If I had the choice between a play-in game loss or a top 3 pick, I’d take the top 3 pick every time. That said, they aren’t going to make the play-in, so maybe they’ll get lucky and fall into a high pick in the lottery. That would be the best of both worlds to get the young guys accustomed to winning some games while landing a high pick, but that’s obviously a longshot.
pezsez1 wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 6:18 pm
And likewise, I can't fathom fans of small market teams who don't understand the necessity of building through the draft.
The way streaming services work, there is no such thing as small market anymore. The NBA can put its product nearly anywhere it wants and get the viewers it's looking for. No free agents have wanted to come here because poor money management couldn't pay for them to be here in the past, and now, nobody wants to play for a team that won't be making the playoffs. Tanking is effectively ruining any chances at getting a star through free agency.
Let's say Portland tanks the rest of the season, somehow gets a top 3 pick, takes the guy everyone says they should and that everyone wants, but the guy ends up being a bust. Are you going to want Portland to tank for another 3 seasons, all the while using the same argument?
The Blazers, after tanking the last three years, were too good to keep losing enough games to get a top 5 pick. It's ridiculous to ask them to keep playing below their skill level year after year. That, and it is also in violation of NBA rules.
I don't believe they will make the play-in now, but let's not forget that even if they made it, they would have to beat two teams to make the playoffs and be out of the lottery. So from here, in order to not get a lottery pick, we would be watching:
1. The Blazers beat some really good teams left on the 22-game schedule to even catch Sacramento, Minnesota or Dallas by 5 games.
2. Win two games in the play-in
3. A playoff series.
All of that is better for fans than the demoralizing weeks of tanking we have seen already the past three seasons. I watch games hoping my team wins, not hoping they lose so that maybe they can win years in the future.
P.S. The Blazers are better this season than they were the last two years before they 'traded their star'. So maybe fans who still have Lillard posters in their bedrooms can pipe down about the trade. It worked.
Phalanx wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 3:06 am
The Blazers, after tanking the last three years, were too good to keep losing enough games to get a top 5 pick. It's ridiculous to ask them to keep playing below their skill level year after year. That, and it is also in violation of NBA rules.
I don't believe they will make the play-in now, but let's not forget that even if they made it, they would have to beat two teams to make the playoffs and be out of the lottery. So from here, in order to not get a lottery pick, we would be watching:
1. The Blazers beat some really good teams left on the 22-game schedule to even catch Sacramento, Minnesota or Dallas by 5 games.
2. Win two games in the play-in
3. A playoff series.
All of that is better for fans than the demoralizing weeks of tanking we have seen already the past three seasons. I watch games hoping my team wins, not hoping they lose so that maybe they can win years in the future.
P.S. The Blazers are better this season than they were the last two years before they 'traded their star'. So maybe fans who still have Lillard posters in their bedrooms can pipe down about the trade. It worked. Pez
"To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine
squintsdd wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 11:43 am
It will always amaze me that people want to root for their team lose for years on the idea that they MIGHT get the opportunity at POTENTIAL talent 2 draft classes away, rather than rooting for the current to team to play hard and try to win. I will never be able to wrap my head around it
It will always amaze me that people want to root for Billionaires to mismanage a franchise while expecting the fans to continue to pour their hard-earned money and energy into a product they don't find entertaining at all as if they somehow "owe it" to the Owners.
Portland is in fact a small market and streaming services don't change that and the Blazers canned a legitimate Director of Broadcasting in Jeff Curtin to downsize their production and save money. This is done because while there is the revenue-sharing within the league that props every team up, the Blazers don't get the local Revenue that large markets get which allow them to continually spend in the luxury tax.
We can pick a list of points to start this discussion on why a decent amount of fans are pissed but ultimately it lies with the simple fact that they continue to run Gr/Ant on the floor which takes away from the young Guards and Forwards ever being able to thrive/fail on their own. Most every single one of the fans upset about having kept Gr/Ant for the last 2 years would absolutely be thrilled to watch this team play hard win or lose but expecting Gr/Ant to continue to be The Guys going forward is absurd and is a slap in the face to a fan-base that is considered league-wide to be among the most knowledgeable and passionate. Crapping on those kind of fans is how you alienate an important part of your market too.
I agree with Pez that this was supposed to have been the final "tank/minutes for youth" year because of the top-end talent in the draft but the failure to move Gr/Ant means that the group of fans who think they are now actively "striving for mediocrity" seem pretty prescient. Telling those people you can't wrap your head around it doesn't really indicate you understand the situation in the slightest.
