Blazers

[OregonDucks]

Not sure many of you had had the opportunity to watch this team. But it is awesome. Considering all they lost this off-season, these guys are competing for the 7th seed in the West.

Sure, they may get swept in the first round vs the Spurs (or GS) if they obtain that 7th seed, or the 8th seed, but kudos to Portland for not "tanking" and battling for a playoff spot, even though they may get swept right away.

It is refreshing to see a franchise actually trying their best to get into the last few spots of the playoffs. Shows they have pride and want a winning mindset. Now if only Portland's front office could give Lillard and co some big names to play with. LOTS of cap space to use, hopefully Neil Olshey spends this offseason.

Nonetheless, if you do get a chance to watch these guys, I recommend it. They are nothing special, but they are fun to watch because they young guys put their hearts on the line every night.

 

[trojanfan12]

Mercy plorst.

 

[The Derski]

I fear the Blazers may be headed to where the Suns used to be. Good enough to be a fringe playoff team, not bad enough to get decent draft picks and as a result stuck in the middle of the pack of mediocrity (worst place to be imo). As much as I like Lillard and McCollum I don't know if they will be able to make a decent playoff run anytime soon.

 

[OregonDucks]

I fear the Blazers may be headed to where the Suns used to be. Good enough to be a fringe playoff team, not bad enough to get decent draft picks and as a result stuck in the middle of the pack of mediocrity (worst place to be imo). As much as I like Lillard and McCollum I don't know if they will be able to make a decent playoff run anytime soon.

I agree with this, but i'd rather see playoff seasons then tanking such as what the sixers have mastered.

There is a ton of cap space in Portland. I would LOVE for them to actually be aggressive this offseason and go after some big name FA to accompany Lillard and CJ. You get some good big guys with those two guards and Portland is extremely dangerous and young in an aging West. (besides the Warriors).

Another good win for Portland tonight inches them closer to that 7th spot. If they somehow can close out this season and get the 6th seed, they may have enough to get to the second round. Although a difficult mountain to climb, a 6 seed and not playing the Warriors or Spurs gives them a better chance to escape the first round.

Just a fun team to watch. A large chunk of these guys are nowhere near household names, and may not even be starters on other teams, but they play hard and it is refreshing. But I do agree with you. Dangerous waters treading in that consistent 7-8 spot in the playoffs, not good enough to do anything, not bad enough to build.

But again, it's the money Portland has that leaves me hope they do some good moves this offseason to make a playoff team, a contender.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

I've been high on McCollum for a long time. He's been even better than Matthews has over in Dallas.

Adding someone like Al Horford and a couple solid bench pieces could turn this team into a legit playoff threat. Still think they'll run out of gas and miss out on that last spot since they rely so heavily on their backcourt, but they are fun to watch.

 

[tlance]

I fear the Blazers may be headed to where the Suns used to be. Good enough to be a fringe playoff team, not bad enough to get decent draft picks and as a result stuck in the middle of the pack of mediocrity (worst place to be imo). As much as I like Lillard and McCollum I don't know if they will be able to make a decent playoff run anytime soon.

Correct. Which is why teams tank to begin with.

Ironically, the draft lottery was established to prevent tanking, but in my opinion it makes it much worse. If the worst team just got the first pick, their rebuilding process would be much shorter. The 6ers have been awful, yet they have been unable to land a franchise player because they haven't gotten the first pick. Give them Simmons this year and you will see a drastic shift in philosophy.

THe 6ers know, however, that you can't win without a superstar and they will tank till they get one. I admire the fact that they are not short cutting the rebuilding process despite loads of public scrutiny. They are striving to build a contender, not a mediocre playoff squad.

 

[tlance]

I've been high on McCollum for a long time. He's been even better than Matthews has over in Dallas.

Adding someone like Al Horford and a couple solid bench pieces could turn this team into a legit playoff threat. Still think they'll run out of gas and miss out on that last spot since they rely so heavily on their backcourt, but they are fun to watch.

Add a player like Horford and what do they have? They will probably not be as good as they were two years ago with LA and Batum.

Personally, I would rather see my team rebuild completely. Especially if they were in a market that will struggle to attract marquis free agents.

 

[tducey]

They're having a good season for sure but yeah they'll be fodder for the Spurs or the Warriors in Round 1.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Add a player like Horford and what do they have? They will probably not be as good as they were two years ago with LA and Batum.

Personally, I would rather see my team rebuild completely. Especially if they were in a market that will struggle to attract marquis free agents.

Lillard will be turning 26 this summer so I think it would be wise for Portland to add another piece that could help him out the next few years as he enters his prime.

Horford would be perfect because he may be 29, but his game will age well with the way he plays. He's a skilled big that doesn't rely on athleticism and contributes in almost every aspect of the game. Yes, they'd still be a piece or two away from title contention, they'd be much more likely to get that piece or two if they landed someone like Horford. A trio of Lillard-McCollum-Horford is a good place to start.

 

[CitySushi]

Lillard will be turning 26 this summer so I think it would be wise for Portland to add another piece that could help him out the next few years as he enters his prime.

Horford would be perfect because he may be 29, but his game will age well with the way he plays. He's a skilled big that doesn't rely on athleticism and contributes in almost every aspect of the game. Yes, they'd still be a piece or two away from title contention, they'd be much more likely to get that piece or two if they landed someone like Horford. A trio of Lillard-McCollum-Horford is a good place to start.

100% agree.

You have Lillard who is in his prime and McCollum who's just turned a corner and entering his prime. There's not much more of a rebuild you can do while still retaining them at their peak levels.

The Blazers have a much stronger core than most teams in a rebuild. They're going to have a ton of cap space next year, probably enough to offer two max contracts. Right now they're 20M under the cap with nearly 16M more coming off the books in the off-season. They could plausibly sign two high priced free agents and round out the roster with competent vets. Their return to the playoffs and fielding a competitive team is right around the corner.

Edit: They will actually have less room because of Dame's extension kicking in next year. But they will still have a ton of cap space.

 

[OregonDucks]

Preventing tanking by giving the 7th and 8th seeds lottery picks.

 

[tlance]

They need to eliminate the lottery. It does not accomplish what it is supposed to.

 

[tlance]

100% agree.

You have Lillard who is in his prime and McCollum who's just turned a corner and entering his prime. There's not much more of a rebuild you can do while still retaining them at their peak levels.

The Blazers have a much stronger core than most teams in a rebuild. They're going to have a ton of cap space next year, probably enough to offer two max contracts. Right now they're 20M under the cap with nearly 16M more coming off the books in the off-season. They could plausibly sign two high priced free agents and round out the roster with competent vets. Their return to the playoffs and fielding a competitive team is right around the corner.

Edit: They will actually have less room because of Dame's extension kicking in next year. But they will still have a ton of cap space.

A guy like Horford + another piece would make them an above average playoff team, but not a contender. Of course, since only a small handful of teams really are contenders in the NBA, maybe it is unrealistic to strive to build a contender. It is really hard to get there.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

A guy like Horford + another piece would make them an above average playoff team, but not a contender. Of course, since only a small handful of teams really are contenders in the NBA, maybe it is unrealistic to strive to build a contender. It is really hard to get there.

The thing is, no one thought Golden State was a contender before last season really. If you develop young star type of talent and bring in some vets to lead the way then who knows where you can go.

 

[CitySushi]

A guy like Horford + another piece would make them an above average playoff team, but not a contender. Of course, since only a small handful of teams really are contenders in the NBA, maybe it is unrealistic to strive to build a contender. It is really hard to get there.

Yeah, but let's be honest, it's extremely hard to actually build a contender. All you can hope for is to build a team that can consistently perform well, and hope somewhere along the line you strike gold.

The Warriors lucked out in Steph dropping to them 7th over Jonny Flynn. They lucked out with Klay being there at 11 over Jimmer Fredette. They lucked out by getting Draymond at 35.

The Warriors had to trade their best player at the time, Monta, for an injury plagued center in Bogut. They traded 2 1st Rd Picks and 2 Second Rd picks to get Iguodala. Then they were able to get Shaun Livingston for the Mid-level.

Lots of things have to go right to get to an actual spot of contention. Horford could be a piece that gets them there. Him alone doesn't do it, but he's far from a bad signing.

 

[tlance]

The thing is, no one thought Golden State was a contender before last season really. If you develop young star type of talent and bring in some vets to lead the way then who knows where you can go.

That is true. It took all 3 of Curry, Thompson and Green to wildly exceed expectations for them to get there. I do think small market teams are more likely to get there with a young core, but McCollom and Lillard is not a bad start.

 

[trojanfan12]

Correct. Which is why teams tank to begin with.

Ironically, the draft lottery was established to prevent tanking, but in my opinion it makes it much worse. If the worst team just got the first pick, their rebuilding process would be much shorter. The 6ers have been awful, yet they have been unable to land a franchise player because they haven't gotten the first pick. Give them Simmons this year and you will see a drastic shift in philosophy.

THe 6ers know, however, that you can't win without a superstar and they will tank till they get one. I admire the fact that they are not short cutting the rebuilding process despite loads of public scrutiny. They are striving to build a contender, not a mediocre playoff squad.

^^^THIS^^^

Pretty much every word of it. The draft lottery actually encourages tanking, imo. It's like gambling in Vegas. People know that the chances that they will hit a jackpot are relatively small, but they know someone will. So they keep feeding the one armed bandits because they "might" be the one who hits it.

If they just went back to drafting in reverse order of finish, you would have maybe 2-3 teams per conference openly tanking, rather than 5+ hoping to "strike it rich."

 

[OregonDucks]

Portland with a huge win over the Rockets today.

won 6 of last 8. Gritty team!

 

[OregonDucks]

Portland just forced OT on last second shot vs Memphis.

Great test for a young team, IF gets into playoffs this is good experience.

 

[OregonDucks]

I feel like the Grizzlies have owned the Blazers for the better part of the last 4 years.