Game 35 Portland vs New Orleans 5:00pm Chargetv/KUNP

[Shem]

Advija is hands down our best all around player.

You could be right.

[monopoman]

It blows my mind that another team gave up a player like Deni with that level of potential he could easily be one of the best SF's in the league at some point.

The type of guy that you wouldn't bat an eye if he made an all-star game once or twice in his career. He also isn't even in his prime yet the guy is only 24 years old and he has come to the Blazers and in a short time showed how effective he is.

[monopoman]

With regard to RWIII playing might there be a team interested in him but wanting to see him in a game first?

If healthy he is one of the better C's off the bench, and could be pivotal type of depth a great team needs to really push for a deep playoff run.

I could see a team at that level give up a 1st and an expiring contract or some other random player to get RWIII. Crap, if healthy you can even have him start and not lose a ton over most starting C's.

[Village Idiot]

Williams should totally be our starting center. I really think we should keep him. Getting rid of Ayton to open up playing time for Clingan and RobWill should be the priorty

[BlazersBroncos]

Williams should totally be our starting center. I really think we should keep him. Getting rid of Ayton to open up playing time for Clingan and RobWill should be the priorty

Agreed. I love the combo of RWIII and Clingan long term.

I am still all aboard the Ayton for CJ swap idea. Wouldnt even ask NO for any compensation. Just open the door for the above C combo and get a good vet leader in CJ.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

It blows my mind that another team gave up a player like Deni with that level of potential he could easily be one of the best SF's in the league at some point.

The type of guy that you wouldn't bat an eye if he made an all-star game once or twice in his career. He also isn't even in his prime yet the guy is only 24 years old and he has come to the Blazers and in a short time showed how effective he is.

From a poster on the Wizards board, you're spot on. I've been belaboring this point for the past 6 months on the Wizards board in the thread announcing his trade. Most active discussion on our board by-and-large over there period.

Plane and simple, it was idiotic, petty move by a new GM that didn't see him as his guy.

[BlazersBroncos]

Ya - Deni is quite easily our best player. Since he settled in he has posted this in DEC and JAN -

18.15ppg / 6.85rpg / 3.2apg / .66% TS / 4.25 FTA / 41% 3PT on 4.6 3PA per game

He is a hell of a player. Easily the brightest spot on this team since his slow start in OCT / NOV. He has some TO issues but alot of that is trying to do too much on a poor team.

[Walton1one]

Williams should totally be our starting center. I really think we should keep him. Getting rid of Ayton to open up playing time for Clingan and RobWill should be the priorty

Not you per se, but I do not understand this thought process by Blazer fans (or some in the media)?

Do you really believe that RW3 is going to CHOOSE to stay in POR? The guy was playing in the biggest of games (and excelling) for a playoff championship\caliber team and yet he is going to re-sign with POR?

I think that is incredibly unrealistic. Not to mention to make sure they could re-sign him, you are talking POR offering him $20+ million a year at the low end? Doesn't that seem like a very uneccessary risk to take, especially for a player with a well chronicled injury history, not to mention for a team that is nowhere near a playoff caliber team?

I just do not see him or Ant for that matter re-signing with this team UNLESS Cronin VASTLY overpays them and that would be idiotic, not saying that he would not do that because he has yet to have shown himself capable of signing a player to a decent contract, but it would be incredibly stupid to overpay (RW3 $20+mil ? & Simons $30+mil?) either of these guys given the new CBA, and to even have a chance to retain them that is what he would have to do.

[JRoy]

I would be shocked if RW3 could manage a near-complete season playing starters minutes.

We need to hope his health holds out long enough to be traded for value.

[dckingsfan]

I would like to see both RW3 and Ayton moved at least by next season to open up the starting spot for Clingan. I don't think there is any rush though.

[DusterBuster]

I would like to see both RW3 and Ayton moved at least by next season to open up the starting spot for Clingan. I don't think there is any rush though.

I just don't see a rush for anything with this franchise.

One also has to wonder aloud about the Vulans and Burt's influence with this team and fully bottoming out. While I and many others are frustrated with the vets playing and not fully bottoming out, I have to wonder if Cronin isn't getting some direction from over his head that he can't let them team 100000% bottom out bad, and that might be why they're doing this slow vet -> youth transition.

[dckingsfan]

I would like to see both RW3 and Ayton moved at least by next season to open up the starting spot for Clingan. I don't think there is any rush though.

I just don't see a rush for anything with this franchise.

One also has to wonder aloud about the Vulans and Burt's influence with this team and fully bottoming out. While I and many others are frustrated with the vets playing and not fully bottoming out, I have to wonder if Cronin isn't getting some direction from over his head that he can't let them team 100000% bottom out bad, and that might be why they're doing this slow vet -> youth transition.

You could very well be right on this. And that could be "okay" or an unmitigated disaster, where the disasters is overpaying your current vets when their contracts expire.

If you just let them expire and build through the draft, it will be slow and painful but possible, so "okay".

[Walton1one]

I would like to see both RW3 and Ayton moved at least by next season to open up the starting spot for Clingan. I don't think there is any rush though.

I just don't see a rush for anything with this franchise.

One also has to wonder aloud about the Vulans and Burt's influence with this team and fully bottoming out. While I and many others are frustrated with the vets playing and not fully bottoming out, I have to wonder if Cronin isn't getting some direction from over his head that he can't let them team 100000% bottom out bad, and that might be why they're doing this slow vet -> youth transition.

Duster, while that could always be a factor, the scary part is that this is what Cronin PREFERS to do and this franchise has embraced this, now his philosophy for the last TWELVE YEARS which clearly has not worked, yet they keep embracing it. Just unbelievable stupidity....

https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2012/04/joe_cronin_self-made_nba_capologist_helps_put_blaz.html

I couldn't believe it when I read this article, from April 15th, 2012

Buchanan and president Larry Miller have taken to saying the Blazers are poised for a "reloading" project rather than a "rebuilding" project. And while it might seem as if they backed into this situation, the truth is they've been working behind the scenes for more than a year to lay the foundation to have this flexibility.

And the architect behind it all is Cronin, a 6-foot-6, former college role player and self-made NBA "capologist" who has guided the inexperienced Blazers front office through the financial details of the revamped CBA.

Meanwhile, you have plenty of examples of how to REBUILD successfully, OKC, SA, HOU, what both BRK and now WAS are embracing, but nope, not POR, they will keep plodding along with their "two timeline" re-tooling plan, oblivious (or too stubborn) to the success other teams have had

[monopoman]

Williams should totally be our starting center. I really think we should keep him. Getting rid of Ayton to open up playing time for Clingan and RobWill should be the priorty

Not you per se, but I do not understand this thought process by Blazer fans (or some in the media)?

Do you really believe that RW3 is going to CHOOSE to stay in POR? The guy was playing in the biggest of games (and excelling) for a playoff championship\caliber team and yet he is going to re-sign with POR?

I think that is incredibly unrealistic. Not to mention to make sure they could re-sign him, you are talking POR offering him $20+ million a year at the low end? Doesn't that seem like a very uneccessary risk to take, especially for a player with a well chronicled injury history, not to mention for a team that is nowhere near a playoff caliber team?

I just do not see him or Ant for that matter re-signing with this team UNLESS Cronin VASTLY overpays them and that would be idiotic, not saying that he would not do that because he has yet to have shown himself capable of signing a player to a decent contract, but it would be incredibly stupid to overpay (RW3 $20+mil ? & Simons $30+mil?) either of these guys given the new CBA, and to even have a chance to retain them that is what he would have to do.

I think Ant is a higher chance to consider resigning if this team starts going the right direction, RW III for sure is here just because he was forced to by the trade.

There is no way he re-signs unless this team looks to be like a top 5 team in the NBA in short order. Ant might have more attachment to the Blazers since he has been a Blazer for his entire career, and leaving might be not quite his top priority.

[Walton1one]

Williams should totally be our starting center. I really think we should keep him. Getting rid of Ayton to open up playing time for Clingan and RobWill should be the priorty

Not you per se, but I do not understand this thought process by Blazer fans (or some in the media)?

Do you really believe that RW3 is going to CHOOSE to stay in POR? The guy was playing in the biggest of games (and excelling) for a playoff championship\caliber team and yet he is going to re-sign with POR?

I think that is incredibly unrealistic. Not to mention to make sure they could re-sign him, you are talking POR offering him $20+ million a year at the low end? Doesn't that seem like a very uneccessary risk to take, especially for a player with a well chronicled injury history, not to mention for a team that is nowhere near a playoff caliber team?

I just do not see him or Ant for that matter re-signing with this team UNLESS Cronin VASTLY overpays them and that would be idiotic, not saying that he would not do that because he has yet to have shown himself capable of signing a player to a decent contract, but it would be incredibly stupid to overpay (RW3 $20+mil ? & Simons $30+mil?) either of these guys given the new CBA, and to even have a chance to retain them that is what he would have to do.

I think Ant is a higher chance to consider resigning if this team starts going the right direction, RW III for sure is here just because he was forced to by the trade.

There is no way he re-signs unless this team looks to be like a top 5 team in the NBA in short order. Ant might have more attachment to the Blazers since he has been a Blazer for his entire career, and leaving might be not quite his top priority.

You could be right, but then the 2nd question to ask, is do you think paying him $30-35mil\year (he makes $27mil in last year of his deal) is a reasonable thing to do?

KCP (3yr\$66) & Monk (4yr\$78) signed this year for much less

Simons may\likely have to take a discount, but even if that occurs, do you think he comes back to POR over taking a deal with another\better team instead?

This team will not be a winning team this year or next, I have a tough time believing, not considering the money factor, that after 8 years of losing, he will choose to come back to POR for less money.

[DusterBuster]

I would like to see both RW3 and Ayton moved at least by next season to open up the starting spot for Clingan. I don't think there is any rush though.

I just don't see a rush for anything with this franchise.

One also has to wonder aloud about the Vulans and Burt's influence with this team and fully bottoming out. While I and many others are frustrated with the vets playing and not fully bottoming out, I have to wonder if Cronin isn't getting some direction from over his head that he can't let them team 100000% bottom out bad, and that might be why they're doing this slow vet -> youth transition.

Duster, while that could always be a factor, the scary part is that this is what Cronin PREFERS to do and this franchise has embraced this, now his philosophy for the last TWELVE YEARS which clearly has not worked, yet they keep embracing it. Just unbelievable stupidity....

https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2012/04/joe_cronin_self-made_nba_capologist_helps_put_blaz.html

I couldn't believe it when I read this article, from April 15th, 2012

Buchanan and president Larry Miller have taken to saying the Blazers are poised for a "reloading" project rather than a "rebuilding" project. And while it might seem as if they backed into this situation, the truth is they've been working behind the scenes for more than a year to lay the foundation to have this flexibility.

And the architect behind it all is Cronin, a 6-foot-6, former college role player and self-made NBA "capologist" who has guided the inexperienced Blazers front office through the financial details of the revamped CBA.

Meanwhile, you have plenty of examples of how to REBUILD successfully, OKC, SA, HOU, what both BRK and now WAS are embracing, but nope, not POR, they will keep plodding along with their "two timeline" re-tooling plan, oblivious (or too stubborn) to the success other teams have had

Good pull from the archives... but also, woooooof.

[monopoman]

Not you per se, but I do not understand this thought process by Blazer fans (or some in the media)?

Do you really believe that RW3 is going to CHOOSE to stay in POR? The guy was playing in the biggest of games (and excelling) for a playoff championship\caliber team and yet he is going to re-sign with POR?

I think that is incredibly unrealistic. Not to mention to make sure they could re-sign him, you are talking POR offering him $20+ million a year at the low end? Doesn't that seem like a very uneccessary risk to take, especially for a player with a well chronicled injury history, not to mention for a team that is nowhere near a playoff caliber team?

I just do not see him or Ant for that matter re-signing with this team UNLESS Cronin VASTLY overpays them and that would be idiotic, not saying that he would not do that because he has yet to have shown himself capable of signing a player to a decent contract, but it would be incredibly stupid to overpay (RW3 $20+mil ? & Simons $30+mil?) either of these guys given the new CBA, and to even have a chance to retain them that is what he would have to do.

I think Ant is a higher chance to consider resigning if this team starts going the right direction, RW III for sure is here just because he was forced to by the trade.

There is no way he re-signs unless this team looks to be like a top 5 team in the NBA in short order. Ant might have more attachment to the Blazers since he has been a Blazer for his entire career, and leaving might be not quite his top priority.

You could be right, but then the 2nd question to ask, is do you think paying him $30-35mil\year (he makes $27mil in last year of his deal) is a reasonable thing to do?

KCP (3yr\$66) & Monk (4yr\$78) signed this year for much less

Simons may\likely have to take a discount, but even if that occurs, do you think he comes back to POR over taking a deal with another\better team instead?

This team will not be a winning team this year or next, I have a tough time believing, not considering the money factor, that after 8 years of losing, he will choose to come back to POR for less money.

I believe we are a bit closer to winning than people think, what we are really missing is the elite player to make this team good. So unless one of the top guys on the team right now takes a major step forward, we are still hoping we get a nice top pick to make that player happen.

Already this team is able to really show something this year and that is with arguably the worst coach in the NBA, if Chauncey is not the worst he is easily in that conversation of winning that. Dude has had 4 years in Portland and hasn't made nearly any improvements in that time. Stotts could do far more with this same roster over the same time frame, so I believe in this current team more than most.

This is easily the best team since Dame left and is arguably even better than those last few years of Dame when Billups first got here, those teams typically lived or died by how well Dame could dominate in the 4th quarter.