Game 71: Portland vs Denver 7:00pm Chargetv and KUNP

[PDXKnight]

Banton needs to go

What do you mean? He played well.

I said that pretty early in his stint. I'll admit it didn't age so well

[Sinobas]

Interesting conversation over on the Wizards board for they are still weighing the totality of their return for Deni.

Unlikely Bub is going to be all star level PG and Brogdon like he was in Portland is always hurt. It then comes down to a middle FRP + 2 SRP + Bub will be equal to Deni. Nobody knows who will be in the 2029 draft and it can't be the first pick in the draft, since Portland keeps the better of their FRP in that draft. It's likely in the end Portland will end up the winner in that draft unless the 2029 draft is still a lottery pick.

Kind of a win for both clubs. The Wizards wanted to tank hard and play their youngsters. Mission accomplished.

I think they found out the following on their youngsters. Sarr isn't going to be a defensive C, so he needs to play PF and probably has the game to do it. Possibly a 3-5 option on a good team if he develops. Bilal didn't really take a step forward this year. 4-6 on a good team if he develops. Bub, wasn't all that 3 or 4th guard on a good team. They picked up AJ Johnson as well, we shall see. Vukcevic has played decent, maybe a backup C. George hasn't been all that but shows signs. Now, having said all that - a player or two could break out and then then nailed it. Likely some of those players will need to be traded for other draft assets.

So, they are going to the lottery (probably the next two seasons) hunting for their #1.

Portland got Deni for Bub, that '29 pick and those SRPs. Probably a good return if he keeps playing like this - much less if he continues to improve. But Cronin can easily turn the lemonade into lemons, so we will see.

Clingan, Scoot, Sharpe (on a good contract), Walker, Avdija and Camara wouldn't be a bad group to build on. But as folks point out, there is no #1. But... Scoot is quietly improving on both the offensive and defensive end. Clingan is showing signs of being able to be a defensive anchor (and next to Camara & Deni) that is a solid defensive unit and Walker rounds out the forward position nicely.

That is why I liked Sinobas' idea of trying to move any combo of Sharpe, Simons, Williams, Thybulle or Ayton for that number 1. Just way easier said than done and probably not happening with Cronin at the steering wheel. I kind of feel that Sabonis would be a #1 on this team.

I think we're at a point where it makes sense. One might argue Sabonis is too old for our timeline, but a lineup of Scoot/Deni/Camara/Sabonis/Clingan would be very good for a few years.

I'd still dangle a package of pick/sharpe/expirings out there and see what other teams are willing to offer. That's an enticing package to a team that wants to rebuild. (or get out of cap trouble)

If we keep our pick,the odds are it's going to be someone who sits the bench and is never good enough to usurp who we have now. As I pointed out in another thread, only about 15% of players in that range become all-stars.

[zzaj]

Gotta hand it to the team right now—they are playing well on both sides of the ball, and defensively making up for some offensive shortcomings. Bench players stepped up big tonight, and that’s something you always like to see.

Duop has been lowkey balling in his past few games. And Banton, when he focuses on inside-out basketball and using his length on D can be pretty damned good.

It’s pretty interesting seeing how different this DEN team is with Jokic not playing. He REALLY runs that ship—makes MVP very understandable for him.

[Shem]

Banton needs to go

What do you mean? He played well.

I said that pretty early in his stint. I'll admit it didn't age so well

Yeah, the Blazers did so much better with him at the point that he got more minutes than Scoot did.

[Dame Lizard]

Interesting conversation over on the Wizards board for they are still weighing the totality
of their return for Deni.

Unlikely Bub is going to be all star level PG and Brogdon like he was in Portland is always hurt.
It then comes down to a middle FRP + 2 SRP + Bub will be equal to Deni. Nobody knows who
will be in the 2029 draft and it can't be the first pick in the draft, since Portland keeps the
better of their FRP in that draft. It's likely in the end Portland will end up the winner in that
draft unless the 2029 draft is still a lottery pick.

I and many others have criticised Cronin for some of his decisions, but he absolutely deserves big kudos for his Deni acquisition.

That was a great get.

[DaVoiceMaster]

3rd quarter GLB pic

Spoiler:

She is a 10!!!