WOJ: Blazers trade Brogdon and 14 for WAS or Deni Avdija

[DC_Melo]

Not going to quote BNM as he wrote a book, but Scoot is not ready. And as much as I hope he becomes a Westbrook, he's most likely going to peak at some Ricky Rubio level. Which is still not bad. Guy had an 11 year NBA career.

Sharpe is the franchise. He's raw as well, and not ready to start. But he either develops or we wasted another season of Dame's career.

I will never get the Simons hate. Or the flip him for picks and hope to draft someone as talented. His game is flawed, but he's still the best player on the team. And he still fits the team's timeline. If Sharpe and Scoot develop, then sure. Bench Simons or flip him for a missing piece. But now, that's just letting the team get blown out. And most player development happens off the court, so the argument that draft picks fail because they need playing time is flawed. They need mentors and development coaches. Scoot putting up 3 of the 4 worst +/- of all time last season? Yeah. I am sure that developed his game instead of crushing any confidence he had.

Agree with the fire Billups narrative. Just don't trust management to find a better coach.

Oooof lol… Scoot had some rough outings last year. I was definitely disappointed by how unprepared he was for NBA ball.

Silver lining: as soul crushing as his epically bad +/- games were, if he ever puts it together, imagine the confidence he’ll have from overcoming such a miserable rookie season. He at least improved over the season, so we’ll see what the future holds.

I think adding Deni and Clingan can help Scoots game. Both are passers who can find Scoot (and others) on open cuts, plus Clingan’s insane screening ability should help free up some space for Scoot to operate. We’ll see if Billups can take advantage…

[2Fluffy4U]

Not going to quote BNM as he wrote a book, but Scoot is not ready. And as much as I hope he becomes a Westbrook, he's most likely going to peak at some Ricky Rubio level. Which is still not bad. Guy had an 11 year NBA career.

Sharpe is the franchise. He's raw as well, and not ready to start. But he either develops or we wasted another season of Dame's career.

I will never get the Simons hate. Or the flip him for picks and hope to draft someone as talented. His game is flawed, but he's still the best player on the team. And he still fits the team's timeline. If Sharpe and Scoot develop, then sure. Bench Simons or flip him for a missing piece. But now, that's just letting the team get blown out. And most player development happens off the court, so the argument that draft picks fail because they need playing time is flawed. They need mentors and development coaches. Scoot putting up 3 of the 4 worst +/- of all time last season? Yeah. I am sure that developed his game instead of crushing any confidence he had.

Agree with the fire Billups narrative. Just don't trust management to find a better coach.

Oooof lol… Scoot had some rough outings last year. I was definitely disappointed by how unprepared he was for NBA ball.

Silver lining: as soul crushing as his epically bad +/- games were, if he ever puts it together, imagine the confidence he’ll have from overcoming such a miserable rookie season. He at least improved over the season, so we’ll see what the future holds.

I think adding Deni and Clingan can help Scoots game. Both are passers who can find Scoot (and others) on open cuts, plus Clingan’s insane screening ability should help free up some space for Scoot to operate. We’ll see if Billups can take advantage…

I think the main issue holding back development of young players is the coach.
I can say Deni got so much better only afer Brian Keefe was at helm. Prior to that he was under Wes Unseld JR and Brooks - both had terrible offensive schemes, non present real-time game management (timeouts, decision making, adapting to on court happenings)..

I think this roster has the skills set for a ball movement offense, but it sounds like Billups and Brooks are not cut out for that kind of coaching.
If this will not change, sadly I expect another year of wasted talent not being pushed to learn and assimilate more complex offensive scheams..

[DC_Melo]

I think the main issue holding back development of young players is the coach.
I can say Deni got so much better only afer Brian Keefe was at helm. Prior to that he was under Wes Unseld JR and Brooks - both had terrible offensive schemes, non present real-time game management (timeouts, decision making, adapting to on court happenings)..

I think this roster has the skills set for a ball movement offense, but it sounds like Billups and Brooks are not cut out for that kind of coaching.
If this will not change, sadly I expect another year of wasted talent not being pushed to learn and assimilate more complex offensive scheams..

I’m certainly not gonna die on any hill defending Billups… but a lot of what we saw last year was Scoot just being bad, regardless of coaching. The kid started the year shooting what… 5% from 3 iirc? He made mind numbingly bad passes in transitions and in called sets… It’s not like Billups is out there using an Xbox controller to control Scoot and forcing bad releases lol.

Deni’s situation is a bit different. He certainly benefited from a coaching change, mainly due to his role and usage changing for the better. But he didn’t drastically improve his game… the skill was there, just being underused… this is something many DC fans knew prior to the coaching change.

Scoot got plenty of usage… and coaching certainly played a part… but he was downright bad last year in ways that reach beyond bad coaching. He just wasn’t ready and needs to adjust and improve his game. It certainly possible; and his last couple months showed some promise, but he needs to get better regardless of coach to make it in this league.

[2Fluffy4U]

I think the main issue holding back development of young players is the coach.
I can say Deni got so much better only afer Brian Keefe was at helm. Prior to that he was under Wes Unseld JR and Brooks - both had terrible offensive schemes, non present real-time game management (timeouts, decision making, adapting to on court happenings)..

I think this roster has the skills set for a ball movement offense, but it sounds like Billups and Brooks are not cut out for that kind of coaching.
If this will not change, sadly I expect another year of wasted talent not being pushed to learn and assimilate more complex offensive scheams..

I’m certainly not gonna die on any hill defending Billups… but a lot of what we saw last year was Scoot just being bad, regardless of coaching. The kid started the year shooting what… 5% from 3 iirc? He made mind numbingly bad passes in transitions and in called sets… It’s not like Billups is out there using an Xbox controller to control Scoot and forcing bad releases lol.

Deni’s situation is a bit different. He certainly benefited from a coaching change, mainly due to his role and usage changing for the better. But he didn’t drastically improve his game… the skill was there, just being underused… this is something many DC fans knew prior to the coaching change.

Scoot got plenty of usage… and coaching certainly played a part… but he was downright bad last year in ways that reach beyond bad coaching. He just wasn’t ready and needs to adjust and improve his game. It certainly possible; and his last couple months showed some promise, but he needs to get better regardless of coach to make it in this league.

I agree.But I also think being a PG has a lot more weight with regards to who is the coach and what kind of system is being implemented and when.
Playing 4 or 5 is a lot easier than being the one responsilbe for running the offense. Learning what preferred mismatch to look for and how the offense should allign and move towards that.. thats on the coach role for young developing players.

[BNM]

I think the main issue holding back development of young players is the coach.
I can say Deni got so much better only afer Brian Keefe was at helm. Prior to that he was under Wes Unseld JR and Brooks - both had terrible offensive schemes, non present real-time game management (timeouts, decision making, adapting to on court happenings)..

I think this roster has the skills set for a ball movement offense, but it sounds like Billups and Brooks are not cut out for that kind of coaching.
If this will not change, sadly I expect another year of wasted talent not being pushed to learn and assimilate more complex offensive scheams..

I’m certainly not gonna die on any hill defending Billups… but a lot of what we saw last year was Scoot just being bad, regardless of coaching. The kid started the year shooting what… 5% from 3 iirc? He made mind numbingly bad passes in transitions and in called sets… It’s not like Billups is out there using an Xbox controller to control Scoot and forcing bad releases lol.

Deni’s situation is a bit different. He certainly benefited from a coaching change, mainly due to his role and usage changing for the better. But he didn’t drastically improve his game… the skill was there, just being underused… this is something many DC fans knew prior to the coaching change.

Scoot got plenty of usage… and coaching certainly played a part… but he was downright bad last year in ways that reach beyond bad coaching. He just wasn’t ready and needs to adjust and improve his game. It certainly possible; and his last couple months showed some promise, but he needs to get better regardless of coach to make it in this league.

Is it not the coach's JOB to put his players in situations where they can succeed?

Chauncey had an (abbreviated) summer league, all of training camp and the preseason to determine if 19-year old Scoot was ready to be a starting NBA point guard. Clearly, he wasn't (as you stated in your post). Yet Chauncey threw him out there on opening night when he had other, much better alternatives. He had the veteran Brogdon, or he could have started Simon at PG. Either one made much more logical sense than throwing Scoot to the wolves, watching him fail and ruining his confidence. Starting 19-year old Scoot on opening night was Chauncey's decision, and he blew it.

That was compounded by Chauncey's simplistic offense that relies far too heavily on a "traditional" point guard. Portland's offense, under Chauncey, lacks player movement and ball movement. It relies heavily on the PG to create for himself and his teammates. It lacks secondary actions and a secondary creator. Scoot was clearly overwhelmed from Day 1 and Chauncey did nothing to help the situation.

Getting plenty of usage for a 19-year old NBA PG is not the same thing as being put in a position to succeed. If anything, it stunted his development - especially in Chauncey's 2004 version of an NBA offense. A good coach would have started Brogdon and would have been in Scoot's ear on the bench pointing out how Brogdon was reading the defense and setting up his teammates. Then, turn Scoot loose on the other team's second unit, where he has less pressure and a better chance to learn and grow.

[DC_Melo]

Double post

[DC_Melo]

Is it not the coach's JOB to put his players in situations where they can succeed?

Chauncey had an (abbreviated) summer league, all of training camp and the preseason to determine if 19-year old Scoot was ready to be a starting NBA point guard. Clearly, he wasn't (as you stated in your post). Yet Chauncey threw him out there on opening night when he had other, much better alternatives. He had the veteran Brogdon, or he could have started Simon at PG. Either one made much more logical sense than throwing Scoot to the wolves, watching him fail and ruining his confidence. Starting 19-year old Scoot on opening night was Chauncey's decision, and he blew it.

That was compounded by Chauncey's simplistic offense that relies far too heavily on a "traditional" point guard. Portland's offense, under Chauncey, lacks player movement and ball movement. It relies heavily on the PG to create for himself and his teammates. It lacks secondary actions and a secondary creator. Scoot was clearly overwhelmed from Day 1 and Chauncey did nothing to help the situation.

Getting plenty of usage for a 19-year old NBA PG is not the same thing as being put in a position to succeed. If anything, it stunted his development - especially in Chauncey's 2004 version of an NBA offense. A good coach would have started Brogdon and would have been in Scoot's ear on the bench pointing out how Brogdon was reading the defense and setting up his teammates. Then, turn Scoot loose on the other team's second unit, where he has less pressure and a better chance to learn and grow.

It certainly is a coach’s job to put his players in position to succceed. But if a player isn’t NBA ready no amount of coaching genius is going to immediately bridge that gap.

Scoot was bad last year. The organization drafted him to take over as the franchise PG, and he just wasn’t ready. Start Scoot, start Brogdon, keep Billups, fire him… those may have all been mitigating factors, but whoever (insert your favorite coach) was running the team wouldn’t have gotten much more out of Scoot given where he was at as a 19 year old… and they likely would’ve had to start or give him heavy minutes regardless.

Did Billups mess up Scoots development? Maybe, it’s certainly possible. Again; Im not exactly a Billups fan myself… But Scoot did improve… quite a bit, from the first month to the last month of the season.

A better coach may have gotten more out of Scoot… but he still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie

[BNM]

Is it not the coach's JOB to put his players in situations where they can succeed?

Chauncey had an (abbreviated) summer league, all of training camp and the preseason to determine if 19-year old Scoot was ready to be a starting NBA point guard. Clearly, he wasn't (as you stated in your post). Yet Chauncey threw him out there on opening night when he had other, much better alternatives. He had the veteran Brogdon, or he could have started Simon at PG. Either one made much more logical sense than throwing Scoot to the wolves, watching him fail and ruining his confidence. Starting 19-year old Scoot on opening night was Chauncey's decision, and he blew it.

That was compounded by Chauncey's simplistic offense that relies far too heavily on a "traditional" point guard. Portland's offense, under Chauncey, lacks player movement and ball movement. It relies heavily on the PG to create for himself and his teammates. It lacks secondary actions and a secondary creator. Scoot was clearly overwhelmed from Day 1 and Chauncey did nothing to help the situation.

Getting plenty of usage for a 19-year old NBA PG is not the same thing as being put in a position to succeed. If anything, it stunted his development - especially in Chauncey's 2004 version of an NBA offense. A good coach would have started Brogdon and would have been in Scoot's ear on the bench pointing out how Brogdon was reading the defense and setting up his teammates. Then, turn Scoot loose on the other team's second unit, where he has less pressure and a better chance to learn and grow.

It certainly is a coach’s job to put his players in position to succceed. But if a player isn’t NBA ready no amount of coaching genius is going to immediately bridge that gap.

Scoot was bad last year. The organization drafted him to take over as the franchise PG, and he just wasn’t ready. Start Scoot, start Brogdon, keep Billups, fire him… those may have all been mitigating factors, but whoever (insert your favorite coach) was running the team wouldn’t have gotten much more out of Scoot given where he was at as a 19 year old… and they likely would’ve had to start or give him heavy minutes regardless.

Did Billups mess up Scoots development? Maybe, it’s certainly possible. Again; Im not exactly a Billups fan myself… But Scoot did improve… quite a bit, from the first month to the last month of the season.

A better coach may have gotten more out of Scoot… but he still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie

If he wasn't NBA ready, why throw him into the starting line up on opening night? That makes no sense. Chauncey put him in a situation to fail. That's piss poor coaching.

Of the 10 players who made 1st or 2nd team All-Rookie last season, only three were starting at the beginning of the season - and they were all at least 7'1" (Chet, Victor and Lively). Not a single guard who made the All-Rookie teams was starting early in the season.

The last 19-year old rookie PG to make the All-Rookie team was LeMelo Ball and he didn't crack the starting line up until February of his rookie season.

It's pretty rare for a 19-year old rookie to be ready to run an NBA team from Day 1. Scoot clearly wasn't ready and putting him in a sure-to-fail situation was just another example of how clueless Chauncey Billups is as an NBA head coach.

[Walton1one]

Yeah Billups needs to go, sooner rather than later, but Jody is too cheap to do it now, when it should be done, bring in a young coach or a good up-and-coming assistant, who can design an offense


And I agree with your point on scoot, 19-year-old point guard hardest position to play in the league, and they just throw him in there next to Ant, which made it even worse

[DC_Melo]

Is it not the coach's JOB to put his players in situations where they can succeed?

Chauncey had an (abbreviated) summer league, all of training camp and the preseason to determine if 19-year old Scoot was ready to be a starting NBA point guard. Clearly, he wasn't (as you stated in your post). Yet Chauncey threw him out there on opening night when he had other, much better alternatives. He had the veteran Brogdon, or he could have started Simon at PG. Either one made much more logical sense than throwing Scoot to the wolves, watching him fail and ruining his confidence. Starting 19-year old Scoot on opening night was Chauncey's decision, and he blew it.

That was compounded by Chauncey's simplistic offense that relies far too heavily on a "traditional" point guard. Portland's offense, under Chauncey, lacks player movement and ball movement. It relies heavily on the PG to create for himself and his teammates. It lacks secondary actions and a secondary creator. Scoot was clearly overwhelmed from Day 1 and Chauncey did nothing to help the situation.

Getting plenty of usage for a 19-year old NBA PG is not the same thing as being put in a position to succeed. If anything, it stunted his development - especially in Chauncey's 2004 version of an NBA offense. A good coach would have started Brogdon and would have been in Scoot's ear on the bench pointing out how Brogdon was reading the defense and setting up his teammates. Then, turn Scoot loose on the other team's second unit, where he has less pressure and a better chance to learn and grow.

It certainly is a coach’s job to put his players in position to succceed. But if a player isn’t NBA ready no amount of coaching genius is going to immediately bridge that gap.

Scoot was bad last year. The organization drafted him to take over as the franchise PG, and he just wasn’t ready. Start Scoot, start Brogdon, keep Billups, fire him… those may have all been mitigating factors, but whoever (insert your favorite coach) was running the team wouldn’t have gotten much more out of Scoot given where he was at as a 19 year old… and they likely would’ve had to start or give him heavy minutes regardless.

Did Billups mess up Scoots development? Maybe, it’s certainly possible. Again; Im not exactly a Billups fan myself… But Scoot did improve… quite a bit, from the first month to the last month of the season.

A better coach may have gotten more out of Scoot… but he still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie

If he wasn't NBA ready, why throw him into the starting line up on opening night? That makes no sense. Chauncey put him in a situation to fail. That's piss poor coaching.

Of the 10 players who made 1st or 2nd team All-Rookie last season, only three were starting at the beginning of the season - and they were all at least 7'1" (Chet, Victor and Lively). Not a single guard who made the All-Rookie teams was starting early in the season.

The last 19-year old rookie PG to make the All-Rookie team was LeMelo Ball and he didn't crack the starting line up until February of his rookie season.

It's pretty rare for a 19-year old rookie to be ready to run an NBA team from Day 1. Scoot clearly wasn't ready and putting him in a sure-to-fail situation was just another example of how clueless Chauncey Billups is as an NBA head coach.

I get what you’re saying and have no issues with saying don’t throw him out there if he’s not ready. But this isn’t any pick. It was a highly hyped #3 pick seen as the heir to an all-time franchise player and preseason Vegas contender to win ROY. He looked good in his one half of Summer league, and had a few nice moments in preseason. It’s hard to see many scenarios where a player like that starts the season on the bench. And even if he did, when you’re that hyped and flop that hard to start the year, your confidence will be shattered regardless if you start or get relegated to the bench, which I somehow doubt is a boost to player confidence.

Blame Billups if it helps. I really don’t think he’s a very good coach. But replace Billups with any other coach realistically available, and Scoot still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie, and his confidence still would’ve been heavily tested in any scenario.

[BNM]

It certainly is a coach’s job to put his players in position to succceed. But if a player isn’t NBA ready no amount of coaching genius is going to immediately bridge that gap.

Scoot was bad last year. The organization drafted him to take over as the franchise PG, and he just wasn’t ready. Start Scoot, start Brogdon, keep Billups, fire him… those may have all been mitigating factors, but whoever (insert your favorite coach) was running the team wouldn’t have gotten much more out of Scoot given where he was at as a 19 year old… and they likely would’ve had to start or give him heavy minutes regardless.

Did Billups mess up Scoots development? Maybe, it’s certainly possible. Again; Im not exactly a Billups fan myself… But Scoot did improve… quite a bit, from the first month to the last month of the season.

A better coach may have gotten more out of Scoot… but he still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie

If he wasn't NBA ready, why throw him into the starting line up on opening night? That makes no sense. Chauncey put him in a situation to fail. That's piss poor coaching.

Of the 10 players who made 1st or 2nd team All-Rookie last season, only three were starting at the beginning of the season - and they were all at least 7'1" (Chet, Victor and Lively). Not a single guard who made the All-Rookie teams was starting early in the season.

The last 19-year old rookie PG to make the All-Rookie team was LeMelo Ball and he didn't crack the starting line up until February of his rookie season.

It's pretty rare for a 19-year old rookie to be ready to run an NBA team from Day 1. Scoot clearly wasn't ready and putting him in a sure-to-fail situation was just another example of how clueless Chauncey Billups is as an NBA head coach.

I get what you’re saying and have no issues with saying don’t throw him out there if he’s not ready. But this isn’t any pick. It was a highly hyped #3 pick seen as the heir to an all-time franchise player and preseason Vegas contender to win ROY. He looked good in his one half of Summer league, and had a few nice moments in preseason. It’s hard to see many scenarios where a player like that starts the season on the bench. And even if he did, when you’re that hyped and flop that hard to start the year, your confidence will be shattered regardless if you start or get relegated to the bench, which I somehow doubt is a boost to player confidence.

Blame Billups if it helps. I really don’t think he’s a very good coach. But replace Billups with any other coach realistically available, and Scoot still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie, and his confidence still would’ve been heavily tested in any scenario.

When Scoot was drafted, the Blazers still had Damian Lillard and he had not yet demanded a trade. Heir apparent, or not, Scoot wasn't drafted to be our starting PG on Day 1. We got a quality veteran back in Malcom Brogdon, who could have started and mentored Scoot by example. Let Scoot get acclimated by coming off the bench against other 2nd unit players.

Wasn't LaMelo Ball also drafted with the #3 pick. Didn't he win Rookie of the Year? Yet, he didn't start his first NBA game until February 1st of his rookie year. CHO didn't throw him into the deep end on Day 1. They let him come off the bench and get acclimated to the NBA for 20 games before they made him their starting PG.

Charlotte was smart enough to properly develop a 19-year old PG. Chauncey was not.

[Walton1one]

They put scoot out there, and put a team around him that did him no favors and did not accentuate any of his strengths.

Worst pick & roll team in the NBA or one of them, playing him next to another guard (Ant)who needed the ball in his hands, putting players around him that cannot consistently make outside shots, big men who clogged the lanes, Oh yeah, and the fact that he’s 19 years old, playing the hardest position(PG) in the NBA

I am cautiously optimistic that the latest moves that Portland has made, Clingan\Avdija are a recognition of that, and hopefully more changes to come, getting more shooters to put around him and getting rid of some veterans (Brogdon\Ant) that are in the way.


It is just too bad that POR management is too cheap to get rid of Billups and instead are having him ride out the lat year of his last contract year, just to save a little money. Bringing in a coach who can actually run a good offensive scheme will do wonders not only for scoot, but for the team in general.

[BNM]

Bringing in a coach who can actually run a good offensive scheme will do wonders not only for scoot, but for the team in general.

This, this, 1000x this!

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Bringing in a coach who can actually run a good offensive scheme will do wonders not only for scoot, but for the team in general.

This, this, 1000x this!

Makes no sense to me to spend 100+ million on a roster and not go get the best day coach possible. That is a role that can either make teams more than the sum of their parts or less than.

Basically we are only getting $60 million worth of production out of our $100 million roster because of a poor coach. Ok numbers are made up but that's what I mean by a good coach is essential to maximizing your investment in players.

[DC_Melo]

If he wasn't NBA ready, why throw him into the starting line up on opening night? That makes no sense. Chauncey put him in a situation to fail. That's piss poor coaching.

Of the 10 players who made 1st or 2nd team All-Rookie last season, only three were starting at the beginning of the season - and they were all at least 7'1" (Chet, Victor and Lively). Not a single guard who made the All-Rookie teams was starting early in the season.

The last 19-year old rookie PG to make the All-Rookie team was LeMelo Ball and he didn't crack the starting line up until February of his rookie season.

It's pretty rare for a 19-year old rookie to be ready to run an NBA team from Day 1. Scoot clearly wasn't ready and putting him in a sure-to-fail situation was just another example of how clueless Chauncey Billups is as an NBA head coach.

I get what you’re saying and have no issues with saying don’t throw him out there if he’s not ready. But this isn’t any pick. It was a highly hyped #3 pick seen as the heir to an all-time franchise player and preseason Vegas contender to win ROY. He looked good in his one half of Summer league, and had a few nice moments in preseason. It’s hard to see many scenarios where a player like that starts the season on the bench. And even if he did, when you’re that hyped and flop that hard to start the year, your confidence will be shattered regardless if you start or get relegated to the bench, which I somehow doubt is a boost to player confidence.

Blame Billups if it helps. I really don’t think he’s a very good coach. But replace Billups with any other coach realistically available, and Scoot still would’ve struggled heavily as a rookie, and his confidence still would’ve been heavily tested in any scenario.

When Scoot was drafted, the Blazers still had Damian Lillard and he had not yet demanded a trade. Heir apparent, or not, Scoot wasn't drafted to be our starting PG on Day 1. We got a quality veteran back in Malcom Brogdon, who could have started and mentored Scoot by example. Let Scoot get acclimated by coming off the bench against other 2nd unit players.

Wasn't LaMelo Ball also drafted with the #3 pick. Didn't he win Rookie of the Year? Yet, he didn't start his first NBA game until February 1st of his rookie year. CHO didn't throw him into the deep end on Day 1. They let him come off the bench and get acclimated to the NBA for 20 games before they made him their starting PG.

Charlotte was smart enough to properly develop a 19-year old PG. Chauncey was not.

Sure, Lillard was still on the team, but it’s widely perceived drafting Scoot (as opposed to trading that pick) was the last straw that started the Lillard trade saga because of the perception that Scoot was drafted to replace Lillard, even if eventually. And let’s be real… Scoot was drafted to replace Lillard, and everyone including Dame saw the writing… is that even a point of debate?

Again, blame Chauncey all you want. 99.9% of the basketball community expected Scoot to start once the Lillard trade happened. Billups benching him would have had its own series of consequences and impact to his confidence given how hyped Scoot was. The worst case scenario, which neither of us has mentioned, would be to play Scoot and then put him in the doghouse for playing poorly, which thankfully didn’t happen. That’s the real confidence killer. Chauncey, to his credit, has a decent amount of patience with his youngsters.

Scoot was bad last year man. It is what it is. His confidence was gonna get seriously tested no matter what given his hype. Bench him, start him… either option would have been a serious challenge to his confidence. Would demoting him to the bench for 15 minutes of lousy play a night been any better for him? And yes, he would have still been lousy, even if his coach were Prime Popovich.

And given he did improve over the year, and quite significantly too, maybe Billups didn’t do the everlasting damage to his development that you think he did

[Goldbum]

Deni and Clingan are both going to help Scoot a TON. I came on to point out how the Franz contract makes the Deni trade look even better. I keep saying it but Deni > Franz as a player, particularly for this team. The difference in contracts is absurd. I am still hoping we go back to using Jerami in a pursuit of Tari Eason. Eason + a 1st and expirings as a final return on Grant would be my dream deal. Heck, I'd probably move Grant for Eason without the pick we somehow could get a big TPE instead.

Side note: Portland is taking calls on Timelord, but currently isn't actively shopping him.

[DC_Melo]

Deni and Clingan are both going to help Scoot a TON. I came on to point out how the Franz contract makes the Deni trade look even better. I keep saying it but Deni > Franz as a player, particularly for this team. The difference in contracts is absurd. I am still hoping we go back to using Jerami in a pursuit of Tari Eason. Eason + a 1st and expirings as a final return on Grant would be my dream deal. Heck, I'd probably move Grant for Eason without the pick we somehow could get a big TPE instead.

Side note: Portland is taking calls on Timelord, but currently isn't actively shopping him.

Agreed, and not just on defense which is what I think most people think about first. Deni being able to be a secondary playmaker will free up Scoot to make more off ball cuts, and Clingan is an elite screen setter and a bit of a playmaker in his own right. Both could develop into Point-Forward/Center type roles, help Scoot cut down on TOs, and get him some easier looks

[DC_Melo]

Bringing in a coach who can actually run a good offensive scheme will do wonders not only for scoot, but for the team in general.

This, this, 1000x this!

Makes no sense to me to spend 100+ million on a roster and not go get the best day coach possible. That is a role that can either make teams more than the sum of their parts or less than.

Basically we are only getting $60 million worth of production out of our $100 million roster because of a poor coach. Ok numbers are made up but that's what I mean by a good coach is essential to maximizing your investment in players.

I think the logic behind this decision lies in seeking out those ping pong balls. Not saying I agree with it, but I imagine that’s the rationale.

[Wizenheimer]

I will never get the Simons hate. Or the flip him for picks and hope to draft someone as talented. His game is flawed, but he's still the best player on the team.

I 'get" that it's a debate device to label other people's evaluations of players as "hate" when you disagree. But frankly, I think it's bull$hit

and just so you know, Simons was not the best player on the team, Brogdon was. Simons might have been in a three-way ties for 2nd best with Grant & Ayton, but he also might have finished 3rd in that race. Totally subjective assertions for the win!!

here is my evaluation of Ant that you insist is 'hate'

Ant is good at offense; and he's absolutely terrible on defense. In fact, he's so bad at defense that his offense can't offset. He's a net negative on the floor; he has always been a net negative and it's probable he will remain so

he doesn't make teammates better. Now that can be a pretty subjective evaluation but that was my eyeball test. More than that is I watched Ant on defense several times last season. What I saw was that Ant, on defense, has poor lateral mobility and his reactions were quite slow. Further, he seemed confused quite often about where he was supposed to rotate. This from a 6 year veteran

Ant is an undersized SG and a shoot first PG. Maybe one of the worst tweener combos for pure guards. Because he's undersized and terrible at defense, he has no value as a wing, almost no 3&D value, and no 2-way value at all.

IMO, he has just turned into CJ 2.0; only CJ, while terrible at defense, he was still better than Ant. The Blazers went with CJ for 7 years as an undersized, high usage, dribble-happy, no-defense SG. It failed for 7 years. They have now gone with Simons for 2 years as an undersized, high usage, dribble-happy, no-defense SG. It failed too. Forgive those of us who would really, really, like to see something different than running back those failures for a 10th season in a row

[tester551]

and just so you know, Simons was not the best player on the team, Brogdon was. Simons might have been in a three-way ties for 2nd best with Grant & Ayton, but he also might have finished 3rd in that race.

Completely agree. No way was Simons the best (or second best) player on the team.

Ant is good at offense; and he's absolutely terrible on defense. In fact, he's so bad at defense that his offense can't offset. He's a net negative on the floor; he has always been a net negative and it's probable he will remain so

he doesn't make teammates better. Now that can be a pretty subjective evaluation but that was my eyeball test. More than that is I watched Ant on defense several times last season. What I saw was that Ant, on defense, has poor lateral mobility and his reactions were quite slow. Further, he seemed confused quite often about where he was supposed to rotate. This from a 6 year veteran

100% correct.

Now I do disagree with him becoming CJ 2.0
For all his faults, CJ was/is a far superior player. Simons will be lucky to ever get to the level CJ is at...