Offseason

[bmc11]

I did not find a topic of the offseason to post proposals, but what do you think of the following:

Coach: Becky Hammon (high flowing and ball movement offense and a switch all defense)

Trades:

POR Out: CJ, Derrick Jones Jr (opts in), 2022 FRP (lotto protected)

POR IN: Jerami Grant, Harrison Barnes, Mason Plumlee

Why for por: trade one starter for 2 and a good reserve who Dame has stated that was one of his best teamate

Knicks Out: 19th Pick, 21th pick, 2022 2d round pick, Knocks II, Cap Space

Knicks In: CJ

Why for Knicks: they know they are not going to get a lot in this free agency and this playoffs showed that they need a shot creator

Pistons Out: Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee

Pistons In: Knocks II, 21th pick, 2022 POR FRP (lotto protected), $ 22.2 M saved in cap space

Why for pistons: they save money and cash in for last year signins bye reciebing some draft capital.

SAC Out: Harrison Barnes

SAC In: Derrick Jones Jr, 19th pick, Knicks 2022 round pick, 10.5 M saved in cap space this year

Why for SAC: they get draft capital and save a lot of money so they can start a retooling arround haliburton and fox.

Free Agency:

Norman Powell resigns for 3 year 62M with the promise of the SG starting job

Zach Collins takes his qualifying offer to prove himself

Hollis-Jefferson resigns 1 year minimum

Austin Rivers signs 2 year TMLE

Let Melo, Kanter and Giles walk

Final Roster

PG: Dame, Rivers, Belevins
SG: Powell, Simons, CJ Elleby
SF: Grant, Covington, Little
PF: Barnes, Collins, Hollis-Jeferson
C: Nurkic, Plumlee

Rotation

PG: Dame (33), Rivers (15)
SG: Powell (21), Simons (20), Rivers (7)
SF: Grant (30), Powell (9), Covington (9)
PF: Barnes (30), Covington (18)
C: Nurkic (27), Covington (8), Plumlee/Collins (13)

Total Minutes

Dame 33
Powell 30
Barnes 30
Grant 30
Covington 30
Nurk 27
Rivers 22
Simons 20
Plumlee/Collins 13

[Norm2953]

Portland is really a tough place to install the first woman head coach in either the NBA, MLB, NFL or
NHL. In all these sports, there is exactly one female executive (Kim Ng who just got the Miami job in
MLB) and other than SA, no other female assistant coaches. Pop who is 72 and the Spurs very likely have
promised the HC job when Pop leaves and its in her best interest to wait.

On a team with a top 10 player who likely has a limited time frame of being an elite player, that superstar
player is going to want a head coach who will help him be as a good player he can be. Asking that player
to help begin a transition to a new system likely is a bridge too far and the circus of the first female head
coach does not help for all this does is likely prod said player into asking for a trade to a team that will
allow him to be who he is after nine seasons in the league.

Now if Portland wanted to begin a rebuild, hiring Becky Hammon (or anyone else) would be fine for Portland
could begin the process. The team would begin by making trades/moves to add pieces to implement the
new system. The successful head coaches are able to adapt to the material on hand, giving their team the
best chance to win while eventually adding pieces to get to where they wish the team to be.

[JasonStern]

Norm gets it. I have nothing against Becky Hammon and suspect she'd be a great coach. But whoever replaces Stotts is pretty much setup to fail. I doubt there will be much roster turnover, so you're still looking at potentially starting three players 6'3" or smaller, having to play Melo and Kanter, etc. And the expectations are still playoff runs despite these roster deficiencies. Plus if the team does fail, there's a chance Olshey is on the hot seat. If he gets fired, the new GM likely would want to bring in his guy at head coach. Just a bad situation for any first-time head coach to be in.

[Norm2953]

How many us would cheer if the only major thing Portland did this off season was fire Neil Olshey?

I don't have a problem with Becky Hammon who I suspect will be a good coach in the right situation.
Portland is not the right situation for what they really need is head coach in 2021 who will maximize
the talent on hand if there are no major moves. That coach is going to have to over achieve for with
Dame/CJ on board, this team will never be a really solid defensive team. They are going to need a
lot of luck with Nurk staying healthy and hope Powell returns for there is no benefit to the team if
he leaves for they will still be over the cap.

Best spot for a Becky Hammon is perhaps with the new Seattle expansion franchise . She could come in
on the ground floor and slowly implement her own system with the usual combination of rookies,
free agents and mediocre established players drafted. There would no expectations for several years
which she could use to adjust to the league as a head coach.

[Village Idiot]

regarding the plan I feel it's not that appealing to Detroit and unless Jerami Grant requests a trade to a team where he'd win more but have a smaller role its hard to see them taking a couple of dimes and a nickle for a quarter.

I'm definitely piqued by Hammons but would like to know more about her coaching philosophy. Can anyone point us to some good resources?

[BlazersBroncos]

Love that team but think its a bit pie-in-the-sky. Dont think DET makes that move.

[DusterBuster]

Love that team but think its a bit pie-in-the-sky. Dont think DET makes that move.

Why do you love that team? It's not any significant improvement over what the Blazers had this year. It's totally playoff caliber, but it's still likely a 1-and-done.

[Beteo]

Portland is really a tough place to install the first woman head coach in either the NBA, MLB, NFL or
NHL. In all these sports, there is exactly one female executive (Kim Ng who just got the Miami job in
MLB) and other than SA, no other female assistant coaches. Pop who is 72 and the Spurs very likely have
promised the HC job when Pop leaves and its in her best interest to wait.

On a team with a top 10 player who likely has a limited time frame of being an elite player, that superstar
player is going to want a head coach who will help him be as a good player he can be. Asking that player
to help begin a transition to a new system likely is a bridge too far and the circus of the first female head
coach does not help for all this does is likely prod said player into asking for a trade to a team that will
allow him to be who he is after nine seasons in the league.

Now if Portland wanted to begin a rebuild, hiring Becky Hammon (or anyone else) would be fine for Portland
could begin the process. The team would begin by making trades/moves to add pieces to implement the
new system. The successful head coaches are able to adapt to the material on hand, giving their team the
best chance to win while eventually adding pieces to get to where they wish the team to be.

Good point.
And sadly, it is true that it would be difficult for her. But if she is better than all other options she normally should get the job (but the odds are much higher that a team will hire a coach who was just fired at an other team and you most often see no real improvements...)

[Wickzki]

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ygbd7s5c

[monopoman]

With Olshey's job on the line, I think Becky Hammon is too big a risk for him. If she works out he looks like a genius, but if she doesn't it just ensures he loses his job. Not to mention the problems from many of those with an agenda against any female trying to become a head coach in the male pro sports.

I think she would likely be a great coach, but Olshey will feel far more comfortable likely going after a known quantity like a D'Antoni or something.

This is also a very high pressure situation, with Dame having 2ish years more at his current level roughly, the Portland fanbase wants a long playoff run more than anything. I think having her coach a younger team that allowed more leeway on losing or having problems along the way.

[Waynearchetype]

With Olshey's job on the line, I think Becky Hammon is too big a risk for him. If she works out he looks like a genius, but if she doesn't it just ensures he loses his job. Not to mention the problems from many of those with an agenda against any female trying to become a head coach in the male pro sports.

I think she would likely be a great coach, but Olshey will feel far more comfortable likely going after a known quantity like a D'Antoni or something.

This is also a very high pressure situation, with Dame having 2ish years more at his current level roughly, the Portland fanbase wants a long playoff run more than anything. I think having her coach a younger team that allowed more leeway on losing or having problems along the way.

This applies to literally any coach other than "the agenda against any female trying to become a head coach in the male pro sports", which I think is likely extremely overstated. A city like Portland would embrace it, likely would sell even more, thus being beneficial to Olshey keeping his job. I'm not sure what, if any, negatives it could have that are realistic. Maybe some grumpy fans, but I guarantee there would be more fans that would increase their support than not.

[Norm2953]

The problem however is not how the city would embrace a woman head coach but the pressure on
whether any new head coach to try to maximize Dame's remaining time as an elite player in the
league.

ESPN has the Portland HC opening as the most difficult job amongst the six jobs currently open. Its
going to take a really experienced HC to maximize this roster's talent for the organization wants to
win now, not in 2026. A player like Dame doesn't have the time for any inexperienced HC to figure
things out which Monopoman correct states. Like it or not, the job should go to Mike D'Antoni or
perhaps a guy who has played and won a championship in the league (if he can get a strong assistant
head coach) for if the team loses next year, heads will begin to roll when Dame asks out of town.

[Wizenheimer]

https://www.blazersedge.com/platform/amp/2021/6/17/22527872/neil-olshey-coaching-free-agency-portland-trail-blazers-envelopes

[Matt800]

With Olshey's job on the line, I think Becky Hammon is too big a risk for him. If she works out he looks like a genius, but if she doesn't it just ensures he loses his job. Not to mention the problems from many of those with an agenda against any female trying to become a head coach in the male pro sports.

I think she would likely be a great coach, but Olshey will feel far more comfortable likely going after a known quantity like a D'Antoni or something.

This is also a very high pressure situation, with Dame having 2ish years more at his current level roughly, the Portland fanbase wants a long playoff run more than anything. I think having her coach a younger team that allowed more leeway on losing or having problems along the way.

I think from what Olshey said in the recent press conference, the team is analyzing 20+ candidates and going through an extensive process. So even if the coach doesn't work out, if the process was a good one it's a little hard to fault him. Especially if he is not the only one deciding. It sounded more like he and a team of people are doing a lot of the work and then Jody is involved in deciding on who the coach will be.

But if it is his decision I could also see it being something where he would need a home run, and playing it safe would almost guarantee him a loss of his job. If he is viewed by the ownership as the next one to blame, then even a decent coach may cost him his job if its not enough to make significant improvements with the team.

[Epicurus]

How much does a head coach matter in the NBA? This season the Blazers won the equivalent of 48 games in a 82 game season. With better health to its primary defender (who only played about 1/2 season) and its second leading scorer ( about the same, a little more), all things being equal then, this team should be about a 52 win tea, Suppose the greatest coach of all time was hire, how many more wins for Olshey's Basketball machine likely will occur? 58? 60?

[GEE]

It's true the Blazers AGAIN exceeded expectations in the regular season, considering Stotts had to AGAIN deal with a multitude of injuries to his roster, but we AGAIN got bounced out of the playoffs early, and AGAIN looking awful in the process.

Yours truly,

The Treadmill

[Epicurus]

It's true the Blazers AGAIN exceeded expectations in the regular season, considering Stotts had to AGAIN deal with a multitude of injuries to his roster, but we AGAIN got bounced out of the playoffs early, and AGAIN looking awful in the process.

Yours truly,

The Treadmill

Awful???? Nearly the same offensive rating (and hence defensive rating) and 2-4 with one an overtime and two others very close. Disappointing? Yes. Below expectatons? Yes. Awful? Not remotely. So unawful that Nurk staying on the floor with the other 4 starters just 10% longer would have meant winning the series. Now, of course, many things can be attributed to losing a very close series, in that everything is magnified; yet Nurk not staying long enough on the floor ( added relatedly to Kanter just being terrible this series) is a giant factor.

[Norm2953]

It would be interesting to know if Zach would have been ready to play if it were Portland vs the Clippers
getting ready for game 1.

There has no mention or word on how Portland's end of season interviews went. Some of this perhaps was due
to Stotts getting fired but I wonder if any other players but Dame and Nurk have expressed themselves to team
management.

[d-train]

With Olshey's job on the line, I think Becky Hammon is too big a risk for him. If she works out he looks like a genius, but if she doesn't it just ensures he loses his job. Not to mention the problems from many of those with an agenda against any female trying to become a head coach in the male pro sports.

I think she would likely be a great coach, but Olshey will feel far more comfortable likely going after a known quantity like a D'Antoni or something.

This is also a very high pressure situation, with Dame having 2ish years more at his current level roughly, the Portland fanbase wants a long playoff run more than anything. I think having her coach a younger team that allowed more leeway on losing or having problems along the way.

I think from what Olshey said in the recent press conference, the team is analyzing 20+ candidates and going through an extensive process. So even if the coach doesn't work out, if the process was a good one it's a little hard to fault him. Especially if he is not the only one deciding. It sounded more like he and a team of people are doing a lot of the work and then Jody is involved in deciding on who the coach will be.

But if it is his decision I could also see it being something where he would need a home run, and playing it safe would almost guarantee him a loss of his job. If he is viewed by the ownership as the next one to blame, then even a decent coach may cost him his job if its not enough to make significant improvements with the team.

Olshey is going to do what he always does. He is going to ignore the noise and do his job, as he does every year. He hasn't blamed anyone for the team's failure to win a championship because the only way you can call the Blazers a failure is by setting the bar of success above what the team is, to a level it maybe never will be capable of achieving. Lillard is the team's biggest failure. CJ, Nurkic, Powell, and RoCo share equally whatever blame isn't covered by blaming Lillard. Stotts is less to blame than Melo and Simon's. Olshey hasn't blamed anyone, including Lillard and Stotts. I challenge anyone to give me the exact quote of Olshey blaming someone. No apology or blame is necessary.

Olshey fired his head coach and will hire a new one. He said Stotts did an outstanding job and he's an outstanding person. Olshey wants fresh eyes on solving problems that have limited the Blazers success since the series against the Pelicans. New, better secondary players didn't work. Better primary players isn't an option. Olshey says if an opportunity arises to improve our best players, he will do it. The only options, other than starting over, are a new coach and continuing work at improving secondary players. The only real solution is for Lillard to improve or to replace or primary player with a better primary player. We won a game when Lillard shot 1-10 and scored 10 points, but lost when Lillard scored 50+. The man with the ball and a greenlight to do whatever he believes is best has to bridge this gap. The task of the new coach is to say something in Lillard's ear that switches on the light that allows him to see value in what CP3, Doncic, Curry, Joker, and LeBron does for their teams.

Olshey is leading the team that will decide our new coach. IOW, Olshey will take input from the people he decides have valuable input, then he will decide who he wants. Olshey will take his choice to Jody, who will sign off. This is the process, but this won't stop people from believing what they want. Remember when Steve Patterson drafted Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. Some people wanted to believe Pritchard made those great picks. So, they repeated their lies thousands of times until the sheep believed it. Just like the lie that Olshey blames other's for the Blazers great success, and the success is actually failure. People, use your brain and don't be sheep.

The pressure on this team is nature's timeline and the contractual and CBA costs of keeping players with high market values on the same team. Sooner or later the levy breaks. I'm guessing it won't happen until 2022. It's going to take one hell of a 21-22 from Lillard, CJ, Nurk, Powell, and RoCo to survive the 2022 off-season.

[JRoy]

That team really, really needs a vet backup pg.

Anfernee Simons CANNOT play that position on a winning team. Expecting that is seething him and everyone else up for failure.