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If Portland moves Lillard for Simmons they instantly become a lottery team and have to rebuild. Tearing it all down is the last option for Portland in my opinion.

Celts17Pride wrote:If Portland moves Lillard for Simmons they instantly become a lottery team and have to rebuild. Tearing it all down is the last option for Portland in my opinion.

That only happens if/when Dame ACTUALLY demands a trade.

This whole Olshey would rather trade Dame than CJ narrative is just downright **** crazy. IMHO, having Damian Lillard on this roster is the ONLY reason Neil Olshey still has a job. Lord knows it's not because of his stellar draft record, his superstar free agent signings or the glorious trades he's pulled off. I think his last great trade was Plumlee for Nurk, and that was over 5 years ago.

No, I believe Neil Olshey still has a job for one simple reason - the team is profitable (that seems to be the one and only concern of the Seattle Mothership). And, the only reason they are profitable is because of Damian Lillard. Big Game Dame, Dame Time, Dame Dollar is what makes the Portland Trail Blazers must see TV. POR, an isolated small market team with very limited playoff success is on national TV SIXTEEN times this season. Take Damian Lillard off this roster and this team would be lucky to get 3 games on national TV (with at least one of those being POR vs. PHI - assuming it's some swap involving Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons).

If there is one thing Neil Olshey is good at, it's holding onto his job. He knows that if/when he loses Dame and this small market team becomes a boring bottom dweller, the profits will shrink and he will be selling used cars or auditioning for minor roles on daytime soap operas.

Celts17Pride wrote:If Portland moves Lillard for Simmons they instantly become a lottery team and have to rebuild. Tearing it all down is the last option for Portland in my opinion.

Yeah. the idea of Dame for Simmons is absolutely absurd when you try and look at it from the Blazers perspective. I get Philly's POV, it's a no brainer. For Portland, they end up with an uphappy player who doesn't want to be here, making s-loads of money and who isn't a good enough player to build your team around as the cornerstone player. So they end up a lottery team with limited cap space in a small market and losing money hand over fist, with the likely constant drama of their newly acquired "star" having his reps loudly declaring he doesn't want to be there to the media daily.

So yeah... gonna take a hard pass on that alternate reality. If Portland ever does have to trade Dame, they're better off just getting a full rebuilding package of picks and young guys... if you're gonna suck, then save money and be really really bad.

DusterBuster wrote:

Celts17Pride wrote:If Portland moves Lillard for Simmons they instantly become a lottery team and have to rebuild. Tearing it all down is the last option for Portland in my opinion.

Yeah. the idea of Dame for Simmons is absolutely absurd when you try and look at it from the Blazers perspective. I get Philly's POV, it's a no brainer. For Portland, they end up with an uphappy player who doesn't want to be here, making s-loads of money and who isn't a good enough player to build your team around as the cornerstone player. So they end up a lottery team with limited cap space in a small market and losing money hand over fist, with the likely constant drama of their newly acquired "star" having his reps loudly declaring he doesn't want to be there to the media daily.

So yeah... gonna take a hard pass on that alternate reality. If Portland ever does have to trade Dame, they're better off just getting a full rebuilding package of picks and young guys... if you're gonna suck, then save money and be really really bad.

Yep, I would be looking for a quality rookie scale player (Someone that can at least project to be a #3 on a winning team), filler and a 3/3 swap of picks decently far out (To convey when Dame starts to decline). Its why I have always liked the NYK option. RJ and a 3/3 fit the mold for me (And I see RJ as a #3 on a good team, but some disagree both ways IE better and worse)

Yeessshh... I'm fully in the forget about Ben Simmons camp at this point. I don't even think I'm for even a straight up swap of CJ for Simmons anymore. He would pull this same crap on Portland if Dame demands out next summer. That dude is not THAT good to warrant the headache he currently is and could always be in the future for any new team he would be on.

Morey couldn't have played this any worse for his team. Simmons value is just going to get tanked even further with the stunts he's playing in Philly, and there's likely more to come. He's clearly only there to collect his paycheck and fulfill the bare minimum of the CBA so the Sixers can't withhold money, but he's going to be a constant distraction for them until they tell him to stay home... which is likely his endgame here.

Simmons fixes a lot of our problems as long as CJ is the big piece

JRoy wrote:Simmons fixes a lot of our problems as long as CJ is the big piece

Yeah... I'm not so sure about that...

DusterBuster wrote:

JRoy wrote:Simmons fixes a lot of our problems as long as CJ is the big piece

Yeah... I'm not so sure about that...

Top end talent, point of attack defense, ability to push ball after DREB.

He has obvious faults, but his strengths are exactly what we need.

JRoy wrote:

DusterBuster wrote:

JRoy wrote:Simmons fixes a lot of our problems as long as CJ is the big piece

Yeah... I'm not so sure about that...

Top end talent, point of attack defense, ability to push ball after DREB.

He has obvious faults, but his strengths are exactly what we need.

Until the team hits a rough patch and he decides he really wants to be on a California team and pulls the same crap here as he is there...

Tomjas wrote:Sixers fan here

IF the Blazers are willing to move on from Dame (& I can’t see it without a disastrous season) then surely it’s for a rebuild or, at the very least, a roster overhaul

At 25, Simmons +++ is a good start as long as the +++ fits the agenda

You then use Simmons to pump up the value of CJ, who will potentially have a career year next to Ben if our shooters are anything to go by

Same with RoCo as he doesn’t fit the timeline either

IF the Blazers entered next season with Simmons, say Myles Turner & Thybulle plus a boatload of assets then they would be well set for the future

But like I said, I find it hard to believe that Dame will be moved unless a seismic shift occurs in Portland

You're on the Blazers board, so don't expect T&T board support for your ideas.

If Simmons is so great, what about something built around CJ for Embiid? Blazers go all-in on a Dame/Embiid core. 76ers can build around Simmons and try to build CJ and Harris' trade value for a future trade. Win/win.

Well, Simmons just got tossed out of practice (according to wiretap) and is suspended for the season opener
for conduct detrimental to the team. Makes one wonder if his trade stock has dropped further

Norm2953 wrote:Well, Simmons just got tossed out of practice (according to wiretap) and is suspended for the season opener
for conduct detrimental to the team. Makes one wonder if his trade stock has dropped further

Morey willing to consider CJ + 3 FRP + 2 Pick Swaps.

JasonStern wrote:

Norm2953 wrote:Well, Simmons just got tossed out of practice (according to wiretap) and is suspended for the season opener
for conduct detrimental to the team. Makes one wonder if his trade stock has dropped further

Morey willing to consider CJ + 3 FRP + 2 Pick Swaps.

Heh heh, Neil should be patient and let Simmons continue to tank his trade value with repeated "conduct detrimental to the team" suspensions until the trade becomes CJ for Simmons + 3 FRPs + 3 pick swaps.

****, if I was Neil, I'd be on the phone with Morey right now with that proposal. Given the way things are going in PHI, maybe Morey will come to his senses and meet in the middle at CJ for Simmons straight up (or at most CJ + 1 lottery protected FRP).

The whole notion that Morey wanted Dame for Simmons has always been laughable, but becomes more so by the day. Dame is a professional and the best leader in the league. No way do you give that up for a petulant child who throws temper tantrums on a daily basis. Heck, the only reason you even consider trading for Simmons is if you have an exceptionally strong leader like Dame already on your roster.

Reading the general board reminds me that almost all of the players who made giant stinks like this have recently either been to the finals or won championships.

AD - Championship
Jimmy - Finals (next-next team though to be fair)
Kawhi - Championship
Harden - Ok, they made it to the ECF, but mostly because he and Kyrie were injured.

I think I'd just bite the bullet and attach whatever FRP's are required to make it happen. At least that way we have the dream of contention.

b33nine wrote:Reading the general board reminds me that almost all of the players who made giant stinks like this have recently either been to the finals or won championships.

AD - Championship
Jimmy - Finals (next-next team though to be fair)
Kawhi - Championship
Harden - Ok, they made it to the ECF, but mostly because he and Kyrie were injured.

I think I'd just bite the bullet and attach whatever FRP's are required to make it happen. At least that way we have the dream of contention.

The problem here being that all of those players are way more skilled than Ben Simmons is. They can do a little bit of everything whereas Ben can't hit the broadside of a barn from past 16". So I get your point, but I also think it's not as simple as that.

the only reason you even consider trading for Simmons is if you have an exceptionally strong leader like Dame already on your roster.

This. My god this X 1,000,000.

If we didnt have Dame on this team, I honestly wouldnt even think about adding Simmons.

BlazersBroncos wrote:

the only reason you even consider trading for Simmons is if you have an exceptionally strong leader like Dame already on your roster.

This. My god this X 1,000,000.

If we didnt have Dame on this team, I honestly wouldnt even think about adding Simmons.

Which makes the whole idea of trading Dame for Ben beyond idiotic.

Keep dreaming Daryl Morey, keep dreaming. As the stock of you're overpaid, petulant child continues to plummet.

If I'm Neil Olshey, the next time Daryl Morey calls and asks about a Damian Lillard for Ben Simmons trade, I:

1) Laugh out loud
2) Hang up the phone
3) Send him this screencap

CJ + 2 1st rounders + 2 pick swaps (some lottery protection).

The reports now of him not being able to play due to mental unreadiness are the last straw for me. Right when we are getting people to take mental illness this punk is marginalizing the seriousness of the disorder to not have to play the game he is paid to play.

He has gone from douch to a full blown scumbag in my eyes.