Free Agency 2023 - Blazers and around the league.

RTG HD · Post #41 » by **RTG HD** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 4:56 pm

I really liked Watford. Obviously limited but he plays hard.

Norm2953 · Post #42 » by **Norm2953** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 4:56 pm

It'll be interesting to see if Grant signs today, before the new CBA kicks in. One would suspect there
will be a flurry of activity prior to July 1

BlazersBroncos · Post #43 » by **BlazersBroncos** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:04 pm

Wonder if there is a 4 way deal out there where LAC gets Harden, PHI gets Dame, Maxey goes to team X and PDX gets a ton of draft picks?

Dangeruss · Post #44 » by **Dangeruss** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:07 pm

BlazersBroncos wrote:Wonder if there is a 4 way deal out there where LAC gets Harden, PHI gets Dame, Maxey goes to team X and PDX gets a ton of draft picks?

Why not Maxey to Portland? (Picks would be great too)

Case2012 · Post #45 » by **Case2012** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:15 pm

I think we shock the NBA and sign Green.

HoopsFanAZ · Post #46 » by **HoopsFanAZ** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:20 pm

Maxey is a baller at PG. He has value at 22. Ant value? Better? Scoot? Flip Maxey after a try-out?
A bunch of distant picks to let others WIN then suck?

Miami is not a good trade partner. They win too much for their picks to be worth it. Brooklyn with Claxton and distant picks has more value.
The BEST trade partner for Dame — IMHO — is Boston with Jaylen Brown, a SF who will be 27. Get younger, balance the lineup. Boston contends with Tatum, Dame, and Porzingis.

Scoot, Ant, Sharpe, JaylenBrown, Grant, Nurkic — playoff team. Better in 2 years. I don’t love it but the poo-poo-platters the media comes up with pretty much suck. More work in FA on the bench to go with Matisse, Murray, Walker, Ripuer, Badji.

Sinobas · Post #47 » by **Sinobas** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:22 pm

I suspect this must be a prelude to another move, clearing some space. Watford was a skilled player on a meager contract, he could shoot, pass, good motor....

And it's not like we are over-flowing with bigs....

Goldbum · Post #48 » by **Goldbum** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:28 pm

Fhe Watford new was unexpected...and nauseating

DusterBuster · Post #49 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:35 pm

Goldbum wrote:Fhe Watford new was unexpected...and nauseating

This team just seems to be throwing a dart at the wall for their decision-making. I'm not going to pretend Watford was an amazing player - he's not, let's not go overboard - but... for a decent lockerroom hustle guy on a super cheap contract when you have guys at guard like Knox just taking up space...

I don't get it. I don't get any of the moves this team is making and I'm still pretty confident that Cronin is a pretty bad GM. Good talent evaluator for drafts, but he seems to be a terrible negotiator and his roster decisions are pretty nonsensical. I'm not expecting much out of FA but for the team to overpay Grant and then sell the fans that they "arguably signed the best FA of this class" since it's a crap FA class and Grant is - technically speaking - one of the best available.

BlazersBroncos · Post #50 » by **BlazersBroncos** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:46 pm

Watford was a 6'9 tweener who didnt really have any stand out traits outside high post passing. We complain about size but then want to keep all the 6'7-6'9 guys on the roster.

We still have -

Jerami Grant (Likely)
Kris Murray
Jabari Walker JR

As our PF rotation - Would we rather cut Walker? I sure hope not (Plus, Schmitz wasnt w/ the team when we signed Trendon - he was when we drafter Walker - so the FO is letting the draft guru likely have a say in which meh 3rd string PF we keep)

Watford was clearly the odd man out unless we want to keep 2 6'9 backup centers. And no team was moving even a SRP for Trendon. Worth noting the majority of his production came when the team was tanking the past 2 years.

Case2012 · Post #51 » by **Case2012** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:47 pm

Cronin and Olshey are the same people. I said it over a year ago. The man was involved with every move this team has made since before Olshey even arrived. I’ve read quotes from Olshey saying Cronin was consulted on everything, including on every crappy trade, every pick moved, every horrible signing or attempted signing. He’s complete trash at his job and mosT posters here would actually be better but he’s clearly a yes man for Jody and the Vulcans and crap rolls downhill. Jody needs to stop disrespecting her brothers memory and sell but she’s making like 50 million a year as executor of his estate. The Vulcans are greedy, cheap and don’t give 2 craps about the sports teams they run. Even if Knight stepped up his bid another billion, she’d probably hold on for the new tv deal. Why not right? Keep cashing them checks and treating their fans like crap.

BlazersBroncos · Post #52 » by **BlazersBroncos** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:51 pm

How can anyone say this franchise is cheap? Who did we let walk? We paid both our top FA last season (Actually, overpaid) - and we are likely to overpay Grant.

Not sure which stars of needle movers we have missed out on either - can someone enlighten me.

Cronin is playing the cards he has been dealt.

DusterBuster · Post #53 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:58 pm

BlazersBroncos wrote:How can anyone say this franchise is cheap? Who did we let walk? We paid both our top FA last season (Actually, overpaid) - and we are likely to overpay Grant.

Not sure which stars of needle movers we have missed out on either - can someone enlighten me.

Cronin is playing the cards he has been dealt.

Yeah, I don't think cheap is quite the right label... they're definitely risk-averse. The bottom line is this team just needs a new owner who's willing to go crazy. Part of why the late 90's teams were so talent-heavy is that we had Paul Allen as a new owner. New owners like the Suns owner just going crazy with their spending to pile stars on their team is nothing new. That kind of recklessness eventually goes away the longer an owner owns a team. It's why the Blazers haven't been willing to do that for decades now, the Allen's and Vulcan have just owned this team too long and don't run it like a hobby, they run it like a boring 9-5 business. I have no doubt a new owner would inject so much new life into this franchise, but that seems to be a pipedream at this point as Jody seems content to sit on her nest egg.

So they're still willing to overpay players, they aren't run cheaply as such. But they definitely aren't going to make crazy decisions to ignore luxury tax or anything, which directly impacts this team's ability to make wild swings.

BlazersBroncos · Post #54 » by **BlazersBroncos** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:04 pm

DusterBuster wrote:
BlazersBroncos wrote:How can anyone say this franchise is cheap? Who did we let walk? We paid both our top FA last season (Actually, overpaid) - and we are likely to overpay Grant.

Not sure which stars of needle movers we have missed out on either - can someone enlighten me.

Cronin is playing the cards he has been dealt.

Yeah, I don't think cheap is quite the right label... they're definitely risk-averse. The bottom line is this team just needs a new owner who's willing to go crazy. Part of why the late 90's teams were so talent-heavy is that we had Paul Allen as a new owner. New owners like the Suns owner just going crazy with their spending to pile stars on their team is nothing new. That kind of recklessness eventually goes away the longer an owner owns a team. It's why the Blazers haven't been willing to do that for decades now, the Allen's and Vulcan have just owned this team too long and don't run it like a hobby, they run it like a boring 9-5 business. I have no doubt a new owner would inject so much new life into this franchise, but that seems to be a pipedream at this point as Jody seems content to sit on her nest egg.

So they're still willing to overpay players, they aren't run cheaply as such. But they definitely aren't going to make crazy decisions to ignore luxury tax or anything, which directly impacts this team's ability to make wild swings.

I get this - in part. LAC and PHX sure are not averse to spending - either was the Russian Nets era - but at the same time no results have come of these wantant spenders. LAC is a mess and has an absurd tax bill.

I think the key is growing internally and then going big when it comes to paying 'your guys' - this how teams like GSW and DEN developed.

End of the day for a market like Portland the only real hope is internal growth and ending up with a Denver'esque squad. Guys tend to like it once they are here - but no one is demanding a trade to Portland at the same time. Like, no one ever. We have that disadvantage against markets like PHX, LAC, MIA, LAL, BOS, etc. I guess I am sayin we should be looking at how MIL, DEN, GSW grew their squads - not teams with market advantages like the aforementioned.

DusterBuster · Post #55 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:05 pm

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=ytu8_lCpASqsmEN-XvYq2g

Is it too much to ask to have one FA rumor that actually makes sense for the roster… I don’t feel that it should be, but sure seems like it is.

Goldbum · Post #56 » by **Goldbum** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:08 pm

No no no to Strus. Ugghhh your buying high on a low end mid tier guy. Start selling high and buying low.

BlazersBroncos · Post #57 » by **BlazersBroncos** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:13 pm

Ya, Strus would probably be the 2nd worst Cronin move after that LAC trade. Dont get it at all.

Maybe if he was Korver's size, but he is a SG.

DusterBuster · Post #58 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:18 pm

Goldbum wrote:No no no to Strus. Ugghhh your buying high on a low end mid tier guy. Start selling high and buying low.

I said from early in the FA season that whoever signs Strus to a big contract because of his handful of good games in the playoffs is going to regret it and I still stand by that. It's a 9th man who had a few good playoffs games, that's it. Just a guaranteed terrible contract the second the ink is dry... so, of course, Cronin would try and be all in on that.

DusterBuster · Post #59 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:18 pm

BlazersBroncos wrote:Ya, Strus would probably be the 2nd worst Cronin move after that LAC trade. Dont get it at all.

Maybe if he was Korver's size, but he is a SG.

This team is **** allergic to any player above 6'9"

Goldbum · Post #60 » by **Goldbum** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 6:28 pm

I worry that this team is too reactionary.

We need a POA defender, GP2 played that role for the GSW...here's all our $$$
Who cares if he's been a scrub his whole career
Need a starting SF
Strus played well. He helped MIA make the final as an (under sized) SF.
Here take all our $$$...who cares that you've been a scrub.

You need these guys to be the BEST versions of themselves to recoup you value... most the time you'll be lucky to make "savy" moves for second round picks.

I'm so much more interested in getting buy low guys who's value you can rehab, and even if you miss, the ones you hit on can move the needle.