JasonStern wrote:
I know some people are fine tanking for 3 more seasons and acquiring more lotto talent. But, the Blazers have missed the playoffs 3 seasons in a row. And we literally have a "This Forum is a Ghost Town: Who Killed It?" thread. If you can't get the devoted fans engaged, what makes anyone think casual fans would be engaged?
I think you're blaming the wrong thing for the lack of engagement, or at least you're ignoring some important context. It's not just the tanking that has people tuning out, it's a combination of many factors:
* trading away the best (arguably) player in franchise history, and the only other all-star level talent since Aldridge
* the realization that the absentee owner, and her acolytes, don't give a shiz if Portland wins or contends as long as the cash flows
* a collection of boring, often injured veterans who played a lot of minutes:
Anfernee Simons 34.4
Jerami Grant 33.9
Deandre Ayton 32.4
Malcolm Brogdon 28.7
Matisse Thybulle 22.9
those guys are simply not that much fun to watch, especially when Ant and Grant are going one-on-one
* a suspicion (
I'm not the only one who suspects this either) that Cronin intends to 'build' around a low-tier core of Ant-Grant-Ayton and the unavoidable purgatory that would create. Three 3rd or 4th options masquerading as 1's
* worries about the health and upside of the 2 recent lottery picks
it's pretty simple: Portland can't sign significant free agents and they apparently can't make a significant trade without giving up the best talent in the trade. Meaning, the draft is the only option, and it's pretty obvious that they need at least one more year of tanking, probably more. They have to maximize the rolls of the draft-dice when they are as bad they currently are
as I've already said: I've been a Blazer fans since BEFORE they drafted Bill Walton. 5 decades; and I've never been as down on Portland as I am today. That's because I think they currently have the worst ownership in Blazer history. And, I fear that Cronin shares Olshey's obsession for straddling every fence in sight. Which is why I'm about 70% convinced he's going to screw up this off-season and try to win next season with the 92M/year Treadmill Trio. I really hope he proves me wrong