Wizenheimer wrote:DusterBuster wrote:I see wet-blanket mode is still engaged as ever.... jeez
sorry...but seriously, how could the Blazers have competed with that Toronto package? Turner + Meyers + the 25th pick? Memphis would have seen no value in that. Mo + Meyers is slightly better, but still, not enough. Valanciuanas & Wright are good players, both 26 years old and entering their primes. Portland simply didn't have the assets to compete in a quality-for-quality-give-to-get trade.
I wasn't saying they could have competed with it, just what if the Grizzlies had decided to take the Blazers offer when they initially had offered it if they were more aggressive in trying to unload Gasol early. I never was trying to suggest the Blazers could have offered a better deal than Toronto.
and yeah, I'm kind of sour on seeing Lillard get swarmed for 4 straight years in the playoffs and the Blazers still not having an answer for it. IMO, Nurk would have helped a little but not enough to turn 0-4 into 4-2 or 4-3
You're more than welcome to your bitter world view on that, personally I see it differently. I see a team that held large double digit leads late in 3 of the 4 games and was just missing having a second offensive facet to their game to change things up once defenses adjusted. Nurkic provides that secondary wrinkle to the Blazers offense with his pick and roll offense, passing and his size inside that no other Blazer can replicate and it makes the Blazers simply didn't have that so they were limited in what they could do.
Those games were not far away from turning out differently, people act like they were all these massive blowouts where the Blazers were wholly uncompetitive and that's just not the case.
I'll seriously never understand how people can be so unhappy / discontent with a 50 win quality team that's competing at such a high level....