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What happens if/when the season resumes?

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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#61 » by Brandon-Clyde » Tue Jun 23, 2020 1:58 am

d-train wrote:
mighty_duck wrote: Who's available?

Anthony Tolliver
Allen Crabbe
David Nwaba
C.J. Miles
Gerald Green
J.R. Smith
Iman Shumpert
Shaun Livingston
Corey Brewer
Dante Cunningham

I would take a flyer on David Nwaba. Crabbe and Miles can score, but I believe Nwaba might be the best combination of defender/open shot maker. Other than Anthony Tolliver, it's not exactly an inspiring list. I looked for Evan Turner, but as far as I could tell he is not a free agent.

You can probably take Shumpert off of the list as he and Nurkic have had issues
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#62 » by d-train » Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:13 am

What if Ariza is using these optional playoffs to leverage an $11M salary guarantee? There is no way Blazers could have anticipated when they assumed Ariza's contract that the NBA would change the rules and make playoffs optional, thereby giving Ariza extraordinary leverage against the Blazers. No other player on our team can use optional games and a team contract option to squeeze an extra $11M out of his team.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#63 » by mighty_duck » Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:22 am

d-train wrote:
mighty_duck wrote: Who's available?

Anthony Tolliver
Allen Crabbe
David Nwaba
C.J. Miles
Gerald Green
J.R. Smith
Iman Shumpert
Shaun Livingston
Corey Brewer
Dante Cunningham

I would take a flyer on David Nwaba. Crabbe and Miles can score, but I believe Nwaba might be the best combination of defender/open shot maker. Other than Anthony Tolliver, it's not exactly an inspiring list. I looked for Evan Turner, but as far as I could tell he is not a free agent.


Tolliver has a verbal agreement with Memphis (I wouldn't want him anyway).
Brewer is going to Sacramento.

I like Gerald Green out of that group. If Crabbe or Dante are uninjured, I'd consider a second stint for them.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#64 » by BlazersBroncos » Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:15 pm

Livingston is actually somewhat interesting. A guy that has playoff experience and can handle the ball would be huge.

I think we need to slide Trent to the starting SF role and hope he proves himself when it matters. He has been our best young guy this year (Considering the 'young guys' Little, Trent and Simons) and can be a low usage sniper. This allows us to use Melo as our 6th man and doesn't lean on his slow feet to guard SF. Its worth noting that Melo hasn't played meaningful SF minutes since 16/17. He needs to split time with Zach at PF.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#65 » by d-train » Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:36 pm

Actually, Melo entered the NBA as a SF and has never stopped playing SF on offense. In his prime he was more of a Point Forward. The only thing that has changed is who he defends and the number of 6'5"-6'7" players that get minutes vs 6'9"-6'11" players in the NBA. Combine this with the fact that since Melo left Denver he has played on mostly lousy or shorthanded teams without good big men. Blazers lose nothing on defense when Melo defends SF's. What they lose is a SF who can defend the ball? Most teams run their offense through very quick guards and it would not benefit Blazers to use Melo to defend the ball.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#66 » by DeBlazerRiddem » Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:53 pm

d-train wrote:Actually, Melo entered the NBA as a SF and has never stopped playing SF on offense. In his prime he was more of a Point Forward. The only thing that has changed is who he defends and the number of 6'5"-6'7" players that get minutes vs 6'9"-6'11" players in the NBA. Combine this with the fact that since Melo left Denver he has played on mostly lousy or shorthanded teams without good big men. Blazers lose nothing on defense when Melo defends SF's. What they lose is a SF who can defend the ball? Most teams run their offense through very quick guards and it would not benefit Blazers to use Melo to defend the ball.


Most teams sure... but the teams that matter often do run offense through a bigger player. Teams like Denver that isn't an issue, but having Melo defend guys like LeBron, Kawhi, PG and Doncic is asking for trouble, not that Trent Jr is any better... against those guys a wiley vet like Ariza is our best option and that is still subpar.

At least we aren't in the East because over there even more playoff teams run offense through bigger players.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#67 » by d-train » Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:10 pm

DeBlazerRiddem wrote:
d-train wrote:Actually, Melo entered the NBA as a SF and has never stopped playing SF on offense. In his prime he was more of a Point Forward. The only thing that has changed is who he defends and the number of 6'5"-6'7" players that get minutes vs 6'9"-6'11" players in the NBA. Combine this with the fact that since Melo left Denver he has played on mostly lousy or shorthanded teams without good big men. Blazers lose nothing on defense when Melo defends SF's. What they lose is a SF who can defend the ball? Most teams run their offense through very quick guards and it would not benefit Blazers to use Melo to defend the ball.


Most teams sure... but the teams that matter often do run offense through a bigger player. Teams like Denver that isn't an issue, but having Melo defend guys like LeBron, Kawhi, PG and Doncic is asking for trouble, not that Trent Jr is any better... against those guys a wiley vet like Ariza is our best option and that is still subpar.

At least we aren't in the East because over there even more playoff teams run offense through bigger players.

Honestly, I have not noticed Melo having any trouble keeping his man in front of him. The problem is he does not get aggressively into his man and that gives his man that little bit of extra room to make passes. The best defender I have seen against LeBron is Paul Millsap, a big-butt PF. Melo could easily defend PG because PG isn't that great of a point guard. Kawhi and Doncic would be big problems, but they are big problems for everyone no matter who the defender is. Same with LeBron, unless you have a freak PF, how do you defend LeBron?
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#68 » by BlazersBroncos » Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:58 pm

I can agree that there are certain players no one can guard, and I can agree that Melo basically plays SF on offense (Albeit, isn't that a small ball PF in any situation more or less). But I just don't accept the idea that his feet have not slowed down to the point where him guarding any SF is a liability. Because what I have noticed is that he can body in the post much better than move his feet laterally.

Either way, I also think Melo off the bench as a scoring threat balances the team quite a bit. End of the day, maybe you keep him the starter to keep him happy and hope he accepts that bench scoring role next season.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#69 » by d-train » Wed Jun 24, 2020 6:29 pm

BlazersBroncos wrote:I can agree that there are certain players no one can guard, and I can agree that Melo basically plays SF on offense (Albeit, isn't that a small ball PF in any situation more or less). But I just don't accept the idea that his feet have not slowed down to the point where him guarding any SF is a liability. Because what I have noticed is that he can body in the post much better than move his feet laterally.

A small ball PF or center are usually smarter than average players that are good at winning mismatches because they are better at exploiting advantages than their opponent. A stretch PF or Center usually has no game other than catch-and-shoot.

The NBA has several highly regarded SF's with slower feet than Melo. This whole debate about Melo's ability to play SF is ridiculous. The concern about Blazers on-ball defense is legit.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#70 » by Norm2953 » Thu Jun 25, 2020 4:25 am

I'm looking forward to seeing how Portland fits together as it currently is constructed. It would be
helpful if Ariza had played but lets see if Portland plays two of their three bigs together at the same
time with Dame/CJ and Trent jr. Nurk in this lineup might end playing like LA when he's on the court
with Hassan for he's been experimenting with a three point shot.

I think the games are going to be ragged for the players are going to be rusty. By the time the teams begin
to get into any rhythm, it will be time for the first round of the playoffs. I'm actually less interested in
the playoffs in the bubble for its more informative to know more about your team prior to free agency
for even if we make the playoffs, this just means we get one of the LA teams in the first round. Portland
could be a tough team to play with their bigs.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#71 » by d-train » Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:44 pm

d-train wrote:
mighty_duck wrote: Who's available?

Anthony Tolliver
Allen Crabbe
David Nwaba
C.J. Miles
Gerald Green
J.R. Smith
Iman Shumpert
Shaun Livingston
Corey Brewer
Dante Cunningham

I would take a flyer on David Nwaba. Crabbe and Miles can score, but I believe Nwaba might be the best combination of defender/open shot maker. Other than Anthony Tolliver, it's not exactly an inspiring list. I looked for Evan Turner, but as far as I could tell he is not a free agent.

David Nwaba signed with Rockets. Nwaba, Tolliver, and Brewer were signed the 1st day. I don't see any player left that is worth Blazers signing unless we lose more players and become shorthanded. Crabbe, Miles, and Green are good players, but they aren't great defenders, so they don't add anything to our team.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#72 » by d-train » Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:13 pm

It's easier to predict Blazers starting lineup when the season resumes. We are going to start Lillard, CJ, Nurk, Collins, and Melo. Our on-ball defense will be assigned to CJ and Lillard. That's a tough assignment for our guards against anyone. LeBron and Kawhi might force Blazers into even worse on-ball defense because of their size. Our success will depend on our offensive players executing our offense. We are betting all our chips on offense wins.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#73 » by Village Idiot » Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:41 pm

Dragan Bender is a guy that I'd like to kick the tires on. He looked pretty good for the Warriors but was only on 10 day contracts and is now eligible to play for anyone.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#74 » by BlazersBroncos » Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:10 pm

I would love to take a swing on Bender. He could be a long term developmental center. Resign Hassan for 2 years and develop Bender as the 3rd string guy who can take over in 2022. He is more of a PF than C, but we can hypothetically slide Zach to C and use Bender at PF. Even in 2022 he will only be 24-25. And he put up really interesting stats in GS (Especially that 2.1apg, which is nuts for a big playing 21mpg)
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#75 » by d-train » Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:15 pm

Village Idiot wrote:Dragan Bender is a guy that I'd like to kick the tires on. He looked pretty good for the Warriors but was only on 10 day contracts and is now eligible to play for anyone.

Bender would not help the Blazers this year. Blazers should give him some consideration if he is willing to include an unguaranteed deal for 20-21. However, I don't see how it's good for Bender to sign a deal this early to sit behind Nurk, Collins, and Whiteside.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#76 » by d-train » Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:03 pm

Any interest in Theo Pinson who was waved a couple days ago. He has good size and floor game. He hasn't been good at making shots, but the pickins are thin. I'm not sure the Blazers are even looking for anyone.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#77 » by d-train » Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:44 pm

Another player to look at is Justin Anderson.

Here's some highlights:






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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#78 » by GEE » Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:00 pm

We could definitely use an addition of a wing to this roster, with the departure of Ariza. Pickins are slim. Livingston I like. Everyone else is kinda, eh to me. Hopefully Olshey can surprise and find someone meaningful.

Also, seems to me that by making it optional for players to go to Orlando, the NBA basically gave the players an opt-out clause, with no benefit, or financial break for the teams. Is this pretty close to accurate? If so, that really sucks. The Blazers should get compensated some how.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#79 » by d-train » Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:58 pm

Anderson signed with Nets.
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Re: What happens if/when the season resumes? 

Post#80 » by d-train » Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:54 am

Blazers sign g-league player Jaylen Adams, a PG. Actually, he's a small combo guard.
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