Preseason game 2: Portland vs Sacramento 6:00pm SNW

[Dzon Dilindzer]

wearing a mask in the arena is stupid as it gets

players can play without mask or be on the bench without mask, but coaches cant lol

after all, theyre all tested and cleared to participate in the game, which means theyre all negative

[PDXKnight]

wearing a mask in the arena is stupid as it gets

players can play without mask or be on the bench without mask, but coaches cant lol

after all, theyre all tested and cleared to participate in the game, which means theyre all negative

Yup. I suppose you could say there’s a shot at a false negative but seems like the bubble is pretty secured with the exception of a few people who seem keen on breaking protocol.

The only valid excuse I can see here is coaches tend to be older and more in the “at risk” category by age.

[PDXKnight]

Giles looks phenomenal, almost looks like a full mle guy if he can put up even half of what he’s doing for the course of the season.

[Goldbum]

Giles for MIP? Could happen.

[Dzon Dilindzer]

i dont think giles will get much playing time

he wont play before jones jr or carmelo at the four nor kanter at the five

and then, collins will come back too

[BlazersBroncos]

Just wondering if the Kanter trade was a good thing at this point. Loving Giles so far. Trent Jr needs to stick with shooting and stop all of this other stuff he seems to have issues with. Hood looked rusty. Hopefully he finds his shoot sooner rather than later.

Considering Kanter was free and has such good character I think its a really good move even with Giles playing well. No one could bank on Giles being this good, making the move for Kanter was prudent. He also is much bigger than Giles, who looks more of a PF than C. There are big centers that Giles will not be able to handle in the post.

I always though Kanter was a 15mpg type backup. The real contest will be Giles V Collins.

i dont think giles will get much playing time

he wont play before jones jr or carmelo at the four nor kanter at the five

and then, collins will come back too

If Giles is playing at this level, its not DJJ or MElo who need to be worried about PT, its Zach and to a lesser extent Kanter.

And if Giles plays this well for an extended period, its time to take 2021 FRP calls on Zach. Commit to signing Giles to the MLE, avoid the conundrum of going into 2021 having to decide / pay between Giles and Zach and recoup the FRP we lost in the RoCo deal.

I think we could get the GSW FRP from OKC for Collins. He fits the mold of athletic, long young guys that Presti is targeting and ATM they dont have a young talent at Center.

[d-train]

I did not think we would see so much of CJ2 this early. Obviously, his game needs work. I like how fearless he is. He acts like he belongs on an NBA court.

Yeah, he certainly fits in Olshey's stable of second round picks who can do a little bit of a lot of things in Layman, Connaughton, Barton, Crabbe and Trent. Interesting how much Stotts put him in kind of a PG role this game, maybe not necessarily his strength but doing what the coach needs you to do is a good way to see the court. Compared to those other guys however his shot is brutal and will probably limit him from being a good role player at least until that is fixed.

I just noticed CJ2's salary next season is guaranteed, according to Spotrac. That is a very generous contract to a 2nd round pick. It seems like Blazers are always generous to our 2nd round picks.

[Roy The Natural]

Giles looks phenomenal, almost looks like a full mle guy if he can put up even half of what he’s doing for the course of the season.

I'm loving what he brings... but he looks pretty lost on defense out there.

[Roy The Natural]

i dont think giles will get much playing time

he wont play before jones jr or carmelo at the four nor kanter at the five

and then, collins will come back too

He may get some, and he looks pretty good overall. His agility and passing in the paint of the offensive end have been nice. However, he looks pretty damn lost on defense. Sort of a rich man's Gabriel out there right now. But I think he can get better on that end as the season progresses.

[Roy The Natural]

Just wondering if the Kanter trade was a good thing at this point. Loving Giles so far. Trent Jr needs to stick with shooting and stop all of this other stuff he seems to have issues with. Hood looked rusty. Hopefully he finds his shoot sooner rather than later.

Considering Kanter was free and has such good character I think its a really good move even with Giles playing well. No one could bank on Giles being this good, making the move for Kanter was prudent. He also is much bigger than Giles, who looks more of a PF than C. There are big centers that Giles will not be able to handle in the post.

I always though Kanter was a 15mpg type backup. The real contest will be Giles V Collins.

i dont think giles will get much playing time

he wont play before jones jr or carmelo at the four nor kanter at the five

and then, collins will come back too

If Giles is playing at this level, its not DJJ or MElo who need to be worried about PT, its Zach and to a lesser extent Kanter.

And if Giles plays this well for an extended period, its time to take 2021 FRP calls on Zach. Commit to signing Giles to the MLE, avoid the conundrum of going into 2021 having to decide / pay between Giles and Zach and recoup the FRP we lost in the RoCo deal.

I think we could get the GSW FRP from OKC for Collins. He fits the mold of athletic, long young guys that Presti is targeting and ATM they dont have a young talent at Center.

I disagree with almost all of this. Zach and Giles look like a near perfect bigman combo alongside Nurk. Blazers should forgo resigning Hood and Kanter long before looking at not picking up Giles and Zach, assuming the latter 2 have solid seasons.

If Trent looks good enough to get good money, then Portland should consider moving CJ+stuff for other guards/wings.

Blazers have a lot of flexibility on who to bring back. I think we should let it all play out. Giles has looked nice rebounding the ball, and has played well around the rim. However, he looks fairly lost on defense and has made most of his impact against the 2nd/3rd string combos of the Kings. I like what he brings, and think he can fill a Skal like role for Portland this year, while flashing enough upside to be worth more looks.

Portland has a lot of options on who to let go, and who to bring back depending on how they look this year. Hood, Kanter, Melo, and Verajao's dead money will potentially free some room up. It's possible that DJJ is gone as well if he plays well. We shall see.

I think Zach and Giles could be fantastic alongside each other if they both play closer to their potential.

[d-train]

Kanter and Giles are very different players. The player that wins PT might depend more on Stotts game plan than who is the best player.

We like Kanter because he had great chemistry with our guards a couple seasons ago. However, the wonderful thing about Giles' extensive skillset is the potential for him to fit in. With all his physical tools, he only needs to be mentally prepared and committed.

Kanter is bigger, more physical, and controls the boards better. He is also a very tough inside scorer. Giles is tall, skilled, and very agile. Giles can score in a variety of ways, but passing is his most special skill.

It's going to come down to what Stotts thinks makes his team better. IMO, Giles could seal the deal with defense and rebounding.

Giles is also a PF. He is very different than RoCo, Melo, and DJJ. RoCo is the model for working hard and smart on defense. Giles can beat out all 3 of these guys without problem if he can match RoCo in effort and intelligence.

[JasonStern]

Just wondering if the Kanter trade was a good thing at this point.

Why wouldn't it be? Nurkić, Collins, and Giles haven't proven themselves to be ironmen. I suppose retaining Whiteside, especially at the minimum, would have been better value. But who knows what went on there behind the scenes?

[BlazersBroncos]

I disagree with almost all of this. Zach and Giles look like a near perfect bigman combo alongside Nurk. Blazers should forgo resigning Hood and Kanter long before looking at not picking up Giles and Zach, assuming the latter 2 have solid seasons.

I understand the appeal of signing both Giles and ZC due to their age, but we almost certainly would have to let Hood walk to do that. I am not sure that is the right move. I would be worried about losing the shooting of Hood to resign two guys that could be considered energy bigs.

If Trent looks good enough to get good money, then Portland should consider moving CJ+stuff for other guards/wings.

I know we cant assume the guy we get back in a CJ deal cant creat his own offense, but right now to me there just hasnt been enough shot creation shown from GTJ to assume he can replace even a portion of what CJ brings in that regard.

Its going to be a really tough offseason in 2021. Lots of big decisions to make and even if DJJ reclines his PO and we waive Hood, we are at 111M with only Dame, CJ, Nurkic, Cov and the draft scale guys. Melo likely remains cheap and Kanter may be avaliable for even less than 5M, but GTJ + ZC + DJJ may all price themselves out and thats not even getting into the possibility that Giles balls out. I think a deadline deal using guys coming up for paydays for a better player locked up for sometime would be the right move so we dont end up with another 2019 offseason of quality talent lost for nothing.

[d-train]

but GTJ + ZC + DJJ may all price themselves out and thats not even getting into the possibility that Giles balls out.

GTJ and ZC can't price themselves out because we have full bird rights and they are restricted. DJJ and Giles could price themselves out, but that's along ways from likely.

These players will play themselves into the contracts they deserve. The team as a whole will determine Blazers budget next off-season. The season hasn't begun, so there is a lot for this team to prove before Blazers decide if luxury taxes will be paid.

[Soulyss]

I did not think we would see so much of CJ2 this early. Obviously, his game needs work. I like how fearless he is. He acts like he belongs on an NBA court.

Yeah, he certainly fits in Olshey's stable of second round picks who can do a little bit of a lot of things in Layman, Connaughton, Barton, Crabbe and Trent. Interesting how much Stotts put him in kind of a PG role this game, maybe not necessarily his strength but doing what the coach needs you to do is a good way to see the court. Compared to those other guys however his shot is brutal and will probably limit him from being a good role player at least until that is fixed.

I just noticed CJ2's salary next season is guaranteed, according to Spotrac. That is a very generous contract to a 2nd round pick. It seems like Blazers are always generous to our 2nd round picks.

Confidence is good... a shot that isn't broken is better... That shot is U.G.L.Y. He looks slow out there on the court... that is PROBABLY him adjusting to the speed, but also.. he just looks a little... leaden...

Olshey and staff have a good eye for talent generally, but I have my doubts on this one.

[Soulyss]

but GTJ + ZC + DJJ may all price themselves out and thats not even getting into the possibility that Giles balls out.

GTJ and ZC can't price themselves out because we have full bird rights and they are restricted. DJJ and Giles could price themselves out, but that's along ways from likely.

These players will play themselves into the contracts they deserve. The team as a hole will determine Blazers budget next off-season. The season hasn't begun, so there is a lot for this team to prove before Blazers decide if luxury taxes will be paid.

It's one of the reasons that Portland HAS to stay under the tax this year because if they want to retain this core they will be a tax-payer going forward and this allows them to push off the repeater penalty.

[DaVoiceMaster]

What am I missing? I thought DJJ signed a 2 or 3 year deal. Is there an option or something next summer?

There are a number of players looking for a contract next year. I hope they all play well enough to get a decent deal.

[d-train]

What am I missing? I thought DJJ signed a 2 or 3 year deal. Is there an option or something next summer?

There are a number of players looking for a contract next year. I hope they all play well enough to get a decent deal.

2-year deal, 2nd year is PO

[Blazinaway]

i dont think giles will get much playing time

he wont play before jones jr or carmelo at the four nor kanter at the five

and then, collins will come back too

I think in small ball matchups he's a better C than Kanter already

[d-train]

i dont think giles will get much playing time

he wont play before jones jr or carmelo at the four nor kanter at the five

and then, collins will come back too

I think in small ball matchups he's a better C than Kanter already

If you want your small ball center to rebound and score inside, Kanter is better. If you want him to make plays from the high post and defend from the rim to the 3-point line and back, then Giles is better.