Amick: Harden expands his list of preferred destinations to include Blazers

DusterBuster · Post #1 » by **DusterBuster** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:08 pm

DusterBuster · Post #2 » by **DusterBuster** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:09 pm

CJ, Zach, Trent and some picks? Would that be enough for Houston? Would Portland even want the potential Harden-headache?

red_power · Post #3 » by **red_power** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:11 pm

Sounds intriguing obviously. But there is no way Blazers can beat any potential 76ers offer, if philly willing to give up with Simmons there.

monopoman · Post #4 » by **monopoman** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:11 pm

I don't think this is a great fit at all, this team does not need more ball dominant players. Get me something like Giannis or some player that will mesh well with Dame not an extremely ball dominant player that will demand 20+ ISO possessions a game.

Pattycakes · Post #5 » by **Pattycakes** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:29 pm

Trade anything you can to get this team a decent chance off the treadmill. If we keep Dame and Nurk, it’s a no brainer improvement.

DusterBuster · Post #6 » by **DusterBuster** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:39 pm

monopoman wrote:I don't think this is a great fit at all, this team does not need more ball dominant players. Get me something like Giannis or some player that will mesh well with Dame not an extremely ball dominant player that will demand 20+ ISO possessions a game.

Pattycakes wrote:Trade anything you can to get this team a decent chance off the treadmill. If we keep Dame and Nurk, it’s a no brainer improvement.

I actually agree with both of you.

I'm not in the least bit a Harden fan or his playing style. I don't think Dame and Harden are a great/natural fit. I question Harden as a teammate quite a bit - seems to be kinda a problem in the lockerroom moreso than he is really made out to be.

That said..................

Top 5-7 players don't include the Blazers on their "preferred destinations" list all that often. As a matter of fact, this might be the first time in 20 years I've seen a credible report where the Blazers were listed as being on a superstar's shortlist of teams they would be willing to be traded to. With all my reservations about Harden as a teammate or a person, I kinda think you gotta do it if you can make a deal where you keep Dame and Nurk.

whatchaknow · Post #7 » by **whatchaknow** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:40 pm

monopoman wrote:I don't think this is a great fit at all, this team does not need more ball dominant players. Get me something like Giannis or some player that will mesh well with Dame not an extremely ball dominant player that will demand 20+ ISO possessions a game.

Who cares at this point? Beggars can’t be choosers and this team needs another superstar to compete with the upper echelon of the league. Is it a perfect fit? Absolutely not but if we’re gonna wait around until that opportunity pops up then we might as well go full okc and just start collecting picks. With the current roster were in for a full rebuild after dames contract is up anyways, why not try like hell and if you miss then you miss but at least you tried. I mean imagine having dame or harden in the game for 48 mins every night.

I know there will be people who bring up hardens baggage but the guy is 1 of when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. If you can bring him in you do it. Unfortunately the blazers package can’t really compete if the other teams mentioned offer up their top trade chips. So I’m not gonna hold my breath waiting for this potential trade to happen

Dzon Dilindzer · Post #8 » by **Dzon Dilindzer** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:42 pm

this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

whatchaknow · Post #9 » by **whatchaknow** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:44 pm

DusterBuster wrote:
monopoman wrote:I don't think this is a great fit at all, this team does not need more ball dominant players. Get me something like Giannis or some player that will mesh well with Dame not an extremely ball dominant player that will demand 20+ ISO possessions a game.

Pattycakes wrote:Trade anything you can to get this team a decent chance off the treadmill. If we keep Dame and Nurk, it’s a no brainer improvement.

I actually agree with both of you.

I'm not in the least bit a Harden fan or his playing style. I don't think Dame and Harden are a great/natural fit. I question Harden as a teammate quite a bit - seems to be kinda a problem in the lockerroom moreso than he is really made out to be.

That said..................

Top 5-7 players don't include the Blazers on their "preferred destinations" list all that often. As a matter of fact, this might be the first time in 20 years I've seen a credible report where the Blazers were listed as being on a superstar's shortlist of teams they would be willing to be traded to. With all my reservations about Harden as a teammate or a person, I kinda think you gotta do it if you can make a deal where you keep Dame and Nurk.

Couldn’t agree more. I’d think long and hard about including nurk too if that’s what it took. Easier to find a complimentary big man for dame and harden than it is to find a absolutely dominant wing scorer. Obviously rolling out Kanter, melo, Giles and Collins as a big man rotation is cringeworthy to say the least, but I think you can swing a deal for a starting caliber big around the trade deadline or sooner. Dedmon is also a free agent currently I believe

DusterBuster · Post #10 » by **DusterBuster** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:49 pm

Dzon Dilindzer wrote:this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

Yeah, that's pretty much what it boils down to. If you really want to win, you need 2 of the Top 5-10 guys. Any issues we may have with Harden, you can't deny he's in that group, and so is Dame. CJ isn't in that group as good as he is. Trent, for all his promise, is not going to be that. No picks the Blazers could add are likely to be that caliber either.

On pure talent, Dame and Harden would rival KD and Kyrie.

Norm2953 · Post #11 » by **Norm2953** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:01 am

Any combination of players (other than Dame) and picks necessary to get Harden

DusterBuster · Post #12 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:05 am

Norm2953 wrote:Any combination of players (other than Dame) and picks necessary to get Harden

You would include Nurk?

DusterBuster · Post #13 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:34 am

Read on Twitter

?s=21

d-train · Post #14 » by **d-train** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:36 am

monopoman wrote:I don't think this is a great fit at all, this team does not need more ball dominant players. Get me something like Giannis or some player that will mesh well with Dame not an extremely ball dominant player that will demand 20+ ISO possessions a game.

There is nothing wrong with ball dominance if it results in a good shot. Harden's ball dominance usually ends with a good shot from Harden or someone else.

d-train · Post #15 » by **d-train** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:41 am

DusterBuster wrote:
Norm2953 wrote:Any combination of players (other than Dame) and picks necessary to get Harden

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

monopoman · Post #16 » by **monopoman** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:41 am

Dzon Dilindzer wrote:this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

I mean not every two top 10 pairings equal championship runs. Lebron+AD are a great fit and complement each other extremely well on the court.

I have seen many "hyped up" pairing or trio's that have fallen right on their face in disappointment. I think people think of the NBA too much like NBA 2k21 where all that matters is which player has the best player rating. I also get it that this is the first top 10 player to ever list Portland as a wanted place to go to so that is pushing this more also. We aren't like the Lakers or something that almost always get listed as a potential team.

DusterBuster · Post #17 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:50 am

d-train wrote:
DusterBuster wrote:
Norm2953 wrote:Any combination of players (other than Dame) and picks necessary to get Harden

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

Yeah, I wouldn’t include Nurk, but zach could be traded. I don’t have much hope for him long-term.

DusterBuster · Post #18 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:50 am

d-train wrote:
DusterBuster wrote:
Norm2953 wrote:Any combination of players (other than Dame) and picks necessary to get Harden

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

Yeah, I wouldn’t include Nurk, but zach could be traded. I don’t have much hope for him long-term.

d-train · Post #19 » by **d-train** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:55 am

Dzon Dilindzer wrote:this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

It's not an opportunity if the result is acquiring Houston's problem. Harden would be a happy camper in Houston if Rocket's had Nurk and Zach. He will not be a happy camper in Portland if Blazers don't have Nurk and Collins. We could include CJ or Lillard in a deal, but would be much better if we didn't trade either of those players. It would require a third team to do a trade without CJ or Lillard.

DusterBuster · Post #20 » by **DusterBuster** » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:56 am

d-train wrote:
Dzon Dilindzer wrote:this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

It's not an opportunity if the result is acquiring Houston's problem. Harden would be a happy camper in Houston if Rocket's had Nurk and Zach. He will not be a happy camper in Portland if Blazers don't have Nurk and Collins. We could include CJ or Lillard in a deal, but would be much better if we didn't trade either of those players. It would require a third team to do a trade without CJ or Lillard.

I doubt Harden even knows Collins’ first name lmao.