How much better is RoCo and Nance over….

[Blazers20]

I just don’t think Nance and RoCo are worth 3 first round picks? How much better did RoCo make Portland in the playoffs? Are the 3 picks better served in trading CJ-3 Picks for Ben Simmons?

[Wizenheimer]

I think it's at least arguable if RoCo/Nance are actually a better pair than Aminu/Harkless were. If they are, there is not a large gap at all

what isn't arguable, is that the acquisition costs of Aminu/Harkless were basically nothing, while the costs of adding RoCo/Nance were Ariza, Jones, and 3 first round picks. That's a considerable cost for two role players, neither of which will be in the top 4-5 offensive options on the team and only one of which is a starter. Three 1sts? yikes! Compounding the issue is that Portland can't trade a 1st round pick right now because of the protections on the 1st traded for Nance

ironically, this offers a reason why Portland remains a pretender under Olshey. CJ and a couple of 1sts and a swap or two for Simmons is considered way too high a price. But paying three 1sts for role players is just fine.

[Norm2953]

I see Aminu just got released by the Spurs. Is he an option for a roster spot over Eleby?

[DusterBuster]

I see Aminu just got released by the Spurs. Is he an option for a roster spot over Eleby?

Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space. Don't believe he's ever done that. He's not matched or let them walk, but not cut as far as I'm aware.

[BNM]

I see Aminu just got released by the Spurs. Is he an option for a roster spot over Eleby?

Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space. Don't believe he's ever done that. He's not matched or let them walk, but not cut as far as I'm aware.

First, Aminu is beyond washed. He's barely played since he left POR, and when he has played, he's played terribly. He's been passed around by bad team, after bad team, after bad team.

Second, we only have 14 players currently under contract. So, we wouldn't have to cut anyone to make this horrible signing.

[DusterBuster]

I see Aminu just got released by the Spurs. Is he an option for a roster spot over Eleby?

Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space. Don't believe he's ever done that. He's not matched or let them walk, but not cut as far as I'm aware.

First, Aminu is beyond washed. He's barely played since he left POR, and when he has played, he's played terribly. He's been passed around by bad team, after bad team, after bad team.

Second, we only have 14 players currently under contract. So, we wouldn't have to cut anyone to make this horrible signing.

I wasn't advocating for signing him, agreed that he's pretty washed up, his injuries have really kinda put an end to his career unfortunately. Just making a simple point that Olshey would never cut a 2nd round player he drafted to make room for a vet signing like this idea suggests.

Also, I thought Portland is at 15 after they signed Dennis Smith Jr? The tweets about the news said he got the last open roster spot.

[BNM]

Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space. Don't believe he's ever done that. He's not matched or let them walk, but not cut as far as I'm aware.

First, Aminu is beyond washed. He's barely played since he left POR, and when he has played, he's played terribly. He's been passed around by bad team, after bad team, after bad team.

Second, we only have 14 players currently under contract. So, we wouldn't have to cut anyone to make this horrible signing.

I wasn't advocating for signing him, agreed that he's pretty washed up, his injuries have really kinda put an end to his career unfortunately. Just making a simple point that Olshey would never cut a 2nd round player he drafted to make room for a vet signing like this idea suggests.

Also, I thought Portland is at 15 after they signed Dennis Smith Jr? The tweets about the news said he got the last open roster spot.

The poster you were responding to was specifically asking about signing Aminu.

Spotrac has us at 14 guaranteed contracts: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/cap/

Well, to be honest, Olshey hasn't actually drafted too many 2nd rounders. Most of the 2nd rounders that have stuck for any length if time (Crabbe, Layman, Connaughton, Trent Jr., etc.) were acquired via draft day trades.

It's not 2nd rounders he's opposed to cutting (he has traded several of them and let others walk and sign elsewhere (Layman, Connaughton), it's players under guaranteed contracts that he's loathe to cut - as is just about any GM in the league. If you cut a player under contract you still have to pay them their salary and that salary still counts against the salary cap and the luxury tax (i.e. dead cap space).

Due to the way the CBA is written, cutting any player with a guaranteed contract is a stupid move. If you really want to open up a roster spot, there are other options. For example, trade that player to a team that is under the luxury tax threshold for a future top 55 protected 2nd rounder. Include enough cash considerations to actually pay that player's salary. This frees up a roster spot, removes that payers salary from your salary cap/luxury tax and you can then sign the payer you wish to a vet min deal. Way better than having useless dead cap space, or worse, paying luxury tax because of a player that isn't even on your roster.

Olshey has failed in many ways, but this isn't one of them.

[Norm2953]

I see Aminu just got released by the Spurs. Is he an option for a roster spot over Eleby?

Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space. Don't believe he's ever done that. He's not matched or let them walk, but not cut as far as I'm aware.

Aminu can't beat out Elleby who most of us know is not an NBA level player?

[BNM]

I see Aminu just got released by the Spurs. Is he an option for a roster spot over Eleby?

Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space. Don't believe he's ever done that. He's not matched or let them walk, but not cut as far as I'm aware.

Aminu can't beat out Elleby who most of us know is not an NBA level player?

Sadly, neither is Chief at this point. Elleby's rookie numbers were comparable to Chief's last season and better than what Chief put up in 2019-20. The difference is Elleby is 10 years younger, cheaper and has one season left on a guaranteed contract. Why do you think all of ORL, CHI and SAS have given up on Chief in the last 7 months? If he was still an NBA player, he'd be on an NBA roster.

[Wizenheimer]

Aminu has had a couple of pretty serious injuries. IIRC the last was a severely torn meniscus in his knee. He hasn't been able to recover from those injuries and they have probably ended his career

a much better option than Aminu would be to bring RHJ back. And even then, that's not a good option. Portland has 6 guys under 6'4; and only two over 6'8. And both of those have extensive injury issues. That's skating on very thin ice

[DusterBuster]

First, Aminu is beyond washed. He's barely played since he left POR, and when he has played, he's played terribly. He's been passed around by bad team, after bad team, after bad team.

Second, we only have 14 players currently under contract. So, we wouldn't have to cut anyone to make this horrible signing.

I wasn't advocating for signing him, agreed that he's pretty washed up, his injuries have really kinda put an end to his career unfortunately. Just making a simple point that Olshey would never cut a 2nd round player he drafted to make room for a vet signing like this idea suggests.

Also, I thought Portland is at 15 after they signed Dennis Smith Jr? The tweets about the news said he got the last open roster spot.

The poster you were responding to was specifically asking about signing Aminu.

Spotrac has us at 14 guaranteed contracts: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/cap/

Well, to be honest, Olshey hasn't actually drafted too many 2nd rounders. Most of the 2nd rounders that have stuck for any length if time (Crabbe, Layman, Connaughton, Trent Jr., etc.) were acquired via draft day trades.

It's not 2nd rounders he's opposed to cutting (he has traded several of them and let others walk and sign elsewhere (Layman, Connaughton), it's players under guaranteed contracts that he's loathe to cut - as is just about any GM in the league. If you cut a player under contract you still have to pay them their salary and that salary still counts against the salary cap and the luxury tax (i.e. dead cap space).

Due to the way the CBA is written, cutting any player with a guaranteed contract is a stupid move. If you really want to open up a roster spot, there are other options. For example, trade that player to a team that is under the luxury tax threshold for a future top 55 protected 2nd rounder. Include enough cash considerations to actually pay that player's salary. This frees up a roster spot, removes that payers salary from your salary cap/luxury tax and you can then sign the payer you wish to a vet min deal. Way better than having useless dead cap space, or worse, paying luxury tax because of a player that isn't even on your roster.

Olshey has failed in many ways, but this isn't one of them.

And I wasn't commenting on Aminu... I was just saying that Olshey has zero track record of cutting young guys to sign aging vets a few weeks before the season starts. That isn't a negative or positive comment on Olshey, just a simple unbiased observation.

[BNM]

I wasn't advocating for signing him, agreed that he's pretty washed up, his injuries have really kinda put an end to his career unfortunately. Just making a simple point that Olshey would never cut a 2nd round player he drafted to make room for a vet signing like this idea suggests.

Also, I thought Portland is at 15 after they signed Dennis Smith Jr? The tweets about the news said he got the last open roster spot.

The poster you were responding to was specifically asking about signing Aminu.

Spotrac has us at 14 guaranteed contracts: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/cap/

Well, to be honest, Olshey hasn't actually drafted too many 2nd rounders. Most of the 2nd rounders that have stuck for any length if time (Crabbe, Layman, Connaughton, Trent Jr., etc.) were acquired via draft day trades.

It's not 2nd rounders he's opposed to cutting (he has traded several of them and let others walk and sign elsewhere (Layman, Connaughton), it's players under guaranteed contracts that he's loathe to cut - as is just about any GM in the league. If you cut a player under contract you still have to pay them their salary and that salary still counts against the salary cap and the luxury tax (i.e. dead cap space).

Due to the way the CBA is written, cutting any player with a guaranteed contract is a stupid move. If you really want to open up a roster spot, there are other options. For example, trade that player to a team that is under the luxury tax threshold for a future top 55 protected 2nd rounder. Include enough cash considerations to actually pay that player's salary. This frees up a roster spot, removes that payers salary from your salary cap/luxury tax and you can then sign the payer you wish to a vet min deal. Way better than having useless dead cap space, or worse, paying luxury tax because of a player that isn't even on your roster.

Olshey has failed in many ways, but this isn't one of them.

And I wasn't commenting on Aminu... I was just saying that Olshey has zero track record of cutting young guys to sign aging vets a few weeks before the season starts. That isn't a negative or positive comment on Olshey, just a simple unbiased observation.

And I was just pointing out that age has nothing to do with it. Olshey has zero track record of cutting any player, young or old, with a guaranteed contract and signing someone else a few weeks before the season starts. Olshey's aversion to this has nothing to do with the players age, or where they were drafted. It is simply to avoid having dead cap space.

This isn't an endorsement of Olshey. No GM is going to throw away cap space and risk playing the luxury tax to swap out one 14th//15th man for another.

[DusterBuster]

The poster you were responding to was specifically asking about signing Aminu.

Spotrac has us at 14 guaranteed contracts: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/cap/

Well, to be honest, Olshey hasn't actually drafted too many 2nd rounders. Most of the 2nd rounders that have stuck for any length if time (Crabbe, Layman, Connaughton, Trent Jr., etc.) were acquired via draft day trades.

It's not 2nd rounders he's opposed to cutting (he has traded several of them and let others walk and sign elsewhere (Layman, Connaughton), it's players under guaranteed contracts that he's loathe to cut - as is just about any GM in the league. If you cut a player under contract you still have to pay them their salary and that salary still counts against the salary cap and the luxury tax (i.e. dead cap space).

Due to the way the CBA is written, cutting any player with a guaranteed contract is a stupid move. If you really want to open up a roster spot, there are other options. For example, trade that player to a team that is under the luxury tax threshold for a future top 55 protected 2nd rounder. Include enough cash considerations to actually pay that player's salary. This frees up a roster spot, removes that payers salary from your salary cap/luxury tax and you can then sign the payer you wish to a vet min deal. Way better than having useless dead cap space, or worse, paying luxury tax because of a player that isn't even on your roster.

Olshey has failed in many ways, but this isn't one of them.

And I wasn't commenting on Aminu... I was just saying that Olshey has zero track record of cutting young guys to sign aging vets a few weeks before the season starts. That isn't a negative or positive comment on Olshey, just a simple unbiased observation.

And I was just pointing out that age has nothing to do with it. Olshey has zero track record of cutting any player, young or old, with a guaranteed contract and signing someone else a few weeks before the season starts. Olshey's aversion to this has nothing to do with the players age, or where they were drafted. It is simply to avoid having dead cap space.

This isn't an endorsement of Olshey. No GM is going to throw away cap space and risk playing the luxury tax to swap out one 14th//15th man for another.

We’re saying essentially the same thing, why the need to split hairs here?

[BNM]

And I wasn't commenting on Aminu... I was just saying that Olshey has zero track record of cutting young guys to sign aging vets a few weeks before the season starts. That isn't a negative or positive comment on Olshey, just a simple unbiased observation.

And I was just pointing out that age has nothing to do with it. Olshey has zero track record of cutting any player, young or old, with a guaranteed contract and signing someone else a few weeks before the season starts. Olshey's aversion to this has nothing to do with the players age, or where they were drafted. It is simply to avoid having dead cap space.

This isn't an endorsement of Olshey. No GM is going to throw away cap space and risk playing the luxury tax to swap out one 14th//15th man for another.

We’re saying essentially the same thing, why the need to split hairs here?

No, we're not saying the same thing. Your entire point was that Olshey won't cut one of his own second round draft picks to make rooster space to sign a veteran player.

"Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space."

That's not the same thing as Olshey won't cut any player on a guaranteed contract to make roster space.

Their age, where they were drafted and who drafted them have nothing to do with it. You simply do not cut a player on a guaranteed contract to create roster space. As I pointed out, there are far better ways to accomplish the same thing without needlessly creating dead cap space.

[DusterBuster]

And I was just pointing out that age has nothing to do with it. Olshey has zero track record of cutting any player, young or old, with a guaranteed contract and signing someone else a few weeks before the season starts. Olshey's aversion to this has nothing to do with the players age, or where they were drafted. It is simply to avoid having dead cap space.

This isn't an endorsement of Olshey. No GM is going to throw away cap space and risk playing the luxury tax to swap out one 14th//15th man for another.

We’re saying essentially the same thing, why the need to split hairs here?

No, we're not saying the same thing. Your entire point was that Olshey won't cut one of his own second round draft picks to make rooster space to sign a veteran player.

"Nah. Olshey won't cut one of his 2nd round picks to make roster space."

That's not the same thing as Olshey won't cut any player on a guaranteed contract to make roster space.

Their age, where they were drafted and who drafted them have nothing to do with it. You simply do not cut a player on a guaranteed contract to create roster space. As I pointed out, there are far better ways to accomplish the same thing without needlessly creating dead cap space.

This is a very dumb minor difference to get in a long thread discussion about. Fine, you’re right, w/e lol