Nurkic hinting at possible exit from Blazers this summer?

[soobias]

i think teams are showing that we dont need a traditional center to compete now a days .

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Centers are easy to come by, this shouldn't be a priority. Some rim protection would be nice, but switchable forwards that can guard the perimeter and shoot have had a much bigger impact on today's game. Give me Eason, Sochan or even Daniels over Ayton. Obviously we were in full tank mode but Eubanks looked better than Nurkic at times. We could probably get Drummond for the vet minimum and he'd have the same impact as Nurkic. We should focus our cap space on the wings.

I think an elite center is still a huge game changer. Embiid and Jokic do well for their team in both the regular season and the playoffs and I dont think the game has changed so much that we can throw out the overwhelming advantage that quality bigs bring to the game.

However, I think what you mean and what I agree with is that outside the elites at the position, there isn't much more that a 16 million/year center brings over the *right* 4 million/year center, that the bang for your buck is not necessarily there. I will say that not any old 4 million/year center works, it has to be the right fit and someone who is arguably being underpaid, but you can still get good value from the position that you wouldn't from a 4 million/year wing.


I guess, ultimately what I would say is that outside of elite and bargain players at any position, if you are going to spend your capspace on above average and good-but-not-great players that its probably best to do so at the wing and forward positions. Of course that also begs the question that spending significant money on that tier of players in any regard will likely leave you in a treadmill but that's probably viable from a business perspective.

[Wizenheimer]

who are the elite C's in the NBA? Embiid, Jokic, Gobert, KAT? is that the list?

3 of them were out in the 1st round; one in the 2nd round. If you stretch the definition of elite C by listing a top-5 it would probably be Adebayo. He at least made it to the conference finals. Sure, playoff success isn't the only gauge of a C (4 other players are on the floor), but it may be the best gauge for determining value

Golden State is spending 7M/year on two C's and they both are as much PF's as C's. The Celtics go with 6'8 Robert Williams and 6'9 Al Horford at C. 30 years ago, C was the most important position; now it's the least important and the definition of a C has changed dramatically

Nurkic is worth what he's making...about 12M/year. Ayton might be worth 20M/year (I wouldn't pay it), but at 30M he's an albatross contract. And while he's not quite the injury risk Nurkic, Ayton has missed enough games to have his real-world value reduced

I think it's possible the Ayton to Portland noise is a leverage play by Cronin, and there may be another primary target, or two of them

[DusterBuster]

who are the elite C's in the NBA? Embiid, Jokic, Gobert, KAT? is that the list?

3 of them were out in the 1st round; one in the 2nd round. If you stretch the definition of elite C by listing a top-5 it would probably be Adebayo. He at least made it to the conference finals. Sure, playoff success isn't the only gauge of a C (4 other players are on the floor), but it may be the best gauge for determining value

Golden State is spending 7M/year on two C's and they both are as much PF's as C's. The Celtics go with 6'8 Robert Williams and 6'9 Al Horford at C. 30 years ago, C was the most important position; now it's the least important and the definition of a C has changed dramatically

Nurkic is worth what he's making...about 12M/year. Ayton might be worth 20M/year (I wouldn't pay it), but at 30M he's an albatross contract. And while he's not quite the injury risk Nurkic, Ayton has missed enough games to have his real-world value reduced

I think it's possible the Ayton to Portland noise is a leverage play by Cronin, and there may be another primary target, or two of them

Seems to me the Blazers and Cronin are trying something they never did with Olshey... publicly register interest in every big name player on the market to at least let it be known they would like to get him if possible. At this point, I think the team just wants to get a Top tier FA or player via trade to prove they can be in that conversation and change the narrative that no one wants to play in Portland. That might honestly trump any concerns about best fit or overpaying a player tbh. Just prove to Dame and the city that you can get an All Star quality player in his prime to come to Portland when you have the means to do so.

[BlazersBroncos]

Even with his stupid picture the only guy I really like at a MAX deal is Miles. Love his FTA improvement last year and think he brings much more of what we need than guys like Ayton, Beal, Zach. Wish he played a bit smarter though (And in general was a bit smarter).

[JasonStern]

Nurkić + #7 for Gobert would solve some of the defensive issues associated with a Dame/Simons back court.

rudy gobert is a dpoy in the regular season, not so much in the playoffs, where he doesnt make a difference on the defensive end of the floor and he has no game on offense... is he really an ungrade over nurk

3× NBA All-Star (2020–2022)
All-NBA Second Team (2017)
3× All-NBA Third Team (2019–2021)
3× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021)
6× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2017–2022)
NBA rebounding leader (2022)
NBA blocks leader (2017)

So yes, Gobert is a much better player than Jusuf Nurkić. Whether you could field a team with Dame and Gobert eating up $80M+ is the real question.

[Dzon Dilindzer]

Nurkić + #7 for Gobert would solve some of the defensive issues associated with a Dame/Simons back court.

rudy gobert is a dpoy in the regular season, not so much in the playoffs, where he doesnt make a difference on the defensive end of the floor and he has no game on offense... is he really an ungrade over nurk

Spoiler:

3× NBA All-Star (2020–2022)
All-NBA Second Team (2017)
3× All-NBA Third Team (2019–2021)
3× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021)
6× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2017–2022)
NBA rebounding leader (2022)
NBA blocks leader (2017)

So yes, Gobert is a much better player than Jusuf Nurkić. Whether you could field a team with Dame and Gobert eating up $80M+ is the real question.

it seems like you might have a comprehension problem

were not talking about regular season, were talking about playoffs, about wining the chip (those accolades are based on regular season) and the question is, can he help us win, as he got exposed pretty badly against the clippers & mavs

there is a huge difference between regular season and the playoffs

[Wizenheimer]

Spoiler:

rudy gobert is a dpoy in the regular season, not so much in the playoffs, where he doesnt make a difference on the defensive end of the floor and he has no game on offense... is he really an ungrade over nurk

[spoiler]3× NBA All-Star (2020–2022)
All-NBA Second Team (2017)
3× All-NBA Third Team (2019–2021)
3× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021)
6× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2017–2022)
NBA rebounding leader (2022)
NBA blocks leader (2017)

So yes, Gobert is a much better player than Jusuf Nurkić. Whether you could field a team with Dame and Gobert eating up $80M+ is the real question.

[/spoiler]

it seems like you might have a comprehension problem

were not talking about regular season, were talking about playoffs, about wining the chip (those accolades are based on regular season) and the question is, can he help us win, as he got exposed pretty badly against the clippers & mavs

there is a huge difference between regular season and the playoffs

using the playoffs is a valid gauge

however, when you use that gauge in a Gobert vs Nurkic comparison, you really need to account for Nurkic's 3-14 record in the playoffs....and that in his time in Portland, Nurk has played in 17 playoff games, but missed 19. Portland's record in playoff games he played is 3-14; in games he missed it's 8-11

the reality is that both Gobert and Nurkic are role players who don't seem to impact their team's chances in the playoffs. Pretty much the definition of role-players. The deciding difference between them, over the next 4 years, could be that Gobert is making 42M/year and Nurk could (and should) be making 12M/year. Gobert at 42M/year is a stupid albatross contract that would cripple any team's flexibility and upside

[Norm2953]

I'd like to know how Duren's workout went. One can easily see if it went really well, Portland moving
on from Nurk, if the choices at 7 were mostly guards and the team did not move the pick.

No real word out of Portland how the workouts for Daniel, Mathurin went as well.

[JasonStern]

were not talking about regular season, were talking about playoffs, about wining the chip (those accolades are based on regular season) and the question is, can he help us win, as he got exposed pretty badly against the clippers & mavs

there is a huge difference between regular season and the playoffs

the reality is that both Gobert and Nurkic are role players who don't seem to impact their team's chances in the playoffs. Pretty much the definition of role-players. The deciding difference between them, over the next 4 years, could be that Gobert is making 42M/year and Nurk could (and should) be making 12M/year. Gobert at 42M/year is a stupid albatross contract that would cripple any team's flexibility and upside

The problem here is that Dame is a borderline top ten player that would be a second option on a championship team, and the Blazers don't have the assets to get another top ten player to pair with Dame. So you're looking at either praying to get lucky in the draft, or taking the best players in trade and free agency available with the understanding that this team is probably first round playoff fodder that might win a series or two if things break their way.

[Case2012]

If we can get 2 or 3 other guys in the top 30-40 we can still win. It just depends on how well they compliment each other and the coaching. I think Dame can get a chip if he has long switchable 3/D combo forwards and a center that can switch on pnr. I would rather have guys that can play really good defense and are average from 3 than shot creators. Play hard on the defensive end and look for the best shot on offense instead of a bunch of dribbling. That's what's working for Boston right now.

Guys like Grant, OG, Turner, Randle, Sochan, Eason, Otto Porter, Daniels, Duren would work well within billups system. If we can turn the 7th, bledsoe, Simons, tpe's, Mil first, Keon etc into 3 of those guys we have a decent shot. Grant, Randle and Turner would be my preference next to Hart and Dame. Give me Winslow, Dunn, Porter, Watford, and a center that can switch off the bench and that's a top 10 defense. We just need a 6th man Jason Terry type after that to pick up the slack on offense when Dame sits. I wouldn't be surprised if Nas could be that guy, but I'm really high on his development.

I haven't been happy with the assets Cronin's gotten back but I see the vision he shares with billups and I think it could be very successful. Toronto, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Boston have been great examples of this style working.

[jhern87]

If we can get 2 or 3 other guys in the top 30-40 we can still win. It just depends on how well they compliment each other and the coaching. I think Dame can get a chip if he has long switchable 3/D combo forwards and a center that can switch on pnr. I would rather have guys that can play really good defense and are average from 3 than shot creators. Play hard on the defensive end and look for the best shot on offense instead of a bunch of dribbling. That's what's working for Boston right now.

Guys like Grant, OG, Turner, Randle, Sochan, Eason, Otto Porter, Daniels, Duren would work well within billups system. If we can turn the 7th, bledsoe, Simons, tpe's, Mil first, Keon etc into 3 of those guys we have a decent shot. Grant, Randle and Turner would be my preference next to Hart and Dame. Give me Winslow, Dunn, Porter, Watford, and a center that can switch off the bench and that's a top 10 defense. We just need a 6th man Jason Terry type after that to pick up the slack on offense when Dame sits. I wouldn't be surprised if Nas could be that guy, but I'm really high on his development.

I haven't been happy with the assets Cronin's gotten back but I see the vision he shares with billups and I think it could be very successful. Toronto, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Boston have been great examples of this style working.

You have a weird infatuation with Julius Randle..

[JRoy]

If we can get 2 or 3 other guys in the top 30-40 we can still win. It just depends on how well they compliment each other and the coaching. I think Dame can get a chip if he has long switchable 3/D combo forwards and a center that can switch on pnr. I would rather have guys that can play really good defense and are average from 3 than shot creators. Play hard on the defensive end and look for the best shot on offense instead of a bunch of dribbling. That's what's working for Boston right now.

Guys like Grant, OG, Turner, Randle, Sochan, Eason, Otto Porter, Daniels, Duren would work well within billups system. If we can turn the 7th, bledsoe, Simons, tpe's, Mil first, Keon etc into 3 of those guys we have a decent shot. Grant, Randle and Turner would be my preference next to Hart and Dame. Give me Winslow, Dunn, Porter, Watford, and a center that can switch off the bench and that's a top 10 defense. We just need a 6th man Jason Terry type after that to pick up the slack on offense when Dame sits. I wouldn't be surprised if Nas could be that guy, but I'm really high on his development.

I haven't been happy with the assets Cronin's gotten back but I see the vision he shares with billups and I think it could be very successful. Toronto, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Boston have been great examples of this style working.

You have a weird infatuation with Julius Randle..

I do t know anything about his infatuation, but Randle seems out of place in that group as the only traffic cone on defense.

[Case2012]

Infatuation? 6'8 forwards with 7ft wingspans, that we can buy low on after making all star and all NBA teams last year don't grow on trees. The deal I proposed had us taking back the 11th pick as well to grab a defensive upgrade at the 3 or 5 too.

I'm not infatuated with Randle, I'm infatuated with putting the best wings/forwards possible around Dame because that's what's working in the playoffs if you haven't noticed and our options are pretty limited.

[Norm2953]

I do wonder again how a new owner who just paid over $2 Billion to buy the team is going to like
paying for new extensions for Dame, Grant, Ant and paying Randle all for a team that really can't
compete for a championship. This assumes they let Nurkic walk.

That new owner is going to want to take the team in whatever direction they want and not inherit
a team with bloated contracts. Curious thing to ask for a new owner

[Case2012]

Dame has 3 years left on his deal, why are we extending him now? We don't know the market for Simons yet and if we trade for Grant we don't have to extend him right away. I think winning elevates the price of the team, and the buyers will probably want a team that brings in cash, aka a winning team. Everything I've read about Knight and smolinski is that they're dedicated to doing whatever it takes, including spend to put out a winner.

I can't see the future, but I don't think it's crazy to think Dame, Ant, Grant, Randle, and Nurk couldn't compete for at least a WCF appearance. We made it with Dame, CJ, Harkless, aminu and kanter... Anything's possible.

[Norm2953]

It's team chemistry and balance for Randle, Grant, Dame and Ant all need the ball. It would make for an unhappy Nurk if he has to play the defense/rebounding role as the fifth option.

[Case2012]

I do agree the chemistry might be tough to manage. I'm not opposed to paying someone the vet minimum to play center though. There's a lot of guys usually available that can set screens, drop coverage, and rebound. I like Nurkic, but he hasn't proven to be that important to wins, especially in the playoffs.

[PDXKnight]

I do agree the chemistry might be tough to manage. I'm not opposed to paying someone the vet minimum to play center though. There's a lot of guys usually available that can set screens, drop coverage, and rebound. I like Nurkic, but he hasn't proven to be that important to wins, especially in the playoffs.

Centers are easy to come by anymore. I do think there’s merit to getting a guy on an affordable contract to fill the void, maybe better than a minimum guy but he doesn’t have to cost 20 mil to fill a role. That being said with injury history i wonder if nurk could go for perhaps 15 mil a year and if so i’d take a flyer on him again

Ultimately i think he wants to be back here but maybe the fo isn’t quite as sold?

[Pattycakes]

I love Nurk for his changes over the years, however I have never felt he’s really ever grasped his maturity in game. Seems like just a bad call away from giving up on a given quarter, and that will always be a major liability logistically and on team morale. Dame deserves to be more than a baby sitter if he’s loyal.