|
Post by Roar GM (Josh) on May 27, 2015 7:57:15 GMT -5
Why in the world would an exec come forward? You're just trying to find a reason to discredit them. If those same people were saying it's a lock that he was staying, i'm sure you wouldn't believe them unless they came out and identified themselves. Right?
How are rival execs getting access to FO's? Because they're friends? The NBA is a networking wet dream. Everyone knows everyone. I'm not sure what the point of "Drawing an audience" is. It's anonymous so how exactly are they doing that? Either Love is telling the truth and staying so who cares what people say, or he's not and they were telling the truth.
As far as LA is concerned, I think he's more likely to leave than Love. The Blazers, especially in the West, just aren't good enough to win a championship. They dont have the flexibility to do much else if they resign LA and he understands that. Who knows what the deal with Matthews will be and they could lose Lopez as well. Love, on the other hand, knows what the deal is and knows he can win a championship there.
|
|
|
Post by TrailDucker on May 27, 2015 10:06:42 GMT -5
Why in the world would an exec come forward? You're just trying to find a reason to discredit them. If those same people were saying it's a lock that he was staying, i'm sure you wouldn't believe them unless they came out and identified themselves. Right? How are rival execs getting access to FO's? Because they're friends? The NBA is a networking wet dream. Everyone knows everyone. I'm not sure what the point of "Drawing an audience" is. It's anonymous so how exactly are they doing that? Either Love is telling the truth and staying so who cares what people say, or he's not and they were telling the truth. As far as LA is concerned, I think he's more likely to leave than Love. The Blazers, especially in the West, just aren't good enough to win a championship. They dont have the flexibility to do much else if they resign LA and he understands that. Who knows what the deal with Matthews will be and they could lose Lopez as well. Love, on the other hand, knows what the deal is and knows he can win a championship there. I feel this is a completely inaccurate yet a frustratingly common redirect. Blazers when healthy last season where in that second tier of contenders behind Golden State and Atlanta that includes Cleveland, LA, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago. After the Afflalo trade for the month and a half of healthiness they were creeping into the top tier (that Cleveland moved themselves into by that point). It just sucks Matthews went down because he was secretly so important. Afflalo was just that less of a defender that Lillard was exposed more, Afflalo was just that less accurate of three point specialist and it slightly affected our spacing to make a noticeable impact. It didn't help that Afflalo was never fully healthy since being traded to us. Ohh yeah and LaMarcus was playing with ONE HAND. I ask you though, where can Aldridge go (within the rules of the NBA) that will be a better situation for him to win? Cleveland, but not if they keep Love. SA would have to gut their team depth to sign him; same with Houston. Dallas is in a worse situation Cap and team roster wise as us. Boston/Denver/Orlando/Detroit all are not there. You can blindly pick a contender and say a sign-and-trade but LMA has to want to go their first then the teams have to agree on a trade second, and that team will be gutting depth like I mentioned. Meanwhile the Blazers were a fringe contender last year and if we can bring Matthews (very likely) and Lopez (I'm nervuous, but still pretty likely) back we have the same starters and with an improving bench (Did anybody outside of Portland notice CJ McCollum and Meyers Leonard in the playoffs?) and an MLE to get one more. With CJ's development, whether Afflalo exercises his player option or not isn't that big of a deal, but I personally hope he does and tries to be the 6th man of the year; we haven't seen his best here. The big question mark here is Matthews as that's a hard injury to recover from. I am aware of that and acknowledge it, but it's out of anyone's control so LMA shouldn't let someone else's injury be the sole thing effecting his decision. That's just not smart businesss. I'm late for work or I'd get into the financials of it for LaMarcus, but they just make sense for him to sign a 1 year deal with an option for the next and resogn with the mega-max next year with the new TV deal money, should we show him we are a legit contender.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 10:35:40 GMT -5
Why in the world would an exec come forward? You're just trying to find a reason to discredit them. If those same people were saying it's a lock that he was staying, i'm sure you wouldn't believe them unless they came out and identified themselves. Right? How are rival execs getting access to FO's? Because they're friends? The NBA is a networking wet dream. Everyone knows everyone. I'm not sure what the point of "Drawing an audience" is. It's anonymous so how exactly are they doing that? Either Love is telling the truth and staying so who cares what people say, or he's not and they were telling the truth. As far as LA is concerned, I think he's more likely to leave than Love. The Blazers, especially in the West, just aren't good enough to win a championship. They dont have the flexibility to do much else if they resign LA and he understands that. Who knows what the deal with Matthews will be and they could lose Lopez as well. Love, on the other hand, knows what the deal is and knows he can win a championship there. Everyone knows everyone, but Cleveland execs aren't going to tell anyone outside the organization that a player is leaving. Why would they? I'm just saying that the media lays baseless claims. Believe what you want, but after the coverage of the Cavs in these playoffs, I don't trust the media one bit. They underplayed the dirty Olynk play, overhyped the JR swipe, have crucified Delly, and talked about how the Cavs play in a weak conference (the Cavs were without Love and Kyrie has been injured-- but let's overlook that). No credit is given to the Cavs. The media shits on Cleveland and I don't get it. They go out of their way to make it seem like a horrible place and it comes full circle with the Love rumors. And I'm referring to the media with drawing an audience. These national syndicates are all about creating drama. It's not good journalism and it's not good reporting. If these guys were saying Love was staying and Love said it himself, sure i would believe it. If Love said he wanted out and the media was reporting he was staying, I wouldn't believe it. I guess only time will tell whether or not Love wants to bolt or be apart of a team that could be a powerhouse in the league for the next five years.
|
|
|
Post by Roar GM (Josh) on May 27, 2015 14:26:05 GMT -5
Why in the world would an exec come forward? You're just trying to find a reason to discredit them. If those same people were saying it's a lock that he was staying, i'm sure you wouldn't believe them unless they came out and identified themselves. Right? How are rival execs getting access to FO's? Because they're friends? The NBA is a networking wet dream. Everyone knows everyone. I'm not sure what the point of "Drawing an audience" is. It's anonymous so how exactly are they doing that? Either Love is telling the truth and staying so who cares what people say, or he's not and they were telling the truth. As far as LA is concerned, I think he's more likely to leave than Love. The Blazers, especially in the West, just aren't good enough to win a championship. They dont have the flexibility to do much else if they resign LA and he understands that. Who knows what the deal with Matthews will be and they could lose Lopez as well. Love, on the other hand, knows what the deal is and knows he can win a championship there. I feel this is a completely inaccurate yet a frustratingly common redirect. Blazers when healthy last season where in that second tier of contenders behind Golden State and Atlanta that includes Cleveland, LA, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago. After the Afflalo trade for the month and a half of healthiness they were creeping into the top tier (that Cleveland moved themselves into by that point). It just sucks Matthews went down because he was secretly so important. Afflalo was just that less of a defender that Lillard was exposed more, Afflalo was just that less accurate of three point specialist and it slightly affected our spacing to make a noticeable impact. It didn't help that Afflalo was never fully healthy since being traded to us. Ohh yeah and LaMarcus was playing with ONE HAND. I ask you though, where can Aldridge go (within the rules of the NBA) that will be a better situation for him to win? Cleveland, but not if they keep Love. SA would have to gut their team depth to sign him; same with Houston. Dallas is in a worse situation Cap and team roster wise as us. Boston/Denver/Orlando/Detroit all are not there. You can blindly pick a contender and say a sign-and-trade but LMA has to want to go their first then the teams have to agree on a trade second, and that team will be gutting depth like I mentioned. Meanwhile the Blazers were a fringe contender last year and if we can bring Matthews (very likely) and Lopez (I'm nervuous, but still pretty likely) back we have the same starters and with an improving bench (Did anybody outside of Portland notice CJ McCollum and Meyers Leonard in the playoffs?) and an MLE to get one more. With CJ's development, whether Afflalo exercises his player option or not isn't that big of a deal, but I personally hope he does and tries to be the 6th man of the year; we haven't seen his best here. The big question mark here is Matthews as that's a hard injury to recover from. I am aware of that and acknowledge it, but it's out of anyone's control so LMA shouldn't let someone else's injury be the sole thing effecting his decision. That's just not smart businesss. I'm late for work or I'd get into the financials of it for LaMarcus, but they just make sense for him to sign a 1 year deal with an option for the next and resogn with the mega-max next year with the new TV deal money, should we show him we are a legit contender. I agree that LA should sign a one year deal, but that doesn't give the Blazers any more flexibility for next year. Completely inaccurate? They had the 6th best record in the west. They were 25-24 in 2015. I understand injuries, but everyone goes through them. Dwight missed 40 something games, yet they were still the 2 seed. Randolph, Conley, Allen missed 40 games combined. Griffin and Crawford were each out 15-25 games. Leonard and parker missed 20 games each. Injuries happen. To everyone. GS, Hou, LAC (assuming they resign Deandre), Mem, SA (bc they're the Spurs, I refuse to count them out) were all better than the Blazers this year, and I have no reason to believe they wont be better next year. You have 7 NBA players (8 if Matthews comes back which would be an incredible recovery even if he's 80% next year), McCollum and Leonard were solid in the playoffs and are legit players. Afflalo should stay bc i don't think he's getting 7.5 mil or whatever he has for his player option next year. If Lopez leaves, you have a hole that you will only be able to fill with a replacement level player (Mid-level exception). Without an elite big 3, 7/8 guys wont be enough to get it done. I'm not trying to discredit Portland or claim they aren't good. I'm sorry if that's how im coming across. If they were in the East, they'd absolutely be title contenders. But I just dont see them jumping even half of the teams mentioned above. To answer your question about where he could go, SA and HOU are the only 2 legit shots (cmon down to Orlando! We'll take you LA!). Hou has enough pieces to sign and trade and keep enough depth to round out the roster. Daryl Morey has time and again shown he can find value. The Spurs can do the same thing. They take has-beens and guys no one wants (Green, Bellinelli, Mills) and turn them into serviceable players. No reason to believe they couldnt do that again.
|
|
|
Post by TrailDucker on May 27, 2015 15:41:38 GMT -5
I feel this is a completely inaccurate yet a frustratingly common redirect. Blazers when healthy last season where in that second tier of contenders behind Golden State and Atlanta that includes Cleveland, LA, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago. After the Afflalo trade for the month and a half of healthiness they were creeping into the top tier (that Cleveland moved themselves into by that point). It just sucks Matthews went down because he was secretly so important. Afflalo was just that less of a defender that Lillard was exposed more, Afflalo was just that less accurate of three point specialist and it slightly affected our spacing to make a noticeable impact. It didn't help that Afflalo was never fully healthy since being traded to us. Ohh yeah and LaMarcus was playing with ONE HAND. I ask you though, where can Aldridge go (within the rules of the NBA) that will be a better situation for him to win? Cleveland, but not if they keep Love. SA would have to gut their team depth to sign him; same with Houston. Dallas is in a worse situation Cap and team roster wise as us. Boston/Denver/Orlando/Detroit all are not there. You can blindly pick a contender and say a sign-and-trade but LMA has to want to go their first then the teams have to agree on a trade second, and that team will be gutting depth like I mentioned. Meanwhile the Blazers were a fringe contender last year and if we can bring Matthews (very likely) and Lopez (I'm nervuous, but still pretty likely) back we have the same starters and with an improving bench (Did anybody outside of Portland notice CJ McCollum and Meyers Leonard in the playoffs?) and an MLE to get one more. With CJ's development, whether Afflalo exercises his player option or not isn't that big of a deal, but I personally hope he does and tries to be the 6th man of the year; we haven't seen his best here. The big question mark here is Matthews as that's a hard injury to recover from. I am aware of that and acknowledge it, but it's out of anyone's control so LMA shouldn't let someone else's injury be the sole thing effecting his decision. That's just not smart businesss. I'm late for work or I'd get into the financials of it for LaMarcus, but they just make sense for him to sign a 1 year deal with an option for the next and resogn with the mega-max next year with the new TV deal money, should we show him we are a legit contender. I agree that LA should sign a one year deal, but that doesn't give the Blazers any more flexibility for next year. Completely inaccurate? They had the 6th best record in the west. They were 25-24 in 2015. I understand injuries, but everyone goes through them. Dwight missed 40 something games, yet they were still the 2 seed. Randolph, Conley, Allen missed 40 games combined. Griffin and Crawford were each out 15-25 games. Leonard and parker missed 20 games each. Injuries happen. To everyone. GS, Hou, LAC (assuming they resign Deandre), Mem, SA (bc they're the Spurs, I refuse to count them out) were all better than the Blazers this year, and I have no reason to believe they wont be better next year. You have 7 NBA players (8 if Matthews comes back which would be an incredible recovery even if he's 80% next year), McCollum and Leonard were solid in the playoffs and are legit players. Afflalo should stay bc i don't think he's getting 7.5 mil or whatever he has for his player option next year. If Lopez leaves, you have a hole that you will only be able to fill with a replacement level player (Mid-level exception). Without an elite big 3, 7/8 guys wont be enough to get it done. I'm not trying to discredit Portland or claim they aren't good. I'm sorry if that's how im coming across. If they were in the East, they'd absolutely be title contenders. But I just dont see them jumping even half of the teams mentioned above. To answer your question about where he could go, SA and HOU are the only 2 legit shots (cmon down to Orlando! We'll take you LA!). Hou has enough pieces to sign and trade and keep enough depth to round out the roster. Daryl Morey has time and again shown he can find value. The Spurs can do the same thing. They take has-beens and guys no one wants (Green, Bellinelli, Mills) and turn them into serviceable players. No reason to believe they couldnt do that again. I see your point but I still think if Matthews didn't get hurt we would have been the 2 seed in the conference. But that's my opinion and I'm a homer so take that for what it's worth. I just don't like how the media acts like its a forgone conclusion some greener grasses are out there for LMA and there will be soooooo many suitors when really there will be the three Texas team, and some bad teams. Plus we have LMAs bird rights so if he signs a one year or a four year deal with someone else he is putting about $60 Mil (with next years cap projections built in) on the table over signing a one year deal then a 5 year deal the next season with us. My main concern is Lopez. Matthews I feel will either immediately sign with us or shop around for a figure we have to match. Lopez I'm not sure will give us that luxury if he's approached hard by another team; which I can see happening. Aldridge is the big domino in our summer but Lopez is the next biggest because he will be next to impossible to sign, especially if we successfully resign Matthews. Matthews we have options to replace, Lopez we are pretty much up a creek. You're not getting a starting center with the MLE.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 19:20:49 GMT -5
A healthy Blazers team is capable of making the finals.
As far as Love is concerned, I can see both sides. Where there is that much smoke, there's usually a fire. At the same time, we know these "sources" will sometimes just throw something out there even if its not true. Simmons basically said the same thing before the season. I think it's interesting to take these rumors at face value when whoever these sources are are going to be biased. I'm just going to go with what's Kevin said in the past. He wants to be part of a winning team, he only wants to win, and he'll do whatever he can to be on a winner. He's stated on numerous occasions that he's coming back, the the Lakers aren't an option, etc. I really have no reason not to believe the guy.
|
|
|
Post by Mighty Mouse on May 28, 2015 11:31:16 GMT -5
I think Kevin Love is going to stay. I don't understand the motivation for him leaving. I still think I’m right about the Wiggins debate though. Cleveland cashed in their future for a chance at a title today (a chance they would have had regardless).
For Aldridge, it comes down to priorities. If he wants to win a title above all else, he's probably gone. Portland is a beast when everyone is healthy and clicking together, but when they’re missing a single piece it all falls apart. They’re a very, very good team, but they play co-dependently almost to a fault. If Meyers Leonard and CJ McCollum can become reliable contributors on both ends of the floor . . . maybe they’ll finally have a roster that can weather some adversity, but right now they just don’t.
Anyways, back to Aldridge. If he wants to win above all else, he’ll leave. Probably for San Antonio. If he is in it for the money, he’ll stay. He’ll make a ton more in Portland than anywhere else. If he wants to win, but wants the money too . . . I think Olshey can convince him to stay. Maybe he’ll sign the 1 year contract and re-evaluate. There are a lot of other non-money, non-basketball factors at play that could impact him. He’s on track to be the greatest Blazer in history (statistically) and have his jersey in the rafters. He can cement his legacy as local legend forever. The Blazers are an organization that takes care of their own long after they retire and the city of Portland has a great way of embracing players that embrace the city. That stuff won’t be a deciding factor, but it could push him back to Portland if he is on the fence.
The winning thing is the elephant in the room. Not that he CAN’T win in Portland, but it isn’t very likely. His career is currently on a similar trajectory to Kevin Garnett. (KG made the playoffs 8 times in Minnesota and the WCF once). And I think it is a fair question to ask, would you rather have KG’s legacy in Minnesota or KG’s legacy in Boston?
If I had to guess, I’d say Aldridge is staying. He’s probably going to do it for the money (I don’t blame him), but he’s probably going to say all the right things about loving the city and the fans and wanting to bring a title to Portland. Portland will love him, but the cynic in me will know it was for the money (which he deserves, no doubt).
Speaking of Minnesota, they have a VERY intriguing roster for the first time in a long time. I’m still a Rubio believer and I think he’s sooooo much more effective if he has a big man to play with. Rubio/Wiggins/Okafor or Rubio/Wiggins/Towns is a fantastic foundation. Then you’ve got a vet shooter in Kevin Martin and the ultimate teacher of young big men in KG. Pekovic and Dieng are pretty good in their own right. Minnesota has good reason to be excited.
|
|
|
Post by TrailDucker on May 28, 2015 11:59:00 GMT -5
I think Kevin Love is going to stay. I don't understand the motivation for him leaving. I still think I’m right about the Wiggins debate though. Cleveland cashed in their future for a chance at a title today (a chance they would have had regardless). For Aldridge, it comes down to priorities. If he wants to win a title above all else, he's probably gone. Portland is a beast when everyone is healthy and clicking together, but when they’re missing a single piece it all falls apart. They’re a very, very good team, but they play co-dependently almost to a fault. If Meyers Leonard and CJ McCollum can become reliable contributors on both ends of the floor . . . maybe they’ll finally have a roster that can weather some adversity, but right now they just don’t. Anyways, back to Aldridge. If he wants to win above all else, he’ll leave. Probably for San Antonio. If he is in it for the money, he’ll stay. He’ll make a ton more in Portland than anywhere else. If he wants to win, but wants the money too . . . I think Olshey can convince him to stay. Maybe he’ll sign the 1 year contract and re-evaluate. There are a lot of other non-money, non-basketball factors at play that could impact him. He’s on track to be the greatest Blazer in history (statistically) and have his jersey in the rafters. He can cement his legacy as local legend forever. The Blazers are an organization that takes care of their own long after they retire and the city of Portland has a great way of embracing players that embrace the city. That stuff won’t be a deciding factor, but it could push him back to Portland if he is on the fence. The winning thing is the elephant in the room. Not that he CAN’T win in Portland, but it isn’t very likely. His career is currently on a similar trajectory to Kevin Garnett. (KG made the playoffs 8 times in Minnesota and the WCF once). And I think it is a fair question to ask, would you rather have KG’s legacy in Minnesota or KG’s legacy in Boston? If I had to guess, I’d say Aldridge is staying. He’s probably going to do it for the money (I don’t blame him), but he’s probably going to say all the right things about loving the city and the fans and wanting to bring a title to Portland. Portland will love him, but the cynic in me will know it was for the money (which he deserves, no doubt). Speaking of Minnesota, they have a VERY intriguing roster for the first time in a long time. I’m still a Rubio believer and I think he’s sooooo much more effective if he has a big man to play with. Rubio/Wiggins/Okafor or Rubio/Wiggins/Towns is a fantastic foundation. Then you’ve got a vet shooter in Kevin Martin and the ultimate teacher of young big men in KG. Pekovic and Dieng are pretty good in their own right. Minnesota has good reason to be excited. Don't forget Bennett Just kidding, but I think LaVine still has some good potential. The team I think will could be a monster undercover is Milwuakie. If Parker stays healthy as their scorer they have a very intriguing line up with match up problems all over the roster they can explout based on the team they are playing. And Kidd has convinced me he is a decent coach.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 12:06:51 GMT -5
Minnesota will be fun. They were interesting to watch on League Pass this past season. Wiggins will be a star and I think Lavine is going to be a special player too. He's raw, but he can do it all.
I'm cheering for them
|
|
|
Post by Mighty Mouse on May 28, 2015 12:43:36 GMT -5
As a Portland fan, both Minnesota and Milwaukee (and Golden State and Cleveland and Atlanta I guess) give me hope that Adam Silver's NBA will have significantly more parity than David Stern's NBA.
I know the owners have a lot of say in the way the league is run, but Stern consistently pandered to the big markets. His legacy was the golden era of stars in big markets winning titles and chasing dynasties. Magic, Jordan, Bird, Olajuwon, Kobe, Shaq, Miami's big 3.
I'm not a huge NFL fan, but I do appreciate the fact that every season every team thinks they've got a shot at the Super Bowl. 2/3 teams have been in contention for a title in the last 20 years in the NFL. Only about 1/3 have been serious title contenders in the NBA during the same span.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 22:16:44 GMT -5
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If the Cavs win a title, who gives a shit about trading Wiggins?
Everyone except Cavs fans, apparently.
I also think you'd hear a shit ton of Wiggins criticism had he stayed in Cleveland. All that crap about Love not playing 4th quarters (which was mostly bunk)? Multiply it by 10 with Wiggins. I doubt he would have been a part of the crunch time lineup. He wasn't a good shooter and his defense was average at best.
|
|
|
Post by Mighty Mouse on May 28, 2015 22:51:50 GMT -5
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If the Cavs win a title, who gives a shit about trading Wiggins? Everyone except Cavs fans, apparently. I also think you'd hear a shit ton of Wiggins criticism had he stayed in Cleveland. All that crap about Love not playing 4th quarters (which was mostly bunk)? Multiply it by 10 with Wiggins. I doubt he would have been a part of the crunch time lineup. He wasn't a good shooter and his defense was average at best. I doubt you'd hear anything like that about Wiggins because he is a ROOKIE. He was the top pick, sure, but expectations for a rookie on a team with LeBron and Kyrie would have been next to none. Love on the other hand was an all-star and an Olympian, on a huge contract, and was acquired in exchange for TWO #1 picks. Obviously Love was caring the weight of heavy expectations. None of that really matters though. The fact remains that Cleveland traded a 19 year old R.O.Y. for a guy on a max contract (and due for another) who has watched the playoffs from his couch without the Cavs missing a beat. You might not care about Wiggins today (and you shouldn't, you're in the FINALS - congrats btw!), but in a decade, yeah, I think you'll look back on this one. The Wiggins/Love trade could be the difference between 1 title and 6. That said, it is a shame Love isn't playing in the Finals. It'd be great to see him and Draymond battle.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 23:18:20 GMT -5
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If the Cavs win a title, who gives a shit about trading Wiggins? Everyone except Cavs fans, apparently. I also think you'd hear a shit ton of Wiggins criticism had he stayed in Cleveland. All that crap about Love not playing 4th quarters (which was mostly bunk)? Multiply it by 10 with Wiggins. I doubt he would have been a part of the crunch time lineup. He wasn't a good shooter and his defense was average at best. I doubt you'd hear anything like that about Wiggins because he is a ROOKIE. He was the top pick, sure, but expectations for a rookie on a team with LeBron and Kyrie would have been next to none. Love on the other hand was an all-star and an Olympian, on a huge contract, and was acquired in exchange for TWO #1 picks. Obviously Love was caring the weight of heavy expectations. None of that really matters though. The fact remains that Cleveland traded a 19 year old R.O.Y. for a guy on a max contract (and due for another) who has watched the playoffs from his couch without the Cavs missing a beat. You might not care about Wiggins today (and you shouldn't, you're in the FINALS - congrats btw!), but in a decade, yeah, I think you'll look back on this one. The Wiggins/Love trade could be the difference between 1 title and 6. That said, it is a shame Love isn't playing in the Finals. It'd be great to see him and Draymond battle. 1. Yes, you absolutely would have heard criticism. It's Cleveland. Even the media here is looking for things to criticize about the team. Wiggins would have been pushed into the background, and all you would have heard would be the same crap you heard when he was at Kansas. "He's a role player." "He can't shoot." "He's not assertive." "He can't create for others." You would have heard things like, "he'll never be as good as Harrison Barnes. He's a bust." You're crazy if you don't think that's the case. That's how the media works these days. 2. Winning one title is tough enough. You can't assume they'll win one. You sure as hell can't assume they win 6. That's silly. LeBron has a few years left. Wiggins gets hurt or doesn't pan out? You just screwed over LeBron's remaining prime years. Hell, Wiggins doesn't blossom until LeBron retires? Still screwed him. This went from being about Cleveland to being about LeBron the second he signed there. I don't know that this is something Portland fans can really relate to. If Aldridge leaves, you'll know exactly what I mean. The Cavs had to push all their chips to the center of the table. Cavs win a title? Don't give a shit about Wiggins. Cavs never win a title and Wiggins turns into a superstar? Yeah, maybe there's some regret. But a.) there's no guarantee Wiggins turns into a superstar, and b.)the Cavs very well could win a title, maybe even this year (though I think the Warriors are going to be extremely tough to beat... unless Klay and Curry really have serious concussions). 3. Yes, it sucks that Love isn't a part of this. It sucks a lot. One thing I was looking forward to was Love contributing and hitting big shots in a deep playoff run. He contributed and hit big shots, but had the run cruelly taken from him. Was going to be nice payback for the moronic criticisms this year.
|
|
|
Post by Roar GM (Josh) on May 29, 2015 8:01:04 GMT -5
Meige is probably going to blast me for this, but as a responsible NBA fan I must point it out. *Disclaimer: small sample size*. The Offensive rating with Kevin Love throughout the regular season was 110.4 and their defensive rating was 106.6. In the 10 games they haven't had him in the playoffs? 111.4/103. This would lead one to believe they are better without Kevin Love. While I don't necessarily think that is true, the main point I take out of this is that Kevin Love is not essential to them winning a title. Therefore, there was potential to have similar success with Andrew Wiggins.
On the other hand, the Thunder are a perfect example of a team thinking they're set up for multiple finals appearances/titles. They had their future set. Next thing you know, they trade Harden, injuries, bad signings happen and what do they have to show for it? 1 non-competitive finals appearance. If the Cavs think they have a short window, I don't blame them for sacrificing the future. Bird in the hand sort of thing. I don't think I personally would have done it, but I don't blame them for trying.
Remember when most people were perplexed as to why the Warriors wouldn't trade Klay and David Lee for Love? Funny, how it all plays out.
|
|
|
Post by TrailDucker on May 29, 2015 11:33:50 GMT -5
Not to brag but I was a big proponent in the keep Klay camp. So go me!
|
|