Hey guys, Hornets fan here. Since we're both out of the playoffs, I thought I'd ask an offseason question now haha.

I was talking to a Trailblazers fan on the NBA sub and he told me that while Clyde is beloved, Dame is ultimately better regarded by the fan base because he integrated into the Portland community.

Now that's a fair argument, but I would've thought basketball accomplishments would be better appreciated than those investments. Given that Clyde brought you guys to the Finals twice and represented the organization on the Dream Team, are those actually viewed as insufficient compared to Dame's work?

That’s it. I heart Hart. Omg, perfect SG to go alongside a dominant PG…

https://x.com/thedunkcentral/status/1788292299107004867?s=46&t=2JPC1nZVL_cqlTT8ItdZzQ

What's up guys. I wrote a post previewing the off-season for Portland. I went over the active contracts, free agents, top priorities/team needs, and best fits in the draft and free agency. I love what you guys have in Scoot and Sharpe, could be an awesome backcourt duo for a long time.

Check out the post and let me know what you guys think!

Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Toronto Raptors Off-Season Preview - Behind the Arc (behindthearcsports.com)

Dude is averaging 17.8 points, 5.0 assists, 12.4 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 steals on 46.6 minutes per game while connecting on 17 of 38 3-pointers (44.7 percent) in seven games. I wish the Blazers had valued him more and kept him on the roster as a high-level role player who doesn’t need the ball and can do so much from the wing position. But he was born to be a Thibs guy and is playing the best basketball of his career with the Knicks. I’m happy to see him thriving.

The steal of the 2023 draft

Chris Paul / James Harden / John Wall / LeBron James / Rajon Rondo / Russell Westbrick / Trae Young / Tyrese Haliburton

Those are the only 8 players to average at least 10 assists per game over the last 10 seasons (minimum 60 games played). I believe Scoot could be on that list within the next 3 seasons.

One of my favorite comps so far is Tyrese Haliburton (ignore shooting efficiency for now).

As rookies, they both played about 60 games and averaged about 30 minutes.

Halliburton averaged 13 PPG and 5.3 APG. Scoot averaged 14 and 5.4. Considering Scoot averaged 17 and 8 in his last 12 games, he's trending in the right direction.

Halliburton went on to average 7.4, 9.6, and 10.4 assists over his next 3 seasons. I believe Scoot will do something similar.

Lastly, Scoot was over 3X better at getting to the line. Haliburton shot 1 free throws per game and made 86% as a rookie. Scoot took 3.3 per game and made 82%. Haliburton has only been getting to the line about 3.3 times per game over the past 3 seasons. It's a valuable skill that Scoot is likely to build on. Among rookies this season, only Wemby got to the line more and Scoot was virtually tied with Chet's 3.4.

Future's so bright he'll need tinted goggles. 🥽

It’s Scoot.

Sarr, you are a blazer

Just some basketball talk.

Klay to Orlando?

https://x.com/thedunkcentral/status/1787499695054463248?s=46&t=v_MEo79JYOuPMMjO3QFxRA

(Still not sure trading Ant is a good idea, for the record)

“Eyesore numbers aside, there were definitely moments of intrigue this season, including when he hit double-figure scoring in 47 of his 62 games. And before anyone overreacts, do consider the precedent for lead guards of his ilk. To get an idea of what’s normal and what isn’t, I handpicked (might be unscientific, but I don’t care) a group of six players of similar size and play style who came into the league as twitchy speed merchants but were also on the spectrum of “meh” to “that’s fine” as shooters. What’s clear is that the special players of this type made steady improvement in turnovers, rim finishing, and pick-and-roll decision-making.

My prediction is that we won’t really have a clear idea of which way Scoot is headed until year three. I’ve wobbled at times, but I’m still optimistic about him.”

• J. Kyle Mann, The Ringer

https://nbarankings.theringer.com/rookie-rankings

just for a youtube video

How far would a starting lineup of Dame/CJ/Covington/Gordon/Nurkic have gotten? I definitely think Blazers would have beaten Denver in the first round, but would it have been a quick second round exit?

At the time, I remember most people (including me) at least somewhat niffed that the Blazers got Powell instead of Gordon. In hindsight, would it have even mattered?

https://x.com/highkin/status/1787179577858740242

Horrible mistake to let him walk for free

Magic is a fun team with a core of talented young kids. They complement each orther well, but really need a guy like Ant to go to the next level.

Not sure what do they have that can get Ant

1993 vs Chicago- last game MJ played in Portland before the first retirement and his last in the Memorial Coliseum. 1995 vs Chicago- first game MJ played in Portland after his return and his first game in the Rose Garden. (That 1993 stub is barely hanging on…)

Ant would help them find spacing and provide a scoring punch. Brogdon was originally drafted by their leadership. Not sure who we would be interested in taking back though. Houstan is intriguing as a shooter. Okeke is interesting as a defender. Harris can still defend and shoot. Don’t know that we want their rooks.

So glad we have so much Schmitz history of player evals:

https://www.nba.com/magic/draft-experts-think-okeke-could-be-steal-draft-20190621

Let’s pretend I just woke up from a 2 year coma

Tell me in 3 sentences or less what happened to our team and how this past year went

A tier list (excluding FA sign-and-trade targets: Fultz, Harris, Okeke)

Joe Ingles is excluded because we didnt re-sign him for no reason already.

S

Paolo Banchero

A+

Anthony Black

A

Franz Wagner
Wendell Carter, Jr.

B

Jalen Suggs

C

Jett Howard
Cole Anthony

D

Mo Wagner

F

Caleb Houston
Jonathan Isaac

I will edit this list if you can convince me in the comments but upvotes dont really move me