re: You have to Make the Playoffs or you Die

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im with you. Portland is in for a regress big time

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IDK, The Blazers are kinda becoming the new offseason Mavs.

Pels fans every year were saying they were in for a steep decline and it never happened.

Because at the end of the day you have a top 5 coach and hall of fame player.

The Blazers will still have solid role players and two budding all stars along with a borderline top 5 coach. Barring injuries I don't see them finishing below the 6-7 seed.

I'll never count the Mavs/Grizzlies out until Carlisle is done and until Conley and Gasol are over the hill.

Despite getting in arguments since 2013 about this every offseason. The rumors of their deaths tend to always be greatly exaggerated by Pels fans in the honeymoon phase of the offseason when the stars feel in reach once again. Not saying you are doing that or anything but just speaking more generally there.

I think the Grizzlies finally do have a strong chance to slip since I think Conley is gone. The Mavs however? I can totally see them signing Dwight Howard and continuing to tread water and getting 42-46 wins again.

injuries and other variables like players bolting are always the * in projecting the following season but to me Stotts has proven it too many times that their chemistry is no fluke. He almost universally seems to bring guys in and they leave with higher value and better production then when they got there. I think he is the real deal.

That I definitely agree with.

I think the West, barring injury or flight of talent like Durant and Conley, is poised to go back to being pretty strong.

Looking over the landscape I think Blazers, Wolves, Pelicans, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Kings, Jazz, and Rockets all can make the case they will have a playoff capable squad barring injury. On top of the usual suspects.

They aren't really like the Mavs at all. They have two undersided jump shooting guards that really isn't a recipe for long term success. They happened to stay healthier than every team kn the NBA last year. They are competitive but they aren't a threat to over throw the league

If I was forced to predict what will happen, I think Portland falls into the same trap Charlotte did a few years ago. Exceeded expectations, thought they were on the way up, then added talented guys to try and make the leap

But the reason Portland did well last year, in addition to luck, was because they had a bunch of guys just happy to be getting playing time. They would run through a wall and dos anything you asked. They swallowed pride and just played their roles

When you dish out money in the summer, guys no longer feel that way. More talent does not always mean more wins. In fact, it can sometimes work against you

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If the Kings make the playoffs, the apocalypse has arrived

I see the contenders, in order if I were handicapping it today and with what I expect from the offseason, as

Rockets
Jazz
Blazers
Mavs
Pels
Grizz
Wolves

4 of those 7 will make it, again depending on their offseason, chemistry, and injury luck

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I think Joeger is the best coach Cousins will have had personality wise since Malone. So I can see it clicking.

They have cap space and could nab a couple solid acquisitions. Like Ryno for instance.

I think they can make a case, not the best one, but I wouldn't take them out of the conversation is all I am saying. They would definitely be at my lowest probability slotting though.

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If I was forced to predict what will happen, I think Portland falls into the same trap Charlotte did a few years ago. Exceeded expectations, thought they were on the way up, then added talented guys to try and make the leap

But the reason Portland did well last year, in addition to luck, was because they had a bunch of guys just happy to be getting playing time. They would run through a wall and dos anything you asked. They swallowed pride and just played their roles

When you dish out money in the summer, guys no longer feel that way. More talent does not always mean more wins. In fact, it can sometimes work against you

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My thing is that I look at Stotts body of work and getting guys to buy in and scheming for the talent he has as well as he has done consistently over the years and he has yet to really have a bad season in totality. Outside his first one that is. In fact he also seems to always over perform expectations. Kinda like Carlisle continues to do.

Yeah he had that stretch of Batum in a slump but he still played well defensively.

I just think it gets to a point where its no longer luck and just needs to be accepted as ability. And I think Stotts is at that point in my mind. So thats why I hesitate to assume any sort of decline. In fact I am more prone to thinking they will be even better. Closer to the 3-4 seed then the 8 seed.

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Portland has a great coach and two guards that can fill buckets at a pretty elite level. Then they are surrounded by length and decent role players. M

That's a recipe for good regular season success. They'll probably make it barring Lillard injuries.

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And for me thats been a sticking point in the back of my mind.

Well coached and well schemed a roster like that can consistently get 45 wins a season in my mind.

They aren't a contender but they are a team I would expect to be in the 4-6 range of the playoffs fairly consistently barring health.

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I'm super anxious about our Free Agency. I have no idea how we approach it.

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Me too. But the draft did alleviate a few of my fears. I really thought Demps would sell the pick again or make another cute decision but I think he knocked both out of the park.

I just don't want to re-sign Ryno or Gordon. We need to get more two way players on this team. Though if I were sticking to the OP, you probably do bite the bullet and bring back Ryno.

I hate win-now it always fails

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Diallo though is one of the more "Spurs" moves I have seen Demps do so far.

Sold Ish Smith high and is using it for a developmental prospect with much higher upside to bring along for a couple years.

Its the sort of long term thinking that keeps the Spurs with a steady flow of cheap role players that fit the system and can then be sold off at a high price to keep the cycle going or made into long term role players. Now Jeff Withey kinda shows that Demps isnt exactly patient so lets just hope 1.) Diallo pans out and 2.) Demps doesnt get impatient.

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That's why I think it was a Ferry move. Demps acts like young players are a waste of time.