Nike Jordan
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- Jun 27, 2002
- 33,947
- 81,233
The Official Off-Season NBA Thread
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by pmatic,
- Start date
- Status
- Dec 27, 2011
- 12,996
- 24,961
Agreed. But their gm is the man for turning the John wall contract 2 years ago into what they have now.
***
- Sep 11, 2015
- 627
- 818
Kawhi in Terminator Mode?
- Jan 5, 2011
- 67,789
- 78,977
- Mar 16, 2010
- 147,118
- 179,492
11 years ago today
- Oct 28, 2013
- 42,726
- 178,516
- Oct 28, 2013
- 42,726
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lobotomybeats
Supporter
- Jan 8, 2004
- 9,202
- 18,624
Zion is going to be on the cover of the next NBA Jambalya video game.
Zion is going to get so many beads for showing his boobs at Mardi Gras.
The Z in shaved into Zion's head stands for Zatarain's.
Zion is going to get so many beads for showing his boobs at Mardi Gras.
The Z in shaved into Zion's head stands for Zatarain's.
- Sep 5, 2010
- 92,803
- 129,096
Inside the Trail Blazers firing of GM Neil Olshey, and what comes next with franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard
Every front office decision, every coaching move, seemingly everything the Portland Trail Blazers organization does is accompanied by this question: How does this impact star guard Damian Lillard?
This is not unusual in the NBA, the most star-driven of leagues. But in Portland, where “Dame Time” has been a phenomenon for a decade now, this reality is particularly acute. Will Lillard or won’t Lillard ask out of Portland has been a frequent discussion point in NBA front offices since the Blazers season ended last June.
For the last month, the Blazers organization has been under even closer scrutiny, since the Nov. 5 revelation that longtime president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey was under investigation for alleged workplace misconduct. The mood around the Moda Center had been anxious as the investigation wore on, and the team’s play certainly hadn’t helped. The Blazers are 11-13, a middle-of-the-pack team in the Western Conference, and are trending in the wrong direction. A humiliating loss to San Antonio on Thursday night felt like a breaking point.
Then on Friday morning, the Trail Blazers fired Olshey, ending a tenure that was equal parts successful and strained. After a summer in which Lillard’s frustration with Olshey’s roster construction and franchise cornerstone’s future in Portland took center stage, the results of the investigation conducted by O’Melveny & Myers, the law firm hired by the Blazers, were undoubtedly an important data point for Lillard and others.
Dozens of coaches, front office members and team staffers were interviewed as part of the probe — Blazers players were given an opportunity to speak with investigators but all of them declined. The firm concluded Olshey often confronted staffers and cursed toward them, sources said. According to individuals with knowledge of the probe, Olshey allegedly made an inappropriate comment toward a female staff member, which was cited during the investigation.
A Blazers spokesperson told The Athletic: “Out of consideration for the privacy of the people impacted by this investigation, we don’t have any additional comment at this time.”
Olshey earned a reputation for his temper during his 10 seasons in Portland, often privately disparaging co-workers. Staffers described Olshey as abrasive and controlling. Olshey had two more years on his contract worth upwards of $20 million total. One source said the Blazers believe they had cause to fire Olshey, which voided his contract. Olshey may challenge that stance.
Assistant general manager Joe Cronin will serve as the interim general manager, and the team will begin a search for a new head of basketball operations. But even with Olshey’s fate sealed in Portland, and even though his ouster had nothing to do with the Blazers’ star guard, that big question remains:
What does it all mean for Lillard’s future?
The Trail Blazers mediocrity this season has been unsettling for Lillard.
He is a six-time All-Star and was recently named to the league’s list of the 75 greatest players of all time. He has, for most of his time in Portland, put any discontent he had with the team’s roster or coaching staff behind him, putting his faith in his abilities and those of his teammates to find a winning formula.
But two key concerns of his were not accounted for last offseason: Lillard’s desire for roster changes and for Jason Kidd, then a Lakers assistant and now Dallas Mavericks coach, to be strongly considered for the Portland job opening after Terry Stotts was fired. Olshey instead targeted LA Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups as the new coach and did not make major changes to the roster, believing the current core was built for contention.
In hindsight, the handling of the roster and the head coaching search process that led to Billups’ hire appear to have been miscalculations.
The defensive struggles that led to Stotts’ dismissal have continued; the Blazers rank 30th in defensive rating. And in recent weeks, sources say Lillard has grown frustrated with the team’s play and tension appears to be on the rise between the players and Billups.
After Saturday night’s home blowout loss to Boston, Billups lit into the players.
“Competitive fire and pride, that’s something you either have or don’t have,” Billups said. “That’s something you can’t turn off and turn on. … I’ve never seen a team that needs its bench to inspire our starters. That **** is crazy to me. It’s supposed to be the other way around.”
Billups is a former NBA champion, longtime respected player and formed a friendship with Lillard before taking the Portland job. But Lillard made it clear during the coaching search that he preferred a head coach who had done this job before; at the time, Lillard was open to partnering with veteran coach Mike D’Antoni or Kidd.
When specifically asked about his job security after Stotts was fired, Olshey said on June 7: “Well, I’m running the coaching search. I have multiple years left on my contract. I think the feeling is that in this instance, well in the past there may have been questions, the first-round loss and the defensive rating at 29 was not a product of the roster.”
As far as the roster, Lillard had made clear to management in the offseason that he wanted changes and allowed Olshey to do his job while maintaining loyalty even as questions arose about him staying in Portland. Fast forward to now, and the Trail Blazers have underperforming players across the roster.
Lillard’s individual struggles haven’t helped with his comfort level. His scoring is down more than seven points (28.8 to 21.5 points per game), with Lillard shooting marginally less (from 19.9 attempts overall and 10.5 3s per game last season to 18.4 and 9.1). His accuracy, of course, has been a major issue: Lillard is shooting a career-low 39.7 percent from the field (he was 45.1 percent last season) and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc (39.1 percent last season).
More specifically, Billups’ choice to use Lillard in pick-and-rolls less than Stotts did has been a point of contention. Per Synergy, Lillard’s time as the pick-and-roll ballhandler has declined from 46.3 percent last season to 39.2 percent. His points per possession in those scenarios has dipped significantly as well (from 1.073 to 0.883). The defensive rules changes have clearly impacted Lillard too, as he’s on a career-low pace in terms of free-throw attempts (4.5 per game, down from 7.2 last season).
Lillard is nursing an abdominal injury that he dealt with during Team USA’s gold medal run in last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. The Trail Blazers announced on Dec. 1 that Lillard will miss at least 10 days with the injury.
But after watching Lillard seriously ponder his future last offseason, the combination of the Blazers’ latest struggles and the Olshey investigation and firing has complicated Portland’s uncertain future yet again.
So, what’s next?
Lillard intends to give the Trail Blazers organization time to find its next leader of basketball operations. But beyond the front office component, the face of the franchise still wants significant changes to the roster. Multiple sources have told The Athletic that Lillard would like to play with Philadelphia 76ers three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. The Trail Blazers’ league-worst defense would instantly improve, and sharing a backcourt with a non-shooter could work given Lillard’s high-volume usage.
Sources say the Trail Blazers, under Olshey, discussed the framework of a trade for Simmons, moving CJ McCollum, a first-round draft pick and a young player such as Nassir Little or Anfernee Simons to Philadelphia. The 76ers, sources said, at one point asked the Trail Blazers for McCollum and multiple draft picks and multiple draft swaps, which Portland rejected. Olshey maintained significant confidence in the roster he constructed. Now, it’s unclear if there’s a deal to be had with the 76ers. But with Olshey out, who among chair Jody Allen, vice chair Bert Kolde and Cronin would be the one making the call on a Simmons trade or any acquisition designed to alleviate Lillard’s concerns?
The hope within the organization is that Olshey’s exit acts as a kind of reset. Cronin is overseeing the front office now, and sources said he will be a legitimate candidate for the permanent job. In the interim, Cronin will have autonomy for moves that benefit the organization moving forward. Cronin, a former college player at Northern Colorado, has served as the Blazers’ head of strategy and negotiations for the past decade while utilizing his knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap and scouting.
The culture under Olshey’s leadership deteriorated over the past couple of seasons. Sources said Blazers ownership also received several complaints about a lack of diversity in the front office. In April, the team hired former WNBA star Asjha Jones to the front office as well as former Oregon Ducks basketball star Edniesha Curry as the first female assistant coach in franchise history in July. But it was not lost on those within the Blazers organization, including Lillard, how reactionary the team had become.
That might have to change if he is to remain committed to the franchise.
There seem to be two inflection points coming over the next seven months. The first arrives Feb. 10, the NBA’s trade deadline. If Lillard were to finally ask out of Portland, he would presumably do so before then. The next comes July 6, when Lillard is formally eligible to sign a supermax extension worth $106.6 million over two years that would take him under contract through 2026-27. If Portland offers him that extension, will he sign it?
The only certainty is that the questions about Lillard’s future in Portland aren’t going away anytime soon.
Every front office decision, every coaching move, seemingly everything the Portland Trail Blazers organization does is accompanied by this question: How does this impact star guard Damian Lillard?
This is not unusual in the NBA, the most star-driven of leagues. But in Portland, where “Dame Time” has been a phenomenon for a decade now, this reality is particularly acute. Will Lillard or won’t Lillard ask out of Portland has been a frequent discussion point in NBA front offices since the Blazers season ended last June.
For the last month, the Blazers organization has been under even closer scrutiny, since the Nov. 5 revelation that longtime president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey was under investigation for alleged workplace misconduct. The mood around the Moda Center had been anxious as the investigation wore on, and the team’s play certainly hadn’t helped. The Blazers are 11-13, a middle-of-the-pack team in the Western Conference, and are trending in the wrong direction. A humiliating loss to San Antonio on Thursday night felt like a breaking point.
Then on Friday morning, the Trail Blazers fired Olshey, ending a tenure that was equal parts successful and strained. After a summer in which Lillard’s frustration with Olshey’s roster construction and franchise cornerstone’s future in Portland took center stage, the results of the investigation conducted by O’Melveny & Myers, the law firm hired by the Blazers, were undoubtedly an important data point for Lillard and others.
Dozens of coaches, front office members and team staffers were interviewed as part of the probe — Blazers players were given an opportunity to speak with investigators but all of them declined. The firm concluded Olshey often confronted staffers and cursed toward them, sources said. According to individuals with knowledge of the probe, Olshey allegedly made an inappropriate comment toward a female staff member, which was cited during the investigation.
A Blazers spokesperson told The Athletic: “Out of consideration for the privacy of the people impacted by this investigation, we don’t have any additional comment at this time.”
Olshey earned a reputation for his temper during his 10 seasons in Portland, often privately disparaging co-workers. Staffers described Olshey as abrasive and controlling. Olshey had two more years on his contract worth upwards of $20 million total. One source said the Blazers believe they had cause to fire Olshey, which voided his contract. Olshey may challenge that stance.
Assistant general manager Joe Cronin will serve as the interim general manager, and the team will begin a search for a new head of basketball operations. But even with Olshey’s fate sealed in Portland, and even though his ouster had nothing to do with the Blazers’ star guard, that big question remains:
What does it all mean for Lillard’s future?
The Trail Blazers mediocrity this season has been unsettling for Lillard.
He is a six-time All-Star and was recently named to the league’s list of the 75 greatest players of all time. He has, for most of his time in Portland, put any discontent he had with the team’s roster or coaching staff behind him, putting his faith in his abilities and those of his teammates to find a winning formula.
But two key concerns of his were not accounted for last offseason: Lillard’s desire for roster changes and for Jason Kidd, then a Lakers assistant and now Dallas Mavericks coach, to be strongly considered for the Portland job opening after Terry Stotts was fired. Olshey instead targeted LA Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups as the new coach and did not make major changes to the roster, believing the current core was built for contention.
In hindsight, the handling of the roster and the head coaching search process that led to Billups’ hire appear to have been miscalculations.
The defensive struggles that led to Stotts’ dismissal have continued; the Blazers rank 30th in defensive rating. And in recent weeks, sources say Lillard has grown frustrated with the team’s play and tension appears to be on the rise between the players and Billups.
After Saturday night’s home blowout loss to Boston, Billups lit into the players.
“Competitive fire and pride, that’s something you either have or don’t have,” Billups said. “That’s something you can’t turn off and turn on. … I’ve never seen a team that needs its bench to inspire our starters. That **** is crazy to me. It’s supposed to be the other way around.”
Billups is a former NBA champion, longtime respected player and formed a friendship with Lillard before taking the Portland job. But Lillard made it clear during the coaching search that he preferred a head coach who had done this job before; at the time, Lillard was open to partnering with veteran coach Mike D’Antoni or Kidd.
When specifically asked about his job security after Stotts was fired, Olshey said on June 7: “Well, I’m running the coaching search. I have multiple years left on my contract. I think the feeling is that in this instance, well in the past there may have been questions, the first-round loss and the defensive rating at 29 was not a product of the roster.”
As far as the roster, Lillard had made clear to management in the offseason that he wanted changes and allowed Olshey to do his job while maintaining loyalty even as questions arose about him staying in Portland. Fast forward to now, and the Trail Blazers have underperforming players across the roster.
Lillard’s individual struggles haven’t helped with his comfort level. His scoring is down more than seven points (28.8 to 21.5 points per game), with Lillard shooting marginally less (from 19.9 attempts overall and 10.5 3s per game last season to 18.4 and 9.1). His accuracy, of course, has been a major issue: Lillard is shooting a career-low 39.7 percent from the field (he was 45.1 percent last season) and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc (39.1 percent last season).
More specifically, Billups’ choice to use Lillard in pick-and-rolls less than Stotts did has been a point of contention. Per Synergy, Lillard’s time as the pick-and-roll ballhandler has declined from 46.3 percent last season to 39.2 percent. His points per possession in those scenarios has dipped significantly as well (from 1.073 to 0.883). The defensive rules changes have clearly impacted Lillard too, as he’s on a career-low pace in terms of free-throw attempts (4.5 per game, down from 7.2 last season).
Lillard is nursing an abdominal injury that he dealt with during Team USA’s gold medal run in last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. The Trail Blazers announced on Dec. 1 that Lillard will miss at least 10 days with the injury.
But after watching Lillard seriously ponder his future last offseason, the combination of the Blazers’ latest struggles and the Olshey investigation and firing has complicated Portland’s uncertain future yet again.
So, what’s next?
Lillard intends to give the Trail Blazers organization time to find its next leader of basketball operations. But beyond the front office component, the face of the franchise still wants significant changes to the roster. Multiple sources have told The Athletic that Lillard would like to play with Philadelphia 76ers three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. The Trail Blazers’ league-worst defense would instantly improve, and sharing a backcourt with a non-shooter could work given Lillard’s high-volume usage.
Sources say the Trail Blazers, under Olshey, discussed the framework of a trade for Simmons, moving CJ McCollum, a first-round draft pick and a young player such as Nassir Little or Anfernee Simons to Philadelphia. The 76ers, sources said, at one point asked the Trail Blazers for McCollum and multiple draft picks and multiple draft swaps, which Portland rejected. Olshey maintained significant confidence in the roster he constructed. Now, it’s unclear if there’s a deal to be had with the 76ers. But with Olshey out, who among chair Jody Allen, vice chair Bert Kolde and Cronin would be the one making the call on a Simmons trade or any acquisition designed to alleviate Lillard’s concerns?
The hope within the organization is that Olshey’s exit acts as a kind of reset. Cronin is overseeing the front office now, and sources said he will be a legitimate candidate for the permanent job. In the interim, Cronin will have autonomy for moves that benefit the organization moving forward. Cronin, a former college player at Northern Colorado, has served as the Blazers’ head of strategy and negotiations for the past decade while utilizing his knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap and scouting.
The culture under Olshey’s leadership deteriorated over the past couple of seasons. Sources said Blazers ownership also received several complaints about a lack of diversity in the front office. In April, the team hired former WNBA star Asjha Jones to the front office as well as former Oregon Ducks basketball star Edniesha Curry as the first female assistant coach in franchise history in July. But it was not lost on those within the Blazers organization, including Lillard, how reactionary the team had become.
That might have to change if he is to remain committed to the franchise.
There seem to be two inflection points coming over the next seven months. The first arrives Feb. 10, the NBA’s trade deadline. If Lillard were to finally ask out of Portland, he would presumably do so before then. The next comes July 6, when Lillard is formally eligible to sign a supermax extension worth $106.6 million over two years that would take him under contract through 2026-27. If Portland offers him that extension, will he sign it?
The only certainty is that the questions about Lillard’s future in Portland aren’t going away anytime soon.
- Aug 20, 2001
- 29,035
- 64,023
Two regular season MVPs and DPOY on top of that
That age-related tweet made me think of the top players under 25 discussion and everyone was talking Ja, Zion and Lamelo, couple Trae mentions...are we off 22 (soon to be 23) year-old Luka now? His 25/8/9 seems to have to flown under the radar.
antidope
Supporter
- Jan 2, 2012
- 63,514
- 68,037
Trading for Ben Simmons solves WHAT exactly..
- Sep 18, 2003
- 61,864
- 134,083
Imagine calling a top 5 PF of all time “icanthooptho”
- Sep 5, 2006
- 10,949
- 13,093
- Mar 24, 2001
- 44,833
- 66,536
- Jun 21, 2009
- 49,808
- 51,200
Luka is held to different standard because he’s better than everyone you mentioned.
That’s the truth.
- Sep 5, 2010
- 92,803
- 129,096
Lol someone on Athletic social got yelled at and deleted that Tweet.
- Jun 24, 2013
- 32,363
- 34,861
I seen that. Dame wants to play with Outback MCW.
make it a 3 team deal where
OKC - CJ +
Philly - SGA
Blazers - Outback MCW
OR we can get frisky and make a Tobi-Maxey centered package for Dame
- Mar 24, 2001
- 44,833
- 66,536
- May 31, 2013
- 1,075
- 1,638
dame not going to be traded anytime soon
- Apr 16, 2014
- 23,938
- 48,367
Why would OKC involve themselves in such a terrible transaction.
- Oct 26, 2016
- 20,990
- 31,062
Just woke up but…we got action on this?
- Jun 21, 2009
- 49,808
- 51,200
dame not going to be traded anytime soon
Why not?
Seriously, what’s the point of keeping Dame if you’re a Blazers fan?
- May 10, 2006
- 27,349
- 64,601
- Status
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