Are We Becoming the Portland Trailblazers?

[footey]

Are we becoming a team that has two outstanding stars, surrounded by middling pieces, lacking a bench, destined to make the playoffs, but not win championships (or even make the finals)?

Middle to back of the pack defensively?

With a coach respected/defended by his players and management, but starting to feel like his message is hollow, and increasingly ineffective?

Destined to pick low twenties first round picks, the success rate of which are, frankly, pretty bad?

I'm starting to worry.

[dannyboy35]

 I think we just have to be fortunate that another superstar will want to join up when we have the money to do so. I’m not saying winning a title can’t be accomplished through a few great smaller moves but so many teams could say the same thing. We’ll need another non ball dominant Star. We need good fortune.

[Who]

Blazers blew their cap flexibility. That is why they failed to provide proper support for their star players.

Ainge has maintained good cap flexibility for the Celtics. That is why the team has much more opportunity in the future than those Blazers teams did.

[NKY fan]

Not yet. Unlike the blazers we have two stars that play elite defense. Blazers never had that despite always having 2 stars on their team ... starting with Roy and Aldridge their defense was always suspect

[cman88]

Let's wait to see what they look like when Tatum comes back. We haven't seen Tatum, brown and Kemba on the court together this year.

Kemba looks healthy and Brown is a beast but all the last 2 games showed is that brown and Kemba aren't enough. But we are missing our superstar scorer

[NKY fan]

Blazers blew their cap flexibility. That is why they failed to provide proper support for their star players.

Ainge has maintained good cap flexibility for the Celtics. That is why the team has much more opportunity in the future than those Blazers teams did.

Eh given the moves that Danny has made or chose not to make that flexibility is a blessing and curse at the same time.

[LilRip]

It’s Kemba that will spell the difference. JT and JB are the dynamic duo (like Dame and McCollum) but having Kemba is what puts us in a better position than the Blazers.

Otherwise, fairly spot on. However, there are many teams configured similarly and ironically, the Sixers have been one of them. Granted they shook up their coaching staff so that’s something they have going for them this year. But they also have 2 stars, neither of which MVP-caliber but both impact the floor like all stars.

[cman88]

Also we have to see what danny does with the trade exception. If we can bring in an Aaron gordon that may be enough with tatum, brown and Kemba to push us to the upper echelon

[Who]

I am also not a fan of Lillard and McCollum as a partnership to begin with. They are both scoring PGs / combo guards.

It is like GSW when they drafted Steph Curry and played him in the backcourt alongside Monta Ellis. It never made the most of each other's talents + it comprised their defense. The Warriors could not build a title contender until they moved on from their small defensively deficient backcourt into a team that prioritized defense. That led to the Monta for Bogut trade and the drafting of Klay Thompson.

I have always thought Portland should have broken up that small defensively deficient backcourt of Lillard and McCollum in order to build a team setup more aligned with Championship success. By keeping them together, Portland has always been playing with a weaker hand.

[GreenWarrior]

I stated this in another thread, danny's biggest mistake was after this team came to within a game of the finals the developing of players outside of brown and Tatum should have been over.

This team should not be in a position to wait and see if(insert young players name here) craps out in the playoffs. They should be in a position to bring guys in off the bench that they can rely on.

And the real problem is danny had the opportunity to do so. And he even admitted in not wanting to.

It seems danny would rather take 3 right turns to make a left turn.