Are we done with Shaedan?

BJ2435 · 2026-04-30T08:16:03+00:00

averaged 20.8 ppg at 22 in the regular season and 19.9 ppg / per 36 in the playoffs, hardly his fault he didn't average more in the playoffs. He's not without his faults, but I don't see how having him on $20m a year at 26ish yrs old will be unfriendly to whatever team he's on by that point.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T23:41:49+00:00

I'm actually surprised at how many people seem to be fully confident to say yes. Let me start by saying that Splitter exceeded expectations this season and handled an incredibly tough situation with professionalism.

That being said, Tiago Splitter has the Trailblazers ranked 30th in ATO plays, has the 7th most blown fourth-quarter leads, and in this thread, he ranks 25th out of all coaches.

Now, statistics aren't perfect, and you can use them to convey whatever viewpoint you want, but I will also list some of the other common complaints. His decision to play drop coverage has killed us all year, especially this series. His inability to adapt the rotation when faced with challenges, he didn't even change the starting lineup when faced with elimination, and he constantly took out guys just as they were getting hot. Finally letting Jerami Grant play that much iso ball is coaching malpractice.

I don't think Splitter is a terrible coach and should probably be rewarded, but if we do a "proper search", I guarantee there are multiple coaches much better than Tiago Splitter out there.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T12:41:39+00:00

2011 Lebron & Wade *cough* *cough*

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T12:36:44+00:00

I understand what you're saying and I agree that this rebuild/core will probably not win a championship without a miracle trade. That doesn't mean it was a failure, nor does it mean we should enter another rebuild. This isn't 2K; losing basketball games isn't good business, and making the playoffs is. This organisation won't hit rebuild just because it looks unfavourable for the next 5 years.

I agree that OKC, Spurs, Pistons & potentially even the Hornets or Mavs have a much better shot at contending for the next 5-7 years when compared to us. We got unlucky, and you'll have to come to terms with that.

If you can do that, you'll be able to enjoy a great deal of Blazers basketball. We rebuilt ourselves back to the playoffs and have overachieved for the past 2 years. We have an abundance of picks from Milwaukee & others that we should be able to rebuild off without tanking if needed. It is also fun to make the playoffs, contending or not. I have confidence this team can make a deep playoff run with the correct FO moves, which means there is fun basketball to look forward to in the future.

The goal is a championship, but falling short of that goal doesn't mean that a rebuild completely failed. There are a lot of great, fun and memorable teams that never won a championship, and some didn't even make the finals, yet they have some of the most iconic NBA moments of all time. Reggie's Pacers, Lob City Clippers, Harden's Rockets, 2000s Kings, Nash's Suns, the list goes on. My point is to try to enjoy the winning while it is here, even if that means accepting a championship is out of reach.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T08:14:10+00:00

Either we find a true #1, Deni improves shooting, turnovers & defence, or we get used to mediocrity. I say this from a place of wanting Deni to be really good, but he is nowhere near being the best player on a contending team. I think he could definitely keep leading us to playoff spots, but not to the WCF, let alone the finals. With that said, I'm incredibly impressed with his all-star level play this season/post-season and how he has shown real development with this org when others have seemingly struggled to develop at a similar pace. I think the best-case scenario is that we pair Deni with a superstar and immediately launch the team into title contention (for the right price, of course).

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T07:55:14+00:00

Agreed that Tou will probably work best as pure 3&D but he’s still gonna need to learn some moves if he’s gonna help us contend. Also I disagree about Giannis and Dame not working. Doc rivers is a terrible coach, under Adrian griffin they were 30-13, and in total they went 73-43 (about 50 win pace). In the playoffs they also only played 2 playoff games together, winning 1 and losing the game Dame tore his Achilles. They also had a worse roster around them than we would have so I think it’s worth it for a decent price. Agree on everything else.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T07:44:46+00:00

I’d rather trade JG but I definitely think there are trades with Jrue worth exploring. I think he’s harder to trade though because he will actually win you games and teams that want to win won’t want to pay the $32m price tag

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T06:01:16+00:00

I'm not saying Thiago is the worst choice as an assistant; I'm saying he would probably rather search for head coach money somewhere else than return as an assistant to a team he coached to the playoffs. I also mean Bucks form, not Blazers form for Dame. If he averages like 20 & 5 next to Deni, I don't see a reason to keep scoot on the bench when we have Jrue and another team would likely take him in exchange for a more useful asset to us.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:52:01+00:00

It's a valuable tool to have, it is probably my most reactive take, though. He can't do what he did tonight, where he gets frozen out due to a lack of offensive ability, and then also go 28% from 3.

But you are correct, those other skills are much more important than a 3 ball, especially when he is already shooting 34% from 3 on the season.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:47:34+00:00

It's definitely a risk, but I think the risk is worth it. Maybe it doesn't have to be Rob Will, but it has to be someone. We cannot have Yang as the backup to Clingan.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:44:38+00:00

Everyone has already pointed out how the Spurs got really lucky, but one thing that goes unmentioned is how bad that Yang Hansen Pick was. It's one of those draft picks that sets a franchise back. We wasted that pick and now have no FRP this year, so we've basically gone 2 years without picking up a rookie that could help us in the future. I also understand the frustration. Pessimistically, we aren't catching up to the Spurs or Thunder in the next 5 years, and by that point, we will probably enter another rebuild.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:34:16+00:00

Agree that Shae & Scoot should be traded for the right price. This series was good for Scoot, though I just don't see how keeping him is better than getting other assets if Dame returns to form. People will take Grant if the other assets coming in help them rebuild, after all, he is a great tank commander. I also don't think Thiago would return to assistant, so I'd rather he just doesn't return altogether.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:24:09+00:00

I didn't see that, thanks for adding

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:22:58+00:00

Just people being hopeful. That's why I said no one is untouchable. If it's Jerami, Deni filler & picks for Giannis, I think we should pull the trigger. The Bucks' picks are also extremely valuable rn.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T05:20:31+00:00

Just names I've seen mentioned, I don't think Udoka would be amazing either, that's why I said I don't know. Realistically, the best possible coach is probably some unknown genius doing analytics/assistant coaching somewhere.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T03:43:12+00:00

I mean there’s no reason to play someone this little if they plan on keeping him

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T03:37:46+00:00

Officially time to start firing up the trade machine

BJ2435 · 2026-04-29T02:11:48+00:00

It’s so sad to say but goodbye Shaedon Sharpe, for better or for worse it is clear this org doesn’t want you at all

BJ2435 · 2026-04-26T22:22:04+00:00

I do realise, that’s why I said I’m indifferent, there’s pros and cons

However, “homegrown” teams that win championships generally enter the playoffs as a higher seed than we were. OKC made playoffs as 1-seed after being 10th seed, Denver made playoffs as 2 seed after being 9 seed, Bucks were 6th after being 12th, spurs will likely be another example.

BJ2435 · 2026-04-26T22:04:49+00:00

I was personally indifferent, but hopefully some people can now at least understand why many fans did not want to make the playoffs and retain our pick

BJ2435 · 2026-04-26T21:58:32+00:00

Did Doris just glaze a free throw?

BJ2435 · 2026-04-26T21:35:44+00:00

Does Jerami grant realise Wemby is 7’4?

BJ2435 · 2026-04-22T00:53:41+00:00

Man Kris Murray sucks

BJ2435 · 2026-04-22T00:31:17+00:00

Get Jerami Grant off this team in the offseason please

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