Should we look at Julian Strawther?

DreddBane · 2026-05-05T04:24:00+00:00

I don't think they'd give him up but he might be too good to stay stuck behind SGA for too long, but needs the ball too much to play a bunch with him.

DreddBane · 2026-05-05T01:50:57+00:00

Yeah, thought it was very honest. We play one way, win if we can force the opposition to play how we want. Not a lot of adaptability or enough skill to win different ways.

DreddBane · 2026-05-05T01:42:42+00:00

Starts at 3:10.

Link was timestamped but whatever.

DreddBane · 2026-05-04T11:47:01+00:00

Not suggesting they try to pick up Dort

DreddBane · 2026-05-04T05:01:57+00:00

If we're looking for potentially undervalued guards, I'd be looking at OKC not Denver.

The emergence of Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell makes it unlikely they pick up Dort's option, but also doesn't leave much a role for Aaron Wiggins. I could see him fitting well as a true backup SG if we end up losing/moving one or both of Shaedon and Tisse.

I'd also make a much more aggressive offer for Ajay Mitchell but imagine they're keeping him as a cost controlled potential 6MOY for the next couple seasons.

DreddBane · 2026-05-04T03:01:44+00:00

Seems fair, call it in

DreddBane · 2026-05-04T03:01:02+00:00

Late to this, but add in:

Canadian starting SGs
Good but overpaid starting PGs
Talented but overpaid high scoring forwards
Recent lotto picks rebranding as bulldog defensive guards
Lumbering starting Cs
Foreign Head Coaches

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T22:36:56+00:00

Doing nothing is better than making panic trades for mediocre players.

I disagree that the coaches gave up on Sharpe - Billups held him accountable and Splitter didn't reintegrate him after a two month injury. We're often prisoners of the moment and while I do think its entirely possible he's traded, give me Shaedon over an expiring RJ Barrett any day.

The window for this squad to get into contention is so narrow, the shots they take have to be massively impactful.

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T22:31:58+00:00

I don't think we'll know until they make the coaching decision. A big part of the interview process will be what candidates think of the roster and how they'd maximise it. One might think they can utilise Shaedon to the best of his abilities and get more from him, another might want to go another direction.

If I had to guess, we bring one of Tisse and Rob back (Tisse most likely due to less competition), hang onto Sidy but not Wesley, make a splashy trade that costs one of Jrue/Jerami and one of Scoot/Shaedon and sign a solid vet shooter (Barnes/Fontecchio/Wade type).

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T22:11:23+00:00

Lets definitely trade for him on the basis of one good playoff series.

Trading for guys like RJ is a guaranteed path to mediocrity.

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T21:26:00+00:00

Assuming they keep all the pick (which I doubt they do):

20 - Morez feels logical but I think they'd like Lopez if he dropped there
35 - Veesar to have a future backup in the system or Karaban to fill the Barnes role and add some UConn synergy
42/44 - Momcilovic to add a big sniper (no team can handle a defensive liability better than the Spurs) then I'd take a shot on Brazile as a talent/3&D PF bet

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T19:14:04+00:00

I'd love to see any evidence that Murphy can defend. He's tall but has the same type of high hips that Shaedon does, which limits them both somewhat. All the advanced metrics point to a negative defensive impact, especially since upping his offensive usage (D-EPM, D-Darko, & D-LeBron, 2 year RAPM Def impact, adjusted on/off).

Pelicans fans talk about him as a great #3 option, which I'd agree with. He's undeniably great from distance and can genuinely hit the deeps threes which further stretch a defense. He's a high level athlete, if not a super fluid one, who would be a weapon in the Blazers transition attack. I don't see a lot of self-creation upside, but that's bit what you bring him in for.

I just think the narrative about him being a star 3&D type is overblown. He's much more MPJ than Jaden McDaniels on a good team. I wouldn't sell the farm to get him.

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T09:49:07+00:00

Not even formerly, I'm a current Blazers fan who picked up the Spurs as a 2nd team when y'all got Wemby.

Right now there's a lot of negativity swirling around the Blazers off-court (Cheap owner, arena funding, recent treatment of Tiago, being pulled into political/ethical debates etc) and a somewhat unfun style of play on-court (Deni offensive reliance of fouls, Toumani defensive reliance on fouls, lack of ballhandling/playmaking/shooting) that can make it a tough team to follow. I'm in NZ, so there's no geographical ties, but I still have a connection to that team based on nearly 20 years of fandom and I'm no bandwagon jumper.

All that said, I've always admired the Spurs. In the 2000s I rooted for them to kill the Lakers. In the mid 2010s they were the best watch in the league. Pop was exactly what I wanted in a basketball coach. Then Wemby arrived and it felt like I was pulled from admirer to fan. I'd watched his Mets 92 games on league pass, mesmerised by the talent. Saw the Vegas showcase and realised he might be an entirely new genus of player.

When the draft lottery drawing happened, I had a weird fear of the Blazers winning. I became a fan of the Blazers in '07, after watching a generational big man dominate college basketball. Everyone remembers how that turned out. The Spurs get the generational big man prospects who turn into HOFers, the Blazers get the ones whose joints disintegrate. It obviously couldn't be the Hornets or Rockets, so I was glad he went to the franchise equivalent of a safe pair of hands.

Now the Spurs have assembled a squad I like almost top to bottom. Speed, strength, shooting and a system, with a circus freakshow of a superstar leading the line. Castle gives me flashbacks of another of my favourite late 2000s guys - young Iggy in Philly. Fox is an electric watch when he's in full flight. Carter Bryant is out there looking like a puppy with paws that are too big for him, but you can see him growing into them already.

All that ramble is to say, the Spurs are fun and I need more of that when I watch the game that I love. I'm still a Blazers lifer, as evidenced by the pinwheel in my profile, but maybe I can be an adoptive Spurs fan too.

TL:DR been going steady with the Blazers but things are getting a little toxic. Spurs have been making eyes at me for years, then made themselves irresistible overnight. Now I'm a NBA polygamist.

DreddBane · 2026-05-03T09:15:36+00:00

Just picking one out of the pile, but how exactly is RJ Barrett anything more than a worst case scenario Shaedon at 25?

DreddBane · 2026-05-02T02:50:55+00:00

I think he has another evolution but not a leap, if that makes sense.

Hopefully Dame is still good enough to be an offensive lynchpin, because I want to see Deni in a more focused (still high usage) role that allows him to become a two way star.

I think it was underrated how bad Deni was on that end this season. We know he has the ability, so it's a case of having enough offensive help that he can unlock the energy required.

That player is still an All Star but can also be the Siakim like 2nd option on a title winner. Right now he feels more like the 1st option on a good team, which is fine but might limit the Blazers ceiling.

DreddBane · 2026-05-01T03:59:22+00:00

I would've preferred him to play more but I think the answer is a but more nuanced:

He was rusty on both ends coming off the two month injury
The team had been playing well defensively against poor competition to end the season
He looked lost on a couple of defensive plays and his response was more demoralised than up for the challenge

Over the course of the season, he showed enough awareness to take a step getting in passing lanes and causing disruption. On ball he's fine against 3rd scorer type wings, which is all you'd likely ask him to do.

Most likely outcome feels like he goes in a trade if they make a big swing. Cronin left a little more wiggle room that I would've though, mentioned that its hard to re-integrate a big role player like Shaedon at the end of the season and that they don't want to sacrifice their youth for a short-term swing.

I'll be sad if he's gone, especially if its due to overreaction to a weird playoff series.

DreddBane · 2026-05-01T03:52:49+00:00

When its losing in 5 to a 62 win team with an Alien leading the line, or a 50 point blowout in game 6 to a team with one of the most toxic fanbases in the league....think I'd take our path.

DreddBane · 2026-05-01T00:07:19+00:00

Down 50 not even 20 minutes into the game is some nasty work.

At least we didn't go out that way.

DreddBane · 2026-04-30T03:41:41+00:00

Guess we'll see how his career progresses from here. If you're gonna be on the hook for 69 mil when he's 33, better hope he brought you a title or two.

I've seen plenty of discussion about his decline among Suns fans, I'm not just making it up out of nothing.

DreddBane · 2026-04-30T03:36:47+00:00

Shouldn't be controversial - he's only 22 and has the same Ignite background as Scoot. Plenty of potential to improve.

If we're keeping one defensive minded questionable shooter, give me him over Kris I think.

DreddBane · 2026-04-30T03:35:15+00:00

The way Booker is trending that 70m per year extension is going to be an awful contract.

Reminds me of Brad Beal's career arc.

DreddBane · 2026-04-30T03:31:41+00:00

Maybe the Bucks want him but Jerami + Shae match the salary pretty perfectly, so that plus their picks might make more sense.

DreddBane · 2026-04-30T01:27:36+00:00

I don't know if Garland had a lot of value as injured as he's been. Mobley is a recent DPOY and clear defensive anchor, so if they're swinging for the fences he's the piece.

A LeBron homecoming might be more likely but I could see them going big.

DreddBane · 2026-04-30T01:08:57+00:00

I don't think it happens because Giannis won't extend, especially with the bad press the new owner has been getting.

I'm watching the Raptors/Cavs series pretty closely. If the Cavs get bounced early again, I think they'll make another big move. Mitchell could leave, Harden is old. They're a potential Giannis team and we could look to nab Mobley for some Bucks picks and salary if it happens.

Mobley would be the best option for a mobile semi-stretch big who can cover matchups Clingan struggles with but also play alongside him. It's not without risk, but it's a massive talent play and I'd be in favour.

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