Off Season Interviews: Portland Trailblazers
Jul 14, 2022 22:13:44 GMT -5
Golden State Warriors (Caleb), Toronto Raptors (Perk), and 3 more like this
Post by The Athletic on Jul 14, 2022 22:13:44 GMT -5
-- Portland, OR -- It seems like just yesterday I was on the phone with Tyler giving him a short sell on why I think he'd be a great fit for the league. He came in with a pretty mediocre roster, stayed patient, and now about two years later we are looking at a completely revamped roster with a chance at making some real noise this year. Let's sit down with him and pick his brain.
My first question is how hard was it for you to come in and keep the big picture in mind? A lot of GMs come in here and get sped up. You were very conscious and meticulous early on. How much hard/easy was that for you?
- I had quite the rude awakening my first night in the league as I received an offer of Kelly Olynk for two 1st round picks—the only first round picks that I had remaining in my already depleted draft cupboard. I didn’t let that get me down, though. Upon seeing my roster filled with aging stars including Kemba Walker, Blake Griffin, Victor Oladipo, and Kevin Love, I knew the right path to take would be stripping the team down and rebooting with it my vision in mind. Having the competitive spirit that I do, along with wanting to make a good first impression to the league, it was disappointing for me initially to take the easy road and rebuild. But I did what had to be done and I feel we’re on a good path now as an organization.
We obviously have seen the vast improvement in the franchise from when you took over the reigns. How difficult was it to let go of guys like Maxey and Garland to go pursue a title NOW? Was there a part of you that wanted to take a slower approach with Garland/Maxey or was the chance the grab Jokic/Dame a no brainer?
- No doubt about it. Our player development staff, along with our analytics department, has done a strong job of spotting and nurturing talent that we bring to Portland. The growth of Darius and Tyrese was paramount to getting to the point that I’m at now.
- Many GM’s have stated that I’ve rushed the process—that I should’ve allowed my young talent to grow more before consolidating into a true contender. I understand that line of thinking & I do not fully disagree with it. Going back to my earlier point of being a competitor, I could not stand pat another year and hope the ping pong balls fell in my direction. I was contacted in February by the head man out in Cleveland inquiring about Darius Garland—he informed us that two-time MVP Nikola Jokic would be on the table in a deal. That was the first point I started pondering the concept of pushing the pieces to the center of the table in ’22-’23. When a player the caliber of Jokic in his prime is on the table, I felt it was pertinent to do everything in my power to obtain that asset, which I feel we have done.
- Much like with Jokic, the General Manager in Philadelphia came calling for another rising star in the off-season—Tyrese Maxey—and told me that, as part of his pending rebuild, Damian Lillard was on the table. We did what had to be done to get Dame to the PNW.
Coming into the off-season what were your primary goals for building this roster?
- After trading for the #1 player in fantasy for 2 consecutive seasons, the obvious goal was to build a roster that could compete for a title every season that he was wearing a Blazers uniform. Outside of Jokic, I didn’t have any specific “stars” that I was gunning for—Lillard and then Vucevic came about rather organically.
- After shipping off a handful of young pieces in Darius Garland, Tyrese Maxey, Coby White, and Nicolas Claxton, my primary goal was to acclimate some serious depth that would allow me to separate myself from the middle-tier out West.
- I feel that we have progressed in that goal, but have not gotten where we need to be to compete with the likes of the Bucks, the Pelicans, the Wolves, the Magic, and the Warriors in the title chase. There is still more work to be done on the edges to feel confident heading into the year.
What has been your favorite move during your tenure?
- Man that’s tough! Any time a franchise is able to bring in a serious talent like a Nikola Jokic or a Damian Lillard it’s definitely a highlight—but my FAVORITE move would have to be trading for Tyrese Maxey back in the Spring of 2021. I was in dynasty purgatory at that point—the team was too good to tank, too bad to compete. I had Kyle Kuzma heading into restricted free agency in the upcoming off-season & had a (productive) Dwight Howard taking up roster space. Neither of those players at the time fit my vision for the organization moving forward, so I chose to connect with the Hornets and discuss a swap to obtain Tyrese along with a 1st round pick in 2022. Tyrese Maxey was always a player I was super high on, I just felt like he needed the opportunity to shine—with lots of luck (thanks Ben Simmons)—that hope became a reality and Tyrese shined on the big stage in year 2.
What is the expectation for this team as you head into this year?
- We are here to compete. After UFA wraps up, the leaders of Portland will be taking some much needed time off prior to training camp. We feel that our roster is well-suited to be competitive as it stands, but remain open to different avenues to improving the roster as the season progresses.
- My goal is to end up in the top 2 out west and be competing in the conference finals—we are still 1-2 moves away from that point, but we believe that goal is well within reach at this stage.
Really tough start to the year for Shadeon. As someone who has probably played the least amount of competitive basketball in this class how frustrated are you with his situation and what are your expectations for him this year?
- That was a tough break for Shaedon—for a kid that hasn’t played competitive basketball in a 5 on 5 setting in about 12 months, we felt that this experience in Summer League was pertinent to his development as a young guy looking to get his foot in the door in the league. After the IRL Portland Trail Blazers made the decision to be competitive this year (signing Gary Payton + trading for Jerami Grant), I don’t expect much from the Mystery Man in year 1. I envision some spot minutes here and there in the 1st half, and maybe he plays well enough to crack the rotation later in the season.
- We just really like what Shaedon brings to the table as a full package. He can score at all 3 levels, has ~95th percentile athleticism and has a smooth stroke. Shaedon is a long-term play for our organization that we expect pays dividends down the road.
Can we expect any more moves for the blazers this off-season or is this essentially the opening night roster?
- The phone lines are always open in Portland, but I’d expect to stand pat until we get a better idea of how this roster stands up to others once the season kicks off.
If you could eliminate one other franchise in the playoffs this year who would it be and why?
- Oh man, this is a tricky one to end on. I find myself getting frustrated at the lack of respect and general basketball knowledge from the management out in Utah. Unfortunately, I don’t see him making the playoffs this season, so I’m not sure if we will get the chance to matchup. Hopefully he is able to rebound from his disaster of a season last year and get back into the postseason in a few years.
My first question is how hard was it for you to come in and keep the big picture in mind? A lot of GMs come in here and get sped up. You were very conscious and meticulous early on. How much hard/easy was that for you?
- I had quite the rude awakening my first night in the league as I received an offer of Kelly Olynk for two 1st round picks—the only first round picks that I had remaining in my already depleted draft cupboard. I didn’t let that get me down, though. Upon seeing my roster filled with aging stars including Kemba Walker, Blake Griffin, Victor Oladipo, and Kevin Love, I knew the right path to take would be stripping the team down and rebooting with it my vision in mind. Having the competitive spirit that I do, along with wanting to make a good first impression to the league, it was disappointing for me initially to take the easy road and rebuild. But I did what had to be done and I feel we’re on a good path now as an organization.
We obviously have seen the vast improvement in the franchise from when you took over the reigns. How difficult was it to let go of guys like Maxey and Garland to go pursue a title NOW? Was there a part of you that wanted to take a slower approach with Garland/Maxey or was the chance the grab Jokic/Dame a no brainer?
- No doubt about it. Our player development staff, along with our analytics department, has done a strong job of spotting and nurturing talent that we bring to Portland. The growth of Darius and Tyrese was paramount to getting to the point that I’m at now.
- Many GM’s have stated that I’ve rushed the process—that I should’ve allowed my young talent to grow more before consolidating into a true contender. I understand that line of thinking & I do not fully disagree with it. Going back to my earlier point of being a competitor, I could not stand pat another year and hope the ping pong balls fell in my direction. I was contacted in February by the head man out in Cleveland inquiring about Darius Garland—he informed us that two-time MVP Nikola Jokic would be on the table in a deal. That was the first point I started pondering the concept of pushing the pieces to the center of the table in ’22-’23. When a player the caliber of Jokic in his prime is on the table, I felt it was pertinent to do everything in my power to obtain that asset, which I feel we have done.
- Much like with Jokic, the General Manager in Philadelphia came calling for another rising star in the off-season—Tyrese Maxey—and told me that, as part of his pending rebuild, Damian Lillard was on the table. We did what had to be done to get Dame to the PNW.
Coming into the off-season what were your primary goals for building this roster?
- After trading for the #1 player in fantasy for 2 consecutive seasons, the obvious goal was to build a roster that could compete for a title every season that he was wearing a Blazers uniform. Outside of Jokic, I didn’t have any specific “stars” that I was gunning for—Lillard and then Vucevic came about rather organically.
- After shipping off a handful of young pieces in Darius Garland, Tyrese Maxey, Coby White, and Nicolas Claxton, my primary goal was to acclimate some serious depth that would allow me to separate myself from the middle-tier out West.
- I feel that we have progressed in that goal, but have not gotten where we need to be to compete with the likes of the Bucks, the Pelicans, the Wolves, the Magic, and the Warriors in the title chase. There is still more work to be done on the edges to feel confident heading into the year.
What has been your favorite move during your tenure?
- Man that’s tough! Any time a franchise is able to bring in a serious talent like a Nikola Jokic or a Damian Lillard it’s definitely a highlight—but my FAVORITE move would have to be trading for Tyrese Maxey back in the Spring of 2021. I was in dynasty purgatory at that point—the team was too good to tank, too bad to compete. I had Kyle Kuzma heading into restricted free agency in the upcoming off-season & had a (productive) Dwight Howard taking up roster space. Neither of those players at the time fit my vision for the organization moving forward, so I chose to connect with the Hornets and discuss a swap to obtain Tyrese along with a 1st round pick in 2022. Tyrese Maxey was always a player I was super high on, I just felt like he needed the opportunity to shine—with lots of luck (thanks Ben Simmons)—that hope became a reality and Tyrese shined on the big stage in year 2.
What is the expectation for this team as you head into this year?
- We are here to compete. After UFA wraps up, the leaders of Portland will be taking some much needed time off prior to training camp. We feel that our roster is well-suited to be competitive as it stands, but remain open to different avenues to improving the roster as the season progresses.
- My goal is to end up in the top 2 out west and be competing in the conference finals—we are still 1-2 moves away from that point, but we believe that goal is well within reach at this stage.
Really tough start to the year for Shadeon. As someone who has probably played the least amount of competitive basketball in this class how frustrated are you with his situation and what are your expectations for him this year?
- That was a tough break for Shaedon—for a kid that hasn’t played competitive basketball in a 5 on 5 setting in about 12 months, we felt that this experience in Summer League was pertinent to his development as a young guy looking to get his foot in the door in the league. After the IRL Portland Trail Blazers made the decision to be competitive this year (signing Gary Payton + trading for Jerami Grant), I don’t expect much from the Mystery Man in year 1. I envision some spot minutes here and there in the 1st half, and maybe he plays well enough to crack the rotation later in the season.
- We just really like what Shaedon brings to the table as a full package. He can score at all 3 levels, has ~95th percentile athleticism and has a smooth stroke. Shaedon is a long-term play for our organization that we expect pays dividends down the road.
Can we expect any more moves for the blazers this off-season or is this essentially the opening night roster?
- The phone lines are always open in Portland, but I’d expect to stand pat until we get a better idea of how this roster stands up to others once the season kicks off.
If you could eliminate one other franchise in the playoffs this year who would it be and why?
- Oh man, this is a tricky one to end on. I find myself getting frustrated at the lack of respect and general basketball knowledge from the management out in Utah. Unfortunately, I don’t see him making the playoffs this season, so I’m not sure if we will get the chance to matchup. Hopefully he is able to rebound from his disaster of a season last year and get back into the postseason in a few years.