12-13-2025, 08:15 AM
(12-12-2025, 06:28 PM)omahen Wrote: Portland is somehow quietly falling apart. They had a very nice October start of the season, but are just 5-14 in November and December. They were supposed to be a good defensive team, but the lowly NO scored 143 points against them last night. Even this was not a consequence of some extremely hot shooting. I didn't watch the game but box score suggests NO was doing whatever they wanted.
Portland has some interesting young players in Avdija, Sharpe, Camara and Clingan. Henderson tbd. But they also have several vets and if their result free fall continues, they might think about becoming sellers. Jrue and Grant are on bloated 3 year deals that will be difficult to move, even though both could be interesting to some contenders. Williams and Thybulle are expiring - contenders could again be interested, but they are unlikely to fetch more than a SRP or so.
I haven't seen much of them. Every time I see Sharpe, I think that guy should be a star. Others who watch basketball for a living have a more even take and some question his play. Still though, I see no reason why he should not be pushing for all star games in his future. Maybe I only see his good game/good plays though. I really like Avdija too. I am also a fan of Clingan, but worry about his long term health. This was a big year for Henderson so it sucks he has been injured. I thought he was making some progress last year, even if it was still uneven. Still a long way from being the hyped consolation prize of that draft. This year was really important for him.
They had the coaching stuff that I am sure has impacted the team. I also wonder if the mix of veterans and youth is not a good fit with the team struggling. It can be a challenge when your veterans are making the big money and probably not your best players. With that being said, they should be much better than how they have been playing.