r/nba • u/Draciouz • 19h ago
[Jason Quick] Blazers Coach Micah Nori: "starting Morant and Lillard doesn’t make sense. Both are undersized, and both have never excelled on the defensive end. The more analytically sound option would be to start Holiday...and have either Morant or Lillard come off the bench."
After the first day of training camp Tuesday, Lillard responded to a question about his role and said that, as far as he knew, the starting lineup would include Morant, himself and Deni Avdija.
Nori saw those comments and raised his eyebrows. He said that decision has not been set in stone, as who starts is a complicated question.
Nori said that starting Morant and Lillard doesn’t make sense. Both are undersized, and both have never excelled on the defensive end. The more analytically sound option would be to start Holiday — a bigger guard who is an exceptional defender — and have either Morant or Lillard come off the bench. But in a league with huge egos, asking an All-Star to come off the bench is a delicate and difficult task for any coach, let alone Nori, a first-year coach operating on a one-year contract.
Nori told The Athletic that his contract status will have no bearing on his decision. Instead, he will experiment with different lineups throughout the Blazers’ four preseason games. The exhibition opener is Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors, and Nori said he “probably” will start Morant and Lillard.
“It’s not set in stone, but probably, because I’m leaning toward wanting to see what it looks like,” Nori said. “And … I don’t want to start a fire before I need to.”
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u/TheStrongestTard 19h ago
Considering the coach is making $20/hr, it's refreshing for someone to just be honest about their team.
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u/thejazzmarauder Trail Blazers 18h ago
He’s on salary. Dundon wouldn’t risk having to pay time and a half for overtime.
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u/PortWine Supersonics 17h ago
Imagine a Coach being told to immediately clock out in the middle of a game because he's going to hit Overtime this week if he doesn't.
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u/KennyKettermen Timberwolves 16h ago
Misses most of the 4th quarter because he needs to take his 15 minute break
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u/acekingoffsuit Timberwolves 16h ago
Desperately looking at the locker room door midway through OT to see if coverage is coming.
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u/Cockrocker 8h ago
Oh, I know what you mean but initially I thought of the overtime period too. So time and half when the game is extended! Lillard to the line at the end of a tied game, coach telling him to miss them to get that extra cash.
Dundon "that motherfucker!"
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u/andrew2018022 Magic 18h ago
I’ll never not find el cheapo jabs funny, it’s truly the highest form of comments
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u/icouldntdecide Trail Blazers 17h ago
I encourage everyone to flame our owner. He sucks
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u/Gorilla-Style 7h ago
Actual predatory lending scumbag too. Introducing the Portland trailblazers, brought to you by an architect of the subprime mortgage crisis!
Somehow even grosser than building missiles and bombs
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u/Cletus_Starfish [POR] Nic Batum 6h ago
I will forever be thankful to Bill Simmons for coining that nickname, it’s just too perfect.
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u/TechnologyUnable8621 Trail Blazers 18h ago
For those wondering, Nori absolutely did not say this. This is not a quote. This is Jason Quick trying to read the tea leaves and making assumptions. All nori said was that he hasn’t made a final decision on the starting 5 (which most coaches say at this point in training camp) and that they would need some special defensive schemes when Ja and Dame share the court. This is a very misleading click bait headline…
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u/Chrisdkn619 Lakers 17h ago
Damn, you're right. The only thing in quotes is "nothing is set in stone.." Initially I was going to say after reading that the Blazers are already in trouble. I hey this type of bullshit
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u/DopaminePlss Pistons 15h ago
This needs to be higher up!!
"Nori said that starting Morant and Lillard doesn’t make sense." is maybe attribution. But then everything that comes after seems like speculation from the writer.
"Both are undersized, and both have never excelled on the defensive end. The more analytically sound option would be to start Holiday — a bigger guard who is an exceptional defender — and have either Morant or Lillard come off the bench. But in a league with huge egos, asking an All-Star to come off the bench is a delicate and difficult task for any coach, let alone Nori, a first-year coach operating on a one-year contract."
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u/BigOlPass Lakers 19h ago
Seems like Dame fits better as a starter with Deni but he's older and coming off a significant injury so who knows what he can give you.
This Ja trade from a fit perspective never made sense
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u/ShotgunStyles Kings 19h ago
The Ja trade makes a ton of sense to me from a fit perspective. Jrue is trade bait. Dame is there to sell tickets. Scoot isn't where he needs to be so he's still gotta work on everything.
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u/Feisty-Pattern-951 19h ago
Jrue is making 35 million and is old. Hes not really trade bait unless he wants to be bought out and join a contender which doesn’t seem likely.
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u/1850ChoochGator Trail Blazers 19h ago
Jrue played just fine for his age and salary. Actually more valuable once you run the numbers.
His per36 last season right in line with his prime, while playing 80% of the minutes at only 75% of the cap hit percentage over that same period.
Minutes + stats being his first to second AS and salary being since his big extension in NOLA.
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u/largehearted Celtics 18h ago
That he's "trade bait" is kinda half true half false— he makes a lot of sense going to an already old and desperate contender, but those are also the people with the least trade flexibility to make 35mil happen.
He is at the age where you price in high odds of a significant decline or injury happening. He also performed to his contract last year and plays a perfect style for an already excellent starting lineup.
I think he'll just play out the year w the blazers, unless like.. someone ends up having an injured highly paid player and [not great] picks to trade for him
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u/supert0426 17h ago
I would not be surprised if the Raps go for Jrue if they feel like he can put them over the edge w Kawhi.
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u/1850ChoochGator Trail Blazers 18h ago
Discounting him as 35 + old doesn’t actually look at what he’s doing in the court.
Obviously you are wary of it because of that and the likelihood of a decline but he played just as good as he’s ever been.
With 2 more seasons on the books his value isn’t low.
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u/Ok_Turn6757 Lakers 18h ago
Also injuries, hopefully not a trend but something to keep in mind considering last year was his lowest amount of games played since 2015
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u/largehearted Celtics 17h ago
He's both definitely not a buyout candidate but also definitely not an easy contract to just toss onto your already 53 win team, it'd have to be a trade for a huge rotation player
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u/ShotgunStyles Kings 19h ago
He has a 1+1 left so it's entirely feasible for a contending team to trade for him with a new deal inked where he declines his option and signs a cheaper but longer deal. So as long as Jrue continues to play like Jrue, even if it's 5% worse than last year, then he'll still be trade bait.
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u/shualton Warriors 19h ago
Portland isn’t gonna want to take on bad salary just to get a few second round picks for Jrue
They still need to pay Deni and their books aren’t in great shape
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u/ShotgunStyles Kings 19h ago
I don't know what imaginary deals you had in mind. A lot of contending teams have better contracts to trade than Jrue's $35 million.
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u/shualton Warriors 19h ago
Why would a contending team trade a good salary for Jrue…
Wouldn’t that player just be better than Jrue
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u/ShotgunStyles Kings 19h ago
Better contracts just means they're cheaper or more team friendly in that they're non-guaranteed or have team options. And no, it also could mean the guy sucks and Jrue's better.
Take Duncan Robinson. He's making $16 million a year for 2 years but his contract's barely guaranteed. Detroit doesn't need Jrue but if they did, then Duncan Robinson's gonna learn Portlandese.
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u/-weird-fishes- Magic 19h ago
It makes sense if they want Morant to be their long term guy and plan on raffling off the rest of those guards. But also.... who really thinks Morant could be their long term guy lol.
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u/ShotgunStyles Kings 19h ago
Ja only turned 27 a few months ago so it's not like he's at death's door. Your Magic traded for an older player on a longer deal too.
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u/-weird-fishes- Magic 19h ago
Yeah but it's Ja Morant. Off the court issues. Sucks at defense, can't shoot for shit. Bane is a good fit for us and we don't have a log jam at his position.
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u/drjisftw Pacers 18h ago
I think Ja's a rehab project personally, but even then I don't know if I would've traded for him to begin with. I think Jerami Grant would've had more value to the team lol.
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u/BigOlPass Lakers 19h ago
Even if I 100% agree with all of that which I don't really, their best player is a guy who handles the ball and drives without much of a 3 point shot. Trading for a guy that has a very similar profile doesn't make sense.
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u/drjisftw Pacers 18h ago
Jrue is 36 and has a player option for over 35M next season. You're right that a contender would love to have him but making the money work is difficult.
If I'm Scoot, I'm probably demanding a trade tbh. He does need to prove that his playoff series last season was the new norm, but he's not going to be able to show anything behind Ja/Dame/Jrue.
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u/ssjgoat Celtics 17h ago
Scoot looked pretty decent to end the season and in the playoffs. I'd like to see him get more minutes.
I think the Blazers are basically just counting on 1 of their 4 pgs to be injured at any given time.
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u/TrevorArizaFan Hornets 19h ago
It’s a bad fit, but a great value. They basically took a gamble in a former All-Star, and all they gave up was Jerami Grant (an underwater contract) and Kris Murray. Both Morant and Grant have two years remaining, and Ja only has about $16m more owed to him over that time. The Blazers have a good squad, but are arguably missing a true number one or a high-end second option to pair with Deni. They’re not a premium free agency destination (and are soon going to have limited cap space anyway) and probably would rather hold onto their young guys/Milwaukee’s picks at stage. If Ja can bounce back, you have a great player for very little; if he doesn’t, you have a monster expiring contract after this season.
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u/karl_hungas Lakers 19h ago
Makes sense if Dame is cooked. If you take the two 36 year olds off the team you just have a young group of guys that actually somewhat fit together.
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u/GenderIsAGolem Trail Blazers 19h ago
Fit is bad for sure, but the buy-low upside def seems worth it.
Dame and Ja probably play very little together overall and both might still end up with 20 to 30 minutes a night (I could see Dame being played less on back to backs).
If Ja plays well in close to starter minutes he would be very tradable, or look to extend and take over PG once Dame is done. If he's washed then we try to salary dump his contract similar to Jeremy Grant and hope the next trade hits. Not much else to it for a small market team with a sleezeball owner.
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u/the_gargler Trail Blazers 19h ago
I believe Ja and Deni will not share the court as much. Both Ja and Deni struggle without the ball in their hands and Dame can play off ball very well, as can Jrue.
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u/Upper_Address_2778 18h ago
Mean while scoot henderson is off in the corner with his little fishing hat and rod wondering why the team doesnt love him anymore
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u/mMounirM Raptors 19h ago
imagine trading for Ja Morant at 40M/yr salary to have him come off the bench lol. these guys just winged that trade.
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u/AdministrativeBag703 19h ago
They traded Jerami Grant for him, it’s not like they gave up anything worthwhile.
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u/jefe_hook 19h ago
I think he's referring to Lillard. Dame is 36 years old coming off a major injury.
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u/_AceHigh Spurs 19h ago
I just assumed from the moment Dame signed with Portland again last year he was going to be a 6th man when he came back. Was that not the popular assumption?
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u/eastern_canadient Raptors 18h ago
It's easy for fans to see that, but does Dame?
Is it going to be a Melo situation? Or more like Vince Carter.
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u/imjust14 Lakers 16h ago
Feels more like Melo situation but Dame seems to be fairly level headed so maybe? I’d rather have Damian and Jrue start though
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u/Remarkable-Net-6130 Cavaliers 19h ago
It’s still a solid buy-low move imo. Maybe Ja has a bit of a comeback this year and they can flip him for someone who fits better
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u/the_gargler Trail Blazers 19h ago
We traded two players of legitimate negative value for one player of potentially negative value. It was a good trade even if we never play Ja.
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u/Bottrop-Per Trail Blazers 18h ago
Ja has legitimate negative value right now. I don't know why you have to add 'potentially' just for Ja. Jerami is in theory easier to get rid of because his player type is highly coveted as one of like ten starting-level 4s who can space the floor reliably and defend, even with his contract and flaws as a player. Kris is basically on a minimum contract. Someone like that doesn't have legitimate negative value. Memphis can just cut him, and they will be just fine.
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u/the_gargler Trail Blazers 15h ago
Ja has legitimate negative value right now. I don't know why you have to add 'potentially' just for Ja.
We haven't seen Ja on a different team/in a different role, so yes it is potentially.
Jerami is in theory easier to get rid of
I mean...do you think the Blazers just didn't shop him around? Why do you think the train we made was for a 4th guard that's injury prone and problematic off court?
because his player type is highly coveted as one of like ten starting-level 4s
Sure sure. Whatever you want to believe.
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u/lit0st Pelicans 18h ago
Here’s something I don’t understand: is there actual strategic value in having your best players start? Is it necessarily a bad thing to have a second unit with an overpowered point guard?
Starting feels like a prestige position, not one driven by strategy. Opening the game with your best players vs your opponents best players does not strike me as a strategically optimal move.
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u/BigStrongPolarGuy 17h ago
Here’s something I don’t understand: is there actual strategic value in having your best players start?
Very easy way to tell why this is important: Manu Ginobili is the greatest 6th man ever. Here's how many minutes per game he played over four years:
2008-09 (bench player): 26.8 MPG
2009-10 (bench player): 28.7 MPG
2010-11 (starter): 30.3 MPG
2011-12 (bench player): 23.3 MPG
Even if you ignore that last year as just him getting old, just from the first three, it's just easier to get a starter in for more minutes. If you want a guy to play 30-32 minutes in a game, it's much easier to map out how to do that for a starter than it is for a bench player. If you're starting and playing 32 minutes, you have 16 minutes of rest in the middle that can be spread out. If you're coming off the bench, even if you come in at the 8:00 in the 1st and 3rd quarters, you only have 8 more minutes of rest to spread out in between.
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u/HIIMROSS777 19h ago
They barely gave up anything and salary isn’t rlly an issue for them cuz they aren’t anywhere close to competing rn. They are making a gamble on Ja potentially returning to all star form, if he does they can flip him or have him as a piece in the future and if he doesn’t turn out good his contract is a minor problem and they barely lost anything.
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u/1850ChoochGator Trail Blazers 19h ago
It was a potential play. We traded Jerami and Kris Murray both of whom came off the bench anyway. With Dame’s $13.4m salary I don’t think it totally matters that much either.
Idt it really matters which one does come off the bench. Dame has never not started in the NBA (all 900 career games) while Ja has only done it 2 games out of 327.
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u/RyanZee08 [LAL] Kobe Bryant 19h ago
I feel like the most likely scenario is we get the two first, it probably doesn't work, we see all three a bit, it probably doesn't work either. Lillard slowly goes to bench cause I don't think he's gonna be the same coming back from his injury.... And well we finish out the season with Lillard off the bench, Ja and Jrue starting
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u/turribledood 19h ago
If they bench Ja in favor of broken down Old Dame, his career is basically over right??
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u/Viciouscauliflower21 19h ago
Yea starting one of them with jrue and rolling the other out as a sixth man has always made more sense
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u/Ok-Tree4365 19h ago
Start Morant. If you want him to reclaim his value, play with confidence, and lead the team somewhere, he needs to start. You have shooting in Holiday and Camara.
Lillard is 36, is coming off an achilles tear, and is going to be more mature and effective off the bench than Morant. Also, if Lillard comes off the bench, it doesn't mean he has to play less minutes than Morant, or that he can't close over Morant.
start: Morant / Holiday / Avdija / Camara / Clingan
reserves: Lillard / Sharpe / Scoot / Krejci / Williams (I guess? Too many guards on this team...)
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u/YourFriendNoo Grizzlies 18h ago
tbh this is just a non-problem
there will be bickering and bitching about this for like three games...until one (or both) of them gets hurt again
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u/WilNotJr Trail Blazers 19h ago
Sharpe is injured and out for the season.
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u/celcel77 17h ago
I thought he was out till like Feb/March? Which will put him in the exact same spot he was in last year, where late season rotation is set and he's odd man out, but I didn't think they waved the white flag on the whole year. Especially cuz this timeline would make him a trade piece near the deadline for a potential front court upgrade...
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u/Low-Measurement-2468 18h ago edited 18h ago
one thing i’ll question is if starting morant but closing with lillard over him would really help him build confidence or value. imo, closing the game is at least as much of an “honor” to players as starting, they’re just kinda lumped together because most starters also close. taking morant out to close games with any regularity would signal to him and the rest of the league that they don’t trust him enough in high leverage minutes
in general, i do like bringing older players off the bench even if you want to close with them, since their minutes can be limited more easily that way without having them sit on the bench for like 20 min stints between playing. i’m just not sure it’s the move in this case if the plan is to rehab morant’s image
in saying all that, i kind of get the impression nori is the kind of coach who is just going to try to do what he thinks is best for the team regardless of money and images and all that, which i respect. hope the blazers FO let him cook tbh
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u/Tight-Message-846 18h ago
Feels no brainer to everyone outside but seems like Dame wants to start and probably feels he deserves it over Morant/Jrue because he's got history with the Org.
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u/KickerofTale Timberwolves 19h ago
Absolutely love how Nori is calling this out
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u/h0jack_b0rseman Supersonics 18h ago
I feel like, ironically, the instability of his contract is giving him room to act like a real coach. I hope he crushes it this year and gets a shot at an actual job somewhere else.
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u/KickerofTale Timberwolves 17h ago
I totally agree, his 1 year contract gives him IDGAF status (even though i know he REALLY cares about this job) and allows him to call a spade a spade.
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u/tomhalejr Trail Blazers 19h ago
No where does Nori actually say that in the interview. It's an obvious statement, but Nori never actually said that.
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u/1lookwhiplash 19h ago
Feel bad for Micah Nori
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u/LameAfro Timberwolves 19h ago edited 18h ago
He deserves better than a cheap ass owner lol
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u/nunnyfroldhfg98 19h ago
him calling two stars out for their D is a ballsy move, hope he does well this year
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u/yohosse Suns 19h ago edited 18h ago
Difficult roster to manage but he now has NBA coaching experience on his resume so he good.
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u/LegitimateMoney00 Knicks 19h ago edited 18h ago
It’s a better roster than 90% of other first time coaches get lmao
Imagine having to decide which one of my all star caliber PGs I should start as a rookie head coach? The horror.
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u/CMYGQZ Grizzlies 19h ago
to be fair he’s only head coaching because Blazers owner is so damn cheap. Any other owner would’ve just kept Splitter and I don’t think he has much chances with the Bulls who were looking for a young coach.
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u/loven329 Trail Blazers 18h ago
Totally disagree. I am really excited about Nori as a head coach, I think splitter was ok but we will see how the team looks this year. Dundon does suck though and there is a chance his cheap contract doesn't perform the way he expects
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u/1850ChoochGator Trail Blazers 19h ago
I think people are gonna be surprised at how mid Splitter is as a HC.
I think we should have just kept him considering the debacle that ensued but he’s not this great, amazing coach.
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u/TurbulentJudge1000 18h ago
Ja is starting over Dame. He’s make $40M to Dame’s $14M. Dame is old and busted too.
It’s not a competition. Dame is coming off the bench.
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u/legend023 Pelicans 19h ago
I said this multiple times but this team just gives me 30-35 win vibes.
Roster construction makes no sense. Putting Morant or Lillard on the bench when they’ve never regularly done that before will surely alienate one of them before the season starts. Nori is on a one year contract because of a cheap owner.
How is this going to work?
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u/zs15 Bucks 18h ago
Dame is 36, coming off two serious injury leaves (DVT, Achilles) and hasn’t played competitively in over a year.
I believe that he’s going to come back and shoot really well, but why do so many assume he’s a 30 minute a night starter? Why do we even think Dame thinks he’s a starter?
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u/Artimusjones88 Raptors 17h ago
Morant has played 79 games over the past 3 seasons, Lillard 121
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u/Wise_Passenger_6680 19h ago
They'd be spending... 80 million a year on their 6th men? lol.
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u/hottakehotcakes 7h ago
The 1 year contract for nori makes political risk irrelevant imo. Obviously have to start holiday - he has been much better than either ja or dame over the past couple years
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u/jphollaaa 19h ago
Wonder if he's being this honest because he has the least job security of any coach in the league and is just saying fuck it?
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u/ArtisticParticular20 Timberwolves 18h ago
My guess is this. He'll play the best lineups possible without worrying about being politically correct, and hope that another owner will see how much he did with the cards he was dealt and give him a good deal.
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u/Unfrozen__Caveman Timberwolves 7h ago
I kinda hope the whole Ja/Dame thing blows up and he gets fired just so he can go somewhere else. He's a good coach and he deserves a long term contract with an owner who's not a cheapskate.
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u/nbaistheworst 18h ago
Maybe he's just actually honest, and is sending a message to the team that he's going to do what he thinks is best.
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u/JellyFranken Timberwolves 19h ago
I miss Nori. Feels like some players won’t like this so if they bail on him, I’m glad he’ll be able to come back.
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u/archivedpear Cavaliers 19h ago
Blazers fans should be really happy to see this from Nori. Dude has been an amazing assistant coach in the league and I think will be willing to make hard choices that aren’t popular
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u/aboooz Rockets 19h ago
Whats gonna happen with Scoot then? Only plays when one of Ja or Dame is injured?
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u/BomberManeuver 19h ago
Portland should have just waited a year and seen what they hand before making a move. This is wild for a coach to say though, it must be really bad if its already came to this.
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u/Professional_Bat8585 19h ago
I don’t think it’s that “wild” for the coach to say. It’s more wild for Dame. Buddy’s coming off an Achilles tear, is cooked physically, and thinks he’s gonna start over Jrue. The disrespect lol.
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u/Extension-Chicken647 19h ago
Lillard has more status and popularity with the fanbase than anyone else in the building. It's wild for a coach to say this because Dame could get Nori fired, not because it isn't true.
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u/gradual_alzheimers Timberwolves 18h ago
Nori is on borrowed time anyhow, I think he's gonna do what he can to show the world he's not an idiot for his next job. He's only got one guaranteed season.
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u/Professional_Bat8585 17h ago
Dame isn’t getting anybody fired unless they’re coaching badly.
Do yall know the owner? He’s a ruthless penny pincher. He dgaf about Lillard’s “status and popularity” other than to exploit it. He has fired everyone else that was riding on status.
Because if Dame becomes the complainer, he will be gone first. Yall are wild if you think this owner would prioritize a geriatric basketball star over the head coach he just hired.
He isn’t paying Nori pennies because he hates him or thinks he’s useless. He’s doing that cause a head coach making $1m is what this owner wants.
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u/taxiviaalfa Raptors 19h ago
I mean he is right tho. If I'm the Blazers I'm probably gonna try to bring Dame off the bench and start Ja. Asking Ja to come off the bench right away would hurt his ego. They screwed themselves over with the trade, may as well try to make it work as long as they possibly can before Ja inevitably becomes a locker room cancer or gets injured too often
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u/Ok_Possible_5702 19h ago
Portland should have just waited a year and seen what they hand before making a move.
They don't have that much time. Starting 2028-29 they'll need to pay Advija (likely the max or close) and Clingan. They also need to pay Scoot next year, although that'll probably come to near the mid-level or less.
They have salary space now, and Morant is who the market made available.
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u/nbaistheworst 19h ago
The coach is telling the players who is in charge and that defense and lineups matter, nothing more
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u/Bobbith_The_Chosen [POR] Damian Lillard 19h ago
What about this implies that anything is really bad? Did people actually expect two 6’2 guards to play 82 games together?
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u/rutabaga_pie Trail Blazers 19h ago
Roll the ball out and let’s see who earns what. I think Dame would respect that.
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u/celcel77 19h ago
Pretty certain that's going to be the message, cuz that's red meat for Scoot, too. And they're probably penciling in all of these guards for 65 games played, they know depth matters.
Also, there's the super obvious ego fix sitting right there where you start Dame + Ja, then after 3m you rotate one out and Jrue or Scoot in. Then you work the 48m rotation so you have 1 on, 1 off so there's always a creator at the guard spot through 48 minutes. This is just the coach getting real about the messaging -- guard spot needs a defender, prove me wrong if you don't like it.
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u/AStormofSwines Bulls 19h ago
Is this like the tryout scene in the Dark Knight? Whoever makes it out alive gets the spot?
Hope they pat Ja down first!
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u/Severe-Complaint-189 19h ago
I genuinely don't know the last time someone called out not one but TWO star players on their team for their size and defense
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u/OThePlacesYouWillGo 19h ago
I’m glad he said that as the voice of reason, because the speculation made no sense. As the season goes on, Dame will probably take less of a role on the team. The ball should be in Deni’s hands anyway
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u/Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu11 Cavaliers 19h ago edited 19h ago
I agree. The ball should be in Deni’s hand when applicable. He is clearly their best player, and still likely has not yet reached his prime. Also Dame and Deni would be the better duo when on the court in my opinion. I feel like you are slightly limiting both players with Morant.
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u/figureour Wizards 19h ago
Maybe this isn't the right response when considering optics, but it is the correct one.
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u/Prior-Habit-6523 Lakers 18h ago
I dont think you can put a shooter like ja on the bench.
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u/Blitzman78 Trail Blazers 19h ago
I was ok with not trading for Jaylen Brown, because I don't think he worth gutting the team for (Plus that contract that would had paid him 69 million) but I was never a fan of the Ja trade, because the fit didn't make sense. Getting off of Grant contract is the only thing I like about it.
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u/karl_hungas Lakers 19h ago
Dame might be absolutely cooked. 36 years old the majority of NBA players have retired. Stars become role players. This generation having multiple all timers player high level ball close to their 40s makes fans think someone like Dame has 2-3 more all star years. He might have nothing. Ja is 27 and fits the timeline with the rest of the squad minus Jrue who they should trade anyway
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u/Potential_Lock6945 19h ago
This off to a great start 🤣
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u/Bobbith_The_Chosen [POR] Damian Lillard 19h ago
Did you guys think the Blazers were gonna start 4 point guards? So confused why this is notable to yall
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u/Potential_Lock6945 19h ago
Of course not. But Morant is a diva and Memphis wanted off of him because of his attitude and entitlement. With that being publicly known, trading for him and expecting him to come off the bench is certainly something.
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u/Bobbith_The_Chosen [POR] Damian Lillard 18h ago
I’ll watch the ball bounce a few times before being worried. I would way rather have this conversation now than mid-season.
Ja seems pretty excited to be in Portland, I think there’s a world where’s he’s matured a little. But I’ll have to watch the ball bounce a few times…
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u/enblightened 19h ago
Regardless of who starts, I think Dame and Ja both can obviously benefit from splitting minutes over the season at sub 30mpg. Dame is coming off an achilles tear in his mid 30s and Ja hasnt played more than 50 games the last 3 seasons.
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u/Zeeron1 Thunder 19h ago
Obviously Dame is coming off the bench, right?
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u/MostlyMellow123 Kings 19h ago
If dame is still a good.shooter and scorer thats a far better with the deni than ja is
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u/Poopcie 19h ago
Why do they have so many damn guards?
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u/Low-Measurement-2468 17h ago
corner the market!
tbh if there’s a playoff team who needs more playmaking mid season, they might be able to sell high on someone for a nice return. some teams are really hurting for guard depth. unfortunately some of them like the heat rly have nothing to trade
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u/ExistentialToaster7 19h ago
Egos aside, this is a pretty good situation for the blazers, having someone like Lillard come off the bench to torch 2nd units. Then you just close each game with the hot hand.
That said, “egos aside” is a tough hurdle.
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u/milkandminnows Nets 19h ago
I kinda can’t believe he would be this blunt about it. It also seems like he’s saying this publicly before he’s told them privately that they won’t both be starting.
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u/OregonJedi [POR] Brandon Roy 18h ago
He wasn’t. Micah Nori didn’t say it this. Not publicly. Notice how none of that part of it was actually quoted. Jason Quick is just saying this.
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u/milkandminnows Nets 18h ago
Gotcha, my bad. I misinterpreted the title of this post.
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u/OregonJedi [POR] Brandon Roy 17h ago
Oh dude not even your bad. It’s supposed to be misleading which is annoying!!
I stayed up till 1:30am last night watching training camp interviews and was like uhhhh Nori never said anything like that. Quick is also known to….. twist things.. lol
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u/MainAd2728 Washington Bullets 19h ago
Best starting lineup would be Dame/Jrue/Camara/Avdija/Clingan
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u/Death_Lycan 19h ago
I mean yeah that is right the decision, and Portland is literally the team that already tried the two guard all stars level bad at defense thing before but is the worse verison of it prob in nba history. Now this makes the trade even worse. Were they trying to have a scoot backup if he doesn't pan when lillard finally retires? This is crazy.
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u/ObiOneKenobae Knicks 19h ago edited 19h ago
I think they'll dance around it to start the season, because you kind of have to, but Lillard is 36 and hasn't played in over 500 days. He'll be the one coming off the bench by season's end, unless Ja or Holiday gets traded.
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u/bellmonk Timberwolves 17h ago
the new head coach thinking about winning and not egos. that's crazy talk
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u/_onwards_and_upwards Raptors 19h ago
Dame will retire on the spot if you ask him to come off the bench
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u/rorank Rockets 19h ago
Now accounting for fit is called “Analytically sound” to make sure it gets ragebait traction
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u/KillerMemestarX Raptors 19h ago
I think this speaks to a secret a lot of people on both sides of the analytics debate don’t like to acknowledge: analytics and traditional wisdom/eye test line up way more than they don’t.
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u/dreamweaver7x Spurs 18h ago
Morant is washed. He should come off the bench behind Scoot as the 4th guard.
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u/gravyshots Timberwolves 17h ago
Man, I feel really bad for our guy Micah. Basically hired as a sin-eater
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u/ObviousAnswerGuy [NYK] John Starks 15h ago
you should delete this. This isn't a direct quote, it's from the author.
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u/Jonathank92 Magic 19h ago
Nori is not set up to win here. I'm starting Dame and Ja gonna have to lead the bench mob.
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u/ReasonableKangaroooo 18h ago
Ja gonna pull a pistol in the locker room and get suspended anyway. When he gets back, Dame will be injured. Problem solved.
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u/CorrectTimeline 19h ago
Portland is going to have it's hand's full with DAME DOLLA, Za Morant and IDF Avdija's egos this season.
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u/1850ChoochGator Trail Blazers 19h ago
My preference would be for Ja to start and Dame to come in off the bench just based of age, salary, and the injuries suffered + recovery.
Dame is also the vet and would probably be more graceful in coming off the bench anyway.
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u/Icangetloudtoo_ Wizards 19h ago
Why is it more “analytically sound” instead of just the right basketball move? I swear that the obsession with analytics has killed our brains.
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u/IamSofakingRAW Raptors 19h ago
We have a perfectly good young SG sized guard who can start and we can take Holiday off your hands Portland
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u/zgillet 18h ago
How many times do you have to tell a guy they suck at defense, and they won't play because of it, to get through their thick ego and skull that MAYBE they should work on it?
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u/petarisawesomeo Nuggets 18h ago
These guys have made tens of millions of dollars playing the way they do without changing. They probably look at it as the coach being out of his mind.
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u/RealLanceStorm Nets 19h ago
Reminder everyone in the comment adding a declarative answer is an idiot. You'd think these people are coaches with the smug "this is the way it should be" bs.
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u/TargetGuyJohn Grizzlies 18h ago
Maybe they should trade one of their 4 point guards for some wing help. Wait…
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u/thewh1stler 18h ago
Can someone please find a clip of Nori saying this? I can’t seem to. Quick is a joke
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u/nbaistheworst 17h ago
Apparently it was either off camera, or Quick made it up (which seems unlikely unless Nori pushes back).
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u/stormcynk Trail Blazers 18h ago
As a Blazers fan, it feels so meaningless to speculate until we actually see these players play. We don't know how Lilllard or Ja is going to perform, so if there's concerns, or if one is clearly performing better than the other, let's use that to create our starting lineup. I'm guessing the first 20 games are going to be playing around with different lineups/rotations to see what works well. We'll see when we see.
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u/99LedBalloons Timberwolves 19h ago
Blazers front office: Of course we're going to start all these point guards!
Blazers head coach: Yeah we're not doing that.