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platinumdragonchaos · 6 years

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LBJ goes to LA

Some people love the guy, some people hate him, some are kinda in between. All I know is that he’s gone and the Cavs won’t be contenders for many years now. They have no money for any moves because of everything they did the past few years to try and win and they have no picks for the same reason. But hell, all teams have to rebuild at some point.

It was worth it certainly, having lived in NE Ohio my whole life and watching sports teams disappoint year after year often makes me question why I watch sports in the first place. But LeBron is the whole reason I started enjoying basketball years ago and it was fun getting some other people into it also. I had a good time these past four years watching four straight Finals appearances and seeing such a great player be tested against one of the greatest teams of all time. I feel things were left undone from a fan’s standpoint, especially since getting swept in the finals this year was the worst blowout since they lost it all to the Spurs back in 2007.

Year one of ‘The Return’ was pretty great. Roster moves and additions made for one helluva team and they were fun AF to watch. I think Cleveland had a very strong chance in winning it all in 2015 if not for injuries. Hell, if Booby Gibson has been able to keep playing I’m almost sure the Cavs would have resigned him and you can’t tell me he wouldn’t have been a great addition to the team that year. Gibson and Irving were starting to mesh despite injuries and problems off-court. They managed to win 33 games in 2013, a huge improvement over the previous three seasons of 19, 21 and 24 wins. The team sucked without LBJ but they were getting better. When James returned I didn’t expect them to make it all the way to the Finals and even though they lost the finals in six games it cemented that James’ return was the best thing to happen to Cleveland basketball (and Cle sports in general) since LeBron was drafted. Dude tried to will the team to victory but losing two starters pretty much sealed the deal.

Then the year they won it all. The coach, Blatt getting fired midway through the season was crazy and I really didn’t think they would pull it off but it was a great season and finally being good at something was wonderful for the entire city. They had done it and LBJ was the hero Cleveland had hoped for. They also managed to be the first team in history to come back from a 3-1 deficit (beating the team with the most season wins in NBA history). True grit won those last three games and it was incredible. I figured it was over when they lost game four at home but after game six I could hardly believe they had tied the series. Could they possibly beat these guys on their own turf? I could go on and on about it but you get the idea. They did the unthinkable and Cleveland’s 50+ year championship drought was over. Also the Indians went to game 7 of the World Series and ALMOST won. So...friggin...close. It’ll be hard to top 2016 in Cleveland sports...perhaps for the rest of my life.

Last year they looked as if they had a chance of winning again. It was another great season and until the finals they only had one post season loss. Golden State adding Kevin Durant was huge and I’m pretty sure we got Bogut since he was the only person to stand a chance at guarding KD but that injury was prophetic AF. I still can’t believe he got sidelined after playing for less than a minute for the Cavs. Only winning one game that finals was such a disappointment but you could tell from the first game that they didn’t really have what it took to beat such a talented team two years in a row. If they were gonna win again it would have been in 2017 when the core of the team was still intact.

Then this year. Ugh, they looked like crap TBH...all the trades and other BS going on, defensive problems, bad coaching calls and especially Irving leaving...the list goes on and on. LBJ had his best year as a player ever, played in every single game, put up crazy numbers, etc. but no one else really stood out this year. Still not 100% sure what happened with Isaiah Thomas after all the hullaballo about him coming to the team even though he was injured and then playing like crap but there were so many roster moves I forgot that Derrick Rose and Dwayne Wade were on the team at the beginning of the season. For many reasons they just were NOT the same team anymore, not even close. Losing Irving was the beginning of the end because they could never find a true replacement for him.

Getting swept in the finals last month still stings (especially that game one loss that they should have won...ugh, don’t even get me started) but they were lucky to get there at all considering. Two 4-3 series in the post season they scraped by and then facing a Warriors team that was ready to beat some ass, which we were not. It was like year one all over again except instead of injuries we just didn’t have enough. It was not the ending I wanted - to see one of my favorite sports players of all time go out that way, leaving the arena for the last time in wine and gold.

So there you have the last four years of Cavs Bball in a nutshell. They had a real shot at having three championships instead of one but one is what we got and that will have to be enough.

Basketball is what has gotten me through these past several Winters. Let’s face it, when it’s cold outside there isn’t a whole lot to do and I really hate being stuck indoors for months at a time. I go stir crazy before New Years rolls around and anymore it’s late April or May before the weather is consistently decent enough to enjoy. It’s only July but time flies by and it’ll be getting cold out again all too soon. I can still watch the Cavs play but I think there’s little chance they will even win 30 games. Even 20 might be pushing it. They just don’t have anyone good enough to fill in those huge shoes. It’s the same when LBJ left back in 2010. They didn’t have a winning season until he returned four years later. In fact they had some of the worst seasons of the entire franchise’s history and it was extremely difficult to watch a team that was so entertaining look so god-awful. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I think, maybe I’m selling the rest of the players short but playoffs are not gonna be in the Q again for a long time and winning another basketball championship is an even longer way off. If they could only do it once with one of the greatest of all time how will they without?

It’s not even about winning so much or even the playoffs. James was fun to watch, every game. He’s the best player the league has seen in a long time, maybe ever. That’s debatable, of course, but at the very least he is awesome. If you want to compare to another great, as people so often do, Michael Jordan, he spent his entire career (before retirement and coming back) with the Chicago Bulls. There’s reasons for that though. The sport has changed since then and I don’t feel the team as a whole did enough to keep him around.

I’ve read plenty of articles, some favorable some not so much but in the end I think James had to do what was best for him. I’m not surprised he left Cleveland again. The first time was certainly different, it was a low blow to everyone I think but you couldn’t blame him for wanting to go somewhere where he could actually win. As for leaving this time, eh, maybe he’d rather live in LA than in Cleveland. Given a choice of cities I think that’s a no-brainer.

He and the owner never got along very well and this last season was proof that losing Irving to the Celtics was pretty much the nail in the coffin. LBJ once said he wanted to finish his career in Cleveland but I’m still blaming a lot of this on DG. To quote a twitter I saw earlier:

“Special place in NBA lore for Dan Gilbert, who backed into the best player of his generation, won the draft lottery three times in four years, spent like crazy, and still ran such a comically inept organization that LeBron bailed and everyone understands.”

I’ve also heard talk that DG was “glad to be getting his team back” and about 100 other things over the years that make me pretty sure that Irving leaving last year was just a precursor to LBJ leaving this year. Maybe that’s a bit unfair...the guy did open his pocketbook quite a bit but he made that all back and plenty more. James was often synonymous with drama and I suppose blame can be put on many shoulders for the way things went. It’s awful that LBJ could never commit to Cleveland and sign any long-term contract but in the end, whatever the reasons, what’s done is done.

I know there are many other factors in his decision to head west but being with the Cavs for 11 years and only winning one championship has to be one of the biggest. NE Ohio will always be his hometown...more than just being born here and what he has done for the community and meant to Cavs fans the whole state over.

I feel like I’m losing a friend and I never even met the guy in person. He’s been the face of the team for so long, come October when the next seasons starts it’s gonna feel so empty and I dunno if I want to watch a team without the person who made me a basketball fan all those years ago when it simply won’t be close to the same excitement level.

Maybe I’ll watch some Lakers games. I’ll admit I didn’t really pay attention to Miami when LBJ was there but I didn’t really have the same view on sports then as I do now. I’m older, most of my friends are married and I don’t really have all that much to look forward to. A lot has changed in the last four years.

Anyway, it’s a blow to what has already been a rough year but it is what it is and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll just have to remember that victory on June 19, 2016. Those amazing last minutes of that game seven and looking at the people around me wondering “Is this really going to happen?” Maybe the Indians can do better than last year also. (cuz the Browns sure as hell ain’t doing anything, though they do seem to be trying, and with the NFL’s new helmet rule I think college will be about it for football) As piss poor as the rest of our division is in baseball they are almost guaranteed a playoff spot so we’ll see what happens in October. Winning the World Series would certainly soften this stinger.

Thanks for the championship, all the other wins, the great plays and all the memories, man. I wish things had gone differently but you kept your promise and did more than any Cleveland sports fan could have ever dreamed. You will be missed.

#basketball #nba #lebron james #cleveland

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crystalelemental · 3 years

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Not trying to start an argument but doesn't that logic make it impossible to complain about any powercreep ever? You've made posts about L!Chrom being impossible to handle on both player and enemyphase before, you hate L!Claude, you complain about forced turn 1 initiation dance trap AR-D maps, those are all counterable with the right units too and other players has been equally angry about these units as they are with F!Edelgard now. Why is her powercreep the one thats suddenly above criticism?

L!Chrom and L!Claude, technically you have answers. Also yes and no.

L!Chrom, on release, was a massive pain in the ass who didn't actually have much in the way of answers. He blasted apart every armor strong enough to take him, had a speed superboon that could mitigate damage reduction threats, and is just obscenely strong. All of that can still be handled by a strong green unit that isn't armor though. The problem was the Reposition and extra movement in Arena, alongside 180BST. That is virtually impossible to deal with, because you cannot perfectly predict all of those actions and follow his movement to know exactly where he'll attack. This is made infinitely worse by the fact that L!Azura was still on every team at that point, giving him 3 movement on top of all that. It became an issue not because the unit itself was too strong, but because his movement shenanigans became impossible to predict, so ensuring he would land on your counter to him was improbable, and getting to him first was impossible.

L!Claude actually has no counterplay. At all. Cecilia has strong against flying, strong against colorless, and Triangle Adept, and still loses to him thanks to 80% damage reduction on both phases, and how absurdly powerful he is. There is still no hard counter to L!Claude, because even Young Innes can get dunked on by just being one-shot, or Iote's Shield variants just not giving a shit if he eliminates the damage reduction. There is no counterplay to Claude aside from "hit him first," which is what I've had to do, and it fucking sucks. I don't like having to play that way, but I have to adapt my playstyle to manage that threat, or I'd just lose every time.

AR-D turn 1 initiations are actually impossible though. There is zero counterplay. Even F2P AR gods like Eldervi have looked at some possible AR-D team compositions and gone "I cannot think of a single way to beat this while being F2P." That is a problem. And much like Chrom, a large part of the problem isn't the strength of those units individually. On their own, Micaiah can beat L!Sigurd and Reinhardt just fine, but can she also ensure that all five allies are in the 3 safe spaces after combat to prevent Reinhardt from just attacking someone else? No, because that's impossible? There you go. Even with some whale tactics, it still doesn't matter. With Pathfinder and L!Sigurd combos, one of the only suggested solutions was, I shit you not, running TWO Far Save units, because running only one doesn't protect enough of the map to defend against these teams. You gonna tell me that's sensible? That's sane? Run two units with the same skill that's currently seasonal locked only? How is that not orders of magnitude worse than just getting NFU Selena?

Nothing is above being complained about or discussed in terms of what form of bullshit you have to do to win, but the difference is that one of these things is so overpowered as to be actually impossible to counter, while the others are just obnoxious. Fallen Edelgard is treated as the worst thing ever brought into the game; completely uncounterable and impossible to deal with as an F2P player. But she's not. Plenty of people have shown solutions. "But they cost 5* fodder!" that doesn't matter. So do a lot of things. You think any random archer is gonna beat Iote's Shield L!Claude with Swift Sparrow 2 or Death Blow 3? Fuck no. You require more premium fodder, but somehow that's never come up as an argument against L!Claude the way it has against F!Edelgard. Even these Turn 1 initiation maps with double Pathfinder and Ground Orders and L!Sigurd/Duo Sigurd rally traps will have people calmly analyze the teams and try to pick apart potential solutions, end on "I guess we might just need double Far Save" and try to figure that out. But somehow Fallen Edelgard is the only one that's been pointed to by just about everyone as being too much, and the cause of everyone quitting? What makes her so much worse than any of the other threats? Because what you're saying there is wrong; we had merely a fraction of the vitriol for L!Chrom and L!Claude and even L!Sigurd and this new Pathfinder bullshit as we've had for F!Edelgard. We didn't have a mass outpouring of posts about people quitting the game over anything but F!Edelgard, and she's not even the worst addition the game's ever had. Surtr was worse in his prime than she is now.

Basically, yes, anyone can complain about anything, but my problem is less people complaining about not knowing how to counter her, so much as throwing up their hands and saying she's impossible while known counters circulate. She's not impossible, you just have to put in resources for those counters. Do so and you'll find they work. Don't do so and she's going to remain impossible for you to beat, just like plenty of other threats do. So in a sense, my complaining about L!Sigurd and L!Claude is invalid, because I should have counterplay established for them. And I do! They're just a pain in the ass, because offense vs offense isn't how I like to play and it's difficult to get used to, but I have to adapt to them if I want to win. And so far, I can. And everyone else can too for Fallen Edelgard, they just have to be willing to put in the resources and effort to play around her, which sucks and is unpleasant, but that's what you signed up for with competitive.

But I do want to address Turn 1 initiation teams as the exception. I referenced OU in the original post for a reason: because OU has a banlist, because sometimes things are just too good. They're too powerful, their counters too niche, and they warp the meta in unhealthy ways. In Gen 6 OU, Protean got Greninja banned, because there was no real counterplay. Oh sure, you had Porygon-2, who arguably had the ability to tank it out, but if Dark Pulse flinched you had no resource and were definitely dead, so that's not a counter, and it was terrible against most other threats in the meta, so it wasn't a meta viable answer. If the threat has a means of getting around you anyway, then there's no counter, and if that counter exists only to counter one threat, then it's not meta viable.

Applying this to FEH: Triangle Adept Boey was brought up as a counter to F!Edelgard, but due to low BST and bad Res, he's too niche to be considered for any competitive mode. Were he the only counter, Fallen Edelgard would be too much. Selena scores better for Arena, and can actually do well against a host of other threats too, so she's still a fairly viable pick. Fallen Edelgard's best answers are things like NFU, Windsweep, and Pulse Smoke; skills that have tremendous utility against the entire game. That's why I say Flash is more over-centralizing as a threat; its only solution is NCD, which is solely good for handling that one threat, and is dead weight against almost every type of threat you encounter (Windsweep is the only other utility). If a threat can be reasonably assumed to have counters that aren't just useful in countering them, then that threat is by definition not broken. Because you have the tools.

But what are these so-called counters to Turn 1 initiation? Isolate their dancer? Oh sorry, Odd Recovery on the cav healer, try again. Okay, get to them first? Assuming you can even do that with your Lynja and dancer, Far Save B!Edelgard blanks her, and protects the entire team, try again. Tank them? Not only are you unlikely to survive guaranteed double L!Sigurd, but his Quickened Pulse set means he gives allies boosted range even if you have Special Fighter or Guard, and there are 3 safe spaces on the entire map and you have five allies, try again. Well, use the Save skills? Oh, sorry, Flash healer means the Save unit can't counterattack, and the range of threat is so wide that one of your allies is almost definitely outside their save range, and also in range of an enemy, try again.

That is the difference here. Fallen Edelgard has counters that are reliable and relevant to several other meta threats. Turn 1 initiation has no counter at all. Even its best check, Dual Saves, is outright impossible to complete because Far Save doesn't exist outside of one seasonal unit, who was on a fucking color split. That's too much to demand. In a situation where Far Save were more accessible, then maybe we could talk about Dual Save being a more reliable solution for people to fall back on. But those tools don't exist right now, so these AR-D team composition is actually unbeatable if built optimally. And even with Dual Save, now we're already talking about needing two Far Save units. Because that's normal.

#fire emblem heroes

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miketellszagz-blog · 7 years

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MTZHIWHBHITNBA&HYSHBFAI

Basketball’s great & it happens almost every day. Unlike this column, which happens almost once a year now.

In my absence, I bet you’ve been wondering what has been happening in the NBA, and what you should feel about it. This will be a two-part column. Part One (this one) will detail what has been happening in the NBA & How You Should Feel About It. Part Two (the one after this one) will tell you who should win the various awards the NBA hands out to players & coaches at the end of the season. Here is What Has Been Happening in the NBA & How You Should Have Been Feeling About It: (I had to change the tense bc it has been so long since I last wrote you).

1. Boogie has been freed! He (and teammate Omri Casspr) were traded to the Pelicans for Buddy Heild, who you may remember as being good in college.

FEELS: Great! Boogie Cousins & Anthony Davis on the same team is so great. I hope they become good friends & that they fill out the rest of the team with semi-competent basketball players soon, bc boy do they not have them now. The Pelicans are still very bad, but have the possibility of becoming good eventually. The Kings remain bad.

2. Dirk has scored 30,000 points in the NBA, while I have scored 0.

FEELS: I will catch up eventually, I’m sure.

3. Kevin Durant is injured, but is supposed to return before the playoffs. Also, Kevin Love is hurt, but rumored to return before the playoffs.

FEELS: If I don’t get to see a Cavs-Dubs rubber match because Kevin & Kevin are hurt I will be So Dang Mad. If I don’t get a rubber match because the Warriors lose to the Spurs/Rockets/Jazz/Grizz or the Cavs lose to the Raps, I will be ok.

4. Serge Ibaka joined the Raps

FEELS: Pretty cool. I always liked Serge. The issue with the Raptors remains that their bench isn’t good, and their starters aren’t as good as the Cavs. This makes it pretty hard for them to beat the Cavs, which they will have to do to win a championship. Please keep reading for more insightful NBA insider tips & info.

5. We are halfway through our bullet-points, so it’s time to play a fun game! Image you are the GM of a bottom-tier Eastern Conference team we’ll call “not the Sixers.” The Not-Sixers have three players who might be good, one player who might be ok, and nobody else at all of value on their roster. You have to trade one of the good players, because they all play center, and you can’t play three centers at once.

1. The first good player is secretly a bad player. He doesn’t have a jump shot & sucks at defense. You’re not sure why people think he’s a good player, because he isn’t, and you know that.

2. The second player who might be good plays good defense. He’s solid, averages like ten points and ten rebounds in pretty limited minutes. He’s very solid, can contribute now, and has an impressive career ahead of him.

3. The third good player has been hurt for 2 years straight & can only play 30 minutes a game because his feet are super fragile. He plays really well in those 30 minutes, but any more than that & his feet will fall off. He also can’t play games in back to back days, because, again, his feel will fall off.

So who do u trade?!

Answers: If you picked A, congrats! You’re not an idiot and know that trading players for more than you think they’re worth is always a good move. Your team’s (the Not-Sixers) future is looking up.

If u picked B, the-opposite-of-congrats! You’re an idiot! Player B is gonna be super good & you traded him for a second-round pick that you’re gonna waste on, like, a second-rate UK player who never pans out.

If you picked Player C, dang. Good job seeing the future. Player C gets hurt like a week after the trade deadline & has to sit out the rest of the season (again, because his feet don’t work).

Real answers: The Sixers (the real ones) picked B (Nerlens Noel). They traded him for essentially nothing to the Mavs. Joel Embiid got hurt a week after the deadline, leaving the Sixers without a good backup center, because, again, Player A (Jahlil Okafor) is super bad. The Sixers are the worst-run franchise in the league.

6. The Spurs are super good again this year

FEELS: If u ever see a person in a Spurs jersey do not approach them bc they are a devil in disguise, aiming to tempt u away from the Lord’s light with the promise of “basketball the way it’s supposed to be played” and “50 wins a year, forever and ever” Or, even worse, they’re actually a Spurs fan.

7. Danny Ainge has the driest powder of any GM in league history.

FEELS: I should write a column entirely on “trades Danny Ainge, the GM of the Celtics, said he almost did but then decided not to do.” (I am super bad at concise titles). Apparently he almost traded for either Jimmy Butler or for Paul George before the trade deadline this year but decided not to because….. he values Jae Crowder too much? The man is a wizard for trading a thousand-year old Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce’s wheelchair for every one of Brooklyn’s picks for the next thousand years, but that’s all he’s done in a decade. He apparently tried to trade for Justise Winslow before he was drafted, and tried to trade for Boogie last year, and for Kevin Love and/or Klay Thompson the year before that. He says. But he didn’t do. He seems like the kinda dude who woulda made states in high school if coach had only started him in the semifinal.

8. The Rockets are super good & super fun to watch. They lead the league in 3’s attempted & made, overall offense, and just added Lou Will, who was shouted out in a Drake song 4 years ago. They win or lose all of their games 127-135 & it’s really easy to fall in love with all of it.

FEELS: Very gross, admitting that

9. Russy Westbrook is still averaging a triple-double

FEELS: Incredible.

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junker-town · 7 years

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Sunday Shootaround: Even the Blazers can't figure out the Blazers

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Even the Blazers can't figure out the Blazers

Paul Flannery

BOSTON -- It was about this time a year ago when the Portland Trail Blazers went on a heady run that elevated them from the ranks of also-rans into the exalted world of phenoms. Over a nearly two-month stretch the Blazers won 18 of 22 games, captivating their fans with a string of clutch performances and impressive victories.

They then built upon that success in the playoffs by capitalizing on the Clippers’ unfortunate injuries with a first-round upset and offering a reasonably strong accounting of themselves against the Warriors in the second round. Those were good times.

This season has not been so kind. The Blazers were inconsistent early and a disaster in December, losing 10 of 11 games. Things finally stabilized a bit and after beating the weary Cleveland Cavaliers at home last week for their fifth victory in eight tries, they were back in control of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. From afar it seemed like they were finally getting it together.

"I did too," coach Terry Stotts said. "Going into the Orlando game there were a lot of positive vibes."

Whatever positivity emanated out of that win over the Cavs, they dissipated by the time they took the floor two nights later against the Magic. The Blazers surrendered 115 points against the middling Magic, one of the worst offensive outfits in the league, and allowed a soul-sucking 36 points in the opening quarter.

Portland followed that up with back-to-back blowout losses on the road against Charlotte and Washington before blowing a double-digit lead in Philly and losing at the buzzer. Which is where we found them on Saturday, preparing to play the Celtics, and once again on the outside of the saddest of playoff pursuits.

"(Disappointment.) That’s the best word," Stotts said. "There is disappointment and you don’t want that to carry over to the next game and you can’t let that disappointment weigh too heavily on you. But yeah, there’s no question there’s disappointment."

If ever a team needed to salvage a game on the back end of a long road trip it was the Blazers. It wasn’t easy -- nothing is for this team -- but after outlasting the Celtics in overtime even the tiniest bit of salvation offers a glimmer of hope.

"There’s always going to be belief," Damian Lillard told me before the game. "I’m always optimistic in every situation. I believe in our group. I believe in what we’re capable of, but I think these times are the hardest. When you’re struggling the easy thing is to stop believing."

There is also a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of a playoff spot that is there’s for the taking. It may be small consolation and it may lead to an inevitable shellacking at the hands of the Warriors, but someone’s going to get that spot and it might as well be them.

"A lot of times when you’re in this situation you don’t have an opportunity to make the playoffs and we still do," Lillard said. "We’ve just got the team that sticks it out all the way through the good times and bad times. There’s always going to be teams that give into it, so we can’t be that team. We’ve got to be the team that keeps fighting and comes out on top and get us a playoff spot."

There is something to be said for small victories here. Their roster is still young (per Basketball-Reference.com only Philly, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota are younger), but it’s also entrenched. Nine of their 10 rotation players are signed through next season, and seven are on long-term deals. Only center Mason Plumlee will be a free agent this summer and he’s restricted. They have a $110 million payroll this season and that’s before C.J. McCollum’s extension kicks in. This season has proven to be either a massive roster miscalculation, or a painful speedbump in what should have always been viewed as a long-term rebuilding process.

Because they are so young, there is always the possibility for growth. To the extent that Portland can improve internally, it’s on the defensive end. Their offense sits below its top-six ranking of a year ago, but actually scores at a tick above their rate from the previous season. With Lillard and McCollum in the backcourt, points should never be a serious problem. It’s on defense where they rank 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions that’s problematic.

There are issues here that are obvious: Lillard and McCollum are not a good defensive backcourt. And some that are not issues at all: the Blazers do a surprisingly good job of protecting the paint without an elite rim protector. Still, this is mostly the same personnel that turned in an adequate performance on the defensive end last season.

They clearly missed the presence of Al Farouq-Aminu, who is their top individual and team defender earlier in the season, but he can’t fix everything. The Blazers were 7-11 when he was out of the lineup and are 12-16 when he plays. Aminu is good, but he’s not a panacea for everything that ails them.

Young Maurice Harkless has all the tools to be an equally capable defender even as he learns the finer points of team defense on the job. Ed Davis also does yeoman work inside, but beyond them are question marks. Short of trying harder and executing better, this roster will never become a defensive juggernaut, but again, it should still be better than what it’s shown.

The Blazers’ biggest problem, however, is the one they can’t control. After outperforming expectations a year ago, they came into the year with outsized projections and a mandate that has eluded them. That coupled with an offseason spending spree that saw Portland lock up youngsters like Harkless, McCollum, Allen Crabbe, and Meyers Leonard and included the expensive importing of Evan Turner, has created a perception that the Blazers are swimming upstream against the current. The season-ending knee injury to Festus Ezeli has also not helped matters.

"We expect a lot out of ourselves, regardless what everybody else expected," Lillard said. "Just like last year, nothing was expected and we still expected a lot of ourselves. We struggled and then we figured it out. It’s hard to be good in this league and when you’re not consistent it’s even harder."

As is often the case when surprising success stories come crashing back to earth a year later, their true level lies somewhere in between last year’s galvanized group and this year’s desultory version. Pragmatism is in short supply in a rabid market like Portland and they are often portrayed as a team in desperate need of a trade. Yet desperation leads to panic and panic often compounds mistakes that didn’t require a fix in the first place.

Blazers general manager Neil Olshey could tinker around on the edges, parting with some combination of his young supporting cast for an interior upgrade. Or he could go for the big shakeup, which would mean entertaining offers for McCollum. That seems unlikely.

Tempting as it may be, McCollum’s 4-year, $106 million extension doesn’t kick in until next season, meaning the Blazers are limited by the amount of salary they could take back. Beyond the cap machinations, such a move doesn’t really fit with Olshey’s M.O. He’s always prioritized drafting and developing players and Lillard and McCollum are two obvious points of pride.

Assuming they stand mostly pat at the deadline, this then falls on the players and coaches to figure it out. Despite it all they still believe in one another and in Lillard they have one of the game’s great leaders. He’s not about to let them wallow.

"It hasn’t been a challenge to keep guys together because we’ve truly have a tight-knit group," Lillard said. "We like each other. We’ve created a great work environment. We enjoy coming to the practice facility and we enjoy being around each other. That’s the hard part. You know we’re working hard. You know we’re together you’re just trying to figure out what do we need to do. Why aren’t we figuring it out faster? That’s been the toughest part. That’s the biggest challenge."

They have less than half the season to figure it out. By then we’ll know just who the Blazers really are and where they go from here.

The ListConsumable NBA thoughts

Now that we have the All-Star starters it’s time to focus on the reserves. Unlike the starters, who were chosen from a combination of fan, media, and player voting, the reserves are chosen by the coaches. Guaranteed there will be at least one controversial decision in each conference.

East Backcourt -- Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas. These were my starter picks so I won’t belabor those arguments, but a point needs to be made about Lowry. Perhaps we have not made the case as forcefully as we should have, or maybe we took for granted that other people around the league recognized just how vital Lowry is to the Raptors’ success. So here goes: Kyle Lowry is the single most important player in Toronto (read: best), as evidenced by the fact that the Raps are significantly better when he’s on the court and much worse when he is not. That’s no knock on DeMar DeRozan, who was elected as a starter. But it is true. Lowry is not only the best player on the Raptors, he’s also the best point guard in the conference. There are a lot of other really good ones, and some may even be more talented, but Lowry stands above them all this season. He should have been a starter and he definitely needs to be a reserve.

East Frontcourt -- Kevin Love, Paul George, Paul Millsap. Let’s say something about the guy who’s missing here before getting to the ones who are on the list. Joel Embiid is amazing. He’s better than anyone thought he would be and he is currently on a fascinating tear through the league. Had he been doing this all season and not held back by a minutes restriction he would not only be on the list, he’d have a damn fine case for starting. But he is, so we’ll award the players who have logged significantly more time for better teams. Kevin Love, by the way, is quietly having the most impactful season of his career. See, it really does take time.

East Wildcards -- Kemba Walker, John Wall. Both have strong cases to be among the starters and both should be in New Orleans even if it means carrying five points guards. If anyone gets snubbed it’s going to be Walker, despite the fact that he is having as strong a season as any of the guards on the list other than Lowry.

West Backcourt -- Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul. Westbrook should have been a starter. He led both the media and the players vote but missed out because he finished behind James Harden and Steph Curry in the fan voting. For everyone screaming about the injustice, it’s on y’all. Paul is hurt and won’t be able to play, but he should be honored anyway. Considering the amount of backcourt talent in the West, his inevitable replacement will be more than worthy.

West Frontcourt -- DeMarcus Cousins, Draymond Green, Marc Gasol. This is difficult but not impossible. Cousins has the numbers. Draymond has the defense, playmaking, and team success. Gasol gets the final spot on the strength of his all-around play and for keeping the Grizzlies competitive through their usual assortment of ailments.

Wildcards -- Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert. The Jazz duo get my final two spots over Mike Conley, Klay Thompson, and Damian Lillard. There’s a decent chance at least two of those three will make it to New Orleans anyway, either as reserves or as an injury replacement for Paul. (I’d take Conley under that scenario.) Hayward is quietly averaging 22-6-6, while Gobert -- the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year -- is a net rating monster.

ICYMIor In Case You Missed It

The next 4 years

How bold will the NBA be in asserting its commitment to what Adam Silver called its "principles and values" in Donald Trump’s America? Tom Ziller offers a thoughtful read on the situation.

Tough ballot

Turns out that voting for the All-Star starters was a difficult thing. At least Ziller agreed with my choices.

Into the weeds

John Gonzalez did too. I think there was a general internet media consensus on the starters, which is not the same thing as a general media consensus. We got further into the weeds on the Drive & Kick podcast.

Westbrook's burden

Zito Madu reminds us that freedom can be both a blessing and a curse as Russell Westbrook is finding out this season. Come for the illustration, stick around for the Miroslav Holub quote.

Goodbye, 44

We’d be remiss if we didn’t remember our first hoop-loving President. Tyler Tynes comes through with a rundown of Barack Obama nine most disrespectful moments on the court. Politics aside, roasting Paul Pierce is too low here.

Say WhatRamblings of NBA players, coaches and GMs

"I think, as players, you always want to protect yourself. I didn't think it would get to this point. It's very hard to get, very difficult to get. I have it and that's that. I'm committed (to staying). I don't have to prove that to anybody. I don't think I have to keep saying that. I don't think I have to keep talking about that. I know for a fact that people see that." -- Carmelo Anthony on his no-trade clause.

Reaction: This whole thing has just become sad for everyone involved. Melo deserves better. So does Jeff Hornacek and the rest of the Knick players. Lord knows the Knicks fans deserve better. You’d like to think there’s a happy ending in here somewhere, but it’s hard to see it from here.

"You just don’t have a choice. You have 39 more games to play. We have a bunch of games coming up against playoff teams. You don’t have a chance to feel sorry for yourself. It doesn’t do any good." -- Clipper guard J.J. Redick after the injury to Chris Paul.

Reaction: We’ve been writing the Clipper obituary for years and these guys always find a way to rise from the dead and regain some semblance of life. Assuming they can still make the playoffs, and that seems like a safe assumption, the Clippers will still be a dangerous team come spring.

"I think I kind of represent Twitter in the NBA. I like to think all the Twitter people, I represent them. But I never thought I would have this type of influence. I’m just trying to be me. If people enjoy it, that’s great." -- Sixers center, delightful human, Joel Embiid.

Reaction: And lo, NBA Twitter has found its king, and the people were glad.

"It’s easy to say we were supposed to be together for the rest of our careers, but it didn’t play out like that. I think all three of us will have memorable careers. And it’ll be a journey we’ll always remember, something that’s different and unique, playing with two different guys who are doing incredible things in the league right now. But when you look back, think about the fun times instead of what could’ve been." -- Kevin Durant on the early days of the Thunder.

Reaction: There’s no way they could have all stayed together and adapted to their roles. We all intellectually understand that, given that KD, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are three of the top five players in the league. But man, what if?

"No, I didn't see that until just now, but I don't play that game. I'm gonna get his ass back. Whenever that is, I don't know what it's going to be, but I don't play that game." -- Russell Westbrook on Zaza Pachulia’s hard foul.

Reaction: Their next meeting is on Feb. 11 and it’s worth noting that Steven Adams was not in the lineup for OKC against the Warriors.

GIF Of The Weekfurther explanation unnecessary

We feel ya, Melo.

Designer: Josh Laincz | Producer: Tom Ziller | Editor: Tom Ziller

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