Do the Portland Trail Blazers need to make a trade?
By Keith Parish
In the 2015-16 season the Portland Trail Blazers exceeded expectations and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. GM Neil Olshey was praised for his stealth rebuild and the shrewd contracts given to role players such as Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis. A year later, Olshey raised eyebrows by doling out $350 million in contracts in the off-season to keep together that 44 win team and the results (so far) have not been good. Ahead of a nationally televised game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, the Trail Blazers find themselves outside the top 8 in the Western Conference and dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Why has a roster with very little turnover been so much worse this year? How can they turn their season around and earn a trip back to the playoffs? Will it take a trade to correct course?
Joining Fastbreak Breakfast to answer these questions and more is Dane Carbaugh. Dane is an NBA writer for NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk, a sometimes co-host of Locked on Blazers and creator of the video series DaneNotDan on YouTube. He explains exactly how the defense can improve and which players specifically need to do more. Also covered:
- Has the team gone as far as it can built around a Damian Lillard/C.J. McCollum backcourt?
- Will recent changes in defensive strategy have long-lasting, positive effects?
- Would Portland trade Allen Crabbe for Chandler Parsons right now?
- Which player from the franchise’s past could immediately fix the Blazers?
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