NBA Thanksgiving 2019: What each team has to be thankful for

Portland Trail Blazers

Maybe that big shakeup is finally coming?

General manager Neil Olshey seems to have an awful lot of faith and job security for a guy who’s not very good at his job. The Portland Trail Blazers‘ moves over the summer were perplexing, even with the context of buying time until Jusuf Nurkic returns, but this is not the first summer fitting that description.

The Blazers have been stuck in playoff purgatory for years now, unwilling to change their dynamic after rewarding their own players with inflated deals and largely unable to give Damian Lillard the help he needs to compete for titles because of it. Getting rid of balloon salaries like Allen Crabbe and Meyers Leonard often came too late, and while recent draft selections like Zach Collins and Anfernee Simons show promise, Dame’s window is rapidly closing.

With the Blazers sporting a sorely disappointing 6-12 record, CJ McCollum off to an underwhelming start and Lillard banged up, Olshey isn’t looking so hot right now. For years Rip City has avoided making major changes, preferring to invest in its own guys instead. That may finally change for better or worse in 2019-20, but anything is better than watching Lillard get better while his teams bang their heads on the same playoff ceiling over and over.