Not too long ago, the Portland Trail Blazers were unexpectedly the NBA's hottest team in the league. From January 19 to February 6, Portland won 10 of 11 games seemingly out of nowhere. And it couldn't have come at a worse time as it clouded Joe Cronin's vision of what moves needed to be made at the February 6 deadline.
Portland was one of four teams to not make a single move at the deadline, joining the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets. Besides overvaluing players who don't even fit the Blazers' timeline, another factor behind Cronin's misguided decision to stand pat at the deadline was their brief hot stretch.
When asked about the lack of moves in the trade deadline press conference, Cronin emphasized the lack of value as well as the fact that he didn't want to take away the possibility of making the play-in tournament.
"I think it'd be unfair to take it away from them," said Cronin. "I'm so proud and so excited about these guys that the sky's the limit. Like, go, guys, go win. Let's see what you can do. And I'm here to support it."
Blazers' futile push for play-in tournament is a step backward in their rebuild
There's no denying that Chauncey Billups has Portland playing better basketball. For the most part, they are finally holding each other accountable on the defensive end and moving the ball much better offensively. But this hot stretch was bound to regress. They didn't magically go from a 21-61 team last season to a team that was going to make a play-in spot the following year.
The Blazers had some quality wins during that stretch. But they also had misleading wins over flawed or injured teams. Seven of those 10 wins came against Eastern Conference teams. That was fun! But they still aren't good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Teams ahead of them, like the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, were already better and just added De'Aaron Fox and Jimmy Butler at the deadline, respectively.
The Blazers have improved, but they aren't going to get over that hump to make the playoffs until they have a go-to star player like almost every other team in the loaded West has. By chasing fool's gold that was the play-in tournament, they have actually pushed themselves further away from making the playoffs in the future.
Cronin has limited their chances of landing a much-needed star, both by curbing internal development opportunities and reducing their odds of landing a top pick in the draft.
Portland was too impatient -- and for what? Even if they somehow make the playoffs, their lottery-protected first-round pick goes to the Chicago Bulls. What’s the end goal here?