The TNT crew on Inside the NBA took a look at the Portland Trail Blazers stunning trade that sent Mason Plumlee to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic.
Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson and company took on the question at halftime of the Atlanta Hawks vs. Blazers game on Monday night, which Portland eventually lost 109-104 in overtime at the Moda Center.
Barkley weighed in quickly:
“It’s gonna be another guy they don’t pass the ball to,” he said.
The panel of Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Johnson continues to put the Portland Trail Blazers backcourt tandem of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard among the league’s elite.
But the debate about whether that’s a good thing for the team continues.
And the trade was a big part of that conversation at halftime of the Atlanta Hawks-Portland Trail Blazers game on Monday night.
Barkley on the Blazers guards:
“These guys, they would not be a lot of fun to play with … most nights.These guys, they shoot it every time. The only difference is some nights they go in. I think they got more talent than they playing like. They should be in the playoffs.
You’ve got one of the two or three best guard combinations in the NBA, you should not be a 9-10 seed.”
Those guys are both really good player. But, when you’re a good player, your job is to make the others life easier. It’s not just to come out and get your 20-25 points because you can do that yourself.”
Smith on the Blazers’ style of play vs. the roster:
“Only thing I disagree with, is not that they don’t have good players, is that they don’t have players that suit, if you have two small guards.
If you have two small guards, you need shooters around them or a post-up guy.But these guys don’t have a post- up guy, so then the other guys are really just ball screeners, so they don’t get the basketball. So they’re never really going to touch it, because you’re just a ball screener, and you have to roll to the basket, you can’t pop.
They have very few guys on their team pop. So I think they don’t have enough space guys if they’re going to play that style.”
O’Neal:
“Bunch of malarkey.”
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