At the 2012 NBA Draft, the Blazers took a gamble and used the No. 10 pick to take away C.J. McClem, who suffered a fractured metatarsal bone. McClem played only 38 games in the rookie season before being reimbursed again for a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot. The glass physique surprised the Blazers, who had to be careful with McClem in the second season.
Unfortunately, the weather was unpredictable, and in the second season, Mikelum injured his finger and was suspended for a month before barely making a comeback. Since then, the competitive state has plummeted, and playing time has not been guaranteed, averaging only 6.25 points, 0.91 assists and 1.39 rebounds per game in two seasons. Those two years of the Blazers must have been grief-stricken: "When there was a chance to choose Michael Carter Williams (the rookie of the year), how could I bet on McCrom." ”
"Finally waiting for you, fortunately I did not give up", thanks to the completion of some predecessors, the pioneer boss sang Zhang Liangying's "Finally Waiting for You".
In the 2015-16 season, the Blazers starting lineup disintegrated, and the tough players such as Aldridge, Batum, Lopez and Matthews fled, so McClem magically entered the starting lineup. It is said that gold always shines, and McClem is obviously this gem. He averaged 20.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game that season, and was crowned the player with the most improved award.
Now, the Trail Blazers are betting on McClem again. According to Espn fame Wenalowski, the Blazers and McClum extended their contract to $100 million for 3 years in advance, extending the existing contract to $157 million for five years. In fact, this is not a big gamble, because McClem is worth the price.
McClem, who earned $25.76 million last season, averaged 21 points, three assists and four rebounds per game in the regular season, and soared to 24.7 points, 3.7 assists and five rebounds in the playoffs. The numbers are better than those of Chris Paul, Gordon Hayward and Kyle Lowry, who are paid up to nearly $10 million more than McClem.
This summer, the Blazers successfully renewed their contracts early, and McClem will earn an average of $31.4 million a year for the next five years. McClem was born in 1991 and would not have been at the peak of his career for the next five years without injuries and other effects. Considering Mikelum's competitive form and stable playing style, it can be said that this contract does not fully match his value. But both sides are willing, this is the most ideal and sincere contract.
The Trail Blazers extended lillard's contract by $196 million for four years this summer, changing the existing contract to $258 million for six years. This is currently the first fat contract in the history of the NBA, And Lillard's annual salary will exceed $50 million in the 2023-24 season, becoming the first NBA star who will have an annual salary of $50 million.
The Blazers renewed Lillard and McClem early, which means that the team will still attack the championship with the "golden double gun" as the core for the next 5 years. However, the outside world is not optimistic about the duo, at least most experts will not list the Blazers as championship candidates. Espn columnist Kirk predicts that the championship attribution for the new season will only be among the 7 teams of the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Rockets, 76ers, Warriors and Jazz. There are even fans who are blunt: "Lillard and McClem are the same as the Raptors' tragic brothers." ”
In recent years, in the regular season, DeRozan can average "20+4+4", and Lowry is slightly inferior but also has "19+4+6". Relying on the excellent performance of the two, the Raptors have been ranked in the top four in the East since the 2013-14 season, and the 2017-18 season has been the champion of the Eastern Conference. There is no doubt that the Raptors are a veritable and powerful team.
But by the playoffs, the two were completely mute. Lowry was able to maintain his regular season performance, and DeRozan turned on stealth mode. Don't look at his average contribution of "22+4" per game, but the lowest three-point shooting rate is only 6.7%. The two men took half of the team's shots, but failed to play as they should. It's no surprise that they fell at the feet of James's Cavaliers for three consecutive years. Never to win the championship, DeRozan and Lowry were labeled "Brothers of Sorrow".
Looking at the Blazers' double gun in the backcourt, Lillard naturally needless to say, the league's top point guard, last season's true plus-minus is second only to Harden and Curry. He is also a veritable cold-blooded killer, averaging 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists in the regular season last season and still averaging 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the playoffs. McClem is not as famous as Lillard, but a stable mid-range jumper can still kill all four sides and is also a first-class scoring master in the league.
After so many years of running-in, Lillard and McClem have become the league's top-level backcourt doubles. The two worked together for 2,054 minutes last season, and the Blazers' offensive efficiency of 116.4 were on the field at the same time, the highest in the league for at least 2,000 minutes. But as the outside world says, Lillard and McClum do have some shadow of sad brothers.
The Trail Blazers have advanced to the playoffs for six consecutive years, and last season was the Lianke Thunder and Nuggets, and they reached the Western Conference Finals stage after 19 years. Unfortunately, facing the Warriors who lackEd Durant, several leads were overturned, and the result was 0-4 hateful. The Blazers lost for the same reason as the Raptors: "strangled" the two guns to end the game.
As soon as the defensive intensity of the playoffs came up, the Blazers' backcourt double guns were a bit overwhelmed. As the soul of the team, Lillard was taken care of by the Warriors, either pinching to hinder the offense and forced to pass, or arranging for the likes of Thompson, Iguodala and Green to rotate defenses. The efficiency of the coaching was overwhelmed and naturally came down: the shooting percentage dropped to 37.1%, and there were still 4.5 turnovers per game.
As the second in command, McClum did come forward many times when Lila was trapped. However, his physical talent is not strong, and it is also difficult to withstand the defense of the Warriors. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the shooting percentage was more than 45%, and against the Warriors, it was only 39.3%. In addition, McClum's free throw shooting rate is as low as 64.7%, which is a sign of physical exertion.
With a limited double gun in the backcourt and no one on the front can handle the ball, how can the Blazers have an efficient performance on the offensive end. Not only that, but the Blazers defense is also full of holes. The main center Nurkic is injured and absent, and the inside line can only rely on Kante and Leonard. But in the face of the Warriors' small lineup, the projection tactics after the demolition, both of them are difficult to follow up and make up for the defense.
We only look at the Warriors' star Curry, almost ignoring the defense and shooting recklessly. He averaged 36.5 points in four games and shot a total of 26 three-pointers, setting a record for three-point shooting in four series games in NBA history. The offense is not powerful, the defense is flawed, and the Blazers' defeat is expected. In fact, the Blazers have also made a historic breakthrough in the Western Conference Finals, which has been a successful season. But if you want to put the hat of "sad brother" on the backcourt double gun, there is actually nothing wrong with it.
This summer, the Blazers lost Aminu, Harkris, Curry Jr. and Kanter, bringing in big players like Whiteside, Bazemore, Gasol and Hezonia. One in and one out actually does not have much impact on the team, but you can expect the tower combination of "white edge" and Nurkic. The new lineup, built on the backcourt double gun, will total $145 million next season, surpassing superstar teams such as the Clippers, Nets and Lakers to rank first in the league. Salary space is limited, and it is difficult for the Blazers to have a super reinforcement in the next two years. And according to the current league team pattern, the backcourt double gun is likely to continue to play the tragic brother.
Forming the league's "most generous" lineup, but can only become a playoff regular, is the Blazers brain teased? The early renewal of Lillard and McClam, in addition to affirming the value of the two, is also somewhat helpless. The Portland Trail Blazers are a small market team, equivalent to third-tier city teams such as Guilin, Xianyang and Sanya. Small market teams are relatively scarce in all aspects of resources, so it is difficult to attract superstars to join. The Blazers have chased Durant, Anthony and others, all of which ended in failure. Roy, Aldridge and the double gun in the backcourt, who played famous here, are all draft players that the team has worked hard to cultivate.
Despite the Blazers' boss's wealth, he may not be able to poach big players with a big contract with a maximum salary, so it is better to accept the reality of renewing the backcourt double gun in advance. In addition, Lillard and McQuellum have also been recognized by Blazers fans, and it is wise to build a team based on them, both to win the hearts and minds of the people and maintain strong competitiveness. Of course, the Blazers can't always be willing to be a regular in the playoffs. The new backcourt double-gun contract will take effect at the same time as the 2021-22 season, and the only guaranteed contracts on the team's books are Nurkic and two rookies, when the Blazers still have plenty of salary space to rebuild the team.
The Trail Blazers may not have won a championship in their lifetime, but they have become a city, a team totem, and their value cannot be measured by the honor of the event. The satisfaction of loyalty is by no means something that money and champions can earn.