Quick: Blazers GM Neil Olshey Wants Playoff Push And 3 "Really Good" Players Next Summer

Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports that Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey wants to make a playoff push, regardless of whether it costs him his 2013 first-round pick (which is only top-12 protected), and is eyeing the addition of three players next summer.

The short answer, both Olshey and coach Terry Stotts say, is yes it's a good thing for the Blazers to make the playoffs, even if it means losing a draft pick and getting swept.

"We are all in this to win,'' Olshey said. "And really, when you look at it, where do you think there is more value for this organization: Our core guys going into an offseason after having been a playoff team, realizing we are only going to get better, realizing that they are all on the same career arc? Or us adding a player in the draft they have never heard of?''

...

"We need to add three really good players,'' this summer, Olshey said. "It's either going to be a draft pick and you split the $12 million between two guys; or you don't have the draft pick and you split the $13.5 million between three guys and the mini-mid level (exception). That's what we need. We are not going to use the Big Three model. We will need to accomplish our roster composition goals in the aggregate.''

Olshey recently conceded that he should have bolstered Portland's bench last summer.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter