Jamaal and Lamarcus

a quick rant for my first diary post:
i am SO sick of hearing about how jamaal is getting all these minutes because the blazers are showcasing him for a trade. jamaal greatest trade value is NOT his ability to play, it is his expiring contract. besides jamaal is a vet, people know what he can (or can't) do... seriously, magloire is making $8.5 mil this year. nobody thinks he's worth $8.5 mil. nobody out there is looking a jamaal as a piece to put them over the top. they're looking at him for cap relief, and he'd be just as appealing on the bench.
i think the real reason mags is getting all his minutes is because nate thinks it gives the blazers the best chance to win on any given night. i've been known to 2nd guess nate's decisions from time to time, but you have to have faith that he knows his players and his team's needs better than you do. he is a professional basketball coach after all.
i know people are clamoring for lamarcus to get jamaal's minutes, and his skills and upside are clearly superior. and i know everybody likes to say that their stats/48 are nearly identical (not actually true, mags rebounds better). but jamaal must have at least 30 lbs. on the kid. mags is an intimidator, an enforcer, he scares opponents into missing shots (at least he does when he makes it back down the court). he is a physical presence that the zers desperately need, that's not someting that shows up in the stats. we have a very young team, and they look it compared to every team we play. that's why magloire is playing so much. everybody can hit the weight room in the off season and bulk up a little. it's not like the blazers are going to re-up on mags, we could use the cap relief too (ultimately i'd be shocked if mags gets traded), and lil' sheed aldridge will soak up the minutes next year.
lamarcus should get some of trout's minutes in the next couple of games at the 3 and the 4 (on account of the ankle sprain) so we'll see if he can change nate's mind. he's got a shot to prove himself. i hope he does.

okay. not such a quick rant. although it was the "quick chat" that set me off.

GO BLAZERS! more blazing, less trailing