Well, at SF the best option I see is Lamar Odom--Kobe could probably play the 3 (if he opts out), but I really doubt we'd want his attitude. Same thing goes for Marion. Also, we'd probably have to give Marion/Bryant a max deal--and both of them probably aren't going to be worth it at age 35. Maggette can't shoot threes and will be old--can he play defense? (I don't have any idea)

At PG, I suppose we could hope that either New Orleans or Utah is too cheap to sign either Paul or Williams to a max deal; but, the only way that would realistically happen would be if they didn't meet expectations (I think Dave pointed this out). After that, there's Nash, but he can't play defense now, how will he do in three years. Mike Bibby will be 31 in two years..

As far as bigs and shooting guards go, I don't really see much at all, either..

My hope is that KP can find a couple good role players for the team. I think Odom could fit in well and probably our best bet overall--but I don't expect a big splash.

from True Hoop:

Jeffrey Ma of ProTrade is a consultant to Pritchard and the Trail Blazers, and emailed me this very interesting sentence:

I remember sitting with Kevin Pritchard before he was KP, the GM of the Trail Blazers, and he explained the Spurs' mantra to me: Get three superstars and then fill the roster with guys willing to go through a wall to win.

Pretty simple, right? I like it.

So, scratch the superstars and pick out the guys who will run through a wall for a title.

Probably we're looking at guys 28+ years old.

...meaning they're not going to go $30 million into luxury tax territory...I think you have to look at veterans who might be willing to sign for a little less (or a short contract) to take that shot at a championship.  

I think you have to take a look at Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, if they're still standing upright.  Those are two guys who would kill for a championship, and could probably give you their all if you had a backup capable of playing 20 minutes a night.  If those guys aren't cutting it anymore, maybe Andre Miller.

Of course...that assumes that none of the Blazers' current point guards turn into big-time players.

Strangely, I don't really see a fit at SF.  Maybe David Lee could play the 3, but I imagine we're going to end up with either a shooter or defensive stopper there.

I don't think that KP and company are necessarily committed to pursuing any particular free agent.  I think that 2009 is an evaluation period for them--check out the state of the Blazers and adjust the strategy if necessary.

So keep in mind that at the trade deadline in 2009, we'll have a huge expiring contract (LaFrentz) and some hopefully developing, still young talent on the roster (Martell, Outlaw, Jack, Sergio, Frye, etc) with which to arrange a trade.  Think Chicago last year (only obviously they decided not to pursue a trade).

Moreover, if we do end up well under the salary cap as we expect will happen in the summer of 2009, we could brush off the free agent market and look to pick up assets by either directly trading with another team or working as a facilitator in three-way trades, picking up cheap assets in exchange for helping salaries work.

So whether or not KP sees what he wants on the free agent market in 2009, he has positioned this team beautifully for that Spring and Summer.  After that summer, it will be extension time for the Big 3.  So 2009 is the time to strike, if we plan on going over the cap in the long term.

The only REAL answer here is that KP is targeting both Mike Bibby and Ron Artest to fill our needs... Har har...

I like Francisco Garcia because he will most likely be very affordable and he plays a lot like a Poor Man's Tayshaun Prince. Danny Granger would also be a nice acquisition assuming he continues to improve, because he's a young and talented Small Forward.

It's hard to tell who draws Max money out of this group. There's so much talent. You know it's a good list when names like Allen Iverson and Steve Nash barely stand out.

If we don't sign Channing Frye, I think Paul Millsap would be a nice choice as a third PF/C. As Blazers fans witnessed first hand, he's a monster on the boards and doesn't need a lot of touches to get 10 - 12 garbage points.

I'll be the first to admit I have a bit of a man-crush on Mike Bibby, so I would love it if he filled our need for a PG. Who knows what kind of contract offers Bibby draws in the open market (especially with all this talent) and he seems like he's a lot older than 31, so I'm not sure if he's as perfect of a fit as I imagine him to be. Andre Miller, Eric Snow, Iverson, Kidd and Nash all seem to be a little old (isn't Snow like 97 already?) but they might be at the point in their careers where they say "Screw it, I NEED a title and I'll sign for the league minimum to get it (a la Grant Hill)."

As for Chris Paul and Deron Williams- good luck. Utah should have no reason NOT to sign D-Will and PG's like Paul only come around every so often. The only way they'll be available is if they get tired of losing (in Paul's case) or get tired of Utah, but they'll still presumably require Max money.

Resign Raef LaFrentz.

Would be to have some clue as to where the Blazers will be in resigning their young talent. I'm not a salary cap wonk so I have no idea where their position will be vis-a-vis the luxury cap if they resign their core to max contracts. If somebody could project that scenario I'd feel more confident in suggesting who to go after because as it stands they may not have all that much cap room for signing some of the more stellar players.

Marion is a much less desireable forward without Nash. I suggest that we're done. We'll get a stopper to back up SF if Jones isn't the second coming of Bowen.

I think that KP and Nate have told us what's coming.

It looks more and more like Trout will play until he drops nearly every night. I'm not sure why Nate is so emotionally invested in him, but I believe he'll be forced to become a defensive oriented guy running with the big three and Blake was signed to compensate for his lack of court sense. I think that our starting five is a done deal for now and sfor awhile. I think, except for foul trouble they each play 35 minutes a night.

 Roy will be transitioning to PG over the course of the season to make a spot for Rudy, and we will replace whatever piece underperforms with our freed up '09 money.

I expectin 07/08

1.Blake 2.Roy 3.Outlaw 4.Aldridge 5.Pryzzy.

6.Oden 7.Frye 8.Jack 9.Jones

I think that Sergio and Webster are practice dummies until they play on the more important end of the court.

In 2009 we'll be

1.Roy 2.Fernandez 3.Outlaw 4.Aldridge 5.Oden

6.Frye 7.Blake 8.Pryzz 9.SF/SG stopper like Ime.

Here comes a half court, relatively boring offense designed to work when the playoffs begin.

Crazy talk?