Diogu or Randolph?

by tssbro on Oct 24, 2008 1:37 AM PDT

Let me preface this with a hearty, "I know this isn't a huge topic and really doesn't matter that much."

But I am curious because I have not seen much of either yet. Does anyone have any idea if Randolph has passed Diogu on the depth chart or does Nate know what he is getting from Diogu so he isn't playing him much in the pre-season. I understand playing Frye 30+ minutes to get him in shape but 40+ for Randolph and 15 minutes for Diogu might indicate Diogu will be in street clothes on Tuesday. Maybe I missed an injury or this was dealt with in the game thread.

The poll is meant to be based on your opinion unless there is knowledge of Nate's decision of which I am not aware.

Update: Freeman article I missed. It doesn't really answer the question but it is a good update on Diogu's handling of the exhibition season Pre-Utah game.

Poll

Is Diogu or Randolph the 12th man?

Diogu

27 votes

Randolph

63 votes

90 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Reading the tea leaves...

……………………….. S-bo started and was game-high for minutes last night, playing the 4; Ike was used off the bench out of position as the backup 5. This seems to indicate Randolph has not only made the team but has slipped in above Diogu on the depth chart as the “5th Forward.”

It also appears that Rex may have replaced Sergio as “4th Guard.”

"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex

by timbo on Oct 24, 2008 6:39 AM PDT reply actions

S-Bo! I love it!

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Oct 24, 2008 6:50 AM PDT up reply actions

It's official that Sergio is ahead of Rex on the opening day depth chart, per today's Oregonian...

……………………… Which means the last game was Backwardsland, and that Diogu is ahead of S-bo.

"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex

by timbo on Oct 24, 2008 8:10 AM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, yesterday's roster was all out of whack.

Since GO, Roy, and Aldridge didn’t play, Nate reached way into his bag of tricks to try to play some rosters that would be competitive. The result was weird lineups which cannot be read into whatsoever.

Word.

by joelor on Oct 24, 2008 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions

I get that

But 40+ minutes vs 15 when you would think both guys could use some run?

PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04

by tssbro on Oct 24, 2008 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't know about Rex over Sergio.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/122482772143020.xml&coll=7

“In addition to Randolph’s signing, the Blazers decided on a backup point guard. McMillan will go with Sergio Rodriguez over rookie Jerryd Bayless in the season opener Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.”

Sergio at least starts the year at 4th guard. I think something to keep in mind is that Bayless started the Utah game at SG next to Blake. Using Nate-like terms, it kept the second unit chemistry between Sergio and Rudy intact.

However, I agree that Randolph probably has passed Diogu for now. While it could be argued that Diogu’s lack of playing time against Utah was due to foul trouble (5 fouls), Randolph has outplayed Diogu in the tiny sample size of preseason. He was also signed over Hill because he “could really help us if one of our guys went down and we needed to put him in a game.” What’s the point of making that the final argument if Diogu were capable as a 5th big?

by poster on Oct 24, 2008 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions

I saw that this morning...

Agreed that the Sergio — Rudy connection is a chief reason he starts the season as the 4th guard instead of the 5th.

Not quite sure what to make of S-bo making the team over Hill. I doubt he sees much time; it was definite that Hill was more of a practice guy to save wear and tear on Pryz…

"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex

by timbo on Oct 24, 2008 8:14 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't want to open the door for you timbo

But could the Blazers be positioning themselves to use Frye in a trade instead of Joel? I mean this purely in the context of IF they are going to make a trade, who are they targeting.

Since Hill did not remain on the roster, I seriously doubt Joel is going anywhere anytime soon. You need at least two natural position centers to be a serious contender and you aren’t going to do much better than Joel as a back-up and guy who can contribute in case of emergency. Keeping Hill would have shown the Blazers had some confidence in his ability to be Oden’s back-up someday and signaled that Joel was at least up for discussion in trade talks.

I think what we can make out of S-Bo making the team is Joel is safe for now and if a trade is in the near future, it will probably include Frye if it includes a big man.

PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04

by tssbro on Oct 24, 2008 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Frye

or Diogu as a salary match, with Randolph providing the injury cover.

I think they’re pretty high on Frye, though. He won’t be traded lightly. He’s injury cover at center, too.

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The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Oct 24, 2008 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree

I think it says more about Joel not going anywhere than it does about trading Frye. I think whether he stays here or not depends more on his willingness to be a safety net versus getting more minutes on another team. I don’t know if he would necessarily be a starter elsewhere (on a few teams, sure) but he could certainly find a place to play 25-30 minutes a game and be a significant contributor right away.

PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04

by tssbro on Oct 24, 2008 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree

And I expect he’ll be paid fairly well to be that safety net, too. Maybe not as much as he can get elsewhere, though.

Questions on this:
1. How much does he like the team, and what is it worth to him in PT and $?
2. How much does he like Portland, and what is it worth to him in PT and $?
3. How high is he on our championship potential, and what is it worth to him?

If we have a highly successful season, that could have an impact on #3. Especially if we were to, say, make the WCF. It would be hard for him to go from the WCF to playing for the Clippers or Thunder….

by jscot on Oct 24, 2008 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Thunder?

What?

…oh, do you mean the Sonics?

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
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by rockingharder on Oct 25, 2008 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah ..trading Frye would only

be likely if he continues to show upside and looks like he’d be too expensive to keep ..and/or could draw some excellent return..but isn’t he about to be extended/re-signed, whatever ?

(Note I have no GM potential or interest) :-)

by LetsBlaze on Oct 24, 2008 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Once the season starts, banging around at practice gets alot less intense

..there’s too much real action to heal up from :-).. and theres fatigue issues as well…as long as the season is, you need people who can contribute on the floor..Shav has passed Ike it seems, but this probably won’t amount to many minutes .. on the other hand..this team might be blowing some people out enough to keep the bench boys involved – which in turn keeps the regs ready for the real face offs..but honestly, they all seem able to contribute …which is what championship teams do

by LetsBlaze on Oct 24, 2008 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions

actually, good topic

Diogu, even still after the o-live article, remains the forgotten man in Portland. I think he is in line with recent forgetables, Von Wafer and Taureen Green, as a future open spot for new rookies. I got love for the scrappy, short man’s game of Diogu, but he’s not going to be in the NBA for more than 2-3 years. He hasn’t been able to carve out any niche to make teams ignore his height and athletic deficiencies, unlike his counter-part, Stat-bo. His game simply does not make sense for this roster, while Shavlik’s is well-rounded and versatile, lending himself to the strong mix of hybrid players such Channing Frye and Lamarcus Aldridge. He will have the ability to pick up minutes at 3 different positions and be a nice insurance piece for Portland. I think management made a good decision, and Randolph has certainly supplanted Diogu on the depth chart.

by mcmillion on Oct 24, 2008 7:51 AM PDT reply actions

Randolph certainly had alot to prove showing up here

making the team was a big thing for him and his future..Philly just left him hangin last year even after we got his ankle working again…so the league didn’t know he could play again…

He was very happy early on to hear how well he did in the first IKe vs Shav poll …if I remember it was 53 to 47% with 1000 votes…

I think you all will find that no one tries harder than him…didn’t say he was the best player on the planet, but..I’m so happy to see him playing strong again

by LetsBlaze on Oct 24, 2008 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Wait till I tell him how he did on this poll 8-)

by LetsBlaze on Oct 24, 2008 4:17 PM PDT up reply actions

Don't read too much into last night

Don’t read to much into the Utah game, Nate is resting up his key players so that they’ll be ready for the season opener. Except for Frye and Blake, who both need more game time after their injuries.

However, I do think that Randolph (s-bo still sounds too much like stat-bo to me) has passed up Diogu on the depth chart. Randolph has had a decent preseason, while Diogu’s has been fairly mediocre, yet I continue to think that Diogu has more potential to be a long term part of our team (he’s so different from our other forwards, which could let us put forth a more mean a nasty face when called for).

by Gelvalst on Oct 24, 2008 8:40 AM PDT reply actions

This is what I was getting at...

Why do we think this? I had the idea when he was traded, granted without much knowledge of his skill set other than what I read, he would challenge Frye for back-up minutes for the PF slot because he would be more of a banger, rebounder, and low-post presence on offense.

That doesn’t seem to be the case at all, so will he just sit on the inactive roster and be renounced or used to make salaries match in a trade? I know it is early to make the call but it sure seems like Shavlik has surpassed Ike in Nate’s roster. I guess we will see in the near future.

PTB Liberation Day - 2/10/04

by tssbro on Oct 24, 2008 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions

Look at their salaries

Diogu is on the last year of his rookie contract

BUZZ!!!

This means that Portland will have to make a qualifying offer or allow him to be come a FA this spring. If they qualify Ike, then his salary counts 3x against the cap next July 1st (same situ as with Webster, and Frye)

Why on earth would you think ID is a long-term anything for Portland?

Now Shavlik, he’s got an easy contract to digest and a defensive skillset that ID will never have

by two4larue on Oct 24, 2008 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions