Channing Frye: Round peg in a square hole.

by MGNNoah on Nov 20, 2008 4:57 PM PST Comment 37 comments

First, I apologize if I missed this discussion already as I have been out a while. If this is rehash Dave and Ben, please delete. I love the Frye-guy to death. He embodies Portland. He loves it here, has great character, and unique game. He is also the only player I feel is always making a great push for playing time (although having a rough start to the year) while also being completely expendable. Frye is a near carbon copy of LaMarcus. That's great, right? No. If he was as good as LMA he'd be starting. We need a Bruiser like Diogu off the bench to change up our look for adjustment purposes. If Frye is gone, there is no SF crunch either. You simply make Outlaw play the 4 where he is better anyways facing slower guys and your bench unit becomes even more frenzied than it is now, and you use Diogu instead if we are looking weak inside. What team wouldn't love a Frye type of player? Which player hasn't been extended yet (flexibility)? Are we shopping Frye? I really got to believe he is the fan favorite that has to leave, but who is going with him beside RLEC? Sergio or Blake for a PG upgrade? And what might he return? Sophia, I'm still waiting for you to send me your phone number.

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I wouldn't call Ike a "bruiser"

He gets into it more than LMA, but he’s not exactly a beast.

Oden/Pryz
LMA/Frye
WebFoot/Trout
Roy/Rudy
Blake/Bayless
**Champs 08-09**

by BigCelPhone on Nov 20, 2008 5:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I see him posting, but not necessarily rebounding or defending down low. It would be hard to confuse him with Charles Oakley. However, SMALL sample size. Also, remember the Frye we saw at the beginning of last year? Not so great. At the end of last season, filling in for LMA? Remarkable. Players get hurt – if Frye can live with reduced minutes, I can live with having him as a pretty decent stand in and a great locker room presence.

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by Honka Playboy on Nov 20, 2008 5:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I agree in principle, but it would be much easier to jettison Frye if we had Millsap, Bass, or Maxiell waiting in the wings instead of Ike. I love Frye’s personality, but man he sure does love jacking up that 19-footer from the top of the key.

by Dave R on Nov 20, 2008 5:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Frye

Is destined to make big money in Europe. His game is directly imported from across the pond. Long jumpers from your big men? oh yea, he will fit in just fine.

Acquire Serge Ibaka.

by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 20, 2008 6:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If he wants to next year, Frye can make a lot of money starting for a team like Memphis. No need to go to Europe yet.

by Norsktroll on Nov 20, 2008 7:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Channing Frye: Round peg in a square hole.

Title says it all. I like Frye but would have to say he is my least favorite player we have. Sorry #44 fans.

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by j-blaze on Nov 20, 2008 5:51 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Diogu

I may be more comfortable with him getting the backup PF minutes. Any news on if Raef will play this season at all?

Acquire Serge Ibaka.

by TheGreatDane17 on Nov 20, 2008 6:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Raef is out for the career.

I think Frye gets dealt and I don’t have any problem with the proposition that Diogu’s game is at least equal to that of Frye’s…

"Sergio is clearly the MJ of 3rd string point guards!" —Mortimer Pritchard

by timbo on Nov 20, 2008 6:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok, so Channing is pretty square... and his "brick [no technically a square]shot" dont go through the round hoop

Sorry I just had to add that :)

Sophia

"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson

by BlazerFan1 on Nov 20, 2008 6:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

He shot better than LMA last night

#44

by DonkeyShins on Nov 20, 2008 7:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

lma is in a shooting slump

LMA is still an all around better player more consistent better post skills far better defender blah blah I am certain you aren’t implying Channing is a better player than LMA .

Sophia

"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson

by BlazerFan1 on Nov 20, 2008 9:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No.

I was just being snarky about the ‘brick don’t go through the round hoop’ crack.

by DonkeyShins on Nov 20, 2008 10:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Technically, you know,

a round peg will fit in a square hole as long as the diameter is the same as the length of the square’s side. A square peg won’t fit into a round one. Which makes your post even BETTER because it describes Channing perfectly. There’s nothing wrong with him: good skill set, great attitude, good team guy, good effort. He fits with the Blazers and would with most teams. But he doesn’t quite fill up every corner we need for a power forward and his minutes are going to get squeezed more and more as everybody gets healthy and productive. The shape fits, but it’s not a perfect fit. We have players who are more square. Channing is nowhere near a “must trade” but he’s the most likely player to get traded, I think.

—Dave

by Dave on Nov 20, 2008 7:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Batum or Frye

Like he said outlaw would move to the 4 with batum at the three. With websters imanent return it mixes it up. I would rather have batum in there, he does so much well; defense, aufensive rebounding, getting loose balls, and running the floor, his wingspan does alot. His jump shot isnt that bad, he can nock down threes better than frye(41% Vs. 20%) And he is a young player who we should give some pt to develop into a great player.

by raging WebTed on Nov 20, 2008 7:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly, I expected Batum's shoot to be terrible (since I had never seen it I guess)

but he’s actually shooting better than Channing. I guess Nic gets different types of shots. Channing is all mid-range and Nic is either dunk or 3-pointer.

But I agree that Nic/Travis/Marty is more valuable overall than Channing/Travis/Marty at this point, and certainly in the future.

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 20, 2008 7:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think fans try to stuff his great PR/off-the-court characteristics

into those quasi-triangles in the corners and get the impression that he adds more value than he actually does.

Frankly, Shavlik’s shooting and rebounding was pretty impressive in the pre-season (yes, he was playing against scrubs most of the time).

I don’t see any reason why Channing isn’t 100% tradeable at this point. It just depends on what other teams are looking for.

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 20, 2008 7:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Part of me thinks...

… that LMA could be traded for a big time PG, and Frye could start for Aldridge. Aldridge has much higher upside since there is at least a possibility he could learn to play the post… but right now they are both shooters… and Frye can do that just as well as LMA. Plus, unlike LMA, Frye would know he was way down the list of options after Greg and Brandon.

I think the presence of Frye allows the Blazers to think about trading LMA (only for a big time PG). I don’t think this will happen- but its possible. The reason you’d consider trading LMA instead of Frye is that LMA would fetch something a lot better in return.

Just something to think about. Not advocating giving up on LMA- far from it.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Nov 20, 2008 8:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yikes

Aldridge has a post up game and ability to drive into the lane that Channing doesn’t.

I guess it depends on the point guard you’re talking about—D Will, Devin Harris, maybe a couple others who we could actually get somehow.

I still think it’s a stretch to say that Channing can start and not see a major drop off from that position.

Granted, LMA has been sucky lately, but I think he’s still be a great player long term.

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 20, 2008 9:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

oh no

also you’re leaving out the fact that frye can’t do anything BUT shoot stand-alone wideopen shots. he’s exactly like one of those 6’11" white stiffs named nick fazekas or steve novak — or joe wolf (blast from the past).

ignacio

by ignacio on Nov 20, 2008 9:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

LMA can rise and shoot his jump shot with a defender on him. I’ve never seen Channing make one unless he was wide open.

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 20, 2008 9:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I definetely agree

there would be substantial dropoff from LMA to Frye, but I don’t see greatness in LMA’s future anymore— though I do see him being an 18/8 or 19/8 guy shooting a better % than he is now.

I’m just saying I would do something like LMA for DWill in a nanosecond (Utah would laugh at that) and would think hard about a Harris for LMA swap.

I don’t see anything like this happening, just saying I would consider it.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Nov 20, 2008 10:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

We’re loaded at forward. We could trade a dropoff at PF for a big improvement at PG, is what you are saying. It’s reasonable — except that we may have our future nailed down at PG already, and simply not quite ready to contribute big-time yet. If KP is convinced that Bayless is our future solution, this would make little sense.

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by jscot on Nov 21, 2008 2:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

I don’t want to give up LMA when there are still other possibilities for rectifying the PG situation (like getting somebody another way or Sergio or Bayless pulling their heads out and playing like a freaking championship role PG).

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 21, 2008 4:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Plus Brandon plus PG, right?

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 21, 2008 4:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Brandon Bass

Is an unrestricted free agent next year and could probably be had for all or a portion of the mid level exception after we do our big free agent/trade splash.

by Qyntel Woods on Nov 20, 2008 9:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Now we're talking

I’d love to land a Bass.

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Nov 20, 2008 10:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Qyntel, is that you ;-)

Well, I suppose Dallas will either re-sign Bass, or trade him before the deadline if they are not convinced they can hold him and need to upgrade another position. PF backup is not their real problem right now (they have acquired two other players who can do that well with Singleton and Williams), so Bass might be expendable in a deal for a backup PG or a starter on SG. His trade value should be higher than the MLE though (Diop is MLE-level. Crazy, but that’s what big men get paid).

by Norsktroll on Nov 21, 2008 7:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I would trade for Bass

in a second as well, assuming they wouldn’t want our core 5 for him (Batum has made the jump for me).

by Dave R on Nov 21, 2008 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If Portland trades Frye, then we got no value out of the Randolph trade

Ummm, except for Rudy and a ton of cap space…oh, and James Jones played a good role last year.

Man that trade looks great today.

by parkinglotj on Nov 20, 2008 10:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Addition by subtraction

Yes, Zach is likely worth more than Frye at this point despite his higher age and bad contract. But he would also have hampered the development of LaMarcus, and potentially Brandon as the leader of the team taking away their shots – and often bad shots.

by Norsktroll on Nov 21, 2008 7:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Diogu?

When has Ike Diogu went out there and actually done anything good for us? He played decent last night at the end but he takes a bunch of bad shots and tries to make stuff work for himself out there.
Frye is doing a decent job in my book. He is drawing the big defender out and the more he perfects that long ball the better he is going to be.
If we can get someone that is a better player than i think that would be great, but Travis is more comfortable at the 3, and GO gets comfortable in there i think with him and joel out there, it will open him up for more shots and better shots.

by LSchoen114 on Nov 20, 2008 10:49 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ike was perfect from the field last night

I would love to see him get some minutes before deciding who gets traded. He brings a completely different game to the table than Frye or Travis.

by Norsktroll on Nov 21, 2008 7:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

One thing I don't get

I understand why people think Channing isn’t a good fit, or isn’t going to last here. But one argument often put forward is that his game is too much like LMA’s. This, to me, is a specious argument.

If LaMarcus gets injured or has foul trouble, it is valuable to be able to sub in someone whose game is similar. It keeps from disrupting the flow of the offense, the other starters can play their normal game instead of adjusting to the new guy, etc. If you are going to have a backup who only plays 10 mpg, his primary value is cover for injuries/foul trouble, and having a similar game to your starter is valuable in that role.

I think a lot of this “we need a banger” mindset came from last year when, with Joel out, we were as soft as a marshmallow. This year, we’ve got enough “banger” at the center position (starter and backup) to make marshmallows be a nice contrast.

by jscot on Nov 21, 2008 2:29 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

The only things similar about LMA and Channing is that they are 6'11" and used to be able to hit mid-range and deeper jump shots

Other than that I think LMA is better defensively (yes, he can block and rebound occassionally), he’s better on the block, he can take his guy off the dribble and swoop into the lane a little bit, and he can run in the fast break (see alley-oop dunk against Bulls).

People like to compare them cuz they are both tall and used to be able to hit outside shots. Other than that I don’t see a lot of similarities.

by Bust a Bucket on Nov 21, 2008 4:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Frye is a small forward trapped in a PF body; LMA is a PF that needs to have a coach kick him in the but to get low and stay low...

"Sergio is clearly the MJ of 3rd string point guards!" —Mortimer Pritchard

by timbo on Nov 21, 2008 3:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

tt

"Sergio is clearly the MJ of 3rd string point guards!" —Mortimer Pritchard

by timbo on Nov 21, 2008 3:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Frye

It’s going to come down to minutes, and value. This affects the forwards and the guards. If Fernandez/Webster/Batum don’t leave enough minutes for Outlaw, that pushes him into the PF spot at backup, and that takes time from Frye. Then, you have to decide who the third team PF is – and whether or not you want to pay what Frye and Diogu will cost to be that player, given they’re both headed to new contracts. Or, will they have value in a trade that will net us an adquate insurance PF cheaper, while improving us somewhere else?

This will eventually catch up with us at PG as well. Sergio’s improving, Blake is static, and Bayless is sitting on the bench. At some point the Blazers will have to decide what to do with Bayless, because you can’t develop a player without minutes. And if Sergio doesn’t want to split his time with Bayless to help him improve – then it will have to be Blake. And then, you’ll have to decide if you want to pay Blake to be the insurance PG, assuming that Sergio/Bayless are the future.

It’s gotta be tough sometimes to be a GM and a Coach. Guys like Frye and Blake are good character/hard working types, and I’ll bet it’s not always easy making these calls.

by Eben Calder on Nov 21, 2008 6:07 AM PST reply actions 1 recs