Consolidate to win now--two deals to guarantee a spot in the WCF

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 3, 2008 12:58 PM PST

Trade Machine won't work because some players can't be traded until December 15. But that's only a couple weeks away, and I checked out the money on these to be sure they would work.

Deal #1:

Charlotte receives Travis Outlaw

Portland receives Ray Felton

Deal #2:

New York receives RLEC, Steve Blake, Sergio, and Channing

Portland receives Curry, Duhon, and David Lee

Portland's new depth chart:

PG: Felton/Duhon, Bayless

SG: Roy, Fernandez

SF: Webster, Batum

PF: Aldridge, Lee, Shavlick, Ike

C: Oden, Pryzbilla

*We buy out Curry

We don't need to go out and get old veterans to contend for the title this season. These two feasible moves (feasible because NY and Charlotte would both be amenable to these trades) would give Portland a roster that is deeper than the L*kers. And since we're getting younger players in return, we don't sacrifice our 12-year Manifest Dynasty window.

Tweet Comment 29 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

No thanks

Outlaw + RLEC + Blake + Sergio + Channing…

That’s enough, with very small tweaks, (perhaps some picks), to get someone like Kidd, Nash + Diaw.

Both of which would open our window wider and provide more guidance to develop our current guys more, opening our future window wider as well.

by JordanLeDoux on Dec 3, 2008 1:15 PM PST reply actions

Just to be clear though

If we wanted Kidd, I’d wait to sign him as an FA during the summer instead of trading for him.

by JordanLeDoux on Dec 3, 2008 1:16 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, but Nash/Kidd and Diaw will be gone in 2-3 years...

This way you consolidate young talent for better young talent.

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 3, 2008 1:20 PM PST up reply actions

KP has proven that we can get the correct young talent through the draft whenever we feel we need it.

I’m not at all worried about trading away some of our youth. We are driving up the value of our youth from the position they were drafted at, and the logical progression is to drive up soem of their value, cash it in, then get more young talent, drive it up and cash in, etc.

Generally, being a good team with a competent GM means perpetual relevence. When we’re in our dynasty/contender stage, we trade away our current picks for future picks, then cash them in when we’re on our downward slope, allowing us to go from contenders, to legit, back to contenders without visiting the lotto.

You can only really do it if you have a competent GM and you cash in your talent and future picks at the right stage. We’re at the stage to cash in our talent a tiny bit, and we’ll be int he position to cash in our picks in about 5-8 years.

by JordanLeDoux on Dec 3, 2008 1:27 PM PST up reply actions

not to mention

Kidd sucks now;
Nash isnt especially likely to be effective for more than this season and next;

We could take these guys for free and get worse.

M, period. Fresh, comma.

by manzell on Dec 3, 2008 7:03 PM PST up reply actions

Yes, the "get Kidd for some hot young talent" is working great for the Mavs.

by raoulduke on Dec 3, 2008 7:15 PM PST up reply actions

I think Kidd

said he’d never play here. Maybe he’d reconsider now. Man he really would fit in well. Not the best three point shooter though.

"Rudy’s flashy passes had the place whispering to each other like we were in junior high" ~BlazermaniacAndy

by courtsideerrandboy on Dec 3, 2008 2:33 PM PST up reply actions

No way New York does this unless they see it as their best option for dropping Curry

Like the fact that you stayed young, but
Duhon wouldn’t look that great on the Blazers.
We already have a Lee (Pryz).
Duhon a -.400 three point shooter.
Felton a -.300 three point shooter.
Duhon is a better driving PG than Blake, but a worse shooter. Which one do we need?
Duhon’s only good year is this one. Not saying he is bad, just not great.

No sarcasm: but a way better idea than most trade posts.
Your Blazers miss more threes and jumpers. They continue generally poor perimeter defense. They also die from lack of scoring options behind Rudy on the second unit.

In no way do I see these minor tradeoffs as giving us a significantly deeper team. Rather, I see them as moving talent for no appreciable advantage. The only pickup I personally feel nice about is Lee. However, NOT a contender.

by staylost on Dec 3, 2008 1:16 PM PST reply actions

Oh, and why didn't you use the

daily trade post?

by staylost on Dec 3, 2008 1:19 PM PST up reply actions

Not a bad team

but i doubt either of those teams would do it. Outlaw is Gerald Wallace-lite and NY has to at least field a somewhat competitive team. They wouldnt trade their 2 best players

Woof

by Charles Barkley McLovin on Dec 3, 2008 1:18 PM PST reply actions

I know... the thing about NY is

They can’t afford to re-sign Lee and still land the Walsh/D’Antoni trio in 2010 (Lebron/Bosh/Nash). This way they get rid of Curry and guarantee landing their Trio, but the cost is Lee. It’s a trade off for them.

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 3, 2008 1:23 PM PST up reply actions

Not too bad

Would be better if we didn’t need to take on Curry. Sergio and Frye would be really good fits in NY’s new uptempo offense. They’d be more than happy to get rid of Curry.

Travis would be a good fit for the Bobcats. I don’t know enough about Felton’s defense to know whether I’d want him though. Blake is shooting lights out from 3. If Felton’s defense is pretty good, I’d go for it. What we’d miss out in 3’s, we’d make up for in better perimeter defense and hopefully we’d gain a quicker PG who can break down opposing defenses (unlike Blake). Travis can really light it up at times, so I’d be concerned about our second unit’s scoring punch.

I think the trade would make our second unit worse. The best thing to do in my opinion, is to quit playing Frye until he decides to find his inner animal. Martell is a 3, Travis can move to the backup 4, and Frye can sit. I was so pissed last night when he stood and watched a ball go in front of him, on its way out of bounds, when a Knick decided to go for it and then managed to save it to his own team. Disgusting effort on Frye’s part.

Can I buy you a fish sandwich?

by silkybrown on Dec 3, 2008 1:20 PM PST reply actions

I think

you don’t gain very much, and you lose Travis (who can probably be traded for a first rounder) and RLEC/cap space.

It seems like you are giving up an awful lot of assets to gain very little. Felton just doesn’t do much for me.

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Dec 3, 2008 1:24 PM PST reply actions

I knew nobody would like Felton

but if we really want to consolidate at PG, there just aren’t many around. Is Felton an upgrade over Blake? Long term, definitely. Right now, Blake and Roy play well together and Blake is stroking the 3.

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 3, 2008 1:26 PM PST up reply actions

Last year

Blake and Roy played well together and Blake was stroking the 3. I could see that going on for a long time. I can’t see Felton fitting so well.

I don’t know who you are calling nobody, but he isn’t me, because I don’t like Felton.

I’d be happier if you kept Sergio out of deal #2 and didn’t do deal #1 at all. Basically, swap Duhon for Blake and Lee for Channing, and take Curry off their hands to compensate them for the upgrades. That would be a huge, huge boon to them to dump Eddy, I don’t see any reason to sweeten the pot with Sergio. In fact, I’d want another second rounder from them, at least.

by jscot on Dec 3, 2008 1:36 PM PST up reply actions

I dont think it makes us much better

Felton is ehhh, i like him but not WCF much

"Why would we lie to ourselves dude?"
"Be excellent to each other."
"All we are is dust in the wind, dude."
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."

The Wisdom of Bill S Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan

by GreatOden'sRaven on Dec 3, 2008 1:26 PM PST reply actions

Really?

The only swap I see as a clear upgrade in the rotation is Lee replacing Frye. Blake has about the same PER as Felton this year on less shots. Blake is a 40% three point shooter, Felton 28%. Basically, Blake is a good fit for the Blazers, Felton’s not.

Duhon versus Sergio is also a wash. Duhon’s playing well lately, and has a high assist rate, but he’s shooting 42% on the season. Duhon’s a better scorer, no doubt, but Sergio’s a better passer and Duhon’s numbers are inflated in Ny’s system.

Curry has a multi-year deal. Why in the world would Portland want to trade for him and buy him out? I don’t get that part.

Finally, don’t mean to be a hater (love your site, by the way), but why not put this proposal in the shiny new Trade Post section? Gotta get with the times! Change is coming. They said we couldn’t filter trade proposals into one fanpost. Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on Dec 3, 2008 1:27 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

I don't think that guarantees us anything.

No thanks.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Dec 3, 2008 1:29 PM PST reply actions

2 bad trades imo

and they’d be better placed at the “trade post”

by Falcao on Dec 3, 2008 1:30 PM PST reply actions

What's the point?

And I thought there was a space created to keep this ~~crap~~ stuff out of the fan posts section.

by Over Analysis on Dec 3, 2008 1:33 PM PST reply actions

I think we get worse honestly

and please keep these to the trade post, that is why they were created. This trade is no different from all of the other trades that have been proposed, despite the fact I really do appreciate your contributions.

Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...

by TheOdenator on Dec 3, 2008 1:45 PM PST reply actions

Felton is terrible.

by Nick Van Excellent on Dec 3, 2008 1:58 PM PST reply actions

NY will not trade Lee.

D. Lee is the only effective frontcourt
player on the Knicks. In addition, he is
an effort player and a vital piece in their
puzzle. It would certainly take a lot more
than RLEC and some pieces to get him
in a trade.
More importantly, the Blazers don’t need to
make a trade. We have a great mix and Blake
is the kind of PG we need for the present.
Unselfish, hard working and a great spot up
shooter. He could improve his perimeter defense
and his drive, but that’s true for all of our backcourt
shy of BRoy. Don’t mess with the Cake, it’s almost
ready. 13-6, with many more victories and team
improvement to come. We will get 3M back soon and
GO still has major improvements to come. PATIENCE,
please !

COINCAST/CHARTER & THE SATT’S ALL SUCK !!!!

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Dec 3, 2008 2:02 PM PST reply actions

barf.

I am definitely not a fan of Felton, and I don’t see why losing a solid bench player for another average point guard would benefit the Blazers at all.

As for the second trade, I love David Lee, but don’t see where he fits in with current group of big men. I don’t see him taking a backseat to LaMarcus and therefore his presence would only take away minutes from Oden, who needs to play more as it is IMO.

by koyote on Dec 3, 2008 2:31 PM PST reply actions