Mayo and Roy

Mayo would be perfect in the back court with Roy. I would rath trade Outlaw than webster though

I’m convinced that OJ Mayo is going to be a very good player and if we decide to try and get a PG in the draft then he is the guy I see KP targeting. I think he would be the ideal backcourt mate to Brandon and with Rudy here I don’t think there is a team in the league that could have as much firepower from the guard positions as we will. And to top it off he likes to play defense!

I think his character issues are overblown and with the team and coach we have here I have a hard time believing he would ever be a problem.

If we get Mayo and he performs to moderate expectations then no one will be able to stop us.

I had to go look up the reports on Mayo, because I had never seriously considered him. Draft Express has an interesting interview with him here. He’s confident, that’s for sure, maybe to a fault. But he’s also polite to the interviewer, like Oden has been. I also like what Draft Express listed as his strengths: 3 point range, catch and shoot ability, shot creating ability, court vision, perimeter defense, work ethic, coachable, oh, and size. I think his weaknesses are fixable: turnovers, not getting to the free-throw line, finishing at the rim. I think my biggest concern with him would be whether or not he sticks around Portland when his contract is up. But, we could have him for quite a while, given restricted free agency, as long as he doesn’t decide to demand a trade. But the more I read about him, the less I think he will. Chad Ford has an interesting interview with him here.

So where do we need to get in at to draft him? The mock drafts I’ve been seeing put Mayo at #5 or #6, but if we wanted to be sure, we could try and trade for ‘Sota’s #3, OKC’s #4. But who are we willing to give up to get him? I hate to move people who we already know what they can do. I certainly wouldn’t give up any of the big three, and I like Travis enough to want to keep him as well (that, and AnntheFan would certainly #25 me if I thought otherwise). but do any of the rest of our guys, or combination of those guys equal the #3, #4, #5 or even #6? I’m not sure that even McHale takes Jack, Webster and the #13 for Brewer, Madsen and the #3. I think they’re still too big on Brewer. I don’t play with the trade machine enough to tell you. Maybe some other guys (and gals!) can come up with some ideas? Maybe we have to take back an ugly contract?

But still, a great post Bartender77. It made me look in a direction that I really hadn’t before. I’m not willing to jump on the trade-for-Rose bandwagon, but I think I’d be willing to jump on the trade-for-Mayo bandwagon.

Article here. If Chicago draft’s Rose, the theory is that Miami may still want a PG, and Mayo would fit the bill.

Even with the timberwolves recent history of dumb personel decisions I can’t imagine Minnesota going for it. This deal is way to one sided. Of course like you said you never know what Mchale is willing to give up.

but i dont think that the wolves would agree to that deal because McCants is on a rise and we arent giving them enough. That deal sounds a little one-sided, but i would love to see it happen. My biggest question though, is do we even want Mayo? He seems to me to be more of a SG, and looking at our current SG (Broy, Webby, and incoming Rudy who we promised PT) i dont think we would have enough room for him. But if he shows the ability to play the PG in workouts i would totally be up for changing my mind and would love to see the Blazers go after him.

But they’re going to ask for Zilla. Name a team 3-6 that doesn’t need a starting center? They’ll insist on him but we can’t let him go. He’s too important to the team next year. He takes pressure of Oden and can teach him lots of good stuff and do battle in practice.

I can’t remember the radio show that he was on, (maybe Chris Meyers) but Thomsen was insistent that Mayo was going to be a defensive stopper in the NBA. The host was even taken aback when this was suggested and Thomsen said it again. Now I don’t know Thomsen’s track record when talking about prospects, but he should be in the know.

If we can move up by trading Jack, the 13th, and Raef’s contract I would do it in a heartbeat. Maybe even offer Martell.

Mayo/Roy/Rudy easily one of the best guard rotations in the NBA. Our bench could also go small with Travis at the 4 and Frye at the 5.

The thing is I’m not sure we need another talented guard with Rudy coming in.

But I’d be willing to trade quite a few other assets to get a hold of OJ. He is going to be a stopper and on top of that, how are those speedy PG’s going to stop him? They can’t! He’s too big and strong. Mayo is perfect for our system.

that Mayo could be in the running for Miami’s pick at #2. Ford seems pretty knowledgable, but is he serious? Beasley or Rose slips to #3?

There would be dancing in the streets in Minnesota!

If anything I bet they trade the pick if they decide they don’t like Beasley. Someone will want him. Obviously, if Rose is there at two they take him and not Mayo. It’s looking more and more like Chicago wants Rose. We’ll see.

I really an uncomfortable in this process, but it has been nagging at me all day. Some time back, someone posted a diary (I think they were still diaries back then) on tiers for our players. I’m going to use something like that. I may change my mind on these players’ positions after next season, but right now, this summer, this is what I think.

1. Absolutely, I do not want to see traded at all
Brandon Roy
Greg Oden
Lamarcus Aldridge.

2. I think trading these guys is a terrible idea:
Travis Outlaw (really did good this past season, he’s a keeper!)
Rudy Fernandez (I don’t want to give up the guy who might be the best player to ever come out of Europe).

3. I really don’t want to trade these guys:
Steve Blake (solid role-player, which are vitally important for good teams)
Joel Przybilla (ditto)

4. I would be somewhat disappointed if these guys got traded:
Martell Webster
Jarrett Jack
Channing Frye

5. Not too worried about:
Sergio Rodriguez (I hate to say that, but…)
Raef LaFrentz
James Jones (Which is too bad, I really like the guy)
Josh McRoberts
Pick #13

I think Mayo could easily be gotten with a level 1 guy, and could be gotten with a level 2 guy and change. But I don’t want to give up any of them at all. And I wouldn’t give up both our level 3 guys, but if we parted with one for a shot at Mayo, I might be able to live with it. I also would not be comfortable giving up all three level 4 guys, but if there were two of them, I think I would be okay. And use whatever level 5 guys are necessary.

Unfortunately, that does not give us much value to work with.

For Minnesota’s Pick, the only way I think we get that is to take Antoine Walker’s hideous contract. It looks like we’d have to give up Przybilla, Jack and the #13 for Walker and the #3. Ouch for us.

I don’t see anything we would be willing to give up that Seattle would want for #4, nor do I see anyone whom Seattle would be willing to dump on us in exchange.

Memphis is kind of in the same boat as Seattle with #5. I’m not sure they’re ready to give up on some of their young talent yet. The only person I could see them wanting to unload is Brian Cardinal, and that’s really only $6M/year for two more years. Would Webster, Jack, McRoberts and the #13 be worth Cardinal and the #5? I’m not sure if this is enough to whet Memphis’ appetite.

The lowest place Mayo could possibly drop to is #6. There’s no guarantee that he would end up here, but New York makes the easiest trading partner. That is if we’re willing to take back some garbage, and they have plenty.

For those out there smart enough to do three team trades, be my guest, but I don’t know how we’d really manage to pull this off, even though I would be ecstatic if we could.

All I have is stupid fan hunches to go on, but here’s my feeling about Mayo:
He has all of the basketball talent and tools to be really, really good.
He is young and impressionable to team culture and that could take him in either the Kobe (plays for a winner young and learns how to win) route or the Vince Carter route (extremely talented but never really a winner). Based on my read on him, I see him more likely to follow the Kobe path, especially on a team that’s got its ducks in a row administratively like ours. He would be an excellent fit for this team and I think it’s totally unfair that he’s been branded a bad apple, especially for this BDA business.

until we see what he’s got this fall. If he really is already back to work on his game, I’d like to see what he brings to the table. Bear in mind he’s younger than Travis. He went prep-to-pro just a few years ago.

Martell has tons of talent and is putting in the work to make it happen. Marty is going to be fantastic for us and we’ll all be happy that KP kept him.

Tier 1- Roy
LA
Oden

Tier 2- Martel- he’s going to be our T. Prince, or Bowen lock down defender, look for himm to brak out this year.

Joel- Pryz is so important to keeping the pressure off of Greg, and if we were to trade him and Oden got hurt again we would be in some huge trouble.

Tier 3- my tier 3 is just a small fall from two and has less to do with talent and more to do with need.

Outlaw

Rudy

Tier 4- bench players nothing more

Frye- I would be willing to trade Channing, I like him a lot but I feel he’s too similar to LA and his value is good.

Blake- I think he’s a great back up, but if he’s the missing piece to a trade I’d do it

Sergio- I’m not willing to give up on him yet, however if a team wanted him and we could land mayo, we wouldn’t have much use for him.

Jack- I’m sure Jack is gone, however I see him playing better next year no matter which team he is on. If we were to trade Rodriguez and/or Blake there would be no complaints having him on our bench because of his leadership and toughness.

Jones- we can’t trade him and if we don’t trade Webster and don’t trade for Battier he’s perfect part of the 2nd unit.

Tier 5 is everyone else-

Mayo being pared with Roy switching back and forth between the 1 and 2 guards would give this team such stability. Mayo will be the lockdown defender this team could use in the perimeter keeping pressure off Roy’s knees and Oden‘s foul numbers . He’s the tough minded guard that McMillan loves. He has a great B-ball IQ. Mayo will be around good guys and that will help guide his career in the right direction. Mayo is a 1st tier type player on this team.

I am more convinced in Mayo than I am in Rudy, and Rudy will be real good. I would trade Rudy or outlaw straight across for him. However I don’t think we’ll need to. I think KP can tip toe his way down the draft spots couple by couple using Jack or other 4th tier players , 2nd rounders, foreign players, future picks and of course Paul Allen’s money until we can get Mayo.

future Roster

Roy- team captain, crunch time PG, fill in blank
Mayo- One of the best defenders in the league, break out scorer, and guy you least like to piss off because he’ll kill you on the court.
Webster- small forward, lock down defender, 6-8 rebounds a game, good slasher with a great ourside shot
LA- PF one of the best all around PF in the game, next year will have a break out season
Oden- Dwight Howard with a 70% free throw shooting young Shaq offensive skills.

6th man Rudy

I’m sure Blake will get minutes for a couple of years but after that we have an unstoppable frontline and backcourt. We could not be beat.

to be the perfect fit for our team and will happily fufill his role. With three players in our lineup that require double coverage Martell is going to be invaluable. With his improving defense and commitment to work on his handle I am confident he is going to be a well rounded player.

Something tells me that if we bring in Mayo we are going to have too many chiefs. We tried that before.

they draft Mayo at number 1.

I go on vacation for a while and when I come back I see that people are starting to come around on Mayo now.

Like I have been harping, the off the court problems Mayo have gone through have been miniscule things that have bee nblown out of proportion. Bad decisions? Yes but not things that would not be unheard of a teenager doing.

Jonathan Givony of Draftexpress wrote a while back that Mayo reminded him of Roy and I have seen that comparison out there floating in some of the internet message boards. I could only imagine that we would be able to ffield TWO Brandon Roys, one at SG and the other at PG.
In watching him he is able to beat a press fairly easily, is elite coming off screens and getting a shot off, hits 3s at a 40% clip with good mechanics ans realease point, and can play lockdown D as he did vs. Rose, the guy that supposedly can get by anyone.

He also seems to have a high level of BBIQ and knows when and how to distribute or shoot the ball. Above all, and this is where I think he clearly distinguishes himself from Blake, is he has the feel the “it” as some of the people are saying, to be able to know when to be agressive and get into the lane or when to be passive and pass the ball. I would actually darft Mayo ahead of Rose as he fits our needs better (yes I know BPA BPA BPA but with our big 3 we NEED a shooter.)

He would be a great pickup if possible. He and Roy on the perimeter would be devastating.

I asked around at our sister-site Canis Hoopus to get a ‘Sota’s fan perspective on trading for the #3.

Site owner Stop-and-Pop said the following:

I think Portland…
...would be an interesting trade destination. I don’t know if the expiring contracts would get it done. The Wolves have more than just a personnel problem, they have a public relations one as well. During one game late in the season, their TV broadcast drew only 1700 viewers. If you combine that with season tickets being sold for $3/game and a laundry list of poor draft decisions in the past (and to say nothing of the local fan base’s outburst of support for a Mayo pick), you have a situation where the club would need something a bit more flashy than a sensible move that would allow them to clear out dead weight on the roster while moving down and putting them in position to draft a solid wing player like CDR, Alexander, or Budinger.

Furthermore, it would be hard to improve on the leverage that the Wolves have with Miami or Seattle. If Miami wants Mayo or the Sonics…whoever…they have to play ball with the Wolves. Plus…trading to a division rival with a roster like that…well, that’s a recipe for long term pain as far as the Wolves are concerned.

If I were to put forward the best-case trade scenario for what it would take for the Wolves to deal with Portland, it would start with Rudy Fernandez (provided he would guarantee his playing here next year or the year after) and the expiring contracts. There has to be an additional player in there if the Wolves are going to hand an in-division rival their point guard of the future to match up with Roy and Oden. It can’t be the kid from Finland…Fernandez would have to be involved in some way, shape, or form…as well as the 13th pick. They’re getting Mayo or Beasley one way or the other and it will take a pretty decent offer from a team that high (and in the division) to change that.

Thought I would share.

It is kinda like a splash o’ cold water in the face.

But I think a deal can be done to get Mayo here without giving up Rudy. I’d give up Joel before I gave up Rudy though.

How about Joel, Outlaw, #13 (I’d even throw in a couple of future firsts)
for
#3, Walker (we’re going to have to take a bad contract)

I think Minny would be interested in Channing too (he’d be a great fit with Jefferson) but I’d like to keep him.

But I think Annethefan is going to be freaking out soon anyways. I really do think Travis is one his way out this summer. I’ll be surprised if he’s not.

With Rudy coming his scoring off the bench isn’t as important. Especially if you have Mayo on the bench this year. We’ll have plenty of scoring and shooting off the bench and I think all of those guys can play team basketball which Travis barely can if you want to be generous.

but I personally see Mayo as a Damon Stoudamire.

Win rookie of the year, have a fairly solid career, but never live up to potential. A career spotted with personal issues (potentially the same down to marijuana charges).

And we don’t have time for character questions right now.

They lost to Kansas State in Mayo’s biggest game in his life. USC had a much better team than K-state, and should never have been ranked so low if Mayo was as good as people say. USC finished the previous season ranked 15th or something. With Mayo, they were not even ranked at the end. I believe there is much to be said about that.

We’re not that.