What will the Blazers do next?

by PDX1979 on Oct 22, 2009 12:25 PM PDT Comment 40 comments

I have been debating with my friends over what the Blazers might do next with the current roster. There are two options we keep debating. Which of these would you choose?

I think most people would agree Outlaw is the odd man. So should we trade Outlaw to a team that will have a high draft pick and an expiring contract. For example Outlaw to Milwaukie for Elson and a draft pick. Here is a list of all the free agents and expiring contracts - http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9031

A trade like this one:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

I can't wait to read the responses.

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Bad link above. Here is the trade

Bayless and Outlaw to Memphis for Rudy Gay and Haddadi

by PDX1979 on Oct 22, 2009 12:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Why go for Gay

when you can try and pry away Conley Jr.? Mayo states he wants to be their PG and Conley is too small for SG. Trade Bayless or Rudy + Outlaw and Blake for Conley and Jaric or Conley and Gasol now that they have Thabeet. Don’t have time to use trade checker.

Gay = Bad fit. Outlaw with a bigger ego.

"Death is not final," Gita says. "If any man thinks that he slays, and if another thinks that he is slain, neither knows the truth. The Eternal in man cannot kill: the Eternal in man cannot die. The soul in man is neither born nor does it die. Weapons cannot cut it; fire cannot burn it; water cannot drown it.

The Bhagavad Gita

by Idog1976 on Oct 22, 2009 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd have to think long and hard

about Travis and Rudy for Conley and Gasol

(don’t want Jaric, don’t think Blake’s going anywhere)

Big problem: Marc is only a center, and Portland has 2 of those, already. (I don’t expect Joel to be going anywhere, either)

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 22, 2009 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh man I wouldn't. I do that trade in a heartbeat, which is why Memphis doesn't do it.

I love me some Marc Gasol. The guy is quite underrated.

by dario argento on Oct 23, 2009 12:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, even a poorly run franchise like Memphis would never do that deal in a million years.

With Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, and O.J. Mayo, Memphis has no need for either Travis Outlaw or Rudy Fernandez.

Stupid people have stupid ideas.

by AK1984 on Oct 23, 2009 12:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yup.

by dario argento on Oct 23, 2009 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

what we need is another no-defense gunner who wants 20 shots a night. That will fit in just perfectly with our current team. I like Gay’s talent, but I think he’s a terrbile fit for our team, and I’m concerned about his motivation, work ethic, and willingness to put team before self.

How did you guys win that?
"We scored enough points. We scored 107, they scored 105.
-Nate McMillan Postgame, 3/4/2009

by douglast on Oct 22, 2009 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know what's the scariest part of that idea?

Back in May Quick was interviewed and said that two of the players that KP has on his “special fit” list are Devin Harris and…Rudy Gay

I just hope that Paul Allen doesn’t like Gay as much as he liked Patty

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 22, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He should update that list. Nico would have the same production if he played 33 minutes like Gay, and better defense.

But KP could still throw the full MLE at Gay next season if he is so inclined. Though my best guess is Gay will go to the Nets if the don’t land LeBron.

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 22, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know that KP ever updates his lists

The Blazers had Rudy in for workouts before the draft "the infamous ‘JQ peeking through the PF blinds’ workout session…) and Gay allegedly schooled the ‘Stache. Once KP gets a good look at a player and the scouts give him a superior pre-draft grade, the player pretty much has to commit roundball hari-kari to fall off of "the list’

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 22, 2009 5:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rudy Gay, who's a bad defender, is an intriguing quandry regarding that facet of the game.

Regarding Kevin Durant, I’ve got the vibe he’ll always be a putrid defender due to his scrawny frame, lack of elite athleticism, piss-poor lateral quickness — which is different from his fluidity on offense — et cetera. Gay, however, possesses all of the inherent talents necessary to be a successful perimeter defender, but he must learn the skills and quit putting out a halfhearted effort. You’d think that playing on a team last season that had a shutdown perimeter defender in Quinton Ross as his backup would’ve pushed him to try harder on defense, although that certainly wasn’t the case. The same went for O.J. Mayo, who was also lazy defensively despite having a defensive specialist like Greg Buckner as his backup.

Now, I want Gay to have nothing to do with the Portland Trail Blazers for a variety of reasons — with him being a chucker on offense, a poor fit for Nate McMillan’s offense at the 3 because of mediocre three-point shooting, an unwilling passer who’s a selfish ball hog, et cetera — yet, if he was dealt along with salary filler (e.g., Marko Jaric) in a trade to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace, it’d give him the chance to learn under a strong-willed coach like Larry Brown. For Gay, a hardass like Brown would make or break him; he needs that more than anything.

Stupid people have stupid ideas.

by AK1984 on Oct 22, 2009 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't get why you'd say that

I wouldn’t describe KP or our staff as anywhere close to that rigid.

Gay doesn’t fit the team at all, he’s Travis Outlaw with unlimited shots and minutes. If Trout is a problem to be solved, we’d be moving him for a problem with a bigger name and more expectations.

Morty

by Mortimer on Oct 22, 2009 10:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

but Kevin has a list of “special fit” players and Gay is on it. It’s not for me to explain why. Either you believe Quick, or you don’t. I like the fact that Harris is on that list, but hearing RudyG’s name scared the bejesus out of me. What does KP know about Gay that Bedgers don’t? Hopefully, we’ll never need to find out

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 23, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like the idea of going after Conley, Jr.

by socalblazer on Oct 22, 2009 1:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

No on Conely, Jr.

I don’t think Memphis would trade Conely, Jr and I also read all of those trade ideas for him last year. Rudy Gay would be motivated on a winning team with his buddy Roy and Memphis did not extend him, which could be a red flag but we would get him cheap. I think Haddadi would be more than a throw in. He could provide another Big as insurance this season.

by PDX1979 on Oct 22, 2009 3:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Here's the obvious trade

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

In case the link doesn’t work, it’s Outlaw, Blake, and Bayless for Kirk Hinrich. The salaries work out perfectly. Both teams would benefit. Chicago gets three rotation guys in exchange for one (including almost $8 million in expiring cap space). Blazers get a defensively-talented long term solution at PG (a significant upgrade over Blake). In exchange we just give up a guy who’s not in the rotation (Bayless) and another who will be seeing only spot minutes (Outlaw). At backup PF we can use a Howard, with Pendergraph/Cunningham being the longer term solution.

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 4:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

link fixed

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ygb4wss

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a bit much, and the Blazers have passed on trading for Kirk

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 22, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You sure? I thought Chicago turned us down.

by dario argento on Oct 23, 2009 12:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There are some sources that support this

Let’s not forget, the Blazers could have had Hinrich back at the NBA trade deadline in February but failed to pull the trigger. Had him for cheap from what I understand. And as I’ve said here before, back before the draft management was torn about making a deal for Hinrich.

http://www.beyondthebeat.net/20090710311/2009-articles/july/the-hinrich-and-blake-debate.html

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2009 1:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jaynes

But all I can tell you is that Portland could have had him back at the trading deadline — and very cheap, too. The Bulls were ready to practically give him away at that point of the season.

http://www.dwightjaynes.com/the-kirk-hinrich-to-portland-rumors

"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard

by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2009 1:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Jaynes says it, then he probably made it up

by tominhawaii on Oct 23, 2009 3:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

there is some truth to it, though

Back in February, Hinrich was coming off of hand surgery. The Bulls had Rose-Gordon in the backcourt and needed to slice some salary. They eventually made a trade and got rid of Nocioni’s contract. I suspect KP was trying to lowball them for Kirk (as A-Woj has written, KP would keep calling back with the same offer, ever and over) but Chicago wasn’t biting. KP maight have figured that they’d be more conducive to accept his offer on draft day

Then came the Celtic’s series, and Hinrich’s value soared. Gordon left for Detroit. Kirk is off the market, unless KP decides to overpay for him.

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 23, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

OR

KP decided he didn’t want Kirk anymore at all.

I had thought (hoped!) that the neverending BE manlove for Kirk Hinrich had ended after draft day. No such luck it seems.

Hey BE: “Kirk Hinrich ain’t walking through that door”, let’s move on already.

How did you guys win that?
"We scored enough points. We scored 107, they scored 105.
-Nate McMillan Postgame, 3/4/2009

by douglast on Oct 23, 2009 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was a fan of Kirk Hinrich before the Portland Trail Blazers, so no dice.

Stupid people have stupid ideas.

by AK1984 on Oct 23, 2009 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the Bulls would ask for Rudy, or no deal

the days of “throw away parts for Hinrich” deals ended last February when RLEC expired

and Blake is not going anywhere. Brandon will see to that, personally

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 22, 2009 5:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that depends

I think the Blazers could’ve gotten Hinrich last year if they were willing to part with Bayless. Whether Chicago would take this deal now depends on how they’re doing as the trade deadline approaches.

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just for the heck of it, I checked Google . . .

for the phrase “a significant upgrade over Blake.” This is the 8th appearance of the phrase on BE, 15th on the Internet overall.

by Kaboomm on Oct 22, 2009 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Another trade

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

That’s Blake, Outlaw, and Bayless for Jose Calderon. Not sure whether Toronto would go for it, but they might, depending on how things have shaken out at mid-season. Calderon is a better pure PG than Hinrick, but he’s not as good defensively. Either trade would provide the Blazers with a long term solution at PG while thinning out the rotation to a more manageable number.

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 4:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Sorry bad link; here's the right one

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yl2xzgu

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the time to deal for Calderon

was the summer of ’08 when the Raptors were trying to decide whether to keep Jose, or Ford

they are not going to look at Blake and Jack as a PG upgrade, no matter how poorly the first half of their season may go

Miller + Calderon = not enough PT to go around

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Oct 22, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

depends

Depends on how their season is going. If Toronto thinks it can keep Bosh, they will do whatever he wants. If they think they’re not going to be able to keep him, they may act in very unpredictable ways. It’s a good value trade for them. They would get three quality guys (and two expiring contracts if they want to get a free agent when the season is done).

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 6:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

By the trade deadline,

they might take Blake for Turkoglu.

by Kaboomm on Oct 22, 2009 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bad deal for Toronto

If Bosh is sticking, the last thing they would want to do is dump an all-star caliber PG for scrap.

If Bosh is leaving, then they already have space for a FA. In which case, a solid pass-first PG is a great chip to attract FA talent.

You can’t trade our cast-aways for other teams’ stars.

by DC Blazer on Oct 23, 2009 7:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bryan Colangelo wouldn't do it, as for better or worse Jose Calderon is just his type of point guard.

Yet, that aside, Calderon is even worse at perimeter defense than Steve Blake, which says something.

Stupid people have stupid ideas.

by AK1984 on Oct 22, 2009 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Horrible!

KIRK HINRICH!!!? Did you notice that Portland’s -11 as our record would decrease by 11 games due to that trade? Horrible!

by The realist on Oct 22, 2009 5:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That doesn't mean anything

Do you honest think the Blazers would be worse off if we replaced Blake/Outlaw/Bayless with Hinrich. Hinrich is WAY better than Steve Blake. He does everything Blake does on offense and is a VERY good defender. And Bayless and Outlaw will only be getting spot minutes this year combined.

by UDUB on Oct 22, 2009 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

PER doesn't account for defense.

Stupid people have stupid ideas.

by AK1984 on Oct 22, 2009 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The wins projection is fooled by the 3-for-1 nature of the deal

It can’t account for the added minutes and production that would be redistributed to the rest of the Portland squad.

by DC Blazer on Oct 23, 2009 7:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing, they will do nothing

Roy can’t play with an actual PG because he runs the offense once over the half court line. So there really is no point unless you trade Roy. That is why Roy likes Blake, Blake is Roy little B and gives up the ball and then go and hides in the corner and waits for the 3 shot.

So there you have it. If you want a real PG, then you have to trade Roy which is insanity.

"No disrespect to Jeff Blake"

by Eat Politicians on Oct 23, 2009 2:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs