Hollinger: "I can't imagine the Blazers will stand pat"
Sorry for the fanshot overload but there's a lot out there this morning. Sounds like John Hollinger is seeing the trade possibilities for the Blazers increase too. From his Per Diem (insider) this morning about the Wizards and the Blazers.
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I can't imagine the Blazers will stand pat with this group if they continue to underperform. While Roy and Aldridge are a big part of the reason, Portland won't be parting with either of them anytime soon, especially after signing both to extensions over the past four months. Instead, they'll likely use their other assets to bring in more weaponry, especially long-range shooters who could give their two stars more offensive breathing room.
We still have more than two months to the trade deadline, and it's very possible that a couple of hot weeks by either of these clubs could turn today's chatter into a distant memory. Nonetheless, these two teams bear close watching in the coming weeks. If things don't change, I suspect each will be among the league's biggest movers and shakers come February.
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-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter
9 months ago
Ben Golliver
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Trade Roy for CP3!
Can you imagin what Paul could do with the Blazers weapons? Greg would actually get the ball when he rolls to the rim!
Obviously this is a joke, as neither of these guys are getting traded. How far has Roy fallen this year, and can he get back up? I hope so, as he was very fun to watch last year.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
by usmcr3049 on Dec 2, 2009 11:43 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I know you guys love Roy, but IMO CP3 would take the Blazers to another level. I know this is just a hypothetical, but do the Hornets say no to this or the Blazers? The Hornets would get a star that is locked into a contract for a longer period of time. The way the hornets are shredding contracts, I don’t see Paul resigning there.
Pairing Paul with Oden, would be pretty lethal. I mean, look at what he did with Tyson Chandler…
by LakerFANtilDeath on Dec 2, 2009 1:45 PM PST up reply actions
If the Hornets were foolish enough
to offer this trade the Blazers would have to accept it. Paul has proven over his career that he can make his teammates much better, and giving him Oden and LMA would be brutal, especially if the Blazers were able to keep Rudy. I know there is some fans who believe we should keep Roy because he is “our guy” since he was drafted by the Blazers, but that is just fans being fans. CP3 is the better player, and would be a better fit on the Blazers.
I might just dream tonight about a line up of
Paul
Rudy
Batum
LMA
Oden
Doesn’t matter too much what the bench is, even if Bayless, Cunningham and Webster are all that is left, that team would be deadly.
Still it is just hypothetical, as no team is going to trade their franchise player, especially when they just gave him a max contract extention that hasn’t even kicked in yet! They will foolishly believe they can make it work with what they have.
Just to clear any misunderstanding up, I love Roy and don’t want to trade him, but it was going to be brought up by someone, so now i can say, “First!”.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
This might have happened had Roy not owned up and continued with the blame game
Now, Roy’s getting back his mojo. Have to agree that the team would do better this year with Paul. Not sure that would be the case last year or maybe even next year. We’ll see how Roy turns out.
My dream will always be to unite Paul and Roy, though.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Man, stop making sense. You're a L*ker fan.
I hate comments like these because it’s like realizing I’m completely wrong about something that I was just yelling about. It’s like meeting L* fans (I live in SoCal, so it happens a lot), and they turn out to not have five gallons of hair gel on.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
In some fans eye's and in some media members eye's
he has. His production this year is off, no matter what we believe about Roy, his production is not that of a superstar player.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
4.5 = 5 now?
And if we’re applying those standards, we might as well throw Joe Johnson with his 4.4 apg into the club.
Hate to always be the guy but LeBron and Wade actually attmept defense occasionally.
It's a tune-out fest.
and by attempting defense you mean
were on 1st and 2nd team all defense, respectfully
You won.
by Roybot on Nov 11, 2009 1:41 AM PST
yes
His play this year has been far worse than last year, both on offense— seen in the amount of jump shots he’s taking and his much worse shooting percentages— and on defense, where we all know what we’ve seen.
'Cuse 88-Cornell 73. My Big Red failed to beat the spread by 2 points. Hence the new avatar.
I know you're kidding, usmcr3049, but countless folks around here haven't yet recognized how much ...
more valuable Chris Paul is than Brandon Roy based solely for marketability reasons. Unlike Roy, Paul has received national media attention, mammoth amount of jersey sales, and is a hot-ticket item when it comes to casual fans attending games. For those reasons, George Shinn will flat-out never sign off on Jeff Bower trading Chris Paul elsewhere. If anything, Shinn would sell the organization to an out-of-town buyer — or relocate the franchise himself to a metropolitan area like Kansas City, Missouri — before ever parting ways with Paul, who’s his proverbial cash cow.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
Good basketball thinking, bad business
Reduce cash flow outlays before selling. This increases the amount of cash you get and lowers the leverage rate and your exposure.
In other words, if selling, get rid of big contracts → Trade CP3 for expiring deal and bolt.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
David Thorpe Chimes in with his oppinion
FJ (London)
Would you trade Brandon Roy for Chris Paul and viceversa? (may be add an extra asset from Portland to the deal)I like the prospect of a CP3-Rudy backcourt and the lobs to Oden, for NOH is a matter of securing a franchise player for 5 yrs instead of the 2yrs left on CP3’s contract.
David Thorpe (12:24 PM)
If I was Portland, yes. But it won’t happen.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
he hasn't fallen
in the eyes of many ……..he is what he is,,,slow methodical, predictable and has a tough time of adjusting his game….( good teams know how to take away his strengths and that’s exactly what they are doing.) He is so very similar to Nate, it’s almost unreal……They have no imagination and are full of mudane regimentation……You ask me (I know you didn’t) he is showing his true character under fire……This spoiled pouter is our leader?….
yes, it’s unfair to blame Roy for all these issues, but he gets a lions share…..Unfortunately they paid him too much money to get a good trade….especially with Lebron and Wade in the mix for next year……
You would have to say the Blazer’s have set sail on a ship of no return……They have a team full of average to above average players with Roy at a “B” and LMA a shakey B-……But most of all they have become underachievers without good sound fundamentals to back up their play….. = coaching……..The one plus is the improved play of Oden….But one may assume, in the current environment, he may not get much better…..
Caron Butler is a high-usage player at the 3 who can't spread the floor and is lazy on defense, so he's ...
absolutely NOT the answer to the Portland Trail Blazers problems.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
And exactly the type we'd be after
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Isn't Miller's second year non-guaranteed?
He’s the first player I’ve wanted traded since Zach. I’d give my pinky toe for a point guard who could shoot.
I'm sick of all these Dean Demopolis fanboys screaming for Nates's head
by tominhawaii on Dec 2, 2009 11:58 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I'm of the same mindset
This team would be better off without Miller.
"Get on board early," Black said, alluding to, what he feels, is a crop of up-and-coming players.
"I would tell those fans that we're going to play good baseball. We're going to play hard. We're going to have exciting young players..." -Bud Black
sad but likely true
he’s the new Rod Strickland…
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Dec 2, 2009 4:38 PM PST up reply actions
I think 3rd year non-guaranteed, 2 years guaranteed.
"I play, Coach stays. He goes, I go." - Jimmy Chitwood
Storyteller says
I’m not quite sure what that means though.
I'm sick of all these Dean Demopolis fanboys screaming for Nates's head
That's the 3rd year, though
He has $7 million fully guaranteed next year.
As Royster correctly wrote above, it's Andre Miller's third season that's non-guaranateed.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
lol
i’d give mine for a point guard who could do something other than
a. turn it over
b. miss most of his shots
c. kneel down and pray at the Holy Altar of Brandon every trip down the floor (in other words, bring the ball up, IMMEDIATELY dish to brandon, run to his safe corner and wait for a 3 he’ll most likely miss.
in other words, Miller should be starting, and not going anywhere imho.
by pdxrob on Dec 2, 2009 1:50 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
a. & b. sure sounds like Miller
I'm sick of all these Dean Demopolis fanboys screaming for Nates's head
by tominhawaii on Dec 3, 2009 5:26 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
OK
I’d keep the toe and just cut Miller and give all his playing time to Rudy and Bayless.
I'm sick of all these Dean Demopolis fanboys screaming for Nates's head
It's almost like you should say Hinrich
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
I'm all Hinriched out
If I went the next year of my life not reading his or Blair’s name on Blazers Edge, it would be too soon.
Start Andre Miller NOW to showcase him for a trade.
blake and outlaw
have expiring contracts worth 7.6 mil total. please move them out.
"I think twittering and all that facebook crap just makes you a loser." ~ Charles Barkley
Yep, that plus the 1.4 exception from the Patty Mills signing...
Is a tidy 9 M in incoming salary they could get for those two…
Long distance shooters?
What is he smoking?
This team is loaded to the gills with guys who can stroke it from the outside. The REAL problem is they can’t really do anything else.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Dec 2, 2009 12:25 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
We have a bunch of shooters who aren't making their shots consistently.
AK1984.
Mortimer.
Norsktroll.
no idea that makes no sense.
Please, for the love of all that is holy, please stop using the following: "Book it.", "FTW", "Epic" & "Fail".
...no seriously--stop.
That was going to be my comment.
We all need to realize that even good journalists and commentators mail it in now and then, or at a minimum, speculate with no decernable evidence to base their speculation on. They pretty much have to in a 24 / 7 sports media environment. Something has to fill the void. That’s why you often hear obvious crap out of the mouths of the best of the bunch. At least those guys you cut a little slack for.
hakkaa päälle !
true.
Simmons isn’t bad, but he is an East Coaster, no question.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Hate to say it but Prichard was right
Andre Miller was the last option in free agency – probably a cross your fingers move.
Turkalu would be a viable scorer right now. And as a second in line move (if no turkey) would be handy to spell the bigs.
Turk is stinking it up big time
He wouldn’t be helping us at all right now, and we’d be paying the (high) price for a looong time. I guarantee you Toronto regrets the decision.
the sad thing is
KP didn’t need to sign a FA last July. He could’ve “banked” his capspace and used it for a lopsided trade this winter. Unfortunatlely, KP prefers to assemble his roster in the summer, and then let it bake
Maybe he’ll prove me wrong (and Hollinger right) and make a few midseason deals this year, but if he does, I suspect that circumstances (injuries, sub-par play) will drive him to adjust the roster, not any kind of philiosophical shift
the waters are not so calm
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Yeah, I also figure that if Kevin Pritchard makes a major roster shakeup come mid-season that it'll ...
be out of necessisty instead of him finally identifying that roster balance is more important than stacking the ballclub with so-called best player available (a.k.a., BPA) types.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
We should all thank our lucky stars that Hedo Turkoglu is in Toronto, because he's proving doubters ...
like me right as he begins his sharp decline in season one of an absurd five-year contract. I’m not sure if it was Paul Allen or Kevin Pritchard who spearheaded the doltishness of targeting the rapidly aging Turkoglu, although either one or both of them should be ashamed for slobbering over such a tremendously overrated offensive player — as he’s fairly inefficient — who’s a no-good sieve on defense and utterly useless on the glass.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
> Instead, they’ll likely use their other assets to bring in more weaponry, especially long-range shooters who could give their two stars more offensive breathing room.
Interesting concept John, except we already have all the 3-shooters with their pea-shooters that we need. We could use some defenders though – and some honest-to-gosh small forwards to tide us over until our actual small forwards can return from injury. – Elgin
Travis Outlaw, the Funnel Cake of the Blazers
I can't stand Pat either.
ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυείδ...
Καὶ εἶδον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζώων καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀρνίον ἑστηκὼς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον,
What did Pat ever do to you?
he/she seems like a perfectly decent fellow/gal!
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Dec 2, 2009 4:39 PM PST up reply actions
Without you out there, we're nowhere here. - Pat Lafferty
Travis Outlaw, the Funnel Cake of the Blazers
have the Blazer trading assets fallin' off this year though?
Blake – contract expiring but playing at consistent “meh” level.
Outlaw – contract expiring but broke his foot.
J-Bay – not getting enough PT to showcase skills.
Rudy – streaky shooting, inconsistent D, not looking convincing as a play making 2.
Miller – who needs him and has anything to trade? Orlando?
Martell – looking 100% better than last season but how complete can his game become?
Plus—-who has a good PG or backup 4 they can trade?
Would [some of] you trade all of these players for Hinrich?
As an aside: would [some of] you move to elect Hinrich mayor when he arrives at the airport, or after he bricks his first 3 pointer?
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Dec 2, 2009 4:48 PM PST reply actions
Sometimes
You hold on to assets a little to long, and they lose value like that. Just ask the Cleveland Browns about Derek Anderson…
I forgot to mention Joel.
He’s a nice piece for a team looking for some banging inside. I bet Chicago could find some nice minutes for him.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Dec 2, 2009 5:12 PM PST up reply actions
sell when high
I agree with hipster, the Blazers assets are low, except for Oden, and he ain’t going anywhere
Your players will always look better when the team is winning
Miller and Rudy could have some value, if there’s a contending team that loses their starting PG to injury, or a young team that needs a flashy SG and will move a #1 (unprotected) draft choice to take a flier on Fernandez and his cost-effective salary
KP has to guard against making a panic move, because he won’t get top dollar for Blake, Outlaw, etc. That’s easy to say now, but if Portland limps through December and starts off the new year with a below-500 record, it won’t be just Hollinger who will be clamoring for KP to pull the trap door on his roster
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Again, top dollar for Blake and Outlaw
is assured- it’s the 7.6M in expiring contracts that are their value…
We didn't get to name our terms with RLEC
and that EC was far more valuable, so don’t overvalue SBEC and TOEC.
"Woulda, Coulda, Mighta and Shoulda – the Four Horsemen of the Procrastocalypse" - Red-5
The Cleveland Browns should've let Derek Anderson go to the Minnesota Vikings as a RFA in 2008, ...
since that’d’ve netted the franchise a future first-round and third-round pick for his services. Phil Savage would most likely still have a job if that were the case.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
I've followed the Vikings since the '70s
Childress said they had no interest in Anderson, or Castle, or Cutler
Fortunately for Viking’s fans, they had a lot of interest in #4…and Sage Rosenfelds hasn’t been seen on the field since August
Oh well, at least one of my favorite teams has their scouting/coaching staffs on the same page…
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
From what I recall, Minnesota was interested in signing Derek Anderson during the spring ...
of 2008 when he was a RFA. Now, during the spring of 2009, I’m sure Minnesota had no interest in trading for Anderson, as he’d shown his true colors by then.
Dear Paul Allen:
Fire Nate McMillan & hire Jeff Van Gundy.
Sincerely,
AK1984
Maybe
Childress drafted TJack and was committed to developing him like he did with McNabb as a coordinator with the Eagles. Signing Anderson would’ve created “too much competition” for the starting QB job, so the team went after a veteran reserve, instead (Frerotte)
Of course, the team was interested in Favre as well, but the Packers blocked the opportunity for Brett to sign with their divisional rival (for 12 months…) Signing Anderson as a FA to a LTC might have scuttled the team’s chances to get Favre a year later.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Kevin Pritchard has always taken a long term approach
Will this change? Maybe, but probably not. Especially when you consider we have a solid perimeter defender (Batum) and a dynamic scorer (Outlaw) scheduled to come back soon after the All-Star break. I don’t think Pritchard is at the point of risking the long-term success of the team for a short-term objective. As a fan I want to win now. But if I pragmatically think about the team, I know we will be better off in the long-term if we allow the space for Batum to play significant minutes as our small forward. And I have yet to find a better player outside of his rookie contract, who gives as much production per dollar as Outlaw. Both players coming back will make the Blazers better – the difficulty comes in not knowing if they are going to be able to contribute at a high level before the end of the season. But even with that fear, I don’t think Pritchard will make a significant move to win only in the short-term.
by JasonT on Dec 2, 2009 5:53 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
we have a solid perimeter defender (Batum) and a dynamic scorer (Outlaw) scheduled to come back soon after the All-Star break.
Nic is much more likely to hit that return schedule than Travis
I have yet to find a better player outside of his rookie contract, who gives as much production per dollar as Outlaw
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
oops, wrong button, that last sentence should've been quoted
I have yet to find a better player outside of his rookie contract, who gives as much production per dollar as Outlaw
Outlaw isn’t going to be earning 3.5 mil/year much longer. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he would’ve been priced right out of Portland’s future plans. But now that there’s a slim chance he’ll return to the floor and be healthy to finish the season, his FA prospects wil be limited, this offseason. Perhaps another team will value Travis’ kind of “production” and make him a significant offer next July, but I suspect that he’ll have to accept a low-ball deal, similar to what Webster received (but probably not for as many years) Regardless, I wouldn’t count on #25 being the same player after returning from foot surgery. The best parts of Outlaw’s game have been played 30" off the ground, and even if he recovers perfectly it’s going to take awhile before he’s back at full liftoff and can “trust” his left leg to play at the same level as he did before the injury. Next fall, at the earliest. To expect Travis to contribute to the Blazers this season is to require a miracle
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Jason's primary point is still valid.
And that is Pritchard having a long range plan and not panicking when the team runs into a rough spot.
Reading the pages of BE one can easily get the impression that a significant percentage of the fans here believe Portland as currently assembled has major structural flaws. I find that difficult to understand and have to chalk it up to the fact that there is a certain percentage of the population that can never be satisfied, will always find something to complain about or is simply delusional and believes that pro sports is as simple as adding up stat lines, with the players being playing cards (if you are my age) or a few lines of code in a video game (if you are the age of much of BE). It just ain’t so.
How many people would like to see Kirk Hinrich in a Blazer uniform? Now, explain how Hinrich is going to make a difference if Portland’s primary problem right now is that the players are struggling to adjust their games to each other and that is apparently affecting their effort on the defensive end as well? Is Capt Kirk in possession of magic fairy dust? Does he have mystical powers that chase away confusion and uncertainty in his fellow players? He’s just a guy who plays solid basketball and would be a good teammate, but who would also have to adjust and find is niche on the team, which would conversely have to do the same with him.
Pick any other player that might have a reasonable chance of being acquired and it’s the same thing. The success of the Blazers is going to depend on Oden, Roy and LaMarcus learning how to play together effectively and on the entire team understanding that no matter how well they play on any given night, come the next game they have to put forth the effort as if it was the final game of the playoffs. I have faith that the guys we have on the team now will achieve this. I suspect KP feels pretty much the same way.
hakkaa päälle !
All I can tell you
is that trades have been made in the past to Portland’s roster, and trades will be made in the future. When this will next occur, and “who will go and who will stay” is a fan’s prerogative to wonder about and discuss. I’ve done this for 30+ years and your discontent about reading posts about it here is not going to flick the switch off
I think Hinrich would help the team’s perimeter defense. I also think the optimal time to acquire Kirk was last February, for various reasons (RLEC, healthy of Blake at the time, etc) He would be a defensive upgrade, and I’m sure there would be an “adjustment period” if any new player is added to the roster during the season. Right now it depends on how desperate the front office will become at salvaging the current season, which has become derailed by injuries and statistical dropoff to role players (like Blake)
Does KP want to reach the playoffs? Does Nate still think the team as constituted can advance past the first round? Is there enough hope that they can hold things together until Batum and Outlaw return? Beats me, but I suspect these questions will have different answers in January and February than they do now, as the team’s W-L record takes a hit because of the strength of schedule.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Trades
are always the first solution in a lot of (frustrated) fans views…..I’d be surprised if any trade could help them at this point (unless they got a Wade or someone of his caliber that leads by example)…. ….
they are committed to these players and the coaching staff…..IMO they have some basic fundamental issues that could be fixed….however, they are losing their perspective on accomplishing fixes….there is plenty of blame to go around, but if the team cannot fall back on hard work, hustle, and sound fundamentals they will never right the ship…..these 3 items are infectious and are essential for team building……
Again, we all have opinions, but I usually relate to my playing days……..When I had a bad shooting game, or somehow the ball didn’t feel right in my hands, I would turn to some other aspects of the game that I could contribute with….like bust ass hustle, rebounding, defense, etc …….it’s all part of being a “team”……and, of course, having a good grasp on the fundamentals was essential….
Second guessers ,all of ya'
I wouldn’t trade anyone on this team except Yo Yo.He has penetrated and retreated for the last time for me.
When I think of players that I can actually see them trading
who would we actually get for them? If we traded Travis like everyone wanted a while ago, what would we get that would really be a game changer? We have all the great scorers we need, a good defender, good centers, and a (used to be) solid point guard. I think we have what we really need.
Travis Outlaw fan from the beginning.
you're kidding, right?
Outlaw could’ve been traded for a decent backup PF who (if he had been acquired) could’ve started the game last night in place of LMA. Instead, Nate is “going with the guys he has” which means an undersized rookie PF and an over-age veteran PF who is good for one strong half a month?
Sure the Blazers have all they need…if the goal is to make it through the regular season. I’d rather see them become a finals team, with a legitimate backup PF who can defend and rebound in the playoffs
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I kinda hope
there will be some scuttle butt come trade time about Roy. Perhaps having his name out there as a possible trade would help bring his game back
so what move?
the biggest mistake was letting RLEC expire.
Bayless, Outlaw, Rudy, Blake and Miller can be moved, the others I don’t see happening
Total speculation
No sources or anything from Hollinger. He’s just guessing. This isn’t journalism. It’s idle speculation. The only difference between him and the BEdge fanshots is that he’s published on ESPN.
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