I think I got Pritch-slapped

by Tfor3 on Jun 26, 2009 8:41 AM PDT Comment 23 comments

So last night during the draft and just before the Blazers come up at 22 I'm looking at my laptop and ESPN is showing the players that are still available. I see DeJuan Blair and I think ok it's either him or Casspi. And as I know KP has a fever for international flavor I figure he's going to snag the boy from Israel over DeJuan Blair's bionic ACL's. I wouldn't be mad. Casspi could be a good player, I think he could have some upside and feel he's going to be a significant role player on a good team (and it won't be with Sacremento I assure you) and I hear him go with Claver.

Claver? CLAVER?? What the hell does this guy bring to our team? Seriously?! CLAVER!!?? I went on a tirade of Facebook status updates lashing at the pick and Twitter posts to Bill Simmons and John Hollinger hoping they could make sense of this. Of course no one is there to explain this to me so I had to do it on my own.

So here's what I came up with and just to give you heads up, there is a loud SMACK at the end of this from you know who.

By picking Claver, the Blazers will be able to stash Claver over seas and free up even more money in cap space of over a million dollars. So by most peoples estimates of the new salary cap we could be upwards of 9 or 10 million available. So instead of making this team younger we now have a better oppurtunity to make this team more mature with a good free agent. Add in a little trade for Hinrich and we have ourselves a very solid squad that, dare I say, would beat the crap out of last years amazing Blazer team.

So ladies and gentlemen.... That's how I got Pritch-Slapped. He took me through the emotions of befuddlement to pissed off to down right angry then logic came in and I had a new found great respect for our own Kevin Pritchard. We are blessed to have this guy and thank God we don't have a GM that used a 5th and 6th pick on two point guards. What was that about?

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I am a huge Claver Fan

But I still would have liked to see us take Blair over Cunningham

Draft Cole Aldrich 2010

by jlarose78 on Jun 26, 2009 8:53 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs

I think a lot of us were right there with you.

In fact I can still see the red hand shaped outline on my cheek.

by Dub9 on Jun 26, 2009 8:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

that's funny

mine is in the shape of the Blazer pinwheel

by kickbrass on Jun 26, 2009 8:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

picking Claver clears ZERO extra cap space

we have a hold for his rookie scale amount no matter what.

It does however, save actual cash dollars, as well as a roster spot. But picking him over anyone else at 22 does nothing to add to our cap space.

and 10 million isn’t realistic – see my post here

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 Jun 26, 2009 9:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i think i was reading

that it only counts as a cap hold this summer, and if we had the space otherwise to sign a free agent still during the season we could do that

i could have read that wrong though. and obviously that still can be restrictive

"When jumpers are outlawed only Outlaw will take jumpers"-LoadedOrygun

by DominicanAvenger on Jun 26, 2009 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

this is true. but does anyone think we are going to wait until november to make our moves?

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 Jun 26, 2009 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hear Big Shot Bob is unemployed

by Twith on Jun 26, 2009 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes.

I’ve decided to take the counter-intuitive we’re going to save space and cash until we see how Bayless and Martell (and even GO) play out. I also think the really good values are going to be at the trade deadline next year… Who? Depends on the playoff picture and who wants to blow up their team right before the big free agency.

by JStal on Jun 26, 2009 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have thrown this out there as an option before

It certainly makes sense to some degree, especially in regards to the players you mention. somehow, I just don’t see KP doing this however.

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 Jun 26, 2009 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

but it kind of sets up a no win situation for the team

1) move now, then get second guessed later if it turns out someone better could be had at the deadline.
2) pass up deals now, get KILLED for it until January, and add to it the potential that who we can get then is NOT as good as who we could get now.

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 Jun 26, 2009 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is a catch 22 but...

I don’t think the same team we had last year would get killed until January. throw in the inevitable improvement from experience, the growth of Batum, Oden, Bayless (I hope) and it might make a good case for standing pat until the trade dealine opportunities present themselves.

I don’t think that is the plan but I won’t be crushed if it turns out that way.

by Ilikeemall on Jun 26, 2009 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This would also go with lopside trades?

Draft Cole Aldrich 2010

by jlarose78 on Jun 26, 2009 9:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are correct, sir. Victor Claver will carry a $1,012,900 cap hold this entire summer.

At this moment in time, though, my only desire is to somehow get Kirk Hinrich to Portland.

The still non-guaranteed contracts of Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw are the biggest chips in such a deal; however, I’d also include Claver, Joel Freeland, Petteri Koponen, and $3,000,000 in cash considerations as sweetners — as well as add the most favorable of Portland’s two 2010 second-round draft picks, for Dallas is already owed the least favorable of those two picks — because acquiring Hinrich by 6/30/2009 should be the organization’s top priority.

by AK1984 on Jun 26, 2009 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd be ok with Kirk as a fallback

but I’m hoping for something better myself

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 Jun 26, 2009 10:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree. I don’t love Hinrich. I would take him if we honestly can’t get something better going…

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

- from Quick's Behind the Blazers Locker Room Door, 4/16/09

by ArbyOSU on Jun 26, 2009 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i would go with no

i think hinrich would be an upgrade to blake, but only a minor one, that seems like too much to give up for hinrich.

fire nate before its too late

by pipgras on Jun 26, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd like to see Kirk for the right deal

but I think that’s too steep of a price to pay for him

by Ilikeemall on Jun 26, 2009 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Im happy with what we did at PG

I kinda like the rotation of Blake/ Bayless/ Sergio

all in all the most important upgrade we made with the draft is that the players we drafted know they are role players and won’t be complaining for more minutes

Draft Cole Aldrich 2010

by jlarose78 on Jun 26, 2009 10:15 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ya getting players that don't complain about wanting minutes should be our #1 priority

a good way to avoid it is to draft really bad players that don’t deserve to be in the league. This way any contract they get they have to be thrilled with. Our team chemistry will go through the roof. Team chemistry trumps talent. Wait…

by as11osu on Jun 26, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We dont have a pg rotation of Blake/Bayless/Sergio anymore!

And if the rotation we have going into next year is Blake/Bayless/Mills I will be incredibly disapointed

by TheSportsPsychologist on Jun 26, 2009 10:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This draft was a bust

We didn’t trade to the 22 to secure a higher cap hold for a guy we could get at 24 or 31.

Locking Claver into rookie scale is fantastic if you think he’s like Rudy and will take less money than he can make overseas for the privilege of playing the NBA. I’m not sold that they can work that same miracle twice, particularly considering the team’s depth at the moment.

They would have been better off dealing the pick than using it the way they did, because the draft didn’t work out they way they thought it would. I don’t know who they thought was going to be there at 22, but he wasn’t, and this pick was a deep bench backup.

by baduk on Jun 26, 2009 12:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

KP reached for Claver

the blazers drafted a bit like the Spurs last year. After the player they targeted with their first round pick was gone (Spurs=Batum, Blazers=Collison), they took the player they targeted with their second round pick in the first round (Spurs=Hill, Blazers=Claver).

No one saw Collison to NO at the 21 coming. The Blazers got the 31 hoping to get Claver in the second round.

The Blazers got the players they targeted, but they reached and overpayed by trading draft picks and players for targets that could have been taken later.

KP got Pritch-slaped IMO.

by neilan on Jun 26, 2009 3:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Theory for the Claver pick

They were picking for Chicago.

An international player makes perfect sense for Chicago: they’re trying to squeeze in under the tax and are trying to re-sign Ben Gordon. Claver ends up going to Chicago in the Hinrich deal along with Blake.

I’m really hoping this is what we have up our sleeve on this.

by kickbrass on Jun 26, 2009 8:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs