(apologies in advance if a Kirk and Hedu post has already been discussed)

Lots of rumors around the NBA pundits and posts around BlazersEdge about who the Blazers are going after in the off-season.  Here is why I think KP is looking at bringing both Hedu (free agent) and Kirk (trade) to Portland.

Positive effects on offense (compared to last year):
-More playmaking options offensively with Hinrich and Hedu.  Hedu in particular, is good in 1on1 and pick and roll situations.  Hinrich is an upgrade over Blake in creating shots for his teammates off the pick and roll.
-Less predictablility, harder for defenses to prepare with more options on the court
-Still a good 3 pt shooting team with Hinrich and Hedu (Rudy and Webster off the bench, assuming Blake and Outlaw are traded for Hinrich)
-Way less wear and tear on Roy, keeps him fresh from start to finish
-Better execution in the halfcourt set with a spread out floor (multiple starters can hit the long range jumper.  LMA and hopefully Oden can score inside)

Some quick negatives...less monster put back dunks from Batum, fewer fast break options with Batum out of the lineup, Batum's development is stunted with Hedu starting, M Webster's playing time will be insignificant.

Positive effects on defense:
Well...the biggest positive effect will be the fact that Roy will be able to devote more energy and attention to being an all around player for the Blazers.  With Roy doing absolutely everything offensively for the Blazers last year for 40+ minutes per game, he didn't have the wherewithall to shine defensively. He came into this league with a very good reputation for stout defense and has displayed this in big late game moments over the years.  Hinrich is an upgrade over Blake and gives the Blazers a very good defensive backcourt.  Tough on the ball defender and able to guard quicker players as well as more physical athletes like Wade, Hinrich will be a nice addition on the defensive side.

Negatives...team loses bigtime quickness without Batum and still suffers from being a poor rotating team, suscitable to quicker teams that pass and shoot well.  At least the bench will do better defensively with Bayless, Batum, and Pendergraph (4 yr college player known for tough defense) taking minutes from Sergio, Outlaw, and Frye.

Overall, these two moves taken together will make the Blazers a much better team offensively, capable of attacking the opposition from different angles.  LaMarcus provides the lost post threat with dynamic perimeter players surrounding him, spreading the court and adding balance.  Roy is saved some wear and tear and hopefully will reduce injury risk.

Defensively, the team will be better overall.  Losing Batum from the starting lineup will hurt, but he was only playing 15 minutes a game last year anyways.  The biggest factors that will help the Blazers on the side of the court will be Oden's development along with a more defensively engergized Roy combined with more defensive oriented players earning more playing time off the bench.

This is the makings of an up and coming team with an open window for the championship in 2009-2010.

Sound off peeps