Super Podcast Hijinks
by Dave on Jun 4, 2009 12:50 PM PDT
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Here's the latest installment of the Trailblazers.com podcast starring Casey Holdahl of the Center Court Blog, Gavin Dawson of 95.5 The Game fame, and schlepping alongside...me, Dave from Blazersedge. This week's topics include Roy workouts, Oden workouts, Jerryd workouts, whether Jerryd will work out, Stephen Curry, Ramon Sessions, capology, Batum vs. Rudy, and more.
Download the .mp3 here or click on Casey's link above to stream it.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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Just to be nitpicky again about something said in the podcast
Blake and Outlaw do not have team options for 2009-10. Instead, their 2009-10 contract amounts are not guaranteed if they are cut before June 30th.
The difference being that if they had team options, neither could be traded on or around draft day without the 2009-10 option being picked up. However, given their current status, either or both can be traded on or around draft day without their 2009-10 salary being guaranteed.
If a team is desperate to immediately cut salary, either or both can be had, released, and will cost the new team $0 next season.
If the difference didn’t provide the Blazers with an extra option, I wouldn’t bring it up. But since it does…….
Other than that, I thought you did an excellent job of explaining the ‘Gilbert Arenas Provision’, Dave, and of outlining the cap options that the team has.
The non-guaranteed status of Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw's contracts is why I suggest this trade.
http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/5/29/892913/hinrich#16339154
Kevin Pritchard and company would need to complete that trade prior to the July moratorium, however.
Another good idea
There are a myriad of possibilities, I believe, using some combination of Blake & Outlaw and the trade exception to take back assets on or around draft day.
It’s a beautiful thing….
I really hope they don't go and get Curry
Love the kid, I just think he’s this year’s Adam Morrison.
Proud member of Duck nation!
From Freedarko yesterday
Most Blazerly Player Not on the Blazers: Stephen Curry. Seriously, will someone please draft Curry and trade him for Jerryd Bayless? His light-skinneded nice guy-ness belongs in Portland. (NOTE: It was all a dream. . . (links to bens post shooting down the draft stephen curry talk))
"We really don't reference the rulebook." ~Joe Borgia, NBA VP of referee operations, to Henry Abbot regarding the calling (or lack thereof) of traveling.
You think he wants to go to the Knicks
because he thinks LBJ (his friend) would join him the following year?
Dave
you said that Rudy doesn’t fit. How is that? He seems to play extraordinarily well with Brandon Roy, and is a perfect 6th man. It still doesn’t make sense to me. Please explain how he doesn’t fit.
I don't recall saying
that Rudy doesn’t fit. In fact I’d be surprised to hear me say that, as it’s not what I think at all. Especially on offense, Rudy is a marvelous catalyst for ball and player movement. He’s probably capable of fitting in with most every lineup in the NBA you’d put him on.
I do recall saying a couple of things, not just here but over time:
1. I think Nic Batum has a chance of developing more of Rudy’s skills (three-point shooting, offensive eye) than Rudy does of developing Nic’s (defense, rebounding) so I think Nic would be my long-term choice for the best fit among the two.
2. Nic provides defense right now which is sorely needed, as we have a near vacuum of good defenders among our wings. In that sense Nic is a good fit as well. (But this doesn’t deny that Rudy is also a fit in his own way.)
3. Rudy is behind Brandon Roy, which could create some issues long-term unless one of them moves their primary position.
4. Rudy has more name value now and is the better overall player now. As such he probably has more general trade value now but is also going to be the better player for the Blazers in the immediate future, especially since they need scoring.
—Dave
At the 42 minute mark you said...
in regards to Rudy “he just doesn’t fit.”
As far as the issues you bring up…
1. I think Nic Batum has a chance of developing more of Rudy’s skills (three-point shooting, offensive eye) than Rudy does of developing Nic’s (defense, rebounding) so I think Nic would be my long-term choice for the best fit among the two.
No doubt Nic Batum has a chance to develop into the better overall player. Keyword for that is chance. Bayless potentially could be better than both of them, although not a lot of people see that happening. Also, Rudy is primetime ready, if you’re trading for a win now point guard like Hinrich, you’re shooting yourself in the foot by trading your win now wing in Rudy.
2. Nic provides defense right now which is sorely needed, as we have a near vacuum of good defenders among our wings. In that sense Nic is a good fit as well. (But this doesn’t deny that Rudy is also a fit in his own way.)
Of course we need defenders, my entire point isn’t that Batum isn’t a fit, but that Rudy IS a fit. You don’t trade your core pieces (Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Batum, Rudy, Przybilla). You can make a lot of things happen with the rest of the pieces we have, and I think you explore that for a season o two before you get rid of any of our own perfect fit/core pieces (Rudy is a perfect fit getting 30 minutes off the bench for Roy *Manu style, and since Roy is proven to be more than capable of playing the 3 when Rudy comes in, it IS a fit).
3. Rudy is behind Brandon Roy, which could create some issues long-term unless one of them moves their primary position.
Rudy plays behind Roy. Sure, technically they’re both shooting guards. Technically Roy plays the 3 as well or better than he does the 2. So technically, I think the argument that either Batum or Rudy can’t coexist, especially with the way they play with Roy (Roy/Rudy is +24 per 48 at the wings in our 5 most used lineups) doesn’t really make any sense. You have 96 wing minutes, and I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that wouldn’t be down for 36 of them going to Roy, 30 to Rudy and 30 to Batum. There IS plenty of time on the court to play all three. The problem isn’t with wing minutes, its with point guard minutes. And again, we have plenty more movable pieces that could help address that need (8 Million Cap Space, Trout, Blake, Bayless, Webster, Sergio, Freeland, Frye, #24, #32, #38, #55, #56). Mix and match those for your point guard, don’t kill a position that’s set to do it.
4. Rudy has more name value now and is the better overall player now. As such he probably has more general trade value now but is also going to be the better player for the Blazers in the immediate future, especially since they need scoring.
That is a lot of the reason why you shouldn’t trade Rudy. Especially, if you’re ditching him for a win now move. Rudy is the win now player, more than any of our other young guys. If you want to trade potential for win now, I can see that, which is what I seem to be getting from you, but in my opinion you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face.
in regards to Rudy "he just doesn’t fit."
I believe Dave said “he just doesn’t fit as well.” He trailed off at the end, but it’s there. His point wasn’t that Rudy didn’t fit, but that Batum fit better.
proud hinrichsheeple
Yeah.
The “as well” part was a little muffled, but he definitely said it.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 4, 2009 10:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Stephen Curry does not impress me
I can’t imagine him being a better player than J.Bayless
She lives in my lap
WORD UP.STAY.FRESCO
Batum is sooooooooooooooooooo overvalued on Bedge
its not even funny. everyone thinks he is the second coming of Prince/Pippen. He has proven nothing yet.
Who was the player knocking down big shots when it mattered in the playoffs? Rudy
Woof
by Charles Barkley McLovin on Jun 4, 2009 3:38 PM PDT reply actions
Although the Scottie Pippen comparisons are ridiculous, Nicolas Batum has the potential to develop ...
into the next Tayshaun Prince. I, however, think that Batum’s most realistic comparison is Mickael Pietrus, while his worst-case scenario is Tariq Abdul-Wahad.
If you're talking about the podcast,
which, after all, is the focus of this post, only one of the three principals involved actually has anything substantial to do with Blazersedge. Gavin works for 95.5 and Casey works for the Blazers. Though I’m sure Casey would hasten to add that he doesn’t pretend to speak for all of the organization, especially KP and the staff and the coaches, he’s also seen quite a bit of these guys…things that few other people see. All three people came to the same conclusion that they were banking on Nicolas long term with the Blazers more than they were banking on Rudy.
As I said above, though, that doesn’t mean we aren’t banking on Rudy too. It’s kind of like choosing between peanut butter-chocolate ice cream and caramel ripple. They’re both great. But the nature of the exercise was to choose one.
Personally I dislike the Pippen comparisons. If I were going to tab somebody as a career model for Nicolas it would be Michael Cooper, who quietly and smartly provided a ton of defense, some shooting, and a bunch of wins for that Showtime L*kers team without ever being one of the main stars.
—Dave
i was more refering to all of Bedge, not just the podcast
fans have penciled him in as the starting SF for the next 10 years and I just dont see it. I would like to see it, but are fans willing to wait 7 years and pay him during that time before he hits his prime? He still has a long ways to go in his development. And rookie year stats can be misleading. see Channing Frye and Charlie Villanueva as examples of average players who benefited from decent playing time as a rookie but weren’t as good as their stats looked
Woof
by Charles Barkley McLovin on Jun 4, 2009 7:17 PM PDT up reply actions
but ?
he did start for the majority of the season….. given Martell was out, but if…and a big if given my faith in webster, but if Batum is starting again next season…. right?
I’ll admit I was on the we drafted a bust after summer league,…. kid looked lost paniced worried and just…. terrible (mind you I didn’t see an entire game for the entire league), but my general understanding was that he stunk it up down in vegas….
then …. preseason…. travis’s ungraceful starts…. and then batum “PENCILED” in as the starter for the rest of the season …… over Shav. so he must be doing something right that you and I are not seeing….
cuz I really don’t see it either cept for some nice open threes and a few nice throwdowns on big names…. then theres that defensive end… that well… EVERYONES SUPPOSE TO PLAY D!!!… so yeah so much for that arguement.
lol…. I’ll just trust coach has it right ya know.
and the wise words of the edge…. KP has faith, must be gospel.
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
Call me crazy..
but aren’t there a few scenarios in which Jamal Crawford actually makes a lot of sense?
1.) What happens if Outlaw gets traded? Right now he and Roy are pretty much the only two guys who can consistently create offense off the dribble. Say what you will about Crawford, but the guy can put points on the board in a hurry. I could see Crawford fitting in great in a sixth man role off the bench much like Jason Terry or J.R Smith.
2.) What happens if Crawford opts out of his contract? Considering he’s from the Northwest and Roy is one of his best friends, is it really so crazy to think he would take a pay cut to play here? An expensive Crawford is a terrible thing, but a cheap Crawford could be a nice asset.
3.) He already has more point guard skills than Rudy or Bayless. He has an excellent handle and can bring the ball up the floor. He throws a very good entry pass into the post. In his best seasons he averaged about the same number of assists as Steve Blake. I believe there were some seasons in NY where he played PG full time. The fact that he has trouble defending quick point guards just makes me think he’ll fit right in here. If Sergio get’s traded it would be nice to have a third guy who could fill spot minutes at PG consistently.
In the end I think it all comes down to price. If Crawford opts out and would be willing take a pay cut I think you would have to take a long hard look at him. Plus… KP did make that comment about how he might value a player that everyone else thinks is garbage.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 4, 2009 10:20 PM PDT reply actions
I think you nailed my dislike for him just by likening him to Outlaw
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. He’s a player best suited to get his own, and I think we’d like our second unit to be about more than just an individual going one on one. I also think he’d be ill-suited to play in a half court system like we run here.
I think with Rudy and Martell the more important trait for the point guard will be creating for them. Joel is the only interior guy we know of right now, and getting him the ball in the post isn’t all that important, or more likely would be a detriment to scoring points.
Anyway, we’re probably only going to be bringing in two or three guys at most, and I wouldn’t choose to use assets on him. I think you could just as much bang for your buck looking elsewhere. Also, if your desire is to see Bayless develop, this’d be a move that severely cramps that notion, if Crawford did indeed get those minutes.
Outlaw and Crawford aren't even on the same planet in terms of selfishness.
Assist %
Blake: 26.0
Roy: 25.2
Crawford: 22.4
Bayless: 18.2
Rudy: 12.7
Outlaw: 7.0
Outlaw is a black hole, but Crawford is actually surprisingly good at creating for others as well as himself. What we need is a guy who can pass and score. When Outlaw isn’t hitting shots sometimes the whole offense stalls. Rudy can’t really create offense on his own yet. He’s still just a three point shooter with some decent passing skills. Bayless can create well for himself sometimes, but he’s still too young and raw to do it efficiently. Martell did a good job creating offense for one amazing quarter last year against Utah, but that’s not going to happen very often. Crawford is good at passing and is a slightly more efficient scorer than Outlaw.
Two things would have to happen before Crawford would make sense. One, he would have to opt out of his contract and take less money. Two, the Blazers would have to trade either Outlaw, Bayless, or Rudy.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 5, 2009 1:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Jamal Crawford's assist rate for 08/09 was 17.9
It would rank 73rd out of the 79 point guards that played in the NBA last year.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/players/hollinger?playerId=165
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?sort=asr&pos=pg&seasonType=2
I wouldn’t be bragging about his ability to create for others.
Not a fan of his, or his fit on this team.
I'm not "bragging".
That would pretty silly considering I’m not his mom or his agent.
Even so, his assist rate is still better than Rudy, Oulaw, Bayless, Webster. Not to mention the fact that it’s much better than Eddie House (who’s 5th on your wish list) and Jason Terry (6th man of the year). Eddie in particular has a terrible assist rate at 12.8 (Dead last out of all point guards). So I’m not sure how he somehow makes sense but Crawford does not.
My wish list…
PG’s
Ricky Rubio
Mike Conley Jr
Brandon Jennings
Darren Collison
Eddie House
Anthony Johnson
Rodrigue Beaubois-as11osu on Jun 3, 2009 8:54 PM PDT
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 5, 2009 2:40 AM PDT up reply actions
I just like House's ability to defend point guards
and hit that corner 3. He can move the ball up the court just fine as well. I think he’d be a fit next to Roy in any lineup. House is a 44% shooter from 3 land, Obviously different guys fill different roles, I just don’t happen to see Crawford as an improvement on Bayless, and that’s what it really comes down to (or at least what Bayless could be if we develop him properly). House is a money player that can hit clutch shots. A guy that’s playoff tough.
It's funny...
because Eddie House has had such a terrible reputation for most of his career. He has been labeled as a selfish combo guard who had no desire to play defense. Terrible shot selection, average TS%, god awful assist %. Eddie House might actually be the worst guard in the league at getting to the line. The fact that he played for eight different teams in six seasons before finally coming to Boston does not speak volumes about his value. He’s not exactly the sort of guy teams dream about having in their locker room. Also, he doesn’t move the ball up the court well.
He really struggles to dribble the ball against pressure, sending him to the bench in the Detroit series when he was using half the shot clock to start the offense against the Pistons’ Lindsey Hunter. But when he can play off the ball, his ability to either catch-and-shoot or fire off the bounce makes him a prime scoring threat.-Hollinger
Yet somehow, despite all his negative attributes, Boston made it work.
That’s why I have such a hard time writing off guys who have talent but haven’t found a way to use it properly. There’s nothing wrong with Jamal Crawford’s ability. He’s arguably one of the most offensively complete shooting guards in the league. There’s a problem with the way teams have been using him. There’s a problem with him taking nine three pointers a game instead of four. There’s a problem with him being the number one scoring option. There’s a problem with him playing PG full time. There’s a problem with him having Isaiah Thomas as his coach.
If you could get him for a reasonable price I think you would have to look into it. He’s not a perfect player, but if he was you couldn’t get him anyway. It’s his flaws that make him attainable and at this point he’s actually undervalued for the type of production he gives you. He’s definitively a long shot, but certainly not out of the question.
“It’s always tough. Brandon Roy is one of my best friends and when he went to the playoffs (with Portland) I was just as excited as if I was playing. I told him ’I’m playing through you’ and I was up there supporting him and going to games. And this is the closest I’ve been now it’s time to win. You can do all the individual stuff but until you win you won’t get the credit you deserve.”-Jamal Crawford
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 5, 2009 4:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Overstatement of the century...
by Casey: “not bring back Steve Blake would be like shooting yourself in the knee.” Fascinating, then, that the Blazers played just as well when he was out with a shoulder injury—measured by both win-loss record and margin of victory and taking into account the Blazers’ opponents and playing at home v. road.
Yes, Blake was the right guy to be the starter last year, but I think that if the Blazers returned with Sergio and Bayless and those were the only two guys in training camp that the team would not be noticeably worse than if they returned with Blake-Sergio-Bayless PG rotation. Obviously it wouldn’t be ideal and I’m all for upgrading the PG position, but I don’t think it would be “shoot your knee” devastating if Blake was used in a trade for a non-PG position trade.
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