Hedo isn't coming to Portland. Now what?

I say lets go after either Gerald Walace or Josh Smith. Do a lopsided trade if needed. Yeah Wallace gets hurt a lot, but I think some of those “injurys” he could play thru with a contender. Or Josh Smith, kid is an absolute beast. They guys haev dope D and can rebound and fly as high if not higher then Outlaw, who by the ways seems scared of the rim ever since Ruben Patterson left. If we can get a better PG then good. But i would love to see one of these two in a trade

Either he’s won one (Rajon Rondo)

With Rondo at the point, we would have the defensive and offensive presence to win championships. However, he is going to cost us a lot…it’d probably cost us Aldridge. Then go out sign David Lee or Milsap if we still have the cap space to do it. That’s a lot of manuevering and probably unlikely.

If that doesn’t work, I think a temporary solution is get one of the other guys you were referring to. Steve Nash. I just read this from the New York Post:

At the opening of his Vancouver health club, Suns point guard Steve Nash said he will meet with agent Bill Duffy next week to discuss his future. Whether that be a contract extension, trade demand or agreement to a waive him that would save the Suns $5 million of his $13 million guarantee.

Sources have told The Post Nash is unhappy in Phoenix.

If the Suns waive Nash, then KP and Nate have to do a fullcourt press for his services…since we would be able to get Nash on the very cheap. We would still have money left over for someone else (Bass or McDyess?). I know Nash is not a great defender, but in a good defensive system he could work. He would give us that 2nd playmaker we are coveting to take the pressure off of Roy. And when Roy is handling the ball, he’s a more than capable spot up 3 point shooter. Nash isn’t my first pick, but then again neither was Hedo, and he would be a lot cheaper for less years. The “then what?” after Nash retires, is hopefully Bayless develops into a stud pg or we have to go out find another one.

I’ve been checking Bedge every few hours….can I go back to checking every few days?

Will KP start talking to other free agents pretty quickly?

If a trade’s going to happen, is it likely to happen before or after July 7?

But I want to commend your first paragraph. Management’s love affair was indeed over-the-top, bewildering, tunnel-vision, head-scratching, etc. My confidence in their direction for the team is a little shaken. Granted, not all the moves have been accomplished yet, but I find myself opposed management’s philosophical view of the team’s needs.

   We need the kind of player that Battier exemplifies. He could be an old wizard that knows all kinds of sneaky tricks and whose figured out a way to play as efficiently as possible because his body doesn’t move like it used to. Somebody who always finds ways to win. I don’t think that we need a superstar big-shot city slicker, we need the subtle expertise of a seasoned master of the game. That New York Times article (which I’m not going to link to) discussed this type of player and I wonder if there is a list of the top 10(?) of these victory magnets. I wonder. Hmmm?
Is Gerald Wallace’s nickname Taskmaster? Oden could be Gregraham Lincoln.