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Dazed and Confused


Just got done reading Jason Quicks assesment of current events in regards to Pritchard and The Blazers this summer.  As a fan, I'm shocked and becoming concerned.

Star-divide

If Jason Quick is at all correct in his assesment then where are we at? What has happened between the end of a promising season and a playoff run that I think left most if not all Blazer fans feeling very optimistic.  How could the failure to sign Hedo result in such an apparent evaporation of good things?  Suddenly Pritchard has gone from young phenom GM to incompetent, perhaps damaging? Suddenly according to Quick, it's not just about struggling to sign a free agent or make a trade but also failure to extend Roy and LMA.

I guess what I'm asking is how could this happen, if it is happening. Maybe we are just seeing the mortality, the reality of The Blazers, The Economy and a well meaning but rather young and inexperienced GM. The past few years hasn't it seemed that so much more was going right than wrong. I guess I knew Pritchard was really just another executive, human and flesh and he really wasn't "magic" but watching The Blazers draft Brandon, LMA then somehow get a #1 pick and get Fernandez in a Blazer uniform maybe I expected the magic show to continue forever.

Whether you wanted Hedo or not, be honest, when you saw him at the airport with Pritchard at his side didn't you think it was more or less a done deal? After all, the mythology advanced by Pritchard and The Blazers is that they do everything they can to obtain players they target.  I'll be honest, I thought Hedo was a done deal and please don't bother to tell me how it's not a done deal until the ink is on the contract, that's not what I mean, I mean I believed in the Blazer "magic" that now seems to have evaporated.

Hedo's decision to go with Toronto was to an extent shocking. It wasn't impossible. What seems impossible is the aftermath.

In the aftermath, suddenly the team that has recently been able to do no wrong, seems they can't do anything right. We seem to desperately be making offers to players of questionable value to the team. Worse, we are risking alienating players that have been part of our resurgence with the telegraphed and desperate offers we are making. Pursuing Hedo, has got to have Outlaw, Webster and Batum wondering. Now Millsap and Bass and we risk insulting Przybilla even perhaps LMA. The Blazers desperation to throw money in large quantities at players of questionable role and value sets a precedence that can't sit well with players like Brandon and LMA and Przybilla. If I read that The Blazers were going to offer Hedo 5 years and 50 million plus, then if I'm Brandon and LMA of course I'm going to ask for max, and I'm going to expect to get it.

So maybe I've been spoiled. Even with Odens rehab the previous summer, the past few summers have been times of easy optimism with The Blazers. Plenty to look forward to and clear addition of assets. When this season and playoff run ended weren't we all looking forward to this summer?  So far I feel like a kid that was promised a trip to the Fair and instead was driven to the dump. This was suppose to be the summer of "Icing" and instead the Cake seems to be falling.

I'm really begining to think the best thing The Blazers could do, would be to make sure our nuculeus is happy. Keep Brandon our cornerstone, keep LMA on the same page. The temptation as you watch teams around you shuffle players and obtain player A or trade player B is to panic. But in my opinion, just because opposing teams have acquired player or players doesn't mean they necessarily have gotten better. You still have to prove it on the court. I'm not convinced any team in the west has improved themselves any more than continued development Oden and the re-addition of a healthy Webster would improve The Blazers.  I'm worried that we could make a "addition" that could really end up being a subtraction.  If you HAVE believed in this team, then now is the time to continue to believe in this team. We can panic and scramble to obtain some talent that we think shores up weaknesses we think we have, but what about just letting the players and assets we have prove themselves? Can Oden take a giant step forward? Can he provide much of the toughness and rebounding we are pursuing with Millsap? Can Webster, Batum or Outlaw or the trio become all the SF we need? Can Blake, Bayless and Mills become a perfectly acceptable PG core?

I'm suspecting we were closer to fine before this summer of frustration started.  Now because our "A" plan to obtain Hedo failed, I'm becoming more and more scared that we are hurting ourselves in response. The specter of  "Use it or Lose it " cap space and being shut out of the annual dance of player movement seems to have us forgetting the positives that we already have in place.

If this off-season ends with The Blazers obtaining no real free agent player, or no big trade, I can live with that. If this summer ends with The Blazers with a disappointed and angry Brandon Roy and a upset LMA. With Blake, Bayless and perhaps Fernandez  and others questioning their roles, then much, much more will have been lost this summer than just Hedo Turkoglu.

The Blazers should concentrate on the reality of how healthy Webster might be, and work with Oden as much as possible. The biggest moves Pritchard could make might really just be assuring the Brandon and LMA are happy and Blazers for the foreseeable future.

2 recs  |  Comment 21 comments

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If the Millsap rumor is true, KP has suddenly turned into Trader Bob.

I was also stunned when I saw Quick’s report. $50M for a PF (who can’t play the 3 or 5) to play behind LMA??? I’d love to know LMA’s reaction to this. Good bye chemistry. There better be more to this story.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 9, 2009 5:20 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm growing frustrated with the same concerns...

It appears there is significant internal pressure to “make a move and be a contender now.” But, this conflicts with both the reality and history of the past few years. I wouldn’t be disappointed with Millsap or whoever, but at the same time, we better keep the nucleus happy – that should be priority 1. I’d rather have another season like last years, before just braking the marriage – if it somehow all works out with Millsap – great – if not, I’ll still be a fan, as I’ve always been, but I sure don’t want Roy unhappy.

by hotstuffdb22 on Jul 9, 2009 6:09 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

LMA should play behind Milsap

If not I don’t see why Milsap can’t play the 3 and LMA the 4. Ship Outlaw to Timbuktu. Marty backs-up the 3.

Golden.

Blazer Fan

by leeroyjenkins on Jul 9, 2009 8:22 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Oh yeah Batum

Batum can fight it out with Marty. Fwiw I think Marty is better although I know Blazer Nation is in love with Batum.

Blazer Fan

by leeroyjenkins on Jul 9, 2009 8:23 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Quick needs to shave his head and have a head-to-head hysteria derby with Baldy...

They will have to wear different colored shirts though, otherwise nobody will know who is who.

"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal

by timbo on Jul 9, 2009 8:14 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Even more amazing is how has it happened

that fans can look at a young 54 win team with four up and coming sophomores and believe that somehow this represents failure??!!

by raoulduke on Jul 9, 2009 8:16 AM PDT reply actions   1 recs

I would agree

There is plenty of time to resign them. I doubt there is any animosity there. I’m sure KP has just told them that he needs to focus on making the team better right now with the limited window of time to get it done. I’m sure that he will turn his full attention to them as soon as some things start to fall his way.

by parkinglotj on Jul 9, 2009 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Quick is a fool.

I really getting sick of him.

He’s getting you to react exactly how he wants. He does it for attention but if people are like me it just makes them begin to ignore anything he puts out.

Roy and LMA are fine, players don’t always sign extensions right away.

So far the only major mistake by Pritchard was considering signing Hedo. Him not signing was a huge positive for me.

by Bskey on Jul 9, 2009 8:40 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Whoa, whoa whoa people. Calm down. This team is fine. KP is fine. Brandon is fine, and LMA is fine.

So Hedo backed out. Big deal. KP put all his eggs in one basket and messed up a little bit. So what. We still have the core players of a 54 win team. This will all blow over quickly. One would have to be an absolute moron to not give Brandon Roy a max 5 year contract. Quick just loves to create drama. HE is just upset Brandon hasn’t received the extension yet. It will happen. Soon.

People please do not compare KP to trader bob ever again. The pursuit of Hedo, and now the possible pursuit of Milsap doesn’t appear desperate at all to me. I think KP has approached this off-season much like a good GM approaches the draft; you take the best player available to maximize your assets. Worry about playing time later ( with trades if need be ). This move would be a coup ( if it actually happens. I’m not convinced KP really will make an offer ). If Milsap signs, we have front court depth maybe one or two teams can match. If Utah matches, we threw a wrench into their plans for Milsap and limited their financial flexibility for the future.

Calm down everyone. Quick’s " As the Blazers World Turns" Soap Opera will be over soon enough.

by dario argento on Jul 9, 2009 9:26 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Agents use the media for their purposes.

Press benefits for their purposes of the information coming from agents.

It´s a simple symbiosis.

by amlmart1 on Jul 9, 2009 9:32 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Please Relax Everyone...

I think we’ve been spoiled by the moves of the last few seasons. As we get closer to the goal it will obviously be harder to make dramatic gains. Not only is it harder to find players that are an upgrade to what we have but teams will be less likely to want to help us make that next step because we are an actual contender now. Please try to realize that not only do the steps get smaller as you near the top…they also get harder to make. As far as Quick and his,“the sky is falling and Roys unhappy” drama goes consider the source. To a novice like me it makes perfect sense to keep word of extensions for LMA and Roy under wraps for now. Why tip your hand while the game is still being played?.. Relax and have faith… I know I do!

by Ilikeemall on Jul 9, 2009 9:34 AM PDT via mobile reply actions   0 recs

Future

I really think Lamarcus is going to take the next step.

So besides the PG position, our team is set up! Hell, we were one of the best teams in the west last year and ran into the Buzzsaw that was the Rockets who will not be as good.

Figuring someone takes Millsap Utah is weekend. The problem is the Lakers, who we match up well with.

They are tough – so a back up big body to abuse them is needed.

Think its possible to sign Odom to a 2 year deal?

"Oh yeah? You can Derelique my balls."

"I can Shavlick my own balls."

by Terry Gamble on Jul 9, 2009 9:35 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Things are going just fine

KP went after the top assest in the FA market, but that assest (Hedo) went to a higher bidder. Now he is looking to sign one of the top 2 or 3 assests (Lee, Millsap or Bass). These things take time and need to happen before a trade or contract extentions. Virtually everything is going as planned/expected, despite what Quick tells you. Patience is important here, as making the wrong move is much worst then not making one at all.

by ItsMrHarris2u on Jul 9, 2009 10:07 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

huh

I think people are way overreacting to rumors, about bench players no less.

by matthewcc on Jul 9, 2009 10:18 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Quick's article reads a bit like other GMs are shooting KP's trade and acquisition suggestions down that he thought would work out

If you read between the lines, it seems like they thought they had a deal in place to trade up on draft night (further than 2 spots) and that fell through at the last moment. Likely also another suggestion got shot down.

The reasons could be manyfold. The letter regarding Miles certainly has alienated a few owners and GMs (notably e.g. the Cavs who came out public against it, of course likely also the Grizzlies). How many is hard to say. Then there could be a certain fear of trading with the Blazers and looking like fools at the end of the day when they give up value just for cash and lesser talent. And finally there are the player agents, who even before the draft didn’t let some of their clients work out for the Blazers because they know the roster is stacked. On a stacked roster you don’t get much playing time unless you are awesome, and less playing time and scoring means less money on your next deal.

It’s undeniable KP has lost a bit of his Midas touch, but it’s not necessarily all his fault.

If you want to trade our spare parts for Devin Harris, I have three quarters I would like to trade for your dollar

by Norsktroll on Jul 9, 2009 10:38 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

undeniable?

Reading between the lines of a Jason Quick article does not produce undeniable results.

by ItsMrHarris2u on Jul 9, 2009 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I have a semi moronic thought

with no examples or references to support it:
Is there a precedent for rival GM’s to blacklist one of their colleagues? Perhaps the Pritchslap term and the successes of the past few years have resulted in a kind of closing of the ranks against the Blazers?
Feel free to demolish this notion….

by LewisClark on Jul 9, 2009 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I have a semi moronic thought

with no examples or references to support it:
Is there a precedent for rival GM’s to blacklist one of their colleagues? Perhaps the Pritchslap term and the successes of the past few years have resulted in a kind of closing of the ranks against the Blazers?
Feel free to demolish this notion….

by LewisClark on Jul 9, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Quick

He rips up KP,

I personally think its a blessing in disguise that we didn’t sign Hedo. Five years of Turk ball was too much.

We need a banger, so its good KP is working towards it but he better not F up the Lamarcus and Roy negotiations. Give them their money, get it done quick. If they don’t get paid here, Roy will max out the contract elsewhere. 2nd team all NBA.

F’n A is right Cotton.

"Oh yeah? You can Derelique my balls."

"I can Shavlick my own balls."

by Terry Gamble on Jul 9, 2009 12:34 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

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