Let's make a trade that makes us worse! (this year)
by 52therim on Feb 14, 2010 8:11 PM PST
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PrintThis is not a post to say that I would rather sneak into the draft lottery than make the playoffs. I absolutely want to see this team make the playoffs and with a healthy Brandon Roy I think it will happen. Three points to make in this post:
1) It seems that most of the trade suggestions we have seen have had an emphasis of finding a big man that can fill the void resulting from the injuries to our bigs. I, also, had made suggestions to get Haywood, but I don't think we should have gotten in a bidding war with Dallas to get him here, There may be other Centers available that could help us this year. I think those options have been pretty well covered in other FanPosts. I'm not sure we've discussed what moves might be available that do nothing to help us this year, but could be the final piece to a future championship. I think we all agree that the goal is a future championship and not a one-time visit to the WCFs.
2) I think most still believe that the biggest hole on the Blazers roster is starting PG. Many thought we would fill that need through RLEC or with our cap space after last season. We did land a starting PG with the cap space. I doubt any of us would like to think that our window for a championship is limited to the career longevity of Andre. Many would argue the Andre is the wrong fit for this team anyway. People love Blake/Jerryd. People hate Blake/Jerryd. If we make a move at the dealine (and I'm fine if KP decides to stick with the existing team) I'd like to see it be a move that moved us in a direction to answer the question mark at PG. Some may feel the greatest need is somewhere else. Great! Who should be target that takes us to the next level in the future and who might be available?
3) Shrinking the roster a bit this year may actually make us a better team this year. It certainly would clear some minutes to be able to evaluate some players that need to get some run on the court.
Here is a suggestion of what I'd like to see us looking for:
http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=5460291
SUMMARY:
Blazers get: Mark Blount & Ricky Rubio
Minny gets: Steve Blake & Martell Webster
Could Blount actually help us this year? Heaven sakes, let's hope not. This trade almost certainly makes us worse this year. It is still far more likely that Minny would be the team to turn this deal down. We could sweeten the offer including a draft pick and/or one of our Euros (Claver or Freeland might get it done). The Wolves might consider some offer for Rubio as Flynn has been a solid rookie and Sessions has been playing well recently (averaging 11 points and nearly 6 assists) in his last 5 games (8 & 3 for the season). Minnesota might wait for someone willing to give up a high draft pick for this year's draft. Is there going to be teams willing to offer that? I just don't see how Rubio fits into the Timberwolves future. I know there is a lot of hesitation from fans to add a young PG to this team. I don't care about young or old if the guy can play. But Rubio can't shoot!! Neither could Jason Kidd when he came into the league. There is a whole lot to like about Rubio.
What other moves might be out there that thin the roster this year and add a piece for the future? What PGs that fit our window might be available? If you don't like Rubio, who do you like? Is this the type of move we should be looking for?
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I'd LOVE Ricky, if mainly for his D & length.
Is he really willing to take the huge money hit needed to jump to the Association, though?
Minnesota gets hosed beyond belief in this deal and Nate is the worst possible coach for Ricky
Free AK1984
I couldn't have said it better myself
Maybe if KP offered Rudy, Kahn might consider dealing the rights to Rubio
but then Nate would take Ricky and try to squeeze him to the “Steve Blake mold” like he did with Sergio
Like I’ve said a few times…Portland is lousy at developing young PGs (at least, since Terry Porter) so here’s a bold idea…let’s keep drafting and stockpiling an ever-increasing pile of SGs and SFs and “trade a few of ’em in” for a veteran PG who Nate can’t screw up, like Miller/Blake.
At least the draft choices won’t go to waste that way
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Feb 14, 2010 8:35 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
weird
now that the coach is a former point guard. Is it a problem of how point guards were used when Nate played?
by Sound_Automatic on Feb 15, 2010 12:14 AM PST up reply actions
We've gone around and around about this in the past
And to repeat there’s no way I’m pinning the Blazer’s PG deveopmental woes completely on McMillian, it’s been a franchise-wide issue for over 20 years. At some point you stop asking “why?” and just chalk it up to “this is how it is”
Nate is old schoool. His system is risk-averse. Blake is a good example of the kind of PG that does well with McMillian and Demopoulis (who keeps track of turnovers, and was formerly a Gene Chaney assistant at Temple) KP has drafted PGs every year, and we’ve seen them come, struggle, and go. Nate has high standards, and when you think about it, the kind of PGs who have the best A/TO ratios are the kids in college who aren’t very athletic but who take good care of the ball. How many of those guys get drafted, much less ever make it in the NBA? (Kevin Pritchard was one of those “cerebral” PGs)
To go back to my original point, what does a company do when they have a need but it’s not in their area of expertise? They outsource. Portland has trouble developing young PGs, so why keep bashing your head against a wall, wasting coaching time and draft choices, in hopes that one kid will survive Nate’s scrutiny and become a productive NBA PG? Why not acquire a ready-made veteran PG who has already shown he can do what McMillian/Demo need to see, and let him run the team and knock down corner 3-balls?
Makes sense to me, but I fully expect Paul Allen to see a shiny new PG in the draft again this June and KP will add that poor kid to his menagerie
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Unfortunately yes. Rubio would be handcuffed here.
"What people need to know is that those pictures were taken a year and a half ago, and I've grown since then." - Greg Oden
by dario argento on Feb 14, 2010 8:51 PM PST up reply actions
Minnesota would hang up the phone so quick
There is NO way Minnesota would even consider this. Moreover, Rubio doesn’t even have a buyout option next year. The earliest he can play in the NBA is the 2011-2012 season. The Blazers shouldn’t waste their time on acquiring guys that will be rookies two years from now.
www.ripcitydispatch.com
Is it a hell frozen over planet?
#52. Get well soon.
by Eat Politicians on Feb 14, 2010 9:43 PM PST up reply actions
I'm getting hosed! You may all be right and Minny hangs up the phone even the offer is SBEC, Martell, 2010 1st and Freeland.
I think Martell has more value currently than Rudy and I don’t think MN is going to get true value for a player who is likely never going to sign with them. At the same time, if I proposed a deal that Minny would more likely accept I’d get flamed from the other side..“Rubio hasn’t proved anything”…“we don’t need a young PG” ect. I sure don’t see how Rubio fits into MN long-term plans. Like others have mentioned, he can’t even come over for a 2 years. I think MN eventually decides to get what they can for him, but maybe I’m wrong. I assumed we’d have to sweeten the pot more than Martell and Blake.
I would assume Minny moves Sessions before the move either Flynn or Rubio. You might be right that eventually Minny will move Rubio, but they don’t have to and definitely not right now. He currently plays a pretty great season in Spain, after having moved to a Barcelona team that is almost undefeatable by other European clubs with him, Navarro and a number of quality bigs and backups. He is only increasing his trade value as he matures.
I've thought of this before Rubio signed his current deal
I speculated that Rudy+Przybilla might get it done, Minny needs a SG and a big man
But once Ricky signed that long-term deal, any potential trade conversations have been put ‘on hold" There’s no local pressure on Kahn to deal away RR’s rights, everybody up in the Geat White North is either talking about Favre (or the Viking’s stadium lease expiring next year—yikes! How could I ever root for the SoCal Vikings?) or the Twins heading to spring training
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Why would Minnesota NOT do this deal?
Blount does nothing, Blake is an expiring contract that has some playing time value (on a team that is once again lottery-bound) Ricky Rubio might never come to the NBA (well, he probably will, but you never know about dollars to euros politics) and Martell Webster can drop threes, and in a less structured environment could put up 20 points a night (on 20 shots)
Minnesota drops an Blount instrument and unloads yet another unproven point guard onto Portland.
I guess this all depends on bow much one values Rubio.
For me, I’ll believe it when I see it.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Less structured environment? It might not look like it on some nights, but Rambis wants to have the Wolves play triangle offense.
As for Rubio: I value him greatly and think he could have a similar game to Jason Kidd, and I suppose so do the Wolves. Drafting him after he fell in their lap was definitely the right decision.
Rubio has won the European Best Young Player Award three years in a row.
The candidates include all European basketball players aged 22 and under in the world, and Rubio is still 19.
Hmm, ok. That's good on him.
The award is only 6 years old, though (5 awarded according to wiki) That’s hardly a great pool to rate him against. Plus, I am not a fan of the “Fan Vote,” as that will just net you your Washington Redskin Fans Ballot Stuffing, or Tracy McGrady’s coming within a hair’s breadth of the All-Star Game.
I’ll have to find a game online somewhere, not just a highlight reel. I’ll say this much, even before the Blazers drafted Rudy, I knew he was going to be a good player f he ever came to the NBA. I’m not 100% convinced about Rubio. Is he a purely running Point, or is he comfortable in half-court sets too?
His stats this year aren’t exactly awe-inspiring visions of the second sighting of MJ.
Or heck, even Steve Nash.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Feb 15, 2010 8:33 AM PST up reply actions
Apparently Nash wasn´t himself either until his 26, or so ;)
I didn´t compare Ricky with MJ, but once you´ve taken this out I have to say that nose to nose Ricky´s is bigger.
Ricky has unmatched skills for European standards and also some flaws. And you´re right, it´s no clear how well they´ll translate into the NBA game. I´ve had the same doubts too. But he´s so fun to watch!
Sorry, I wasn't insinuating that you had drawn an MJ comparison (Magic, or Jordan)
And that’s a great point that young point guards can take a long time to develop.
It’s kind of like, for me, when the “Draft the ’Stache” campaign was in full swing here, I was not on board because Adam didn’t (still doesn’t) have any high level, professional quality moves. Rubio has enough flaws in his game that I wonder how well it will translate. His 35% shooting from deep isn’t bad, but it isn’t great, and won’t improve with a step back to the NBA line, much more disturbing though is his 35% on 2-point shots. He hits his free throws well, but isn’t even drawing 3 per game. The numbers suggest he isn’t going for a lot of layups, which is a basic necessity for the modern NBA Point (hence a lot of Steve Blake mashing).
I’d like to see him play a full game. I’ll probably find one on justin.tv some night soon, just to get a better idea.
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Feb 15, 2010 1:57 PM PST up reply actions
Oh, don´t worry, I was just kidding about Ricky´s nose. It seems it didn´t work out. I still have a lot to learn.
You can watch Ricky´s last ACB game Here.
Games starts at 9:30.
Rickys stints: 9:30 to 16:24; 44:05 to 49:30; 64:30 to 74; 75:25 to 76:50; 96 to 98:50; 100:15 to 104:50.
You can find more Regal Barça games clicking on the triangle you´ll see at your right, over “Ir a jornada virtual”.
His ACB stats this year are 46% shooting from deep, 43% on 2-point shots and 80% on FT. He´s already the third player with more assists in ACB, though his teammates still get surprised by Ricky´s passes and miss some of them. He´s also the second player with more steals. He´s oly playing 20 mins per game on average.
He´s only playing 20 mins per game on average.
As long as he doesn’t expect more PT than that, I guess he would fit right in on Nate’s bench (behind Steve Blake, of course…)
Have you heard anything about Rudy being unhappy with his PT, yet? How does the Spanish fanbase feel about the “role” that McMillian has given him, especially while Roy has been out?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Nothing new has appeared in the Spanish media about Rudy. And I can´t say that I know what the Spanish fanbase feels about anything.
I know the Blazers fanbase better ;)
The most recent comment I´ve read is this one:
(amlmart1 translation, as bad as usual) In short, a difficult year both for the Blazers and Rudy (because injuries, integrating new players, Sergio´s departure,etc), far away from the expected brightness, and unknowing how things will be the rest of the season. Anyway, it seems that Rudy has all the confidence from management and coach, who knows Rudy´s strengths and how to take advantage of them, although the sense of emergency leaves little room for improvisation, looking for inmediate results.
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