Stopping Progress

The realities of an NBA roster is that players change each year. For a healthy team, new players must be added and integrated each year, especially young players. The balance needed between young and veteran players is to keep enough veterans to provide the star power and the wisdom of how the game is played while adding enough young hungry players to push the veterans to play harder and better. This balance is also needed for a healthy salary-cap status.

What this must do, therefore, is to pit veteran against youth in practice and to provide a path for the younger players to grow and expand. When the talent level evens out between veteran and youth, for a particular position, the team must be prepared to trade or release the veteran to keep from stopping progress. I first heard this theory as applied by coach Bill Parcells to the Dallas Cowboys. Since, I have seen how much sense it makes in use by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA and to nearly every NFL team as the NFL has a hard cap. Should the NBA adopt a hard cap it will become essential.

What does that mean for the Blazers? It means that Andre needed to be displaced by Raymond. It means that Nolan Smith likely displaces or challenges Patty and Armon for backup point guard duties. It does not mean trading LMA. It does mean acquiring a young PF (Pendergraph ?) to push and relieve him for rests. Luke Babbitt has some growing to do so it probably does not mean trading Wallace. But Batum and Babbitt need to play better to push Wallace for playing time. It means Roy needs to prepare his game and body to re-challenge Matthews for playing time while Diebler learns the NBA. Without Rudy (who was stopping progress) there is additional time for Batum.

Some believe Roy is stopping progress. Should he return next year without improving his outside shot or being able to penetrate as of old, perhaps that is true. But Roy’s game is more cerebral than athletic and with a better outside shot he can be an effective and efficient playmaker. Now that Miller is gone Roy may be freed up to return to star-quality production since it was Roy's contention that he could not play his game.

Still another player who may be stopping progress is Marcus Camby. Should Oden return and play with health, Camby’s minutes can be diminished. In this case a veteran will more likely accept his decreased role to lengthen his career. Perhaps, also, Chris Johnson can earn some minutes at the 5 position.

So what is your take? Are there aspects of draft day changes to support this theory? Do the Blazers need to do more?