FanPost

Best replacement value

Taking a cue from small market teams in baseball, I think the blazer's should be acquiring players using the best replacement value approach.

So who do we replace? I watched Bill Parcells talk about how he and his organization evaluates talent. Parcells created or identified players who were prototypical of the best athletes/players at each position. This is the player Portland needs to create in the aggregate, especially since it is very unlikely Portland will ever get three all-star players together at the same time.

The 2008-09 Blazer combination of Pryzbilla and Oden score 15 points and grabbed 15.7 rebounds a game. I think this is a very good stat line for the center position. Unless there is a Dwight Howard, a Shaq, someone who can score and rebound in the draft, I'd trade for good role players that can play defense and rebound.

The 08-09 blazer's had Aldridge and Frye at the power forward position. Combined these two players scored 22 pts a game and 9.7 rebounds a game.

At small forward Outlaw and Batum scored 18 pts a game and 6.9 rebounds.

At the point Blake and Sergio average 15 point a game and 4.1 rebounds.

Roy averaged 22.6 points a game and Fernandez ~10 pts a game for a total of 32 pts a game. Together they grabbed 8.7 rebounds a game.

These eight players delivering these performances produced about 100 points a game and 44 rebounds.

Starting with Aldridge and Batum the lineup by replacement value (mine anyway) would be:

C: Ronny Turiaf, Javale McGee, and Joel Pryzbilla

PF: J.J. Hickson, Sheldon Williams

SF: Babbit

SG: Matthews,Williams, Smith

PG: Trade both 1st round picks to get Gilchrist(?), Jeremy Lin

Except for point guard, these players represent replacement value at a below luxury tax rate.

What lineups would others suggest? Caveat--the team salary has to be below the tax cap.