*They feel good about where the team is. *Bayless is a workaholic. *We expect big things from Greg. *We're looking 20 or so players in this draft. Did I miss anything?
I guess this is the Courtside thread. I'll try to recap it a bit. Now with Chris Monter with Pro Basketball news.. - Thinks Tyler Hansborough will go late lottery, mid-first round and won't be there at 24 for us. - Omri Casspi, 6-7, good size. Good player to stash overseas at 20 years old. Could be a good NBA player. Mid to late first round - Casspi beat up the Austin Daye kid from Gonzaga in a workout. - Daye might be good in a few years, he's 6-11 and 195.
Antonio is teasing some player that no one is talking about, that would be a good pick but he thinks will be a good player. Mike Rice's alter ego Merlin coming up!
- Question about Blake's trade value right now - Rice, depends on what type of team. Blake fits in with the Blazers well, and probably his value is bigger for us than other teams. - Tone says Blake maximizes his talent the most of the squad. But with that, he's probably not as good as most PGs. But cites Avery Johnson and how you don't need a great PG to win it all. Also compares him to Fisher. - Doesn't want to trade Steve because of his value to this team. - Jay Allen, teams who have won titles have won with PGs much worse than Blake. - They hate on Rafer Alston a bit.
He made it seem like it was some guy in the draft that no one is talking about, or stopped talking about.
Jay Allen, "The much anticipated debut of Merlin up next" Taking texts, and calls from Blazer fans for Merlin
Merlin on. Is Martell's future in Portland? - It will be Webster and Batum at the SF spot. No Travis Outlaw in the crystal ball. - Because Greg will improve inside, the Blazers will spend money on a PG and not an SF. - Believes Travis is the odd man out.
- Koponen and Freeland will be renounced by the end of June to free up more money - No Hedo, no Ariza for the Blazers - Blazers will spend on a PG
- Martell and Nicolas are very big in the future plans for Portland. Takes caller, "will the Blazers go after Kidd or Nash?" - Merlin says there's a vet PG named Steve in the future for the Blazers... could be Blake or Nash. No Kidd though.
- Kirk Hinrich? As much as Rice likes it, no Kirk in the future for the Blazers. But there is a point guard out there through a trade that the Blazers will acquire. - Nick Collison for a backup PF? No. But a player like him could be viable. Not really sure how much inside info Rice has got, or if he's just Rice being Rice.
He didn't say it was definite. Just an option he's heard or believes could happen to free up more money. I don't know how much money that frees up though.
Renouncing them frees up like 1.6m. Who ever we want out there would have to be pretty sweet to lose them.
