It's pretty much a done deal that Hedo is a Trailblazer now. Orlando doesn't want him (unless he'll play for a reasonable amount of money), Detroit doesn't want him, Toronto has thought it over and realizes he's not much of a player and the rest of the league is passing on him when they had opportunity for a sign & trade. Pretty much the only team that wants this no defense, shoots well in 1 of 5 games player is us. Only us. And on top of that, we want to pay him like a star player- which he isn't even close to. So the questions is, who's behind this? It can't be KP as he's too smart to want this bum and the problems he'll cause. The only logical conclusion is Paul Allen. I think this is the guy Allen wants and KP has marching orders to sign him at all costs. I know he's the owner, but he really should just let KP handle all the player personnel moves so this team can get better and not worse. We've been down this road before and once again Allen's finger prints are all over this horrendous move.
I ageree- Paul Allen is a whiner and this current 'whine' of his may close our championship window of opportunity for the next 5 years. His obsession with certain players (like Miles) hurts us in many ways. Good observation, e_blazer about PA.
I am curious as to what other teams in the league had an opportunity to sign and trade for him that couldn't just outright sign him. Considering the Magic are so leery of paying the luxury tax they wont spend for a competent backup big man I would find it more likely that the Magic are preventing a sign and trade rather than other teams.
That very well could be. I think it's because Hedo is really a $6,000,000 per season type of player, but since he'll only sign for much more with Orlando it made him undesireable to the rest of the NBA. Except Paul Allen.
I know that Batum and Outlaw are so consistent that the thought of bringing in a starting SF is a mess...
I think you're being way too presumptuous. I'm not sure why Pritchard must be incapable of making (what you think is) a mistake. He's been damn good, but he's only been a GM for 2 years. It's a lot more plausible to believe that KP's infatuated with a bad player (in your opinion), than the whole Paul Allen conspiracy theory.
Yeah, I know, but here in Portland an attack on KP is like an attack on God. I'd be permanently banned from the board.
If Webster's career is over due to his foot injury (very possible as he has permanent screws in the foot) then I agree that neither Outlaw nor Batum (still 2-3 years away) is the answer to start. Under those circumstances the thought of a so-so player like Hedo makes much more sense. In fact, I can live with this decision under those circumstances. But once we sign him to a deal worth about 40-50% more than he's really worth, he's here for the remainder of his career.
What don't you like about Hedo? He's a vet who has been battle tested in the playoffs. He is an above average 3pt shooter, who is unselfish and is one of the best pick and roll SF's in the league. Our head coach runs the pick and roll almost 90% of our offensive posessions. He's an underated defender - not great - but certainly not as bad as I've seen him characterized in the past week on-line. You are not going to get Lebron James or Dwyane Wade. Hedo makes us better. End of story.
Why the fuck do you think Webster should start over either of those guys? Both Batum and Outlaw have better numbers than Webster has ever had. Man, I swear to God, if Webster is out another year some fans will think he should be in the HOF
You are grossly underestimating his value. So Hedo should be pulling in the same salary as guys like Jason Kapano, Antonio Daniels, Mo Pete, Matt Harpring, etc? Hedo is a good ballplayer. He shoots it well, handles like a dream for a 6'10" guy. You can put the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter and he'll take care of the ball, make good decisions, and has a knack for making clutch shots. Don't you think we need somebody to take the pressure off B-Roy? How many more seasons can we just give the rock to Brandon for the final 10 minutes of the game before his body totally breaks down? One of our off season goals HAD to be to get Brandon help. We need another guy who can create his own shot and Hedo gives us that? Who else is available with that skill set? Sure, Hedo isn't Chris Paul or Chris Bosh for that matter. For some people anything less than that is a "mistake". I don't understand the outrage against Hedo. He's not a superstar, but we aren't offering superstar money. $10 million/year is the going rate for a guy who's averaged 18/5/5 over the last two years and who was the 2nd best player on a team that went to the finals. There are two things that concern me a little if Hedo signs with us (and neither of them has anything to do with Hedo himself) One: The SF log jam. If we aren't able to trade Martell, Outlaw, or Batum - you are asking for big trouble. Those guys ALL feel like they deserve to play and obviously they all can't. I have to believe there's a move out there to alleviate this, but I've thought that before and been wrong. Two: Rudy. I hope that he isn't as disgruntled as the reports say. I really want to see what he can do next season with one full year under his belt. I still don't know if he'll ever have a midrange game or be able to get to the basket, but I don't want to move him yet. If nothing else, his ability to hit the 3 spreads the floor and we need that - especially if Blake gets moved.
Not quite end of story. Hedo not only makes us better for the next few years, he makes us better long term because Batum gets to learn some of the things he does well.
I don't really buy into that stuff.. players learn by playing and getting experience. I want Steve Nash as our PG and Hedo as our SF - because they make us better.. not really too "train" Batum and Bayless. Just my thoughts, I could be wrong.
Welcome to message board salary gripe 101. People see the number and not the context. Hedo is better than Ben Gordon and Charlie V. He is basically the top FA this summer, so he is going to get top dollar.
Semantics here but there is a difference between training and learning. I don't think you bring in Hedo as a trainer per say, but certainly Batum can learn from watching Hedo and integrating aspects of Hedo's game into his own (aka experience). There are very few things in life that we cannot learn from others, and I am pretty sure that the majority of sports is about learning from others. If it wasn't then we could simply give a kid a ball, lock him in a gym and wait for him mature enough and he would be a star. In other words we are not talking about wine, we are talking about developing a specific set of skills. Now the nice thing is that Batum might actually be able to learn from Hedo, and at the same time develop the areas of his game that Hedo does not have. Batum might have one of the best senses of timing we have ever seen in Portland.
This was my thought as well. I played sports all through high school and in to college. As a player you pick up things from other players to add to your game. It's just how it works.
I don't feel strongly either way about this subject.. and certainly I have never played professional sports so I can't speak to how things work at that level.. all I know is that when I played youth sports up through High School.. I always played up with older and better players. The only time I felt that this benefited me was in practice when I had to play against guys that were better than me.... at no point did I feel that sitting on the bench and watching someone else play helped me at all. I got better in practice and in offseason workouts and also through experience of playing games. If we want Bayless or Batum or anyone else to get better.. we simply need to carve out a consistent role and consistent minutes and let them play. I think Batum got better last year while Bayless did not.
Well, LOL, true to your board name, youor basketball knowledge is definately mediocre. Look at how many playoff games Hedo shot under 35%. Then come back and tell me how great he is.
Reasons for getting Hedo: Size matters - Dude's a 6'10" SF. The Blazers' front line is going to be a handful for any team in the NBA next season if they land Hedo. - Takes pressure off of Aldridge & Roy - Those doubleteams that Houston threw at the Blazers in the 1st round aren't going to work if there's a guy with Hedo's offensive abilities is on the court instead of Batum. Experience - Went to the finals and showed he can contribute big against the Blazers' main opposition - LA. Ball handling and passing - Having Roy and Hedo able to dish the ball and run the offense helps dramatically, even if the Blazers can't get an upgrade to Blake (hope they do). Able to penetrate and finish - Not too many of those guys on the Blazers' roster last season. Intangibles - Hedo's a smart basketball player who fits in with the Blazers' style. He's not a ball hog who's going to disrupt team chemistry. Whitsitt wasn't a chemistry major. Maybe KP has been doing some work in the lab.
