We should keep Joel. He is our enforcer and defense leader. Millsap will see some minutes at SF (not a lot) and we need insurance in case of injury. This depth is something we should keep. Batum is still our future SF IMO and we need him to guard the other teams best scorer. I would like a upgrade at the PG, but the only way I see that is a sign and trade with Bucks if the will play ball. Offer of Blake, Outlaw and 2011 first round pick. Sign him for four years 28 million.
Odom was a better fit right now, but Millsap is a similar or better talent and younger. Honestly, if Portland gets him at this salary, it's a steal. If you can get such a talented young player for a reasonable salary and without giving up talent, you do it and figure out the rest later. I would definitely like to see a trade done if Portland gets Millsap. My ideal would be something like Przybilla and Outlaw for Sessions and some bad contract Milwaukee would like to dump. If it was absolutely required to get the deal done, I'd include Bayless. Of course, that would leave Portland thin at small forward if Webster isn't ready to go when the season starts. PG: Sessions (30) / Blake (18) SG: Roy (25) / Fernandez (23) SF: Batum (30) / Webster (8) / Roy (10) PF: Aldridge (18) / Millsap (30) C: Oden (30) / Aldridge (18) If Webster is still out, Roy and Batum's minutes at small forward go up, Roy's minutes at shooting guard go down a bit and Fernandez's minutes at shooting guard go up. Not ideal, definitely. Ideally, Portland can find a serviceable small forward either in trade or for the LLE that can play a few non-embarrassing minutes per game.
Pryz, Travis and Bayless for Sessions? I don't know if he's even an upgrade over Bayless. They both have potential along with question marks. Bayless had trouble getting minutes on a good team as a rookie, Sessions had trouble being more than a backup on a horrible team. Sessions may be a better prospect to some, Bayless may be better to others but there isn't a huge difference. Plus we give Milwaukee Travis, Pryz and salary relief? If we do trade Pryz and break up the deepest frontcourt rotation in the NBA I'd like to see a more established player come back.
more minutes for Rudy if Webs isn't ready. I would want to keep Bayless though to see if he is the answer alongside Roy I'm not 100% sold on Sessions just as I'm not 100% sold on Bayless. I am 100% sold that one of those two would be the answer and the other would be trade bait. I'm not sure Milwaukee would be interested in that trade though. Don't they have Bogut? What teams have a desperate need for a center or backup PG, who have a potential starting PG or SF they might be willing to get rid of? Houston - Battier Chicago - Hinrich Detroit - Prince Who else needs a 5 for their team there must be more? I know OKC does but they won't give up Westbrook and I think Batum > Green and not worth Joel. Charlotte? Can Okafor play the 4? I just think the Sessions door might have closed with them letting C. V. walk.
Sessions, at ages 21 and 22, has already posted two seasons of above average PER. Bayless, at age 20, put up half the PER that Sessions did at 21. Sessions also started a significant number of games last year and continued to play really well. He showed that he didn't merely excel in a backup role. Sessions is far, far more proven that Bayless. Bayless is a pure prospect. Sessions is a good young player with a lot of upside. There's a big difference between those two things. I certainly think there's a chance that Bayless could be better than Sessions, but I'd take the guy who's been above average at very young ages, improved from his rookie season to year two and has plenty of room to get better. Bayless is still boom or bust. Sessions is boom or good player. There's no question to me that, right now, Sessions is the more valuable player (high upside like Bayless, but also much higher floor because he's already reached being good).
HAHAHA, did I really just read Przybilla, Outlaw, AND Bayless for Ramon Sessions? Good Lord, this guy has a bigger cult following than the Lost Boys.
not improving at the 1 and 3 is MORE foolish especially when you have LMA/Millsap/Oden the minutes crunch if you throw in Przybilla makes us have two ABSURDLY overpaid backups playing limited minutes and eventually being unhappy. By keeping Millsap 24 and trading a 30+ Joel for someone like Battier we open the window now for deep playoff runs. Our awesome front court depth won't help us if we continue to be killed at the 1 and 3. A lineup where you trade LMA looks worse: Oden (a 5)/Joel (a 5)/Millsap (a 4) then Oden (a 5) /LMA(a 4/5)/Millsap(a 4). Would you just keep Joel/LMA/Oden/Millsap? and not make a change to our 1 and 3?
I remember I received similar scorn last off-season when I said I'd happily trade Rudy Fernandez for Devin Harris. "Are you crazy? Harris is a mediocre player who doesn't have half the upside of RUDY. What are you smoking?" It doesn't take any effort to identify the players who are already stars...once they reach that level, they're much harder/impossible to get. The idea is to identify players who might be undervalued/pre-breakout right now. I've presented my reasoning for why I'd do such a trade. Do you have any counter-argument other than "Don't you dare trade any of MY players for other team's players!!"
Its funny because my opinion is the opposite in that I don't think Milwaukee goes for that trade. LOL.
I don't think so much it is that he is an afterthought. It's that paying him and Millsap both close to 7 million to b eon our bench doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Especially if there are weaknesses or perceived weaknesses elsewhere on the roster. I would love to keep Joel, and have him get 20 minutes a night or less behind Oden. But signing Millsap makes that unlikely. More likely than not, to justify getting Millsap, and to get more scoring on the floor, Aldridge will play some C, and Millsap will play PF. And Aldridge at C will cut into Joel's playing time. Having Joel and playing him 8 minutes a night is foolish. Having him at those 8 minutes, when his inclusion into a deal could potentially bring us back an upgrade at PG is also foolish.
or SF (Battier). PG is more important now for sure. Joel = Valuable commodity at a position of strength not an afterthought!
Rudy for Devin is a ONE for ONE swap, that's not very far fetched at all. Przy (best backup big in the league), Outlaw (top 5 6th man) and Bayless (08 lotto pick) for Sessions is WAY overpaying.
I don't think people realize how much it would hurt losing the best rebounder and post defender on the team.
No doubt. He is the toughest player we and is our enforcer. There's just too many question marks left with Oden this year, and until we're sure that Oden can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, losing Joel would leave a gaping hole in the paint on defense.
I don't think it's so much an afterthought as it is awareness of the fact that he is one of our most valuable trade assets (arguably THE most after Roy/LMA/Oden due to the shortage of Joel-Caliber big men in the NBA). The potential Millsap signing is opening up new possibilities in rotations, and giving us new options. Before Millsap, Joel would have probably never been traded. However, we can now wax on about what we could fetch if we included Joel in a trade. Couple that with the lack of minutes and the fact that he can opt out at the end of this season, and I think it becomes clear he is not an afterthought at all-- It's maximizing value.
Exactly my problem with the Millsap signing. If it's a choice between he and Pryz, I think Pryz brings more to the table and at a more reasonable price. Millsap is a glorified garbage player... Certainly valuable, but not at starter's salary with bench minutes. Trying to make him fit minimizes everyone else's effectiveness, forces them to play out of position, cuts their minutes, etc.
