Only IF natroyallen let him...Tight Jeans made it clear that natallen (and thus roy) have the power to nix trades and have in the past..... mr. allen makes the call. just wish we could trade mcmuffinroy.
I voted "Yes", but I realize it's unconventional. What is the reason KP always cites for not making mid-season trades? Disruption to chemistry. Chemistry comes from playing together. Exactly how much chemistry does this current team really have? Miller's minutes have been all over the place. He clearly isn't getting along with the coach. We lost Przybilla and Oden. Blake missed significant minutes. Bayless and Webster earned rotation minutes that will probably evaporate when Rudy and Batum come back. Blake has sucked for most of the year, played well for a few weeks, got pneumonia and is back to sucking (at least for now). Howard went from "locker room character guy resting his creaky bones" to "starting NBA" center, and nobody being realistic should expect him to last a full season and a playoff run logging 35 minutes a night. Aldridge is gimping. The only real "chemistry" out there is between Brandon Roy and the basketball. Everything else is in such a state of flux that it's hard to argue a major trade would really disrupt what the Blazers are doing. In fact, having a healthy and viable Rudy, Blake, Batum and even Mills dumped into the mix just as JB, Webster and Miller are hitting their stride seems to me to be a bigger chemistry nightmare than trading a few of those guys for a quality big. I'm expecting Nate to be told to play all these guys as much as possible to prove they've really recovered. This next month is going to feature some weird-ass lineups. But once the goods have been proven healthy to KP and the other NBA GM's, I have to believe we're going to make a move. This roster is just too out of whack, and we're relying too heavily on a 36 year old 6'8 power forward to play 35 mpg at center.
I see what your saying, but injured players are hard to trade. Even if you got them to trade, you would also have to get them to waive the physical. So besides KP not having a history of trading, I see that as a card against us.
Hidden positive: It's now possible that instead of trading any of our players ranked 6-8, we may be able to trade players 9-12 instead while still adding a piece we desire. I voted NO. But am hopeful for consolidation of talent. I'd still take a chance on Bosh for Aldridge if we could get some kind of idea that he'd resign with us.
Well, I think the plan is to play all these guys as many minutes as possible over the next month and prove they're well on their way back to 100%, if not already 100%. The trade deadline is Feb 16. Rudy's back tonight. Blake's already back (although clearly not 100%). Batum is due in a few weeks. There's still just barely enough time for all these guys to recover to make something happen.
Well by that time, Blanky will have dropped about 20 doughnuts in stat column. So good luck with that!
I think if Mills continues to tear up the D-League, he'll warrant some interest from other GM's. I don't see him as a major target for any team, but I could see him as something of a sweetener. Nearly every NBA team has guys in the D-League who aren't playing remotely as well as Mills.
I think this year is different because Blazers are going to need another big man anyways. It isn't like KP is a mover and shaker in the off season when it comes to big trades. KP has got to pull off a trade to balance the roster . . . why not before the trade deadline v. summer. It gives this season a chance and helps the chemistry start for next season. Now obviously KP isn't going to trade for a half season quick fix. But the problems are deeper than that. 5 guards with 4 expecting to get lots of PT. Webster playing well with Batum coming back. For the sake of chemistry, a trade should be made and I'm not convinced that KP waiting till the summer is going to make it that much easier to get a good trade. He has got to pull the trigger at some point . . . I say during the season while teams are trying to free up cap space this summer for the craziest free agent class in the history of the NBA.
No...KP overates POR players and generally doesn't like dealing during the season b\c of "chemistry" issues...I doubt the whole Miller situation has changed his thinking...I think he is wrong...I think he should...NEEDS to make a deal, but I think he has cold feet...
From the outside looking in, all that makes perfect sense. Some kind of trade seems sensible, even inevitable, and there is nothing to be gained by waiting. It still isn't going to happen.
For those who are certain KP won't make a trade, do you think he's losing any sleep over relying so much on Juwan Howard? Because if I had KP's job, I'd consider every day Howard is able to lace them up a gift. I can't imagine he's thinking to himself, "Yeah, he'll work for 30-35 minutes a night at center for the next 43 games, plus the playoffs. It sure beats parting with any of the 5 guards I have who all want to play 25-40 minutes a night." It's just not good arithmetic.
Outside of his refusal to draft Blair, can you name one time KP has made a move based on injury/health concerns? To answer your question, no I don't think he is losing any sleep over Howard.
No I don't think he is losing any sleep at all. Portland still wins a lot more than they are losing with him in, and it's Nate's problem not his.
Now there is one possibility I didn't talk about that might (Note...MIGHT) force a trade. Paul Allen and his cancer. Paul may just say to hell with it, and intervene, at least to a certain extent, because he is not sure how long he is going to be withus. That is the wildcard I cannot predict.
Apparently, that what happened with the firing of Jim Mora Jr. It was Paul over-ruling the other decision makers.
A secondary question might be...what might be the Blazers biggest need following the injury returnees? Personally, I think KP should let it ride, go ahead and let Blake walk, then work to make a trade involving Outlaw, and (either) Rudy/Bayless for a nice PG to compliment Miller. Crap! Then I look at that and say to myself, "Shoot, do we heve everything we need right NOW? Should KP just go ahead and re-sign Blake, keep everyone else, then roll with that next season?" I'M SO CONFUSED!!!! .....................in a good way, that is.
I vote "no". I don't think he's going to find a trade partner who isn't going to try to take advantage of our situation.
