A different angle add Conley Jr. and Varejao?

He only averaged 15/6 on 46% shooting after the AS break and continues to improve and is only 22.

I consider Conley to be a good option for the Blazers.

 

I disagree, I think it means there is friction between Mayo and Conley and that Mayo wants the ball MORE. Memphis has cast its lot with Gay Mayo (hmm disturbing image) and it looks to me like Conley is the odd man out.

Just as I think Rudy will fare better on another team, and Jermaine O'Neal wasn't getting the kind of touches/minutes he needed, so too do I see Conley improving dramatically on a less dysfunctional and frankly shitty team. His assist numbers would almost certainly soar on the Blazers, he shoots well and is fast. I see no reason why he isn't compatible with Roy and is worth a look for the Oden angle alone. I'm not saying mortgage the team but how long do we keep the Miller training wheels?

More importantly do you have a better idea? Please don't come back with obvious shit like Rondo/Rose/Paul/Deron. Collison is my plan B after Paul FWIW. Conley is plan C and I bet dollars to doughnuts is an improvement for this team over Miller. He just looks like a better fit next to Roy/Oden in my eyes.

 

Yup. Repped.

 

You and I agree, but I don't think Roy and Nate do. Just my opinion

 

Exactly, my entire point in one sentence. Repped.

 

What about Conley doesn't fit with Roy again? Or Nate for that matter? Honest question not baiting or sarcastic believe it or not.

 

Any PG would like to have the ball in his hand, even Blake does - he is just smart enough to know when to let go and can be effective without it - which definitely works for Conley. Conley's usage% of 18.4% in Memphis is very low for a PG - and he is not completely useless without the ball. In comparison - Andre Miller had a usage% of almost 24% in Portland - I suspect that playing next to Roy will actually make Conley happy - when the alternative is playing next to Mayo, Rudy Gay and Z-Bo...

 

Many ideas. There is a vast array of backup PG who are better than Conley who can be had for the right price. Hell I would even take Mo Williams over Conley, and he is available.

Mike Conley has many problems, and I suggest you watch some more film before making that suggestion. When you do, watch and see if he is capable of finishing with both hands. For that matter, watch and see how good he is dribbling with both hands. He can only hit 3's if his feet are absolutely set. He is not that great of fast break decision maker, he is more of a burner who is the guy you throw the ball ahead to and hope he beats everybody up court.

 

Just a gut thing I guess.

His defensive rating is worse than his offensive rating.

His asst/TO ratio was ok I guess, but nothing to write home about. 45th in the league, behinf Miller and Telfair. (Blanky was #17 for example)

 

Well I certainly don't have access to film of Conley. I know some of you guys do have that kind of access and I will have to yield to you on the specific points you made assuming you do have the ability to view film. Mo Williams is quite a bit older then Conley as well. Do you really think he would be a better fit? And if so why haven't you been pushing for a trade for Williams?

 

DRtg really can't be taken seriously as a judge of one's defense ability.

 

I have to disagree with you here, unless you mean it's a reflection of team more then individual effort. However, they kind of net that out by guys being off the floor. When teams have stable units you would have a point. I think Drtg is the closest we have to a measure of defensive prowess. It's better then looking at pure blocks/steals for example.

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=4516

That's one of the best examples of measuring defense. Defensive rating combined with on/off court impact.

 

Whatever they said! Repped!

 

Where do you see on/off court impact?

 

A bit later on in the article.

 

Ok, Mea Culpa. Maybe he really is coming into his own. I freely admit I barely watched him this past year (maybe 5 times in total) I just thought it was strange that the Grizz seem to be really interested in pushing OJ "combo guard" Mayo as their PGotF over him -- which tells me that he wasn't able to get the job done. I did a little digging on Conley and I take back what I said about him being an imminently average player, his stats at 82games.com surprised me. He hasn't had a great effect on their defense in terms of +/- but the Grizz were a full 7.3 points per 48 minutes better with him on the court than off, so maybe he adds more value than shows up in wins and losses.

Hell, if none of these other guys are available (Paul, Parker, etc.) and Conley can be gotten somewhat cheaply (Maybe Bayless straight up?) then I guess I'd be willing to see the Blazers take a flier on him.

 

You know who the absolute perfect PG would be to play alongside Roy? Chauncey Billups. Now, unfortunately, he's old as dirt now, but that might make him gettable, and besides, it's not like Miller's a spring chicken. Another advantage Billups has over Miller is that he actually seems not only to LIKE other people, but to have a positive effect on them. It's no accident that Denver went through the roof when he arrived, and that (no shit) Rip Hamilton was literally reduced to tears when he found out Billups was leaving Detroit. I say get Billups for this year anyway, and for his Juwan-Howard-Intangibles-on-Steroids effect. He can mentor whatever guys we think will play in his spot (Johnson/Williams, or even Koponen on the outside chance he was brought over. You could include Bayless in there, but I have given up on him as a PG, and he's included in this trade:

Portland gives up:
Miller, Przybilla, Bayless and Rudy (and maybe Pendergraph, because I'm not getting the impression he's NBA material)
gets: Billups, Varejao

Cleveland gets: Miller, Przybilla, Bayless, Balkman (Pendergraph?)
Denver gets: Mo Williams, Delonte West, Rudy (Pendergraph?)

Denver gets younger and gets Linas Kleiza replacements
Cleveland gets a PG to run with, and rid of overpaid Mo, who won't suit Byron Scott's new game plan. They also unload West, who is just an unpleasant reminder of unpleasantness.

Now Portland has a little bit more roster room, and can either bring over a Euro or two or keep Patty Mills.

 

How about we find a PG who best fits the team, and let Roy adjust his game accordingly? We have too much wasted talent playing the style of basketball Roy likes to play, which Nate seems to cater to.

As to the idea of getting a combo guard, which allows Roy to run the offense....Oooof! When has Roy ever shown the ability to run the offense? Yes, he does a decent job of kicking out to jump shooters, but that is not running an offense.

 

I get what you're saying, and I said it myself a year or so ago. I think you need a good enough and veteran enough player that Roy will respect and accept changing his game a little for. I think Billups might be that, and Billups can also play off of Roy when needed. But if there's a single player that our PG should work best with, I would say it's Oden, because Roy can get his own when necessary, but Oden needs to be given the ball in the right place to score, and encouraged when doing so. Again, Billups might be the guy to help. Nene looked like a bust for a few years until Billups came along.

Agreed. If Brandon Roy is our PG, then we have a below average PG (or rather, a great player whose PG skills are below average).