If the franchise isn't going to compete for a ring in the next four years, nit doesn't matter that neither are franchise guys. Keep LMA and trade his LMAEC when it's time to go for the gold in 2015. You probably won't get a franchise guy in return for either or both, so keep them and build up around them.
If Aldridge keeps playing at anything close to what he's done the past 7 games, he absolutely is a franchise guy. Since there's not much possibility of getting a franchise player any other way, I think we'd better hope that he continues what he's been doing.
Completely agree - if LMA continues playing like has the past few weeks, he's definitely a franchise player. There's no way you get equal return on his talent by trading him now.
A hobbled Brandon Roy's PER this year - 15.0 A healthy Wesley Matthews' PER this year - 15.7 That's why Matthews isn't untouchable, nor should he be.
At least Matthews's PER is going up, not down. I'd be interested to know what his PER as a starter is.
I sure hope it is going up, and that it continues to go up. He's barely floating above average right now, and he's replacing an All-Star. Wesley has been terrible the past three games; hopefully he picks it back up at the RG tonight.
I think it's silly to label anyone the Blazers have had since Drexler in his prime as "untouchable". Kobe and LeBron and Howard and (probably) Durant are untouchable. Chris Paul and Brandon Roy (healthy) and just about every other NBA player is touchable... for the right price. Aldridge and Batum might be two players that the Blazers see as part of their future and put at a value higher than the market. That doesn't make them untouchable, even if it makes them very very unlikely to be traded. Ed O.
Wesley/Batum/Aldridge probably won't make you a contender any time soon but at least they will keep you competitive and are fairly young. You keep them and hope you luck into another impact player and see where it takes you, and maybe, just maybe, Roy can eventually give the team something consistently. Oh yeah, there's that Oden guy too!
If POR could use Batum to get Favors and possibly Harris as the 3rd team in a DEN\NJ deal...then yeah, I'd say bye bye....
Untouchable doesn't exist. But resistant to the idea of being traded does exist. No player in this league is untouchable for the right price.
Yes I agree that would be interesting. Favors and Aldridge on the front line would be very formidable, athletic and versatile front line. Devin Harris would inject speed and playoff experience. Right now though I think the absolute hugest problem for this team isn't necessarily the starting lineup though. The bench is flat out horrible. Depending on who went out in order to bring them in, if somehow we could grab one more decent bench player I would jump on it. I don't care which team it comes from.
