This is why you get experience, not the stupid Pritchard strategy of let it bake for years and years. Win now and the future will take care of itself.
I hear that. I've always been a "build-for-the-future" kind of guy, but after the Roy and Oden fiascos, I may change my tune. You can wait for that "golden future" only so many times . . .
You know, I'm at the point where I'm in favor of Kurt Thomas starting. He's more durable than Camby, likely more reliable, and more effective offensively. He has the skill set to defend centers, but is effective enough with the mid-range jumper to complement Aldridge playing down low on offense (as we'd all like to see). With Camby's injury history, I think having Thomas start full time is the right play.
It's funny. I was watching NBATV last evening and Chris Webber was goin' off about Kurt Thomas. He went as far to say that, "Hey, I love Kurt Thomas, and all, but, if he starts, the Blazers are going nowhere this season." I was shaking my head in disagreement. Kurt Thomas is definitely not the "answer" for this team, but, my oh my, he is SO solid. Amazing at his age, actually.
This is what I've been saying throughout the Pritchard years. There are so many cheap experienced players, while we keep giving raises to know-nothing newbies. First McMillan, now Aldridge, say of Thomas, "He knows how to play." Meaning, he doesn't need years of coaching before solidifying. Next time a GM makes us the 3rd youngest team in the history of the NBA, we should line up on the bridge to jump. It's nothing to brag about. It's a gross failure by a GM.
Thomas is 39 years old. Last season, he averaged 23 MPG. Asking him to play starters minutes would be a desperation move.
Thomas is a solid fill in, unlike last year where we had to have Dante Cunningham start at center. Or before the Camby trade when we had to have Pendegraph as the primary backup at center. Yuck. Kurt can fill in nicely and contribute without making bonehead mistakes. But the main problem is Thomas is not a shot blocker, so our interior defense really suffers without Camby or even a scrub Chris Johnson. While I don't think Camby is overall a superior player to Thomas, he provides a strength that is one of the teams biggest weaknesses.
