I just don't see the Blazers going over the salary cap

Some people thought we were getting Durant and Whiteside. You can't blame them for being a little disappointed. I'm not because I know Lebron is going to sign here.

 

There's a few different levels of interesting going on here.

1) I understand wanting flexibility for attaining future assets Varejao/Miller-style (it's kind of my schtick).
2) I understand not letting assets go away for nothing in return (again, something I'm known for advocating)
3) I tend to look for the things in young players that are projectible with patience, and generally have higher tolerance for keeping a young player around to get him coached up.
4) I have no idea what some of you are thinking when you say that you don't want a Hall of Fame, championship-winning center with some serious gas left in the tank (all-star last 2 yrs, 2nd-team all-NBA in 2015,5th in blocks last year, 6th in rebounding) and whose only history of injuries was plantar fasciitis a few years back, because, in large part, it will stunt the minutes of someone like Mason Plumlee and require the team to renounce a guy that many of you didn't want to offer a 4th year option to, and a guy we literally picked up for free last year and who played 18mpg on a less-stacked roster than the one we're about to go forward with.

I'll put it this way: EVEN IF you think Gasol's not worth 4 years...EVEN IF you don't think he's worth 20M/yr...how many All-Stars/All-NBA players of ANY age do you think are even open to coming here as FAs?

 

Mo wasn't his young guy.
Crabbe can stay at whatever contract we match.
Cliff and Luis can be re-signed for vet min contracts and retain Bird Rights.
He should've thought of that in the Afflalo trade ( )

Basically, if it comes down to it we will have traded away Meyers Legend (and if you want to count it, Henderson) and our cap space for Pau Gasol and Evan Turner. I don't think that's horrible.

 

Not saying he will. Stoked if he does. Can't believe those who want the likes of Ian Mahinmi or Cole Aldrich instead, or are lamenting renouncing Leonard and Harkness if he does.

 

How do you know Pau is open to coming here?

 

I have no idea other than the same tweets and reports you're reading. But that wasn't the point. The point was that, IF he is interested in coming here, even if it's only b/c Uncle Paul is backing up a Brink's truck for him, it's interesting to me that so many people on here are stating that they don't want an "old guy", especially if he's so expensive that we have to renounce Harkless and Leonard for him. There was a ribbon of thought floating around on Cole Damn Aldrich (unrelated to Harrison F'ing Barnes) being a good fit. And my contention is (and has been) that, IF a Hall of Fame, championship-winning center with some serious gas left in the tank (all-star last 2 yrs, 2nd-team all-NBA in 2015,5th in blocks last year, 6th in rebounding) and whose only history of injuries was plantar fasciitis a few years back IS interested, and it just so happens to be at our biggest position of need, opportunities like that don't come along often and it's interesting to me that anyone would be anything but stoked that that's happening, especially if it's for the price of our cap space and renouncing Leonard and Harkless.

If he chooses to go somewhere else, forget about him. But go ahead and (the collective you) bring up a name of a recent All-Star or All-NBA player (center or otherwise) who we're rumored to be able to get through free agency or a price lower than Leonard+Harkless. I'll wait.