Merged: blazers linked to serge ibaka

I think with Portland, they'd want something like this, with Cleveland's pick and Portland's pick.

Portland's pick would probably become less valuable if they acquired Ibaka, because the team would do better. That said, it would be a huge gamble--if Olshey can keep Ibaka long-term, it's okay and probably one of the few ways Portland adds a quality third piece. But if Ibaka leaves in free agency, that's a big waste of a mid-round pick in a strong draft.

 

I would do that trade..... and laugh that Orlando gave us Harkless for essentially nothing and he was the main piece in the trade for their prize from last summer.

And then I would turn around and try to convince either Chicago or Miami to trade us Butler or Whiteside for anyone not named Lillard.

 

Yeah, that was the only thing that gave me pause--would Orlando take Harkless back, when it wouldn't look great for them? But a rational front office shouldn't let past mistakes cloud their current decisions. Harkless is a better player today then when they traded him and they get two more picks in a strong draft, without taking on any long-term salary issues, for a player about to hit free agency. It's a fair offer, I think.

 

I think ibaka is an ideal fit on the court. His game compliments Plumlee very well. The problem of course is even if he gave assurances that he'd resign, I would hesitate (post Aldridge syndrome.) and the cap savings if he ultimately did leave, just dont interest me much.

 

No way does Orlando want another below average scorer/shooter like Harkless. They would want Crabbe, or maybe even a package of picks + Layman. ibaka is a rental. Vonleh could interest them, but they want to develop Gordon at PF, so maybe not. They're not going to get equal value for Ibaka. They fucked up trading for him in the first place.

 

Harkless is significantly more valuable than Crabbe. He's in the realm of average as a three-point shooter, a solid defender and attached to a good contract. Crabbe is an excellent shooter, terrible defender and attached to an awful contract. Even in an era where shooting is a big deal, defense still matters a huge amount, which is why Anthony Morrow has never been a sought-after player.

 

Suggestion:
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=hz4buqd
They'd probably want picks, too, but we need them more than they do.

 

Plumlee and Vucevic would be an interesting front court for Orlando....Plumlee would make Vucevic into a scoring machine

 

Let's remember who gave us Harkless in the first place. AWK-ward.

 

Looking at Orlando - they've given out some headscratching contracts. Not just Biyombo ($17+M per!) but $15M to Jeff Green? SEVENTEEN MILLION to Fournier!? (Only way they take Crabbe is if we take Fournier, and who wants that?) Over $7 M to Augustin? (Surely you can find guys like him in the D-League? Or close enough.)

They've also given up very quickly on solid young players - Harkless, Tobias Harris, Oladipo...

 

I think Ibaka's reputation is out of date. He used to be a very good defender, but I think that isn't true any more. He's done the "Clifford Robinson Progression" of moving from a useful defensive big to a volume 3-point shooter.

 

I'd say Ibaka has gone from a great defender to about an average defender. If he were still a great defender, he'd have been well worth what Orlando paid and they probably wouldn't be interested in dealing him.

He still brings rim protection and the ability to shoot three-pointers; being able to shoot is a big deal, because it can then unlock successful lineups with a non-shooter at small forward--like Evan Turner!

 

Harkless had one good month shooting. The last two months he's shot sub 30% from deep. I wouldn't call that average. Crabbe is the superior player, but people are obsessed about his contract so he'll never get properly evaluated here until he's on another team lighting our ass up.

 

Well, obsessed by his contract, terrible defense and inability to do anything on offense but shoot wide-open threes. If anyone's within 5 feet of him, he passes. There is literally no statistic that he ranks well in except 3P%.

I thought the era of casually dismissing the value of defense was over.

 

Zach Lowe said been we were after Ibaka last year as a potential FA target in 2017. Then we spent all our capspace.

 

Well, that looks like a fair trade; the PER of our two players added together add up to the PER of their player.

 

That's unfair. He can come off picks and shoot. He's got a little Rip Hamilton to his game - he's not just a spot up shooter.

 

"Youth!" "Potential!"

 

Only a little, though. Hamilton was valuable because he could shoot those shots even when they were contested. Crabbe can shoot those if his man gets hung up on the screen or, bafflingly, goes under the screen. Players always chased Hamilton over the screen and he was still able to take those shots successfully.

 

Personally I have been a little disappointed in Harkless' D. He does come up with steals and blocks shots but he seems to have a tough time staying with quicker players. Not sure about his lateral quickness.

All Neil has to do is send opposing GM's Crabbe's game tape against Grizzlies and they will want him on potential alone. Not saying they should, just that I think Crabbe has a lot more trade value then you think.