Exclusive |Swept| So it begins - 2017 offseason

So let me get this straight: We won't be able to make any trades for contracts nobody wants. Our current young players have reached their ceiling and won't be able to help move the needle in the short team. The youngest team gets even younger while drafting players that could take up to three to four years to develop. We go into next season with essentially the same roster add three kids. Wow! I think the New York Jets will have a better off season.

 

Dame for Porzingis!

Fight me.

 

I mentioned TY and AJ because Indy is going to want to throw in bad contracts to whoever gets PG. I don't think Chicago would take Turner no matter what we threw in for Butler, it would cost us CJ if we got Butler. We are already over the lux cap next year if we stand pat and as for PG leaving, yes thats a risk but its one i'd be willing to take.

 

Yes, that's actually what I am saying. I don't think there is a quick fix for where Portland are at the moment and making panic moves will only add problems instead of solving them. We could witness it last year when we could not get our targets in free agency (thank God Parsons went to Memphis but still) we went to Evan Turner and offered him a crazy contract, which does not help us at all now. A lot of teams fell into the same trap last season and hardly any of those contracts are now considered even mildly realistic: Parsons, Bazemore, Noah, Deng, Mozgov and even flavor of the playoffs Biyombo are all considered trash, impossible to move contracts. Would all these teams prefer to have $20M in cap space available to them this year? Yes, they would.

There are IMO only a select few viable options:

1) Trade for good players who become available due to their team situation and don't necessarily clog the cap space (see Nurkic). Problem with that is that there are few players like that and to get them, you need to offer some sort of value to the other team. We hit the jackpot with Nurkic while offering a player who wasn't really that strong but it won't happen too often. This is however possible and we should exploit that possibility but IMO only if the player we get still has the room to develop and fits my idea of 'let's compete in 3-4 years' project. So Richaun Holmes, not Thad Young.

2) Use draft picks to get prospects that you can develop into something better. This is a viable option for us because a) we own three of them, b) best prospects available when we are drafting will almost certainly be players in positions which we desperately need to strengthen i.e. small forwards and power forwards. Again, I don't buy the argument that you need 5 years before your young player can play well. We've seen players in the last 3 years making an impact even in their rookie year that would probably elevate us to a new level had it been here. Some of the players who got drafted in 2012-2013 have now been stars for a couple of years or more. If you integrate them properly and they show the potential from the beginning, playing in an environment like Portland where you can get minutes and develop in your best position could quickly unleash the potential in them.

3) Try to flog our high contracts to become a player in free agency and move for players like James Johnson who would maybe consider us. Problem with that is that you would probably need to move 4-5 contracts to do that and you need to find someone who will take those deals. You will also likely find buyers for the better players first, but then could be left with the terrible ones and still no cap space. This is IMO as good as gone opportunity.

4) Try to pretend that players like Crabbe, Turner and Leonard have value across the league and swap them for players who will be more fit for our needs. Again, I doubt this can happen. Crabbe on $8M a year would be easily tradeable. Crabbe at $20M a year is not.

People have come up with solutions like 'trade CJ for PG13' which is basically a one-year rental that could put you in even deeper shit after that year when George inevitably leaves. Unless we manage to truly hit the jackpot, Nurkic like, three times in a row, we won't be competing for championship next year or the year after. It's about putting ourselves in position to compete when it's possible, not making panic moves to maybe get 3-5 more wins next season and then be in even more shit.

 

No fight, but how does Porzingis fit? How does he help us in the playoffs? Outside of Dirk morphing into a combo of McHale and Bird, when was the last time a stretch 4 was the man for a title run?

 

In reference to #3: Why can't we attach the hard to move contracts 1st?

If SAC is willing to give something for Harkless, why can't we trade them Turner as well, as their price to pay for Harkless?

They need young talent, and won't have their 2019 1st. They have tons of cap space, but no one will want to go there, so money doesn't matter. Turner won't hurt them in the long run, so why not accept that? They might even be willing to take Meyers/Davis as well

 

Griffin will leave, then the Bulls will trade for Melo, subsequently trying to sign CP3 to complete 3/4 of the wonder group (LBJ, Wade, Melo, CP3).

I could also see the Mavs trading Barnes and their pick to get Wade and Melo, and then trying to land CP3 and/or Lebron.

I don't think Paul stays though. I could see NOP trading 2 future 1sts to SAC to get them to take on all their salary except for Cousins, Davis, and anyone making less than $2M. Paul returning to New Orleans to join that frontcourt would be very interesting.

 

It has been. I said this last offseason, and people on this board were cussing at me for asking of Neil's seat should be warming up after making all these bad moves. Of course, Paul Allen must have okayed them, but many saw long ago that these were bad moves. It's not just 20/20 hindsight.

Some Neil apologists like Denny Crane spent the whole year trying to convince people they were good moves, "keeping assets", but I think it's clear now the the vast majority of the fanbase what utter HORSESHIT that is.

 

We can but them it's a net zero change for us really, isn't it? We don't get anything of value back, we get rid of one player that doesn't help us but need to send someone/something that does help us in order to do that. It might work but is a bit desperate IMO. Under no circumstances would I attach a pick to get rid of contract, we are not in position where it makes sense. People suggested offering someone ours or Memphis pick to offload Leonard which is absolutely crazy.

 

Nobody will take garbage like Crabbe, Harkless, Meyers or Turner without sending back equally bad players on long contracts. Without attaching draft picks to move contracts, you are just swapping crap. Expect Brandon Knight, Joakim Noah, Asik, Chandler Parsons and Ian Mahinmi to be the level of player available.

 

That would be an incredibly dumb trade. KP is a good #2 or #3. Dame and his intangibles is a clear cut #1. You build around him because guys like him are impossible to find.

 

I see Durant says we need a wing with some length who can handle the ball. And obviously who can shoot. Who the hell like that is available?

I keep looking at Aminu, Harkless and Turner; three guys being asked to shoot threes and isn't it becoming obvious that none of the three is ever going to be a consistent three point shooter? Because of that we basically play 2 against 5 on offense.
Either at least two of them need to go (and it would be Turner and Harkless for me) or we need to play a different system.

 

Look to the draft

 

I took that as a passive aggressive jab at us for not drafting him.

A wing with size who can shoot you say? Lol

 

Haha! I see what you did there.

 

Another thing. There is absolutely no reason to keep Crabbe because we don't really use him. He averages about 8 field goal attempts a game. I just don't believe that this is due to him being not assertive enough. He was the go-to guy on his college team. He is very active out there. But when Lillard drives he is often so focused on getting to the basket, he really doesn't see anyone to pass too. And I understand this is maybe right; other teams focus on him so much that he needs to do everything perfect as he approaches the basket. It's more or less the same with CJ, he has to focus so much on his moves that he doesn't see anyone. I understand that these guys are our most competent and efficient scorers. But if you don't get everyone involved regularly they will never become competent efficient scorers. Did you see Draymond Green driving a couple times; he got close enough to the basket while being guarded by our undersized guys that he could have easily thrown it in, but he chose to pass to open three point shooters. (yeh, yeh, I understand these are proven three point shooters).
Anyway back to Crabbe. He often runs a little route around the outside and then circles towards the basket. He often gets a full yard ahead of his guy, but he never gets the ball. Often it seems it is a bad angle between him and Damon but could it also be Damon is pretty short (as is our entire team; how the hell did that happen?!!)
But to reiterate; we haven't found a way to use Crabbe in all these years, so let's trade him. I think there must be a team out there that realizes he can be utilized better.

 

Yeh, I was thinking he would be the perfect one when I read that.

 

That's the way I am leaning now; and that means trading up in the draft, using players and draft picks.