Portlands front court

This chatter about Love feels to me like the kind of play that Olshey would actually be planning for this summer. It would let the Blazers retain their core, add a marquee player, and free up the full MLE for either Hood or Kanter. I don't know how many other suitors there are that can offer Cleveland ending salaries to dump Love's contract, but it seems like a semi-plausible trade scenario.

Of course, that means it's never gonna happen.

 

Sorry I went back to check but must have missed it. I like that idea. Gives us another shooter at the 4. But if it does get us Kanter (Full MLE) , then I would rather give Sacramento Meyers.

 

I think we are saying similar things in different ways. If you dump Aminu and trade Harkless for Bjelica then you do dump $11m in salary. My key point was that you can't cut $4M and get $4M extra in MLE. You have to cut much more. As you show, the easiest way to do that is to not resign Aminu (which I think Blazers non-rush implies they will do), and then trade Harkless (most likely) or Meyers (less likely unless a C comes back) in a salary-favorable deal. This sure looks like what they are trying to do.

 

It sure seemed like the week spots in the playoffs where Aminu and Harkless. Meyers actually did some nice things. Unless you can get a decent C back somehow, I would dump the others. Bjelica could add value, but I really want to see what Daum can do. Daum isn't young and I'm guessing he can adapt rather quickly to a role that just asks him to shoot threes and rebound.

 

I would rather try to sign Hood; I think he would be getting more minutes than Kanter (once Nurkic is back). I think he is really an ideal fit for Portland; bigger guard who can handle the ball some and isolate. I also think the demand for him on the free agent market will be a lot stronger than for Kanter . So maybe there is some way we can give Hood the MLE and still sign Kanter. I know there is zero chance of doing the inverse.

 

Has this been posted before? Woj and Lowe discuss Love to Portland at about the 4 minute mark:

 

Yeah you may be right. When I write it down having another center (Meyers) on the roster might make more sense than another SF.
But Hark does add another versatile wing defender especially if Baze get some minutes at back up SG.

SF: Bazemore, Jake, Little
C: Kanter, Collins, Meyers,
PF: Collins, Bjelica, Skal,

or

SF: Bazemore, Hark, Little
C: Kanter, Collins, Skal
PF: Collins, Bjelica, Jake

 

This would mean minutes for Simons only at PG. We will know more in a few weeks if that is his best spot.

 

Harkless has been one of my favorite players, and the only autographed jersey I have. But, he has always struggled coming off the bench, and has done much better starting. For the team to get better, I think we need to put someone else as the starting SF. If we do that, I fear we might be better dumping him than expecting him to contribute off the bench--which he hasn't done well to this point. People change, and maybe he can contribute off the bench. But, you have to think that Neil and Stotts both are aware of his limitation as a starter and even more so when he comes off the bench.

 

I think you are right about Hark not playing well of the bench. But he is in a contract year, so he better contribute somewhere.

 

A vet headed into his 8th season isn't going to suddenly change who he is. He's too inconsistent to be a starter on a decent team, and he has been horrible when asked to come off the bench. He is just one of those guys who will never take full advantage of his talent.

 

I think vets often mature and accept coming off the bench as they get older. Once they embrace the role they can help a team. Maybe Hark's problem with the bench is more attitude than skill set. It might take going to another team for it to happen though..

 

I don't think it is crazy at all. I have been wondering/hoping the same. Can't wait for summer league to see how he looks. How he handles the ball, passes, and covers the perimeter. I am pretty confident that he is a better shooter. (Regardless of what his FG % is in Vegas)

 

I really like Skal. I think his offensive skillset is excellent and meshes well with the rest of our players. He's kinda forgotten on the team but I think if he comes into training camp and doesn't shit the bed defensively he could figure into the rotation.

But he was never a Portland pick, so I just have this sense that Stotts won't trust him. He could be in the rotation for a few games and have a few bad plays and just get yanked forever.

 

Not to be a smart ass but is being a Blazer "pick' really a determining factor for that? Jake was a Blazer pick and Nurk was not.

 

I've just noticed that Stotts tends to give more leniency to players that were Portland picks/signings. That's all. May be anecdotal.

 

The Kings didn't trust Skal either. And he didn't live up to his potential at Kentucky. So it's not just Stotts.

Skal's young and I think started playing later than most players, and bigs often take longer to develop.

I'm encouraged by what I've seen from him so far, but I caution getting too carried away with the flashes we've seen. He's shown them before. He needs to be more consistent. He has all the tools. That's not the question.

I also think people who keep wanting to casually move Skal to PF are going to be disappointed. I don't think he's ever played significant time or maybe any time at the 4, and I'd be shocked if he sees meaningful minutes as a 4 any time in his career.

 

Won’t count this season because he barely played, but the previous two seasons the majority of his minutes came at the four, with WCS at center. His game profiles best there as he isn’t a great rebounder and struggles with size.

 

I won't say you are wrong, but he only started 40 games and played less than 20 minutes per. I think he was coming off the bench backing up Cauley-Stein. But I could be in error. Won't be the first or last time.