There's no way were getting rid of Rudy. A player like him that brings spark off the bench and seems to always make the hustle play and get to the loose ball is an asset around the league. KP isn't letting him go anywhere.
he's more of a proven talent, but you don't know that he's actually superior to batum in upside (pointless information but interesting - batum has a much higher PER than gay after 3 games). i wouldn't have a problem trading outlaw for him : ) by the time batum has gay's current experience i certainly expect him to be much better than gay in those categories, if he's not already.
Wingfield was on the team for fewer three years, and it was over a decade ago that I thought he had so much potential. Further, I don't say I NEVER make mistakes. And I think you misremember my position on Roy. I actually defended him in the week (or so) leading up the draft. I wasn't in favor of us using the 4th pick on him, but was delighted that we were able to get him for a lower lottery pick. I disagree with all of this. The stats don't indicate he's just a scorer... he got over 6 rebounds a game last year. Over a steal and over a block a game. While the latter don't indicate good defense, necessarily, that Gay might not be an above-average defender shouldn't shock anyone. He just turned 22 years old in August. And I would bet, if you are who I think you are, that you haven't really watched Gay play much. And, further, if you are who I think you are, you would have a horrific aversion to the Blazers trading two international players. Ed O.
Barf. I mean BARF!!! I would call for KP to be fired immediately, because it would be obvious that he had gone bat-shit crazy.
I don't know that Gay's hypothetical lack of focus on defense says anything about Batum. And I think it's a stretch to say Batum is an above-average defender already. He has played 43 minutes in three games in his NBA career. If he were REALLY that good defensively at this point, I think he would have played more. Ed O.
There's nothing to deduce. Gay played the small forward and shooting guard spots last year, chasing guys around the perimeter. Outlaw played a lot of backup 4, which put him in a better spot to rebound. Ed O.
I don't think Gay is going anywhere, so no need to waste time coming up with senarios getting him to Portland. Conley would be good value for Outlaw and I would be for it if we can move Blake and or Sergio with some other talent to bring in a starting quality 3 man.
I stand corrected. I could have sworn I saw him playing shooting guard last year in spurts, but I might be wrong. Ed O.
One thing Conley can do is get to the basket. He is ridiculously fast with the ball in his hands. But so was Sebastian. While it'd be the smart thing to do, Outlaw for Conley, part of me just doesn't want to see Outlaw get traded. He's easy to cheer for. With that said though, I think the Blazers have been a better team with Batum on the floor this year. Batum can score points without dribbling the basketball. He can rebound and block shots as well. Also, I think Bayless will be better than Conley. Bayless is a fighter and I think would eventually beat out Conley for the spot anyways.
I would like to point out when I saw Conley getting to the basket at will last year, it was against the Blazers. Steve Blake can't guard crap.
I'm a fan of Conley. I can come up with pros and cons for this deal. Ultimately, for me, it comes down to narrowly supporting this deal. It's a risk, since Conley hasn't made noticeable improvements since this summer, but his age, speed, and relationship with Greg pushes me to grudgingly support this move.
but the fact that batum is 3 years younger and 2 full years behind in NBA experience, and (for whatever indication 43 minutes are worth) might already be a better defender than gay has to say something about one or the other, or both. we'll see. i'm just going by what i've seen in those 3 games. you watched them. nate was plugging him in specifically for defense.
Throwing Gay into the mix is like the Griz saying Conley for Outlaw would work if you throw in Roy and Javaris Crittenton. Memphis has been praising Gay all year last year and this summer basically said he is the kind of player you build around. He isn't going anywhere. But I do agree . . . it is fun to play with the thought. We almost stole the whole class of '06. For a "weak draft" a starting line up of Roy, Gay and Aldridge sounds like a championship core to build around.
I think you might think rightly on who I are, but you think in awfully stereotypical terms if you think it's just because they're "international". For example, fool that I am, I wouldn't trade Aldridge for Dirk Nowitzki. (And I'm not a huge Aldridge fan.) Gay is just one of those fool's gold players, the patron saint of whom just got traded to Detroit.
I'd do Outlaw for Conley in a second. Hell, I'd do Outlaw and Bayless for Conley. But there's no way in hell I'd do anything close to the trade Same Smith suggested.
