I'd love to see Channing come on at the end of the season, like he did last year. Lord knows, we're going to need him if Greg is down for a while.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately Maybe the pre-season injury that he rushed back from ahead of schedule set him back more than we gave him credit for?
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately No, these guys are robots. If they aren't back 100% the second they set foot on the floor, they're bums. Bums who are dumb, lazy, pot smoking drunks who have their priorities completely backwards (and sleep with any woman who gives them the time of day. Even old grannies).
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately Yeah I've been really pleased with him, he's really elevated his play, which is great for the team and makes me happy for him -- he needs a good stretch in the next month and a half with his contract coming up. Unfortunately I still think he's a bad fit for this team as a backup, the guy is clearly one of those types that needs ample playing time to be effective and isn't well suited to coming in off the bench as an energy guy or hustle guy in short bursts and he duplicates too much of what LaMarcus gives us.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately It's pretty clear that he needs consistent minutes to be effective. It's a shame, because he can really be an effective player, but there's no room for him with a healthy roster.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately I think that Channing is a better backup four than in TO. And in a four player rotation, he'll get plenty of minutes. When he's gotten those minutes and been healthy, he's been effective. I think he pairs well with Przy. We have two sets of outside/inside 4/5's-LMA and GO and Przy and Channing. He'll get a better offer elsewhere, so I don't expect him to stay.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately Actually you make some really good points. Channing is a better backup 4 than Trav and he can also play the 5 in a pinch. My main point is that he probably needs 15 or so minutes minimum per game to be effective as a rhythm jump shooter; assuming Greg gets healthy, there are going to be precious few backup minutes available with LMA getting about 36 per game and the center position being manned by our two center tandem. As for offers I would guess he'll get something in the neighborhood of 1.5-3 million from some team that has need of a backup 4 who can spread the floor a little bit with an outside shot, Charlotte springs to mind; he's played for Brown before and they are pretty thin in their frontcourt bench.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately I don't think Frye pairs well with Prz as backup 4 as long as Outlaw is the backup 3. Outlaw and Frye are both perimeter scorers who don't rebound especially well, leaving us with somewhat redundant offensive games and Prz as the only rebounder. Find a new starting SF and move Batum to backup SF and I like it, though, as he would add a bit more consistency on the glass. I'm not so sure Frye will be gone. His rights will obviously be renounced, but in the above scenario I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back for a cheap contract. I don't see any other team paying him much and it's clear that he likes Portland.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately I suspect that Webs will return to the starting three and TO is traded. I think Nico steps in as the backup three. As an aside, Channing has handled his demotion like a real pro. He hasn't brooded or stopped working. I can't help it; I like the guy.
one thing about channing ive noticed lately, is he isnt afraid of contact. or right now is not shying from it. he is scrapping for rebounds.
Channing is a good guy. I like Outlaw too, but he seems like the optimal guy to trade if we're taking on more contract this summer.
Re: Couple of Nice Games by Fry Lately Really? I don't see Webster getting back to full fitness this season, at this point it'd be surprising if he even cracks the rotation. For sure, next season it's on between Batum and Webster, but my money is on the frenchie. His defense is already better than Webster's ever was, and, while admittedly he attempts less, he's almost as good a 3 point shooter as Webster (35% vs 39%). To further go completely off topic, anyone else realize that Outlaw's contract, if picked up, will still only have one year left? He may have the bad luck of being overlooked amidst the 2010 free agent crop; then again, maybe there will be a lot of teams with plenty of cap space and no players that want to play there (hello, Memphis...)
Probably the most encouraging thing about tonight's win was seeing Channing actually attacking the basket and finishing at the rim. He seemed to have fallen in love with that jump shot - but we already have plenty of jump shooters. We need more guys scoring in the paint. He did that tonight, and as long as he continues to do so, he will get minutes. If he goes back to being a soft perimeter player, he'll be back on the bench. It's all up to him. BNM
besides a slight advantage as a shooter, Martell has nothing skill wise over Nic. Being both younger and in his first year in the league, I'd expect the gap between the two to grow if anything. Does anyone think Travis is worth more then a MLE contract? Especially in these economic times, I doubt he garners a better offer from PDX or elsewhere. STOMP
In a normal economic climate I'd expect Travis to get a deal right around the MLE (5.2 million IIRC), but with the way things are going, and projections of a massive revenue decline I'm guessing his 4 million per year deal is pretty close to market value.
