In Retrospect, If The Trade Deadline Were Tomorrow..

Has your opinion changed any on KP standing pat?

 

Nope. I assumed nothing obviously lopsided jumped out at the Blazers, so they decided to let the team develop and not disrupt chemistry for the season.

A great move by KP, but I thought it was at the time. They still have the summer to find panicked sellers in a buyer's market.

 

Where are the people who said we'd struggle to make the playoffs if we didn't make a move?

Does anyone really think Richard Jefferson would have put us over 53 wins? I don't...

 

you're counting playoff wins in that total, yes? Or is that a prediction for next season?

 

I voted: 'Not Sure'

I wasn't an advocate for making a trade just to make a trade, and was fine with the deadline passing without any activity, but I will be curious to see if the playoffs reveal some warts that need to be addressed in the offseason. I don't want to sell Blake short on what has been a career year, but I worry about how his game will translate into the second season.

 

Okay... I was just thinking, you know, cause of... math... and all.

 

Would you have traded Raef straight across for Richard Jefferson? If so, how would you have currently seen those minutes distributed? Better question: How would you have seen those minutes distributed next season......when Martell comes back?

Martell is such a freakin' x-factor for me. On one hand, if he can't recover from his injuries or slinks back, then, yes, I think having a guy like Jefferson would have been primo. However, if Martell comes back and plays like he showed during the wee moments of this season, then I'd be in the bake it mode.

 

I still think we should have made a move (if there was a move to make). Raef's contract was simply too valuable. I think it was wasted.

With that said, I never made any claims whether a trade would help us into the playoffs or not. I was looking more long term, with the addition of hopefully a Gerald Wallace or Caron Butler. I'd have to think long and hard about adding Vince Carter.

 

It all depends on what the actual deals were.

I've definitely changed my mind about Richard Jefferson. It's doubtful there's much of a deal I would've liked now.

But if we could have added Wallace or Butler without giving up Oden/Aldridge/Roy/Fernandez, we should have done it. If we could've added Vince Carter for only the RLEC, we should have done that.

With any of those three, I'd feel pretty confident about our odds of making it to the WCF this year, and with Wallace or Butler we would've locked up our future at SF for a decade.

 

That pretty much sums it up. Jefferson was a no. But like you said, the others would have been nice.

 

andre miller or gerald wallace.... hell yes. R Jeff maybe and carter prob not

batum is still way too limited on offense. we will need scoring in the playoffs. the problem is, we live and die by 2 players. Roy and Aldridge. We need a consistent 3rd scorer who gets us 15 every night. Thats not batum. The reason we get behind so much is cause we dont havea steady 3rd option who can score. it will show in the playoffs. i just hope it doesnt show too much.

 

I have the same answer. BAKE IT!

 

Raef straight up for Jefferson? I don't believe that specific deal was ever on the table, but I probably would have done it. Minutes for this season would have come at Nicolas' expense and going forward you end up trading Martell and/or Travis, simple as that. Now are you asking me if acquiring Jefferson would have been a "slam dunk" trade, then my answer is no; he'd be a modest upgrade at the 3 at best. I was much more excited about the prospects of adding Gerald Wallace (for the right price).

As for the prospects of Martell stepping up and being a huge difference maker next season I'm not holding my breath -- despite whatever brief flashes we saw from him in an exhibition game (against the Kings at that).

 

I completely disagree. We don't need a big time 3rd option on the starting unit. Batum plays less minutes than Travis and Travis fills that role when he's in. Also Rudy can score in bunches when he is in the game.

 

Rudy could be that guy.

 

I completely forgot about Martell! What a dummy I am! He can certainly fill that role if needed when he's healthy.

 

Pretty much agree with everything you just said (Scary!! )

Now in the next two years I think Batum has the potential to become a very good offensive player, but in the meantime it would be great to have a great playmaker like Miller or a wing like Wallace who can both defend and score.

 

Wallace is signed at nearly $10 million/per with a player option in 2012/13. He'd be a core player, not a stopgap, and the last time I checked he still hasn't played a meaningful minute in a playoff game. I also noticed how he collapsed on Paul Pierce at the end of the game against the Celtics last week, leaving Ray Allen WIDE OPEN for the winning three point shot at the buzzer. That was pretty much the playoffs for them.

I'm just not sold at all on Gerald Wallace. I think Batum gives just as much defensively, and Nic's already a better 3-pt/outside shooter than Wallace, which in Nate's offense is much more important than having a SF that slashes as his primary offensive move.