it just dawned on me last night at the game watching Outlaw's athleticism that we need to keep this guy around for as long as possible. i wasnt always on the Outlaw bandwagon, which can waver and get creaky at times. it's hard for us fans to sit back, chill and get a scope of the league and how each team, conference and division fit together. very few organizations in this league would still have Outlaw on their roster after drafting him out of HS, but now EVERY team in the league could sure use him. he is averaging 12pts and 4 rebounds per game as a bench player, on most other teams he'd be at 15-16+ pts and 6-7+ rebounds. he's all class, he hustles and he cares. he can create his own shot and proves to be a mismatch for many teams. it is a skill to be able to come in cold and create for yourself. i just think we all take him for granted saying, "well he makes so many dumb mistakes" or "there's a reason why Batum is starting..." and so on. but you know what? how many players on how many NBA teams make royally dumb mistakes every night? he is only going to continue to get better and i would just hate to see the day when/if he's playing for another team (hopefully not in the West) being one of their main guys, scoring points. so what if he f--k's up every once in a while? i am the furthest thing from a headless optimist, but Outlaw is one player worth keeping around. i mean this guy turned himself into a 3pt and jump shooter...how the hell did that happen?!
To be honest, the only position I'm remotely interested in upgrading at is at PG. I like Steve Blake, but I do feel we'll maybe have the opportunity to make a run at Sessions, add a different vet, or *gasp* promote Sergio (boy have I fallen in love with that dude's game). Everyone else are keepers for me.
I wasn't always the biggest Travis fan, but he's won me over lately - becuase he's been playing great man-to-man defense. He's really been putting in an effort on defense lately - and that's something I value. Now, he brings both instant scoring - and active defense off the bench. That makes him twice as vaulable in my eyes. I also think he'll play a big role in the Houstom series. In Artest and Battier, Houston has two big, strong, excellent perimeter defenders. Unless we have two wings that are serious scoring threats (Roy and Outlaw), it will free up one of Battier or Artest to double Aldridge (our biggest offensive advantage in this series). As much as I love Batum, I think we'll see a lot of Outlaw at the 3 in this series. With Roy, Outlaw and Aldrdidge on the floor, Houston will have to guard all three straight-up - which will allow Aldridge to use his length for some easy baskets against Scola/Landry. BTW, Rudy has also been VERY active on defense lately. He's really hustling and moving his feet. He did a GREAT job on JR Smith last night (limited him to 5 points after Smith went off for 45 in his previous game). His 3-point record got all the attention, but I was even more impressed with Rudy's defense last night. With Rudy and Outlaw, the Blazers have two guys coming off the bench that can light it up - and both are now bringing a ton of defensive energy to the 2nd unit. BNM
nice recap Boob, i agree with everything you said. but in reality one of the reasons why im scared about the Houston series IS specifically the matchup you spoke of: Artest/Battier vs. __________. we will likely see a bunch of Outlaw, but we cannot expect him to win that matchup, not now. Artest and Battier are seasoned vets with playoff/big game experience. in a couple more years yes, but Outlaw is still getting better and is much younger than both.
I like Travis, but he needs to work on the other phases of his game. He could be an elite defender with his length and leaping ability. He should be as disruptive as Rudy in transition. He needs to learn to effectively move without the ball. I want him to learn how to rebound. Travis has shown that he can improve his game if he works on it. I want him to work on more than shooting the ball.
Yeah, I always throught Outlaw was a great luxury to have off the bench. Even then, I'm liking him more and more thanks to his increased defensive energy. If he can be a defensive asset (his defense last night was amazingly good), he's really, really valuable. He's such an electrifying scorer...he looks so natural and effortless and can hit really difficult shots. He's better than Rudy at creating his own shot (though Rudy is better at creating shots for others), which gives him a big role off the bench. I'd love a consolidation deal in which Portland gets a really good point guard but, failing that, I'd love to keep Outlaw long-term. In the future, a Blake/Rudy/Outlaw/Someone/Przybilla bench is going to be stunningly good. All four of those players are ideal reserves.
Outlaw doesn't need to win that match-up. He just needs to command enough defensive attention from Artest/Battier to keep them from doubling down on Aldridge. If Houston can't double down on Aldridge, Portland WILL win that match-up. BNM
I was really down on Outlaw earlier this year. I hated his stupid mistakes, but since the break it seems like he's playing so much smarter. As mentioned in an article are two, his 3 point stroke has been kind of off, but I don't even really mind because he's almost completely eliminated his "oh good lord..." moments. The issue becomes, are we going to give Webster a chance to prove himself? If we have Batum and Webster, Outlaw probably won't get many/any minutes at SF, making him our backup PF. I'd still be alright with drafting a backup PF/C to bang in practice and potentially step in if one of our bigs gets injured. I really am not ready to get rid of Webster or Outlaw. I think Webster can be a valuable part of this team as well, and we should at least wait until partway next year. Give him the same type of tryout we've given some of the reserves since the all-star break. Keep Outlaw. Keep Webster.
