I say we get rid of Frye and Blake and put Travis at the backup PF. That's ideal. LMA 35-40 Webster 25-30 Batum 20, OUtlaw filling in the gaps. There's just barely enough room.
I'm saying these people will always find something to bitch about, as failure will always be realized in their eyes...Then of course the ludicrous trade everyone proposals start, the crying, the bitching...I'm sure you get the picture.
I agree 100%. These are the 2 issues I would point out first as well. Outlaw obviously needs to improve still, and he will I think...but people have made him the scapegoat. The truth is, our defense is fucking horrible and our PGs can't do their goddamn jobs...that's why we lost.
There are a total of 96 Minutes between both forward positions... with your bare minimum minute predictions of LA at 35 Webster at 25 and Batum at 20.. thats 80 minutes right there.. that leaves 16 minutes For Outlaw.. with our better players playing the minimum... sorry it just doesnt work.
I think Outlaw is a decent bargain for what he is paid. He is relaxed in the clutch and a solid jump shooter. He seems like the type of guy who floats through the game at times, not giving his best effort or at least not playing as determined as he could. When he is into the game, he can be a killer- blocking shots, grabbing boards and driving to the hole. He will also jack up crazy shots with plenty of time on the clock, make terrible passes into traffic, and get discouraged/hesitant for stretches. Travis might have the worst lateral movement of any SF in the NBA... he can barely keep his man in front of him when he has to guard an offensive minded 3; he is a liability on Defense when guarding a strong 4 as well. All the positive mismatches he creates are on offense, however he doesn't seem to know when to take advantage of them most of the time (see Outlaw posting up a 1, only to kick it out to a man who isn't open). Why some folks seem to think he is some kind of amazing player who is untouchable, is beyond me. There is a reason he comes of the bench. He is a slightly above average NBA player who is still inconsistent. Could he break out and become a star? After 6 years in the league, you would think we would have seen flashes by now. If we could somehow use Trav to upgrade at PG or SF, I sure hope we do it. Batum, Webster, and Outlaw= 3 below average starters. Something has to give...
Lol, this is a joke. Outlaw is an above-average man defender...everyone gets beat from time to time though... Where he's terrible defensively is playing a zone. But I like how you point out things that are completely false.
Outlaw is by no means an above-average defender. What games are you watching? you say what I am saying is false...Like what?
Outlaw actually is a very good man defender when he pays attention and is committed to defense. The real problem with his defense is that he is not often paying attention. A shame - because he has the tools to be really good at it.
I would put him in the "gets lit up on a regular basis" group, rather than "above-average". Does he have the tools to be better? Probably. I don't think that it's likely that he will improve markedly, though, given the number of chances he's had and number of minutes he's played. Ed O.
When he pays attention, knows what he's doing, and has practiced the same routine through a bazillion games and practices. The problem is he has a tendency to lapse during games. We've all seen it - the guy ends up out of position and looks lost. I don't know if he's under-thinking it or over-thinking it. He seems like a nice guy who has an incredible host of athletic ability. Unfortunately, at least to me, he rarely seems to take advantage of that ability. In any event, I think that he has one tangible quality that we'd need to find to replace him - and that's the ability(?) / nerve (?) / guts (?) / stupidity (?) to take the 4Q shots. Someone besides Roy who can take and make a game winner. I feel like LMA may be a possibility, but we won't know till next year.
Welcome to the new 'Jarret Jack of the offseason. People who 'hate' Travis and want to cut him are talking out of emotion and are undervaluing his contributions this year, on the other hand people who call Travis an above average defender and laud his 'clutchness' are also speaking from emotion and are probably overvaluing what Trout brings to the team. For me, I can't gripe too much, because he does have the ability to create his own shot no matter what (however dodgy it might be) and in the 2008-2009 incarnation of the Blazers roster, he was one of two rotation players who can make that claim. The guy gets paid a paltry 3.5 million next year to do what he does as a legitimate 12 point/game scorer off the bench and he's consistently had a 15 PER every year he's played If KP keeps him I will assume there wasn't a deal out there worth trading him for, and if he does get traded I'll hope his replacement is a significant upgrade ... if he gets waived it's only because KP has a free agent in his sights that he wouldn't be able to sign otherwise. Travis isn't the greatest player and he's certainly not the worst; keep it in perspective.
This. Although Travis caused me to pull my hair out more than anyone else this season, I think part of the problem is Nate's reliance on him, whether he was playing shitty or not. He got his 30 MPG good or bad, which I think compounded the problems. I can recall times when Batum had good, active first quarters and was pulled in favor of Trout, and not reinserted until after the half. I think he is a fine role player when he is used as one, and not a main crutch of the team.
I'll say again what I wrote, since people can't read...and elaborate a little more Outlaw is an above-average man defender...when he has his head in the game. He does have the tools, McMillan often puts him on the toughest defensive assignment. Where he is terrible, is playing the zone. There's a huge difference, and if you can't recognize the difference between man defense and zone...I don't know how else to explain it. So, he's good on the ball, average in the post, and sub-par in the zone...
Ah... so we can't read what you didn't write. Our bad. I don't buy it. The Blazers didn't play that much zone defense, and Outlaw didn't play good defense the majority of the time. I don't deny that he's horrible at zone defense, but I don't think that he's an above-average defender under any circumstance on a consistent basis. Ed O.
I am still sticking with my original post. Outlaw has a good contract for what he provides- basically slightly above average play. If we can trade him in a situation where we get better value back, I say do it. If not, don't.
unless he is a piece in a good trade, their is no reason to just get rid of him. If he became the 8th man off the bench instead of the 6th, I couldn't picture him disrupting the lockroom. If he was a 10 minute guy and a major backup if we had injury problems, why not keep him. I think we need a more steady bench and we may have open roster spots if they let Channing, Randolph, Raef and Ruffin go. He drove me crazy at times this year, but I look at him as a limited athletic player. He will never get a ton better, but can still have a roll.
