It doesn't matter. We have the hand we are dealt. Time to move forward. If nothing else comes of this year but Sergio never seeing a minute in a Blazer uniform again, then so be it. Hopefully, by the time playoff time rolls around this year, Bayless will be ready to take some pressure off of Roy.
Why would we deserve sympathy in the first place? It was a lame attempt to try to get more cap space. If Memphis wasn't the one to do it, it would have been somebody else. Even Ainge said that with an up and coming team like Portland having a ton of cap space, we'd be a major threat to everybody in the league. By sending out that letter, it was a dumb move and something that wasn't going to have an affect no matter how it was written. I thought about teams being shy about making trades with us in fear of getting "Pritchslapped." But if a team had a chance to improve their talent or financial situation with a trade with Portland, they'd do it. I'm sure every GM in the league has a major ego and isn't intimidated by KP.
Larry Miller wrote the email. I have no idea why Pritchard keeps getting blamed for something that came from the business unit.
Do people not remember the articles talking about how Pritchard was becoming widely resented by others around the league? But if they know that Pritchard usually comes out well ahead in his dealings, why risk it, especially if they have to listen to him gloat afterward? You bolded "Pritchard and the front office" and then ignored the second half... Regardless, Pritchard is the face of the front office. He takes the blame, just as he gets most of the credit.
Right. He blew it. That is why we traded Sergio and not him. If the entire league let us get that cap space and DIDN'T sign Miles just to fuck us... says a lot. That means 29 teams are REALLY stupid.
Which chance was that? The one where he backed up Sergio when Blake was hurt? If that is the one you are referring to Bayless looked like this in those 14 games compared to Blake's season numbers Bayless 9.6 ppg Blake 11.0 ppg Bayless 2.8 apg Blake 5.0 apg Bayless 2.0 rpg Blake 2.5 rpg Bayless 48% field Bake 43% field Bayless 85% line Blake 84% line Bayless 38% 3pt Blake 43% 3pt Bayless 3.9 FTA per game Blake 1.1 FTA per game So in summary, Blake, in about 10 minutes more per game, scored 1.4 more points per game, had 2.2 more assists per game, had .5 rebounds more per game, was a worse shooter from botht he field and the line, was a better shooter from 3 pt range, and in 10 more minutes per game shot 2.8 less FT's per game. How exactly did our rookie fail? When given playing time he held his own, and in several categories was better than Blake......a 7 year veteran If someone could post Per 36 or 32 minute numbers for the period of time Bayless new he was going to play that would be great. Per 36 minutes for the entire year for both players, so these numbers are much lower for Bayless than they would be for the games in which he actually played a real role in look like this Bayless 12.5 ppg Blake 12.5 ppg Bayless 4.3 apg Blake 5.7 apg Bayless 3.1 rpg Blake 2.8 rpg
I still don't understand how Pritchard being a "cocky guy" has anything to do with how Miller and the Vulcans handled the Darius Miles "fiasco".
I would resent him too if I constantly got my ass kicked by him! Wouldn't you? Or do you like bullies? Just be happy he is OUR bully!
A lot of posters here dislike Memphis and tend to group the GM, owner and front office together when talking about the organization. Actions of an organization can stick to individual people if they are seen as the face of the franchise. I do think KP has developed a bit of a reputation . . . I don't think it will stop other GMs from dealing with him.
I would argue that Blake's assists are an illusion. He gets a ton of them moving the ball around the perimeter to the open guy in the corner. He doesn't get many at all from driving and kicking or pushing the ball up the court. If you got rid of all of the incidental assists, Blake might get a couple a game. This is also my theory as to why his assist to turnover ratio is so high. In short, his assists come from passes nearly any player on the team could make, which makes them extremely low risk. As to that, I say low risk = low reward.
I agree and will add that perception at times supercedes reality in terms of forming opinions, but this still doesn't change the reality and speaks more about the bias of the perceiver than it does the perceivee.
I don't know if Pritchard is arrogant or not, but I think that the team giving away Sergio is an example that the Blazers under KP are not infallible. Teams that target specific players, and pass on superior players or use draft picks that are too early for the targeted players, do fine as long as they don't target the wrong players. Looking at Portland's track record of getting Roy and Aldridge and Rudy, it's been easy to believe they simply are better than other teams at targeting the right guys. Sergio, though? A $3m check to the Suns that bought a chance for a player to pan out... which he did not. If he had been our target (like Claver) he would have been a bust, rather than a good try. If Portland REALLY targeted Claver, Pendergraph and Cunningham, and it seems like they did based on how early they selected each of them, then we'll have to wait and see whether they targeted the right guys. Especially in the case of the two second round four-year power forwards? I doubt they did. Ed O.
I don't think they necessarily gave Sergio away. They acquired around 2 million in cap space. I think it was a smart move.
I heard they got a box of pretty stale Sacramento Kings popcorn. That is a pretty good deal IMO. Probably get 2 more wins this season because Sergio is gone.
They didn't acquire any cap space above and beyond what they were paying Rodriguez. If they had moved Sergio AND dead contract weight (which we fortunately do not have), then I would say they didn't give Sergio away. If anything, moving up 7 spots in the second round is SOME value for Sergio... just not a lot. That we got out from under his contract isn't really evidence, to me, that we didn't just give him away. Ed O.
They acquired 1.6 in cap space. They could just as easily renounced Freeland and Koponen.....two players that have never played a second in the NBA.....instead and saved the same ammount of cap space. They gave Sergio away.