We didn't win a championship yet. So until we do we can't say whether anything has succeeded or not. No one considers us serious title contenders at this point either. We are in the "B" colum of contenders...actually C A-level: LA Bos CLE B-level SAS Orlando C-level PORTLAND DENVER Dallas and this is after we have exhausted the cap space that was supposed to put us "over the top".
What was the Pritch/Miles history?? Anyone else know some teams are less likely to do business with Pritch because of not wanting anything to do with a "Pritch-Slap"?
Incorrect. What is supposed to put the team "over the top" is Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Batum, Bayless and Rudy reaching their primes. Portland won 54 games with Oden, Batum, Bayless and Rudy as rookies (and Oden still recovering from surgery). In other words, they won 54 games with those four key talents the worst they'll ever be until they start declining due to age. Reaching the best they'll ever be is what should put a 54-win team over the top. Turkoglu is just a solid piece to put alongside those players.
Thank you. Someone else gets it. Some fans just think you need 5 all stars in a starting lineup to win it all.
Sorry to break it to you, but just because we accelerated our time line due to the fact that Brandon Roy turned out to be a superstar in the making, Aldridge turned into one of the top 10 power forwards, and we lucked into landing one of the best big men prospects, it still doesn't mean we're championship contenders this year. If you're not patient enough to wait 2 years for this team to get enough experience to come to fruition, it's going to be a tough couple of years.
Yep, it's all about finding the right fits around our core players. Hedo was certainly the best guy on the market to fit around the core. People are just so hung up on the 5 years, $50 mil, I think, rather than the player itself. But you're going to have to pay up to get some quality players in free agency.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/01/rival-gm-on-kevin-pritchard-fk-that-guy/ I would call Miles an absolute FAIL - from the beginning to end - including little Kev's involvement. Also, there's something to be said for being humble and keeping working relationships with other GM's.
i have no problem with the first three years of this deal, but i'm just concerned when our real window opens hedo will be slipping greatly with age and we'll have his bloated contract with little production. and i don't believe in over-paying for a guy who had a good-great two months but hasn't been all that the rest of his career. if pritchard is keeping true to the SA method, than he can't overpay for role players and i think that is what he has done here.
I hadn't noticed that you had formulated your post as a question. I don't think it is MIXUM, he was funny, and had a little class to boot.
The team believes the window is open now. They wouldn't have made this deal if they thought it wasn't. Sometimes, you've got to pay up to get better. The Lakers are paying a combined $10 mil for Vujacic and Walton.. I think Hedo is certainly worth it. And considering this is the result from trading Zach, who is making $16-17 mil over the next two seasons, this is a good deal.
Only time will tell if drafting Oden was the worst Blazer mistake since drafting Sam or a wise move. If Durant, Horford, Noah, Law, Thornton and others continue to develop and Oden continues the injury tight-rope walk, it would prove Kevin lucky in a few situations but a failure in the grand scheme. I have nothing but positive things to say regarding the transition from Jail-Blazer to today's team, but confidence in Hedo simply because Pritch is driving the bus is terribly nearsighted. Is McRoberts a better pick than Gasol? Freeland over Millsap? Some GM's state they refuse to even talk to Pritch because of his arrogance? Pritch has some success and some failure. Hedo will be one of his failures.
Simply look at the Blazers' record over the last three seasons. That's my measuring stick. Really, is there any other way to objectively do it?
You're posing that as a question, and I'm going to have to answer that "no." If there are GMs who refuse to deal with the Blazers because they don't like Kevin Pritchard, then they're idiots. It means they're cutting off one of the more important trading partners in the league - and I'm not just saying that because I live here, it's because Pritchard is a dealmaker, and if you're not talking to him - even if it's just to gather information - then you're missing out on gaining info. As for your completely asinine and premature comments about Greg Oden, I just don't know what to say. Talk show hosts like Colin Cowherd and John Canzano frequently ask NBA observers and insiders in other parts of the country about whether Oden seems like a good or a bad pick, and they all say the same thing: "he showed some good things last year, it's too early to say he won't prove to be a smart pick at number one." If you're trying to make a case that Pritchard is fallible, I wouldn't use Oden, because it's way too early. Could Pritchard have made a few better picks? Yes. But it's hard to argue with the rapid improvement the team has managed under his leadership. I'd stack his record as a GM over the last three years against any manager in the NBA. I'm not saying I trust him to always make a great decision, but he's worthy of some deference.
True...good point. Not even mentioning the character change of this team. My point is Kevin is not flawless and has put our organization in a position where some teams won't even discuss options with us - because of his practices. The jury is out on Oden. Hedo? He is old. He is not the defensive banger we need. He is expensive. He is not a big rebounder, defender or high % shooter.
