I don't think so in either case. Chandler is five days younger than Okafor, but has played several more seasons than Okafor. Let's look at career numbers: Code: Chandler Okafor Games 537 326 Minutes 15061 11212 Rebounds 4841 3516 Blocks 756 621 Points 4413 4630 Career PER 15.3 17.7 Okafor is pretty clearly superior in terms of career PER, primarily, I would guess, based on his superior scoring. Last year was even more lopsided, with the PER differential at 18.0 to 13.4 for Okafor. Chandler battled an injury that caused the Thunder to reject the trade they made for him, and it's TBD whether that was a one year blip that hurt his production or something that will linger moving forward. In the SHORT run, they save money... several millions over the next couple of years, with a possibility of getting under the luxury tax with another move or two. Saving money in the short run and getting a superior player at the same time is not a bad strategy, but it's definitely a gamble financially... Ed O.
His productivity has been higher virtually every year. His last two seasons, Miller's PER has been over 18. Turkoglu averaged around 16 for the past two years. He was barely average this past season. In addition, Miller can replace Blake while Turkoglu replaces the more valuable (due to defense and likely improvement) Batum. Yes, but when it is attached to a player who isn't all that good, like Turkoglu, it's a problem. Miller is better and his much lower financial drag makes him even more of a positive. I'm afraid that makes no sense. The idea that Turkoglu was frightened off by someone meeting him at the airport with a sign is beyond ridiculous. I agree that the trainer-with-a-sign was a bit silly, but no free agent decides the next five years of their life because there was a guy with a sign at the airport. What makes this even sillier is that we know Turkoglu's reason for choosing the Raptors. There's no mystery to speculate about. His wife preferred Toronto due to the greater Turkish population and generally more European atmosphere. This was explicitly reported. Sometimes things don't work out. The Turkoglus preferred the city of Toronto to the city of Portland. Shame (if you like Turkoglu as a player, which I didn't) but that's not Pritchard's fault.
And what if Paul Allen used his own private satellite system ala' Google Earth to find the Fountain of Youth in the Everglades and agreed to give some of it's waters to MJ as long as he signed with Portland for 10 years at the LLE! And what if Giant Spacehamsters crawled out of the sewers in NOH and Obama declared it a disaster area invoking an overlooked provision of the CBA that states "Any city hit TWICE by disaster status in a 5 year period must immediately trade their starting PG to the Portland TrailBlazers" PG: Paul SG: MJ SF: Roy PF LMA/Okafor C: Oden I think we might challenge this year if we play our drug induced hallucination right...
A little too soon to do Michael Jackson jokes, man. And did Ponce de Leon fail only due to lack of GPS?
LMAO, obviously I meant the G.O.A.T a man I scorned in his time because he was godlike and we had passed on him. I grew up watching Bird, Magic, Kareem, Drexler, Isaiah, KJ, Barkley, Malone, Hakeem, D. Robinson, Ewing and Jordan. There is no question in my mind that many of those names will be in the HOF. But Jordan surpassed them all and after awhile seemed sometimes bored with the game, you know like those 10 games in the 72 win season. I didn't realize how good Jordan was until he retired and I'm still waiting to see it. LBJ might do it some day, but he hasn't yet of course he hasn't had a Pippen either. Kobe to me is not on MJ's Level. Even if Kobe wins 6 rings I will respect his offensive talent and all around amazingly skilled game. Still, Jordan I swear to god would just destroy LBJ and Kobe I just know this to be truth. I just wish I did have access to a fountain of youth, MJ signs with the Blazers (like he should of) and I get to watch him hoop Kobe and LBJ 7 times or more a year. Here's hoping Roy does it in his place and that Oden aspires to levels of the great centers I mentioned.
Yes. I don't agree with them on that. I'm glad with how things worked out. I don't think positions are actually that hard to compare. Unlike baseball, where you can have a pitcher and hitter doing very different things, all players in basketball are doing the same things: scoring, passing, rebounding, handling the ball and defending. Some positions gravitate toward emphasizing more of one over the other, but all of them are still valuable at all positions and you can compare the total production and defense. I agree that your stated reason is why Turkoglu got a big contract. I think "playing a key role in a long playoff role" is often how players get overpaid. The organization seems to value Miller relatively lower than I do. I always preferred Miller to Turkoglu. Miller, though, would have been my third choice, too, after Sessions and Millsap. I'm glad they took a shot on Millsap and I wish they had on Sessions.
I guess that depends on what role he's asked to play. Miller has proven to be a PG who puts up some stats but isn't a winner. Hedo isn't very efficient but has a unique skill set that not many players his size possess. Are either of them difference makers in the "Summer of Cap Space"? I doubt it, but I hope I'm wrong.
Michael Jordan was good at putting up stats, too. It's interesting how points, rebounds, assists and lack of turnovers help teams. He's a total winner. But when he's on a roster with 14 non-winners, he's out-voted.
Andre Miller is exactly like Michael Jordan. Very astute. He's a winner, he just isn't a lead player on a winning team, and he's never won. Other than that, everything is perfect.
Yes, in that he's a player to whom stats are attributed. That's how he and Jordan are alike. He's a good player who has been on teams that didn't have enough total talent to win. Absolutely.
Prior to last season this same statement could have been ascribed to Brandon Roy, hell he still hasn't made it out of the first round!!
Totally agree with your ranking of FA and RFA's. Sessions was my number one target followed by Millsap. I literally got a sinking feeling in my stomach when I first heard that we were signing Hedo for $10 and 5. My relief over not signing Hedo greatly exceeds my happiness that we signed Miller. He was a low on the totem pole option for me but light years ahead of Hedo. Turkoglu's contract has this written all over it!
What's he supposed to do, talk to the wife first and woo her? Come on, she wanted to live elsewhere and he accommodated her. Can't say that I blame them. Sounds like a good family to me. Might as well choose the best place for themselves to live as long as they are making all those millions anyway.
I hate when people do what I'm about to do... But buck Williams was never on a winning team before he came to Portland either.
