We're inching closer to the season, and it's looking like we won't be making any other moves, so I'm wondering where Martell fits into all this. If he's healthy, where do you envision him? We have quite the logjam at small forward, especially with Rudy logging spot minutes there. How do we keep everyone happy? Let's say that Miller and Blake play all the minutes at point guard. Brandon plays 35+ minutes per game, which could be split between three positions depending on who we play. Who starts? Who comes off the bench? Does Martell sit? Batum? How many minutes does Outlaw log at power forward? Does Rudy play small forward at times?
Martell will be back up at SF, or possibly start, and Batum or Webster will play on a running second unit with Outlaw at PF, LMA at C, Rudy at SG, and Miller running the point.
More and more, it seems like before the trade deadline KP will have to find a trade for another PF. Use our glut to fill a position of need. But if that does not happen, Batum is most important, then Rudy. Get these two guys the minutes they need. Let Webster and Outlaw fight for scraps.
That's a strong point, and the nice thing is it would be for a back-up PF who isn't making starter-type money.
Webster hasn't fit this lineup for 2 years now, and without Sergio feeding him will probably look even more out of place this season as he and Blake have never clicked on court.
If Webster is back and any good then: PG: Miller / Blake / Bayless SG: Roy / Fernandez SF: Batum / Webster / Cunningham PF: Aldridge / Outlaw / Pendergraph C: Oden / Przybilla (Players are in order of minutes at each position...who starts is a bit up in the air. )
Does Outlaw get enough minutes as the backup power forward? So here's another question, if we do a consolidation trade, what position do you target? We have so much talent, it would be difficult to fit any more on the roster. The only position I could see us upgrading is small forward.
We're starving for a real backup PF. Webster, Bayless, Cunningham and Pendergraph should get us a very good backup PF, while ridding us of 4 guys who will never fit this team.
Probably not, but one of Outlaw or Webster is going to basically be reduced to a bit role unless there's a consolidation trade. My guess is that it will be Webster, based on him never having been as good as Outlaw, coming off an injury and coming off a year away from basketball. But I'd first give Outlaw all the minutes Aldridge doesn't take (18 minutes, say) and then give him 7 more at small forward. If Batum plays 30 minutes (which I hope he does, but he certainly might not), that would leave 11 for Webster. If Batum plays 25, Webster gets 16. It'll do. I'd go for a good pre-prime point guard (with Bayless involved in the deal) or an excellent veteran small forward. A point guard to take over for Miller in a year or two, or a really good small forward who helps Portland win now and Batum can take over for in a few years.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but I can't think of a small forward that fits the bill. I would love to pry Stephen Jackson and Ronny Turiaf from Golden State, but I doubt that would happen. Maybe we could convince Utah to do a three way trade with Golden State. Boozer to Golden State and Jackson to us.
Well, if Nate is really planning on playing Miller and Oden on the 2nd unit, then it seems he might want to play Batum on the 2nd unit also. I know that Miller specifically mentioned Batum as a guy whose offensive game he could really help. That's assuming Webster is 100% physically and shooting well. The first unit would need more offense (Webster) with Pryzbilla in there.
The highest PER in Stephen Jackson's career was last year's 16.2. He's a career 41% FG shooter, and he shot 34% from 3pt last year. He did all of this while not playing a lick of defense (DRTG of 114), and his usage rate is on par with Brandon Roy's. All that for $7 million? Sign me up. Let him rot in Oakland.
Hmmm.... that's an interesting theory..... what if Webster is the starter and Batum is the backup? I guess that's possible. I never really thought about that.
Does Webster actually provide more offense than Batum? I think that's pretty questionable. He scored 10.7 PPG in his last healthy season to Batum's 5.4 PPG, but he took significantly more shots to get those extra points. Batum's scoring efficiency was slightly higher than Webster's. And that was Batum's rookie season. With that experience under his belt, I expect Batum to improve in his second season. As it is, I'm not convinced that Webster was a better scorer when comparing his third season directly with Batum's rookie season and with improvement from Batum, I'd expect Batum to be the better scorer. Batum's Assist Rate and Rebound Rate were also higher than Webster's. So I don't anticipate Webster having an edge in any facet of the game next season.
That is the way I see it as well, with the possible exception of Batum and Webster being switched. I posted once before that I wanted Robert Swift as injury insurance, and I would still like to get him for a minimum contract if possible.
Here is a direct comparison of Batum's rookie year and Webster's 3rd year: http://www.basketball-reference.com...m=0&p1=batumni01&y1=2009&p2=webstma02&y2=2008 It is impressive that in less than 75% of the time and at a lower usage rate - Batum's offensive winshare is actually higher than Webster's.