The injuries make it kind of tough to maneuver right now, but I absolutely agree with the bolded bit. Maybe KP really does have a long range plan, but I haven't seen much evidence in the past year that this is the case. You sort of get the feeling that he's banking on getting everybody back healthy and then rebooting and trying the same strategy again next season -- that is, keeping the team stockpiled with 12 rotation quality players and hoping it all works itself out. I think we'll have a clearer picture of any long range plans after the trade deadline and once the summer rolls around.
Absolutely. And I'd take it step further and play players no more than 30 minutes per game. That goes for Brandon.
maxie you and hcp should fight for the biggest "typical blazer fan award" "next year" "we dont need a trade" kpee is doing a great job" "oden will be fine" my god thats what is sad..... talk about wimpy little bitches throwing in the towel caus ethey are scared to see the team fail... hmm maybe the posters have taken the gms idenity?
Mixum actually right for once. The people that want to quit on this season are ridiculous. Seriously, get a grip.
Oh come on. He quit on the team almost before the season started. He's just building them up as legit playoff contenders so he has an excuse to bitch if they by chance don't make it.
Has nothing to do with w/e Mixum is doing. The fact is this team is currently in the playoffs and to quit on the season just because it's going to be tough is ridiculous. I haven't seen Houston quit yet, and they've been without Yao all year.
If he is currently playing on a bum Hamstring they yeah I would say sit him for a few games so he gets right. That is an injury that can get worse in a hurry. I would not advocate sitting him just to sit him though. That would be foolish.
Ok. I see that, but we have those players now. IMO, it should be everyone else shouldering the load right now. We don't need to trade for more offensive firepower. We have Bayless, Mills, and Webster to tide us over until Blake, Fernandez, and then Batum returns. Why the coaching staff or Brandon is so hell bent on playing 40 minutes a night (I actually don't know what his minutes are), I don't know. We'd need to qualify this with some real scenarios. If we're talking about moving any of our young guys, I'm against it. If we're talking about moving Blake or Miller, I'm down. No one is going to touch Outlaw or Przybilla, so I'm not thinking about them. Caron Butler >>> Martell Webster. And always will be. I'm of the opinion though that Nic would be the asking price, and I do believe that not only will Nic be, overall, as good as Butler, but that, defensively, he's going to be far better, and that's a skill I desperately want to retain. Not to mention that Nic's prime years are all ahead of him, but fast approaching while Butler could be on the downside of his by the time we're truly ready to compete for a championship. Additionally, I like the idea of bringing guys up in our system rather than bringing them in from outside. Certain guys have done very well at adapting to our "culture", but we run the risk that an outside talent wouldn't mesh well and/or our existing players would be rubbed the wrong way if one of their teammates were moved. It could affect chemistry and I don't want to touch something that's so solid. There are a number of reasons why I'd rather stand pat.
I don't want to sit Roy. I just don't want to see him killing himself now. Kill yourself when we're at full strength and gunnin' for a title. You think playing Roy for no more than 30 minutes is hilarious?
IMO prime players for a team should get about 36 minutes a night. 36 minutes keeps most high end players happy, but keeps them from getting broke down.
I don't think anyone wants Portland to quit, but if a player, like Roy, is dinged up then he should sit. It would be far worse to lose his for any time next season because the team decided to play him in a meaningless game. Portland has no real shot at winning a title this year, so all of the games are meaningless.
I would still love: Blake/Outlaw/detroit pick to Utah Prince to Portland Boozer to Detroit I know that Prince has been hurt a lot but we'd have to see how he plays after he comes back. The guy doesn't quite fit into what they're doing in Detroit, and could really help out our defense and court IQ for a while w/o being a hefty contract. He doesn't however provide much frontcourt help at all. I still think the consolidation of Blake/Outlaw would be good personally.
I have talked with LittleAlex about this. We both concur a suitable season would be making the playoffs, getting the #8 spot, and punching LA in the mouth before going out.
I guess the question is will the above line-up be good enough to contend for a title. History tells us no. The above line-up does not have a legitimate number two offensive option. Oden, as good as I wish he would be, cannot be counted on. Joel is a 30 year old man coming off of a horrific injury and was never able to shoulder the offensive load even at 100%. Aldridge is content to shoot the worst shot in basketball 6 times a game and seems allergic to physical play in the paint. Webster is having the best 4 game stretch of his career but I am not going to bet my house it keeps going. Batum and Bayless are good but 2nd fiddle good is a stretch. Frenandez is coming off of back surgery and plays the exact same position as the number one option. Cunningham and Pendergraph are good players for second round draft picks but to assume either of them is capable of scoring 20 a night seems like a pipe dream. Mills has only played 4 minutes of NBA basketball so who knows how he will turn out. Blake and Outlaw are as good as they will ever be and that simply isn't good enough to be the number 2 man on a contender. If we are talking about what the team needs to do to build a contender then standing pat is not an option. If instead we are talking about what the team needs to do to become a "one and done" playoff team then standing pat will work just fine. I sorely want to see a finals game played in the RG before I die. I want to see them build a contender. In order for that to happen I firmly believe they will need to make a move of some sort that will involve a guy or two the team will really miss. Portland isn't going to get something for nothing. All of this assumes that Portland will ever be able to make such a deal. It may be that no team would be willing to part with one of their best players without Portland giving up one of it's best players in return. That would be a lateral move that gets Portland no closer to contention. I am guessing Portland will not be able to pull off such a deal. To be honest I am a bit depressed about the future of the current team while being proud of them. One of the biggest tragedies of this season is the fact that we still have no idea if the team as currently constructed can contend and we aren't going to find out for at least another season if we ever do. Portland has bet the house that a trio of Roy, LMA and Oden can get them to the finals. Today that looks like a sucker bet.
I agree. I had been hoping that Aldrige would turn into that guy that would be the 2nd scorer, but he is looking more like a 3rd scorer to me. This season there are more games averaging in the low teens than in the 20's. I keep hearing Aldridge saying that he wants to make an all star game and he wants to be a top tier guy. Talk is cheap. Back it up. He is in his 4th year. Right now I think most folks would struggle to identify a 2nd scorer on this team. A 2nd scorer that works like a machine and shows up 9 out of 10 nights.
I really like Prince. His style would fit so perfectly next to Roy. If that was the cost to get him, wow, I'd do it in a nanosecond. Prince, even in a down year, even with an injury, gets me more excited than a healthy Butler. I really don't know why. I know, it's absurd.
Are you serious? You know he has a ruptured disk right? I have freinds with ruptured disk. You don't get over them. Ever. Disk replacement surgery, which is the only treatment option, isn't even legal in the USA. Back injuries end more NBA careers than knee injuries. That is why I am worried about Rudy. They may be playing it down, but back injuries are serious bad ju-ju for NBA players.
Looking at Detroit's championship roster, most wouldn't have thought they were your typical championship roster. Roy and Aldridge with a matured Bayless, Batum and Oden may be a legitimate contending starting lineup. Add an additionally seasoned Pendergraph, Cunningham, Webster, and Fernandez off the bench, and that's, for me, a title contender. Title contenders can have an offensive unit that's either unbalanced or balanced.
