Blazers getting "Closer" to reaching a deal

with Chicago for TT


Smokescreen, gotta be

http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/20035997

 

Why do you say smokescreen? You mean KP's trying to obscure the fact that he'll probably make no trades?

 

No, smokescreen by Chicago...

 

Seems like there is so much contradictory info being leaked that this one might have a chance...1 week to go until we know...

 

I guess.

Pesonally it fits the profile of what KP would be after. He's been long rumored to like Hinrich, and Tyrus would give this team a solid backup 4 with legitimate shot blocking skills for at least 30 games and maybe more if they decide they really like him.

I'm not wild about getting either player, but a Dre, Roy, Hinrich + whomever backcourt has some nice potential for the next couple of years ... although I'm a little leery of Kirk's production on offense which seems to have fallen off of a cliff the past couple of years, and Thomas (while flawed) does provide some hustle, some toughness and some attitude.

 

would be kinda funny to get thomas and aldridge.

we traded him once.... why not get him back?

with that said... thomas is a PF not a center. not even close.

 

dwight thinks we deal


We’re about a week away from the trade deadline and I think that this time around, the Trail Blazers are going to pull the trigger on something.

Two reasons:

First, the obvious — the team needs another big man. And make no mistake, this is a long-term need, not just a temporary fix. Last summer, Portland chased free-agent Paul Millsap — indicating the team felt then that there was a distinct need for another big body who could rebound, play defense and provide inside scoring.

Now, with Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla out for the season, that need is magnified. So there is a definite need for another “big.”

But on top of that, the more serious motivation for a deal is the pending logjam at the smaller positions as Travis Outlaw and Brandon Roy return to the lineup after the All-Star break. Already, there are too many players for the available minutes. We saw at the beginning of the season how hard it is to keep everyone happy with playing time.

It’s not fair to coach Nate McMillan to keep making him deal with those issues. And the team’s roster is seriously out of balance with way too many small players and not enough big ones.

And really, doesn’t this team know by now who it wants to keep and who it is willing to deal? I would certainly hope so. My guess is that Martell Webster, Outlaw, Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless are all available.

Who will come back in a deal? Your guess is as good as mine. There are undoubtedly players out there available who we didn’t know about. Kevin Pritchard will find somebody. I would guess there’s a young big man, perhaps a little more untested than we’d like, out there who could grow with this young team.

With the deadline now less than a week away, it’s going to be a fun time.

 

I could get behind a deal for Thomas. That's an investment in the future that also solves short-term problems. He's not a true center, but he's big enough to masquerade there, or let Aldridge slide over while he plays PF.

Thomas is in a similar situation to Rudy. Lots of hype about upside when he was first added, yet despite significant minutes he hasn't been able to prove he's high quality starter material when opportunities arise.

I'd prefer Bass or Milsap, but yeah, I could get behind Thomas.

 

i agree but we arent getting milsap or bass.

 

As I've said before, I think going after Anthony Randolph or Tyrus Thomas would be wise. They are both young and would fit with our core group well, IMO. I would prefer Randolph, but it sounds like he's out for the season. With Thomas, you get another big to help us this season, and if we keep him around, a true backup 4. I've never been sold on the idea of having Outlaw be our backup 4.

 

Thomas a center? I remember when he was drafted, it was pointed out that he and Rudy Gay were weirdly identical - same height, same weight (same hops). Would you play Rudy Gay at center?

 

Agree that TT is a good fit here. He's not an out-of-the-park kind of an acquisition, but he's got some skills and he fits the age profile. Thinning the herd in the small positions is a good thing.

I don't think there's any way the Blazers take on Hinrich. His contract is ugly, his production has fallen off a cliff the past few years, and we don't need another guard.

 

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if the Hinrich and Thomas deal makes sense. Neither player is a star, but they are both serviceable players who can play a role, and while it would probably take a 4 for 2 deal to pull it off, I'm warming up to it ... Something like this maybe?

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yzha65w

In the end that leaves us with the following lineup this season

Dre/Hinrich/Mills
Roy/Rudy
Batum/Dante
Aldridge/Thomas/Dante
Howard/Pendergraph

And this the next

Dre/Hinrich/?
Roy/Rudy
Batum/Dante
Aldridge/Thomas/Howard?
Greg/Pryz/Pendergraph

You still have some decent outside shooting with Rudy, Batum, and Hinrich to help space the floor some, you've got a guy in Hinrcich who can defend two positions, Dante can play some backup 3 or 4 at a cheap price, Thomas proivides a very different look than Aldridge at both ends of the court and you presumably end up with a more balanced roster that's got some actual depth in the frontcourt where it's probably needed with Joel and Greg's injury history.

The Bulls do it because they get cap relief for this summer (and remove Thomas' caphold) and they get two serviceable players in Bayless and Webster.

 

I wouldn't mind acquiring Thomas, however I do think there are some more intriguing options out there....namely Andris Biedrins or Caron Butler

 

I agree that I'd love to take Biedrins over Thomas.

 

I agree. Hinrich has had a rough year shooting, but I believe it is due to the fact that Ben Gordon took more of a load scoring wise than Chicago believed before letting him go. That additional pressure has caused problems for players not ready for it. Here he would have Roy to take that pressure off and return him to where he was a year ago.

I believe both players would increase the toughness of the team, which this team really needs. Both have playoff experience, including that epic series against Boston last year (one of the best playoff series in history IMO).

Tyrus Thomas you have to weigh the postives aganist the negatives. While he tends to drive you crazy on offense occasionally, sometimes he comes through due to crazy athleticism (much like Travis does). Unlike Travis though, Tyrus Thomas has defense in his game. He blocks shots, and he gets steals. He can finish on the break, just throw it up and let him go get it. If he was actually playing more than 20 minutes a game, he would be averaging up near 10+ rebounds a game. Almost 7 rebounds in 22 minutes is a great ratio.

Hell who knows what happens with his game if you give him to Bill Bayno for a summer. That guy has worked wonders.

 

Thomas and Trav are both players without a great feel for the game, but where Travis is mostly a gunner on offense, with little defense, Thomas is poor (or inconsistent) offensive player but an energy guy on the boards and on defense, generating a lot of steals and blocks per minute.

 

I honestly don't see an improvement this year, or next. If we're trading four guys away, I'd like to see an improvement. At best this is a lateral move. IMO.

 

Lateral in what sense?