Marcus Camby first day news thread

OSUBlazerfan · Feb 16, 2010

VIA JQ:

None of players will suit up tonight
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Nate Mac video reaction to Camby
[video=youtube;7Mnrfa66l3s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mnrfa66l3s&feature=player_embedded[/video]

Nate McMillan: extra $ from Paul Allen signals organizational desire to into the playoffs and not take a"try to get ourselves step back."
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blazersedge

@pdxtrailblazers Roy sounded a bit down about Outlaw, who Roy referred to as "his best friend", but said he'd feel better when Outlaw was back on the court.
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Will Camby play tonight? KP: "I don't think so." Medical tests forthcoming.
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blazersedge

Kevin Pritchard tells me Blazers will absorb full cost ($1.5 - $2.0 million) of Camby's bonus provisions, including likely to reach 65 games
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blazersedge

Kevin Pritchard disputes report of Camby's unhappiness last night: "That's not the report we've heard talking through his agent."
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Blazers hand out press releases announcing Camby trade. "I'd like to express my deep gratitude to Steve & Travis." -- KP
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OSUBlazerfan · Feb 16, 2010

Essence, Blazers A, Clips F - Grades
http://realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/867/20100216/grading_the_deal_blazers_get_camby/

Kevin Pritchard once again made a trade only a rich owner could afford by acquiring Marcus Camby in exchange for $1.5 million (as well as paying Camby's bonus provisions) along with Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw.

With both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla out for the season with injuries, the 37-year-old Juwan Howard has been playing 31.5 minutes per night since the first of the year, something he hasn't done since 05-06. Howard didn't sign on for that kind of duty and the Blazers couldn't afford to keep trotting him out there for that many minutes per night. The Blazers have lost nine points per 100 possessions this season with Howard on the floor, as he's been horribly outplayed at both center and power forward.

Camby is also firmly in his mid-30's, but he has a lot more milage left and is consistently competent on both ends of the floor. He has the best rebound rate in the entire NBA and though he has unquestionably slipped as a shotblocker since leaving Denver, he is still an effective off-ball presence in that role.

Offensively, Camby isn't having as good of a season as he did in 08-09, but his 55.6 TS% was largely an aberration from his career mark of 50.9%. This season, it is down to 49.7% with his struggles happening during a frustrating month of January offensively.

He likes to play at the elbow offensively and has a jumper that must be respected, though he is not nearly as deadly as new teammate LaMarcus Aldridge.

Camby is an underrated passer and facilitator and he creates a ton of extra possessions with his ability on the offensive glass.

Camby isn't too thrilled about being dealt to Portland, but an almost 36-year-old, 14-year vet playing for one more contract won't let that affect his play whatsoever, especially since he could be back home in Los Angeles by the beginning of May.

The Blazers were also interested in Brendan Haywood, who was dealt in a seven-player trade last week to Dallas. Haywood is the better defensive player and is significantly younger than Camby, which would open up the possibility of him re-signing if things began to look especially bleak with the recovery of either Oden or Przybilla. Washington was rumored to be asking for talent, along with cash, which made that concept of a rental feel far too costly.

Blake and Outlaw have been very good veteran role players for the Blazers over the past few seasons, but were non-essential expiring contracts.

Blake became a dead man walking as soon as the Blazers signed Andre Miller this offseason, because either Jerryd Bayless would begin commanding minutes, or they would pull together some assets to make a run at a young starting point guard. Blake had a career season in 08-09, starting 69 games, but he's always been a back-up in starter's clothing despite the 289 career starts. His numbers across the board got worse this season and he's a few days away from 30.

Outlaw is just now hitting his prime and is set to sign a contract with another team this summer that wants him more and has more minutes available than the Blazers could offer. His versatility at both forward positions has been hugely valuable, but the younger, cheaper and more offensively gifted wing options of Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez makes relinquishing Outlaw an easy decision.

The deal from Portland's perspective was an easy one to make because they should be virtually guaranteed a playoff spot for the second straight season, which is fairly crucial for a young team, and the price tag is far from prohibitive. They also managed to block Camby from going back to Denver or more importantly to Oklahoma City, who would have been significantly buoyed by Camby at their weakest position.

Grade for Blazers: A

This deal is a morale buster for the Clippers, who get no assets back in return other than the cash. They should have at least received a heavily-protected first rounder or even the draft rights to Joel Freeland as something to take back to their players and fans. The Clippers weren't making the playoffs clearly, but mustering a full effort over their final 30 games will prove extremely difficult.

Camby had a lot of value in this market because he is an expiring while still holding value over the stretch run of the regular season and playoffs. While I realize the Clippers also want cap space this summer, they probably won't have enough space to sign a max free agent without a sign-and-trade anyways and they could have held out for one of those deals instead of getting nothing but money for Camby.

DeAndre Jordan, the floor is now yours.

Grade for Clippers: F

Read more: http://realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/867/20100216/grading_the_deal_blazers_get_camby/#ixzz0fjITzI1o
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OSUBlazerfan · Feb 16, 2010

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...umnist=hollinger_john&page=TradeGrades-100218

Grades from Hollinger, Insider only

OSUBlazerfan · Feb 16, 2010

True Hoop blog - Cool Conversation

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/po...m_medium=twitter&utm_term=#hoops #basketball

The Los Angeles Clippers are trading Marcus Camby to the Portland Trail Blazers for Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake and cash.

All the players have expiring contracts.

For the Blazers, Camby remedies an enormous basketball problem: The total lack of centers since Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla's injuries. It also puts a bounce in the step of a team that has also endured injuries to Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez and, to a lesser extent, LaMarcus Aldridge.

On ClipperBlog Kevin Arnovitz once wrote the definitive story on Marcus Camby's defense. Arnovitz is a Clipperologist with an analytical mind. I'm a Blazer fan with a blog that needs some smart thinking about this trade. Here's the conversation we just had:

Abbott: OK, so big picture. When you first hear of this trade, as a Clipper fan and a hoops geek, what's your thought?

Arnovitz: The Clippers have officially surrendered the 2009-10 season. That's not to say that the deal is ill-advised, but I think anyone who has watched the Clippers closely this season knows that Marcus Camby has been essential to any success they've had on the court.

Abbott: That being said, why trade his expiring for other expirings?

Arnovitz: We'll know more about the specifics of the cash changing hands once the deal is official, but Portland's cash represents real savings for the Clippers. I also think we're learning that short-term rentals can get you one of two things (1) marginal players with expiring deals (2) impact players with longer deals. At the end of the day, the Clippers decided that they didn't want to compromise their cap space ... but the opportunity to net a couple of million dollars was attractive.

Abbott: Before we get to talking about Outlaw and Blake, tell me what I can expect, as a Blazer fan. We should be having a party, right?

Arnovitz: Camby is one of those guys who polarizes basketball junkies. Some think he's one of the game's best defenders. Some think that he's completely overrated as a defender and point to his pick-and-roll defense as evidence. (He has a tendency to drop back on virtually every screen.) After watching him closely for a couple of seasons, I now fall into the first camp: He's tremendously effective. The Clippers were 7.7 points per 100 possessions better with Camby on the floor. He leads the league in rebounding rate. He's also a good facilitator in the high-low game, and leads power forwards (his nominal position as a Clipper alongside Chris Kaman) in assist rate. The kids in the locker room look up to him and the coaching staff thinks he hangs the moon.

Abbott: I noticed on Basketball Value that adjusted plus/minus suggests Camby's not only an elite defender, but also one of the Clipper's best offensive players.

Arnovitz: Yes. He knows how to move the ball from the top of the perimeter. And he is a master of the offensive tip.

Abbott: By the adjusted plus/minus metric, he's a top 30 NBA player.

Arnovitz: I think that's a fair assessment. My favorite Camby moment of the season: After his 25-rebound performance against Chicago last month, I asked him if rebounders can get into a "zone" the way scorers can. His response: "Sometimes you feel like the ball is like a magnet. But with me, it's not about just going out there and getting it. I study my opponents a lot. I study the projectile of the basketball, try to get myself in a good position to rebound shots." Henry ... I love a center who studies projectiles

Abbott: You just like that he's a little geeky.

Arnovitz: Who wouldn't want a center who studies projectiles?

Abbott: Geeks win championships!

Arnovitz: Yes they do!

Abbott: OK, so we had talked about something like this a while ago, and you had your eyes on Martell Webster. Who is not in this deal. Is that a disappointment?

Arnovitz: Sigh. Absolutely. The Clippers are in a funny place, in that -- for a losing team -- they're rock solid at four positions. Small forward is the missing piece and there was an expectation that a deadline deal for Camby might allow them to fill that hole in the long-term. In my fantasy world, Webster (or Luol Deng) was that guy.

So tell me about Mr. Outlaw.

Abbott: I have thought about that player way too much, and will struggle to keep this concise. But some ideas: When he came into the NBA he could not shoot A LICK. Every time he started to, he'd coil and spring in the most bizarre fashion -- some guys lean right or left when they shoot. He would get his upper body going in both directions before he landed, which is really amazing.

It is to everlasting credit, however, that the guy has learned to become a very special kind of shooter. Few NBA players go from never being allowed to shoot to having repeated plays called for them with the game on the line. And every single player who ever makes that leap is, you can guarantee it, a hard worker. Which matters. Travis is frank that he really wants to be a star. That's his motivation, and I believe he'll keep working hard because of it. He's a real-deal long athlete, he has this ability to score. He's also everybody's best friend, and to my eyes an important part of why the Blazers have generally been a cheerful team.

However, he is not the most aware player. Some players are really quick thinking, but that's not him. The exact cluelessness that makes him impervious to crunch-time pressure also makes him a liability in complex defensive schemes. His defense has gotten much better, and the sky's the limit for his individual D. But you know how Boston so cleverly rotates to keep everyone covered with help? Hard to picture him thriving in that system. And, there was a game the Blazers lost when Brandon Roy was doubled in the corner on the big play, and he seemed to have no plan. Afterward, we learn that Travis was supposed to have cut down the lane, but for some reason didn't. Which was too bad.

Arnovitz: In your eyes, do the Blazers instantly become a potential Northwest Division champion now that they have a top-shelf center who can protect the basket?

Abbott: They're five games behind Denver, with intimidating Utah and Oklahoma City in between. This is an amazing division, now and for many years to come. At the season's outset, when the Blazers were all healthy and training camp was something to dream on, the team made news by rigorously refusing to admit to any goal beyond winning the division. It seemed so modest at the time. Now they have been so hurt -- Roy is the ballgame, and he hasn't played in weeks with a tricky hammy that could act up any time. Even with Camby, they still only have one real center -- it's easy to see that they could finish second or third in the division and still declare the season a success.

To me the more important accomplishment is they are now certainly once again a team with the potential to make things interesting in the playoffs.

Arnovitz: And the logjam at forward ... this clearly eases that?

Abbott: Right. For Portland, a big part of the analysis is that while one can love Outlaw, when healthy he was only going to play limited minutes, during which time a good player like Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster or Rudy Fernandez would be on the bench. Camby brings his production in place of Juwan Howard and Jeff Pendergraph. Both Howard and Pendergraph are total gamers who have been fun to watch, but both are playing both out of position and out of their primes.

Arnovitz: In that spirit, I’d tell disappointed Clippers fans something else: They’re going to see a lot more of DeAndre Jordan, and I think that’s a good thing. Jordan will take his lumps and occasionally embarrass himself, but his development is vital for the team’s future. The void left by Camby will potentially give Jordan an intensive two-month boot camp as an NBA starting center. They’ll also see a bit more of the irrepressible Craig Smith, who can score 1-on-1 from the block in bunches.

Abbott: If you have a player who goes by "Rhino," you ought not cage him.

Arnovitz: Precisely.

Abbott: Now, let me play Steve Blake's agent for a second.

He has not been great this year. Andre Miller has been better, especially since his argument with Nate McMillan. Since then Miller has been remarkable, and I was telling people all All-Star Weekend that it did not ring true that Miller was done in Portland. However, coming off an injury Blake's shooting numbers are a little down. But over the last several years, Blake has been a very good shooter. He's that best of things: A player the other team will leave in the corner -- he's usually the fourth or fifth best offensive player -- but who will also stick the open 3 when the ball is swung. He's not done. But for a shooting slump, he'd still be everyone's darling. And to those who say he can't lead an up-tempo team, David Thorpe says hogwash: He ran one of the fastest offenses in NBA history in Denver in 2006.

He's an intense dude. A workout maniac. Sometimes in crunch time I feel like he goes into intensity overload. At the line, with the game on the line, his face does not portray cool confidence. However, I think you want a passionate worker like that. Everybody in the Blazer organization loves having him around, and it wouldn't shock me if he was a Blazer again some day.

Arnovitz: The Clippers are in an interesting spot with regards to their third guard. Sebastian Telfair has a player option of $2.7M next season. The Clippers would clearly like to move him -- and were reportedly hoping to do so in a package that included Camby. Telfair should be back from injury fairly soon. When he returns, would the Clippers banish him to the end of the bench in favor of Blake in an effort to induce Bassy to seek employment elsewhere next season?

Abbott: Battle of the former Blazer guards. Boy, oh, boy, if they did that, it would be a real condemnation of Telfair, to bench him at the exact moment they are apparently trying to be up-tempo.

Arnovitz: On the other hand, the Clippers don't have a lot of depth at guard, and it's likely that Blake could see some time at the 2 behind Eric Gordon. Final thought: Clippers fans are accustomed to finding faint silver linings and here's one that surfaced out of this transaction. Early reports had Marcus Camby very, very upset that he was being dealt from the Clippers -- who are 10 games under .500 -- to Portland, a potential playoff team with arguably the league's most supportive fan base. That's a far cry from "Get me outta here!" -- something players might have said in seasons past. Camby is regarded as the utmost professional and he was very comfortable as a Clipper.

Abbott: Couldn't it also be that he just liked Spago?

Arnovitz: Now he can go to Voodoo Doughnut!
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BlazerCaravan · Feb 16, 2010

If Nate would just grow his hair out, he'd look just like Lando Calrissian.

illmatic99 · Feb 16, 2010

OSUBlazerfan said: ↑

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...umnist=hollinger_john&page=TradeGrades-100218

Grades from Hollinger, Insider only
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Blazers- B
Clips- B+

BrianFromWA · Feb 16, 2010

Uh, sorry John.

Trading small-for-big doesn't usually happen in the L. Trading your 5th guard and an injured PF for a starting center doesn't usually happen in the NBA. Not attaching a project or draft pick when you're getting an expiring contract doesn't usually happen. Trading the minutes Pendergraph and Howard have been playing to get Rudy and Bayless playing more is a big plus.

I can only assume that Hollinger's harping on Camby's/Howard's age means that's why we got a B instead of an A. I don't care if he's 50 if he keeps pulling down 25 rebound games. But to trade scrap and injured scrap for a starting Center seems to be a home run.

maxiep · Feb 16, 2010

yuyuza1 said: ↑

Blazers- B
Clips- B+
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Can you paste his reasoning behind those grades?

illmatic99 · Feb 16, 2010

Sorry, maxiep. I just saw the grades @ blazersedge. I don't have access to the article either.

BrianFromWA · Feb 16, 2010

here you go

Blazers: Well, no surprise here. Portland has been looking for a big man ever since Joel Przybilla went down, and it was clear the Blazers were using the expiring contracts of Blake and Outlaw as the bait. This deal gets the Blazers about 90 percent of what they wanted: Camby's contract expires this summer so he won't get in the way when Przybilla and Greg Oden come back next season, and he can help get Portland to the playoffs in the meantime.

He'll start at center next to LaMarcus Aldridge, play the high post and stay out of Aldridge's way offensively, and block shots from the weak side to help out the defense. The Blazers would prefer to have a beefier sidekick to Aldridge, a la Brendan Haywood -- and that's the missing 10 percent here -- but realistically this was about as well as they could have hoped to do with only expiring contracts and Paul Allen's checkbook to use as assets.

Outlaw has been hurt all year, but losing Blake will leave a dent in the Blazers' guard rotation. Second-year pro Jerryd Bayless has to step up as the backup point guard, even though he's better at playing off the ball; once Brandon Roy returns he could also see extended duty at the point when Andre Miller is resting. Nonetheless, upgrading from Juwan Howard to Camby at the center spot -- where the Blazers now sport a combined age of 72 -- far outweighs any differential between Blake and Bayless at the point. Grade: B

Clippers: I know everyone thinks the Clippers are just being cheapskates since they're basically selling Marcus Camby for $1.5 million, but consider two factors. First, Camby was going to be an unrestricted free agent after the season anyway; regardless of whether the Clips traded him or kept him their odds of re-signing him are the same.

Second, they don't come away from this without assets. Steve Blake is a free agent and presumably won't be back, but having Travis Outlaw's Bird rights is a worthwhile asset. There is going to be demand for him on the free-agent market and the Clips, at the very least, can include him in a sign-and-trade deal and get something back in return. He might stick around too. Outlaw wants to go somewhere he can get minutes and shots -- i.e., not Portland -- and L.A. seems as good a place as any right now.

Speaking of which, this isn't a bad short-term deal either. The Clippers have several power forward candidates, including the uncelebrated but hugely productive Craig Smith, so Camby's loss might not be a huge blow. Meanwhile, Blake is a major upgrade on Sebastian Telfair at backup point guard and Outlaw, who should be back in a few weeks, offers similar improvement over Al Thornton and Rasual Butler at the small forward spot. Grade: B+
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Blazer_Hippie · Feb 16, 2010

Weird, the curves each team is graded on seem to be different.

The Blazers are graded against what would have been their ideal & perfect move...even though it's unattainable for the pieces they were willing to use. The Clippers are graded against the idea that it isn't a 100% crappy move...

OSUBlazerfan · Feb 16, 2010

Camby on 95.5 right now

crowTrobot · Feb 16, 2010

outlaw is a major upgrade over al thornton lol? hollinger's in love with outlaw for some reason.

OSUBlazerfan · Feb 16, 2010

Camby

I can play till the wheels fall off
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Clips didnt want me, and the blazers really showed they did
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It is possible for me to return next year
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hasoos · Feb 16, 2010

crowTrobot said: ↑

outlaw is a major upgrade over al thornton lol? hollinger's in love with outlaw for some reason.
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Call me crazy, but neither of those guys have a good basketball IQ.

PtldPlatypus · Feb 16, 2010

OSUBlazerfan said: ↑

Camby on 95.5 right now
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A few paraphrased excerpts:

Brian Wheeler: "Do you think you'll consider re-signing in Portland in the off-season?"

Camby: "Oh of course--I've always been a very loyal guy, so I'll definitely consider re-signing here."

Jay Allen: "We know that you're turning 36 soon; how much longer do you think you can play?"

Camby: <laughing> "Until the wheels fall off!"

Wheels: "How's it feel to be reunited with Bill Bayno?"

Camby: "Oh, I've known Bill since I was in the 9th grade; he was one of the reasons I went to UMass since he was an assistant there. I'm definitely excited to be reunited with Bill."

Blazer_Hippie · Feb 16, 2010

OSUBlazerfan said: ↑

Camby on 95.5 right now
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Interesting that Bill Bayno has known Camby for 20 years and essentially recruited him to college...

PtldPlatypus · Feb 16, 2010

OSUBlazerfan said: ↑

Camby
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Beat me to it...

Minstrel · Feb 16, 2010

crowTrobot said: ↑

outlaw is a major upgrade over al thornton lol? hollinger's in love with outlaw for some reason.
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Well, a significant upgrade. Thornton is is a career 12.5 PER player while Outlaw is a career 15.0 PER player. 2.5 of PER isn't a tier higher, but it definitely matters.

And Thornton's DRtg is even worse than Outlaw's. Not that that is definitive on their defensive values, but it jibes with what I've seen...Outlaw is now basically below average while Thornton is terrible.

hasoos · Feb 16, 2010

Minstrel said: ↑

Well, a significant upgrade. Thornton is is a career 12.5 PER player while Outlaw is a career 15.0 PER player. 2.5 of PER isn't a tier higher, but it definitely matters.

And Thornton's DRtg is even worse than Outlaw's. Not that that is definitive on their defensive values, but it jibes with what I've seen...Outlaw is now basically below average while Thornton is terrible.
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Thornton is one of those guys that when he gets the ball, if you are a Clipper fan you groan as a piece dies inside you knowing he is going to make a wreckless play. Travis is the same way, but he hits some tough shots, which keeps the fans loving him.

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Marcus Camby first day news thread

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Marcus Camby first day news thread

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Blazer_Hippie Batum getting ballsy!

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