What a difference a year makes. Frye, Sergio, Blake, Outlaw, Joel, Oden, and Roy. That's more than half the team. Crazy. At least Frye gets to play. The others are done (except hopefully Roy in the WCF?)
If every player on this roster was healthy, we'd still have only four players from that team two years ago that won 13 in a row (Roy, Aldridge, Przybilla, Webster). Who says we never make any moves? Pretty crazy.
In the last couple weeks I was in a heated back and forth with a poster who claimed KP didn't turn over the roster enough It was their contention that roster turnover is what energizes the team and fanbase. Personally I don't feel any more energized whether winning hoops comes about via trade or internal improvement where young players come of age and start fulfilling their potential and finding some chemistry together... whats important is getting a collection of talented and healthy players that fit together that said, I don't think there is much doubt that some fans crave player movement regardless of how the team is doing... this probably falls under the green grass on the other side of the fence truism STOMP
I guess I don't see how replacing 11 of 15 players isn't turning over the roster. To do it while going from 41 wins, to 54 wins, to 50 wins (in an injury-plagued season, yet still #6 seed) is quite an accomplishment. Yet, Pritchard does nothing according to some here, and he's looking like he's out of a job. The team better take a huge jump forward if Pritchard leaves, because if they shitcan him, the next GM is on the hot seat from jump street.
If you're talking about me, it wasn't heated, although I joked in a later post that I was exhausted from a knockdown, drag it out argument. (It was actually very civil.) It didn't even cover many posts--I think we each wrote about 3 posts in the debate. Here's the 2007-08 roster. http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=POR&lg=n&yr=2007 Pritchard got nothing for 1) James Jones, 2) Frye, 3) Wafer, 4) Taurean Green, and 5) LaFrentz. He got less than what he gave for 6) Jack and 7) McRoberts (he gave them, Brandon Rush, and the usual millions in cash for Bayless). If Camby makes a difference (by staying next season, or by leaving after getting us into the second round), then the 8) Blake-9) Outlaw trade came out ahead; if not, then it was even (and Blake and Outlaw could easily be classified with the first 5 giveaways). So Pritchard replaced 9 of 14, not 11 of 15 as Papa says. If you include Oden as part of that team (he didn't play 1 minute), he replaced 9 of 15, still not 11 of 15. (Papa mistakenly included the injured Oden and Przybilla as part of the roster turnover.) That's pretty normal in this league, and I never said he doesn't change the roster, I said he doesn't make trades. Pritchard got Roy & Aldridge 3 years ago (with the help of Allen's money in Roy's case) and Batum later--That's been about it in 3 years. My criticism, the scarcity of trades, is not changed by your defense, the roster turnover in 2 years, in which Pritchard gave away 5 players, traded 2 for less than he got, and traded 2 for the yet-to-be-determined success of Camby. (Again, if Camby stays, I'll be happy for Pritchard. He will then have 3 good trading days in his GM tenure instead of 2. As I have said before, he's not terrible, he's average, so he doesn't deserve the adulation he gets.) My criticism of Pritchard is that his once a year trades were the easiest ones possible--he traded experienced players for draft picks and often included a few million dollars. Most owners and GMs jump at the opportunity to add guys to play now, not 5 years from now, and get a few million to boot. Pritchard has the Allen advantage, which doesn't come from his supposed genius. My critcism of him was that his easy trades had never gotten us someone who had regularly started in the NBA before the player came here. Pritchard must have heard me, and traded expiring contracts for an expiring contract just so that you can now say--Camby breaks the mold, so you can't say that anymore! Well, I can't say it so simply anymore. Now I can say, that was a nice little beginning in Pritchard's development beyond his Junior GM status, but unless Camby stays, or makes some other difference like getting us into the 2nd round, the trade is inconsequential. We would have made the 1st round without the trade. In conclusion, if you were talking about me, I didn't criticize the roster turnover per se as you said, and if you weren't talking about me, well, I like to write so I got my daily exercise.
Juwan Howard basically for Frye, unless there was some sort of sign-and-trade available. Andre Miller for RLEC. Not a bad move, unless you feel differently. The Blazers had a much better record post-trade than prior to the trade for Camby. Since everyone is expiring, how is that not a plus at this point? I'm PapaG!
What, you don't like my leaving out the G? I called you Papa. Now I know what really bugs you. You know, it was great that we drafted Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan. Just look at how it freed up money to spend on Drexler, Porter, Kiki, Mychael Thompson, Roy, Aldridge...
Camby played our last 27 games. We went 19-8. In our last 27 games last year, we went exactly the same, 19-8. This season we finished (all of these are true) 4-2, 8-3, 13-4, and 14-5. Last season we finished (all of these are true) 6-0, 10-1, 11-2, 13-3, and 19-6. We finished better last season, without Camby. McMillan finishes seasons (and games) strong. Aw, THE, you hurt me! I still love ya.
Change the topic to this year's finish versus last year's finish, instead of this year's start versus this year's finish. Nice move. It may have worked on a dumber poster.
That means that we won 4 of our last 6, 8 of our last 11, 13 of our last 17, etc. Not that we went 4-2, then 8-3, then 13-4. Those win-loss records all end with the last game. Those aren't serial streaks, like a serial streaker...Am I changing the topic?
I was yes you did, which was in another thread I referenced in that debate... here it is again with the key quote about KP below Note to Vulcan: When you replace this mental weakling, insert this into the job description so the next guy will know: "It is standard in the NBA to get rid of about 5-9 of the 15 players each year. New blood is what energizes a team and fans on any level in any sport. If you feel so helpless when you try to surmise who the debris is, that you publicly rely upon players whining to you, do not bother to apply." STOMP
