Remind me what we got for Zach Randolph.

Team defense is definitely part of winning championships. Every player doesn't have to be a good defender. Especially if Randolph comes off the bench. The '80s Detroit Pistons won titles with a great team defense despite their key player off the bench, Mark Aguirre, being a terrible defender.

Again, you're not going anywhere with Randolph as your top player and you likely aren't winning a title with him as one of your two best players. That's a very different thing from Randolph being valueless to a good/great team.

 

Yes, nobody but Zeke Thomas, one of the worst GM's in the history of the game, wanted him.

Then, he traded him away to the 2nd worst GM of all time, because still.... nobody wanted him.

Then the guy who traded Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown took him on.

And now All Star Zach Randolph is toiling away on the 10th best team in the West.

FUCK!!!!! WHY DID WE EVER TRADE HIM?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

I know. we could use some scoring and rebounding.

 

Imaginary scoring and rebounding!

 

1) This deadline, Memphis will have a $17.3 Million expiring contract, which could be quite valuable (or ignored a la RLEC).

2) Championship level teams can afford to have a single knucklehead on their team, and several have.

 

Normally when players are a "desired commodity" teams will do what they can to KEEP that player on their team to build around. He has improved his attitude and off court conduct enough to get SOME GM's to give him a look but he hasn't played for a winning team in how long? That should give you an idea of how much he is desired around the league....I agree we MIGHT have been able to get more out of the ZBo trade but all in all I would say it worked out pretty well for our franchise. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on...That is what we did.

 

That's why the cap space was imaginary in the first place. The actual usable free cap space was $7 million. And that is AFTER letting RLEC expire. So the $$$$ effects of the ZBO trade are probably less than that.

Cap Genius!

 

how did it work out well for our franchise?

 

Probably not with him looking for an extension equivalent to Gasol's.

 

We don't know how many points and rebounds he would have given us, so it's imaginary. We don't need imaginary points and rebounds.

 

No one seems to be putting enough emphasis on how bad Randolph's contract is.

One, he's grossly overpaid.
Two, it runs through 2010 FA, the year like half the league has been targeting

You aren't going to get much in return for a player that dominates the ball and isn't particularly the best at it, plays no defense, questionable character, and has an absurd contract he doesn't deserve that runs through 2010 FA. Sorry.

Pritchard got the best deal for Zach he could and went with it because it was the necessary move. Not the best or worst, but necessary. Zach couldn't stay and the Blazers have not missed him one bit.

 

Because we're a 50 win team, have been the last two years, a playoff team, young and improving. And we didn't have to deal with him.

 

not contenders. need to be.

 

nope. not necessary. Paul Allen is rich as fuck, its not like his contract would have held us back all that much, would it?

 

Zach has never been. We're closer than when we had him. Show proof we'd be where we are with him still here.

 

I'm still convinced that ZBO trade and the false hope of the imaginary cap space is what got Penn fired.

 

It depends. Not in terms of NBA rules, but if Allen's enforcing a budget through Vulcan, then it would. More money to Randolph means less for other players like Oden or Batum.