So: Oden won't even commit to returning by Christmas, and Rudy wants just to be released. So we have a very thin frontcourt and a homesick Spaniard. Here's my suggestion: Rudy + Bayless + Mills(?) to Memphis for Hasheem Thabeet. Why Portland does it: we have way too many guards and just one healthy C who also happens to be injury-prone and pushing 40. Unless people are hoping for Jeff Pendergraph for 30+ mins a night. Thabeet may have been picked way too high, but he's also an incredible shotblocker (nearly led the league per minute) and a late bloomer who is currently in a sucky situation (not just Memphis, although that in itself is sucky, but as a "bust" in Memphis). If he pans out, great. If he doesn't, well, at least Joel will probably be back in a month or two. (Plus, if Thabeet REALLY sucks, it might take the heat off Greg for a while...) Why Memphis does it: 1. They cut salary (and we can throw in $3M) and they're CHEAP. 2. They cut even more salary if Rudy agrees to tear up his contract to go home. 3. On the other hand, maybe Marc Gasol persuades Rudy to stay a while (funny how Rudy only got homesick after we traded Sergio), in which case they get a good cheap guard. 4. Heisley doesn't have to explain any more why he pushed for Thabeet at #2.
Maybe we should send them Joel and take back Conley as well, so that they can claim they're making room for Mayo as a PG and filling Thabeet's backup C spot as well. Everyone wins!!
I would go for this. I'd think that Memphis isn't ready to give up on Thabeet yet, its hard to admit you made a mistake in drafting a center at the first or second pick. But yeah if Memphis goes for it hell yeah do it.
Agreed. And the chances of them ALSO admitting that they made a mistake at the #5 pick with Conley IN THE SAME TRADE are even smaller. But I bet they would be willing to trade both of them: Mayo, Gay and Gasol are their core, Mayo wants to play more point (ha! I'm glad I'm not Hollins) and Gasol is a very good young center, which means they don't really need Thabeet. If we did trade them Bayless, it would be funny to see a backcourt of two PG-sized SGs playing alongside each other...
i would rather have greg OR joel go out there and play in a wheelchair then ever have thabeet on the blazers...especially for bayless. this is one of the worst trade ideas i think ive ever heard
It sure would be nice to have an experienced yet cheap center back up Camby, like the one who started most of last season for us to get 50 wins. Nope, it's better to get some know-nothing young guy like Thabeet. A law says that we have to be one of the youngest teams. Management never even considered keeping Juwan Howard and making this thread never occur to anyone.
I liked having Howard on the team from a maturity and professionalism stand-point, especially during the ugly injury phase - but let's face it - his tank runs empty more than it runs full - even if he is still able to contribute some. Thabeet however does not seem like the answer to a question that anyone really asks at the NBA level. Maybe he will get better, who knows - but so far - I, for one, am not impressed.
I wouldn't give up all those guards without Conley coming back; I'm somewhat high on Johnson eventually, but I don't feel comfortable putting him out there fifteen to twenty minutes in a backup role or god forbid in a starting role if Miller went down. Conley and Thabeet for Bayless, Rudy, Mills and Pryzbilla works in the trade checker and seems somewhat equitable.
I think I could go for that. Lottery project big men are more valuable to me than a shooter who doesn't want to shoot on our continent and a previously-past-his-prime center with two patella ruptures in the last 9 months. Bayless for Conley seems equal.
