Sorry if this has already been discussed but i just woke up and started thinking about it. We traded draft picks for a guy hopefully still in the prime of his career. So it seems for sure there is no thought of rebuilding. In fact it looks like we are trying to be just as good as we can right now. And especially next year. It would be interesting to know if this was Cho's plan six weeks ago when he said he had a plan. And I wonder if this would be the plan if Aldridge had not made the remarkable improvements he has made this year. I think he almost singlehandedly saved the Blazers (from having to rebuild). If we can find a backup PG and backup center we will be set for the next two years and we still have Elliot Williams and a first round draft pick to try to find a PGOTF. That will still leave the problem of finding a good young center unless Oden can by some miracle come back strong.
Well, clearly this wasn't Cho's plan four weeks ago. He talked then about about the team being average to just above-average. You don't trade away picks to get older, if that is the case. I'm guessing that Cho wasn't to credit for the trades, and Larry Miller hogging the mic at beginning of the presser confirms this to me, but if Cho is a wishy-washy GM who makes deals like this one, I'm OK with it. Anyhow, I posted similar thoughts about LMA's rapid growth and "the plan" a few weeks ago, so it's nice to see I'm not alone.
When you have a big man who is putting up 25-28 ppg/9rebs, it's not the time to rebuild. It's time to put pieces around him and go as hard as you can for a championship run. We're basically trying to do what Dallas has done. Use deep pockets to put quality vets on the roster.
The Brain Trust are human just like we are. They may say that they don't let winning or losing streaks affect their long term plan, but I don't always believe that. This is one of those times. Before the 6 game win streak (as was mentioned) Cho said this was an "average" team. They fell out of the top 8 in the West, and it looked like the playoffs might be slipping away. Cho was even throwing out hints that he might be tearing the whole thing down. Then, they got hot. And at the same time NO, Denver, & Utah were faltering. All of the sudden they go to the All Star break as the #5 seed in the West. Add to that that Brandon and Camby are getting healthy (or at least there's hope for that). Then Denver trades Melo and Utah trades D-Will, which you would think would leave them worse off (at least for this season). And last night they outplayed the World Champs all night, they just missed a lot of open shots down the stretch. A tough loss, but lots of positives to point to. All of the sudden things went from looking bad to pretty good in just a couple of weeks. Honestly, I don't think this would have been the trade "at the top" of their list at that time. Several things came together that gave them confidence that they can make a push right now.
Yup. When Roy and Oden were essentially lost as possible foundations for a deep playoff run, I think Cho probably was contemplating a sell-off at the deadline. Then Aldridge emerged as a superstar (whether that is a permanent state, we'll see, but I think he's played at superstar level the last couple of months) and suddenly things changed. The success track record of blowing teams up, starting over and becoming a contender within a reasonable time frame (read: within the professional lifespan of a GM) is pretty awful. If you're Cho, you pretty much have to hope that Aldridge is for real and act accordingly: Aldridge is your franchise player, surround him with as many good veterans as possible and see how far you can get. Then try to upgrade one or two of them and try to get further. Replace veterans who run out of gas with new veterans. Hope for a lucky break...Oden returning with a vengeance or a draft pick unexpectedly blowing up into a star. I think Wallace was his attempt to execute this "Aldridge is a franchise player" plan.
I think Cho was instrumental in the trade, but Miller was pretty quick to point out it was a Team effort. They do not want the fans to glorify (or vilify) him like they did Pritchard. And I am sure Cho does not want that either. I do prefer it to be a team decision. It may take longer, but it tends to be safer.
No a safe move is not always a good move. But a hasty move can sometimes be disasterous. It's kind of like our government, we wish things moved faster, but in the long run it is probably better if the person in charge listens to various opinions, and has things signed off on, before making a major decison that can effect our future.
Solid post. Another factor in the decision, which never gets said out loud, is the financial aspect. A nice run in the playoffs this year, which is now very possible, will generate a lot of extra revenue for the team. Not that Paul Allen needs the money, but in business it's always a good thing to show a profit for the year.
another impressive bit of planning is giving us an out. next year camby, miller and wallace (and possibly oden if we option him for 1 year) can all be used as expiring next year if this deal doesnt work out we have a safety net. the blazer brain trust came up huge on this deal
This move shows Uncle Paul's financial commitment AGAIN. We take on more money, more tax. It shows we are committed to making a push in the postseason (though this will be very difficult this year). But, next year, with return of Oden (hopefully), and E Williams, we are a very solid club with a chance at top 4 in the West.
In a few games, they'll get figured out. The problem with facing Denver right now is you have no idea how to play them. A couple of games of NBA scouting and they'll be dialed in. It's akin to when Roy and Przy went down on that Texas trip, but we won in DAL and SA. They were more talented, but they had no idea what we were going to do.
I think it means they see that Utah and Denver are now below us for this year and next (with or without the emergence of Oden next year) Top 4 will be our goal next year. LA, OKC, Dallas and then us.
