Pretty much. The NBA has been going away from the big guards for a while now. A lot of it has to do with the rule changes that made it easier to get in the lane and favors speed and aggression.
That, and most bigs these days suck balls at protecting the paint and helping on D when they're guards get beat.
But I think that has a lot to do with the rules. Once the little guys get into the lane they seem to initiate the contact and the big guy picks up the foul. The bigs can't stay on the floor. They used to punish the little guys for attacking the paint, but now it is a flagrant foul. I am not sure what the answer is but they need to make some adjustments. That and the stupid ass calls 25 feet from the basket when the offensive guys initiates contact just to draw a foul. And the stupid swinging upward of the arms just to draw a foul. In general if the offensive guys initiates contact it needs to be a no call or a offensive foul. And while I am on my soap box, get rid of the traveling calls 30 feet from the basket (Shuffling of the feet) and concentrate more on the traveling 3 feet from the basket! It's mid-June and the refs are still pissing me off.
It seems like to get who they really want, be it Knight, Walker or Irving, that they need to get the #2pick from Minnesota. They will not be able to trade with Utah for the #3 and they don't know if the guy they want will be available at #4. If they can get the #2, they might even have a chance of moving up to #1, if Cleveland is on the fence about who to pick first. I would try Batum, Miller, Fernandez and the #21 to Minnesota for Ridnour, Webster and #2. (Although ESPN approves this trade, RealGM says can't trade for Webster yet).
OK, now I have thought about this some more. We know PA wants to win now and that Blazers are trying to "move way up" to nab a point guard. We know that word is out Cleveland is willing (anxious?) to deal Sessions and JJ Hickson. We have heard Cleveland may be willing to deal their pick #20 for a veteran big man. I believe that Kyrie Irving is the only player in this draft who can help the Blazers right now. Could they be going for the #1 pick? Here is a blockbuster deal (sorry, having trouble with ESPN and RealGM): We give Batum, ,Mathews, Miller, Camby, and basically who they want from Fernandez, Armon Johnson, Babbit, Williams, Euros. We get back Baron Davis, Jamison, Sessions, JJ Hickson and Alonzo Gee. Now that I've written it out it scares me; giving up 2 of our 4 core players. Sure would like to do this deal without giving up Mathews but doubt if it is possible. If Blazers did this, I would buy out Davis, so you got: PG Irving, Sessions SG Roy, Gee (maybe Fernandez), or if Miller is released and resigned, Sessions could play SG. SF Wallace, draft pick or free agent PF Hickson, Jamison C Aldridge, Johnson (hopefully Oden comes around) I don't know if that is better than what we have now or not; I think if Oden came around then this would be a stronger deeper team than the present team with Oden. But it would be so many new players, how would that effect the team? If we don't have to give up Mathews, it seems like a no-brainer; is their any way to make it palatable to Cleveland?
OK, that's too complicated. Let's go with Miller, Batum, and Babbit, Williams and Armon Johnson for Baron Davis and their #1 pick. That still saves Cleveland a lot of money and they still have some tradeable assets left. Can't really see why they would do it.
This with adding there #4 pick in as well. Cleavland was willing to take on a ton of salary for the #8 pick. They don't care about saving money right now they want to start gathering assets which means all the talent they can get for two or three years before trying to turn themselves back into contenders.
I think you're right; it would be stupid, also I read Irving is the kind of PG Byron Scott loves. And then Buchanan said yesterday that it was too expensive for them to go after #1 or #2. And after that I don't really see any PG helping them that much right now; so i doubt if there will be any kind of trade.
