Didn't we almost acquire Paul Pierce? That's a marquee player. But then you might say "oh he's old"..yeah, but you want to win now, you trade for big name players. Blazers need to throw everything they can to get Deron Williams. Or trade the picks + players to move up to the top pick in the draft. that's it. As for LaMarcus Aldridge, I don't think the #1 pick is worth what he is so I wouldn't do it. I'd only package current picks + any player to do it, probably still not enough. getting role players in the draft isn't too bad either but eventually if you want to get over the top Aldridge has to become the best PF in the game (he's not that far from it IMO) or you need to trade for a superstar.
Look at finals teams Spurs were built through the draft L*kers with Kobe (Draft rights acquired) and Bynum Cavs were a championship contender with Lebron Orlando with Dwight Howard It's one way to do it, and probably the best way for a smaller market team that can't go after difference making FA's
Spurs started winning rings with twin towers. D-Robinson was already there who was a premiere player. It was just pure freak season that got them that pick. Lakers wouldn't have won shit if they didn't get Gasol. Cavs and Orlando never won a ring. I doubt they will either. And again, both were #1 picks.....not every #1 pick guarantees you'll be a championship contender. If your entire "strategy" is to be so bad AND luck out into getting the #1 pick in the NBA draft, you're doing something wrong.
Well OKC is a shining example of all being built through the draft and they are well on there way...Nothing is guaranteed, even if you have all the pieces put together (as POR did)... but you left a lot out in those team assessments: Dallas got Dirk through the draft if you recall...and they got big name players to come play for them and had some shrewd trades....POR does not have the DAL market or appeal...nor does it have an owner players like more than Cuban... Celtics...Yeah they traded away for Garnett and Allen but you conveniently left out Pierce and Rondo whom they drafted who have had as much or more to do with thier success than Garnett and Allen have. Spurs...Come on now, now you are just being ridiculous..Did they not draft Parker? Ginobli? (Not to mention David Robinson) Kawhi Leonard looked pretty darn good this year... Heat...You are right, Dwayne Wade, whom they drafted, had little to do with that Lakers....Uh Bynum has turned into a pretty darn good player....and LA, MIA, NY these are all great examples of big market teams being able to attract big stars...not cities like POR...thus the need to build through the draft...
I have a lot of comments, but I'll just throw this out there as an example. Wes is not a 6th-8th option on a great team. No great team has an 8th player on their roster who scores 12-15ppg (unless you're Denver who plays everyone equal minutes). He's a 4th-5th option who should be used as a spot up shooter from three and a defensive pest. The only reason he's been used as a number 3 option is because... -Brandon Roy suddenly gone -Greg Oden gone -Gerald Wallace gone -Andre Miller gone (although ideally he and Wes would be about the same option 4th/5th on a team) -Felton being terrible -Crawford being terrible -The rest of the team outside of Aldridge and at times Batum being non-factors on offense, at least consistently So, can you really blame the Blazers for trying to use Wes, and Batum, and others as higher options than they would prefer? With all of the things that haven't worked out, and all of the sudden changes, mostly this year, it's no wonder we're playing Aldridge who's in between a 1st and 2nd option as a 1st option, Batum who's at BEST a 3rd option but realistically probably a 4th as our 2nd, then the mess of Wes, Felton, Crawford as the next three in some ways. All I know is I'm grateful for Hickson coming in and being more reliable than the rest, and pushing a couple of guys further down on the totem pole where they belong. The management wasn't planning to have these guys be that high of options but have been forced to due to injuries and trades. Now they have to figure out how to plug the holes.
You build a competitive roster through the draft You go out and make big moves in trades/FA to make your team a contender The Blazers can do both of those this summer with potentially two lottery picks and cap space. They are in a great position to reload with those assets. Whether they have the brains to pull it off is a different question.
Aldridge/Batum/Wesley/Hickson That is not a terrible 4 to start with. Put a really good PG next to them and the roster is a top 4 seed in the west. This team needs a PG in the worst way. Rondo or Deron would be so perfect.
The Spurs never "built through the draft". If you call tanking one season because the Admiral is out and lucking out to get the greatest PF of all time "building through the draft". OKC....like I said, they were bad enough to get top 4 picks 3 years in a row. Sure, I guess that's "building through the draft" if you tank that badly multiple years in a row. Even then, that isn't really a rebuilding strategy, its just being terrible. More teams than not do this and are perennially bad. Celtics would have never won without doing a mega trade for Ray Ray and Garnett. Big sudden lopsided trade. Heat would have never won without getting Shaq. Big sudden lopsided trade. Lakers wouldn't have won without getting Gasol. He should have been their finals MVP. Big sudden lopsided trade. Big sudden lopsided trades for veteran players in their prime is the way to go.
You mean that they made a swap of picks with MIL during the draft...What do you think? So under your parameters POR did not draft Aldridge or Roy then?
I'm probably missing your point (having read ANY of this thread but your last post) but Dallas did draft Kidd, but no one else on your list. Since I'm too lazy to read the rest of this thread, what did you mean by it?
building through the draft isn't a way to win championships unless you are getting a top 3 pick. The better way is to use cap space/expiring contracts/draft picks/young talent to trade for a star player. basically go big or go home.
Ok, so you were meaning to use green font. I get what you mean, and agree. Smart drafting doesn't hurt though. But I'm not sold on this team having that skill-set anymore.
You really think he is the 4th or 5th option...a starter...on OKC? Seriously? Or that he would average 12-15ppg on a good playoff team? Come on now...He is a bench player...probably not the 1st guy off the bench (6th man) but among the next 2-3 players off the bench....So yes, a 6th-8th guy. and I don't blame POR for playing him as a starter etc...but the point you are missing is that you have to be realistic to what he really is...a bench player, your not going to have a championship caliber team with Wes Matthews as your starting SG...or worse counting on to be your 3rd best player. POR needs to acquire those guys...they need to recognize the players they have for what they are...and do whatever is necessary to acquire the players they need (2nd & 3rd all star caliber options)
Uh not quite correct....You get your foundation (ie best players) through the draft and then you use free agency and trades to add the parts around that.... That is unless you are a big market team like LA, BOS, MIA, NY...those teams play under a different set of rules than small market teams do when it comes to free agents.... BTW, I would love to see how you think POR is going to reload this current team into a championship caliber team by trading away picks, trades (that are not horrendously lopsided in thier favor) and free agent moves that don't include pipedreams (aka D-Will).... Not going to happen....
the problem with a lot of thinking on blazers fans is they get too caught up with stupid crap like strategy and building for the future, stashing guys away, advanced stats and shit like that, when all you need to be concerned with is get the best talent on the team as fast as humanely possible. that's how winners get NBA championships. woe is me, I'm a small market team so I need a small market mentality. fuck that. Throw the hat in the ring, try at least. talking about "pipedreams" is how losing franchises talk.
Are you serious with this? The Spurs would never have won w\o Ginobli & Parker, the Celtice w\o Pierce and Rondo, Heat w\o Wade...Lakers w\o Kobe... and so let me get this right, you think that a "sudden lopsided trade" in POR favor is more likely to occur for POR than acquiring a all star caliber player via the draft? Seriously?
