Could Portland with Miller and Faried...

Andre Miller would have made a huge difference for the PTB this season. He was vastly more effective running a two man game with Aldridge, which made defenses collapse leaving the spot up shooters open. Portland would have made the playoffs with ease had they not made that disastrous trade

Faried is a 6'6 Big who hustles... a poor man's Gerald Wallace. I'd certainly rather have him then Smith, but had Miller stayed on I doubt Portland spirals down and ends up moving Wallace and Camby midseason. KF probably only plays garbage minutes no matter who the coach was. I don't see him as a difference maker... I'd rather have JJ

perhaps a better question is which position would fans rather have the club in? Entering the playoffs with Nate coaching and Miller Wallace & Camby in the mix as the 6th seed or so, or as they are with 2 lotto picks (unless NJ slips into the top 3) and an option on Hickson?

STOMP

 

I think that the Blazers would have made the playoffs if they'd kept Miller. I don't think Faried would have gotten much PT or would have been much of a factor in what the Blazers did. The most important thing is that in that alternate reality, the Blazers would in all likelihood have been eliminated in the first round, would still have Nate as a coach, would still be looking for a center and PGOTF this summer but would only be working with around the 16th to 17th pick in this year's draft. They'd probably only be able to keep Nic or Wallace this summer. Camby would be gone. All-in-all, the Blazers are in a much better position to look to the future than they would have been with Andre and Faried.

 

This is definitely the better question.

 

Exactly.

I'm past picking at this particular scab; it led to an outcome I can live with given the Roy and Oden situations and planted us in the lottery which gives us a chance to refresh the talent pool a year sooner rather than later ... and Nate's is gone so ...

 

Is he a poor version?

 

So first round and out with Nate continuing to coach or a chance to improve the roster to where it needs to be to actually contend?

I choose the latter

 

Yeah, well remember that if POR trades both of those picks away for mid tier NBA talent and signs B list free agents with all that vaunted cap space and goes....yep...1st round and out....again.

 

Faried has Ben Wallace length, he plays like a legit big. His reach for his wingspan is odd but it works in his favor because it's deceptive.

He may be 6'7" but his standing reach is 9'0" -- only 2" shorter than the 6'11.25" LaMarcus Aldridge. His 11'11" max reach is on par with 7-footers.

By knocking him for his height is the same reason why many teams made the mistake by passing on him.

And now we're stuck with Nolan Smith.

 

I'll take door number two. Now we need better talent in the administration building to take advantage of this opportunity.