I watched Freeland play at the Rocky Mountain Review the first year we drafted him. At the time I thought he was a wasted pick because he played more like a SF than a PF or C. But I was surprised by his quick hops. He was very active. Now this was after just a few years of playing basketball so he was still a bit raw. And it was also before he grew into his body. I just find it hard to believe that 6 years later he can't help us.
Rudy was basically the MVP over in Europe, excelled in the gold medal olympic games then sucked monkey balls when he came over here; so I'm not going to get too excited about either of these guys. If they would sign for their rookie salary they'd be very intriguing additions with little downside. But since they can negotiate for more money they have the potential to be total duds, a huge negative "asset". So I hope the team is very cautious in tieing up cap space and roster spots for a couple of foreign 25 year old rookies.
They should put them on the block and if SA comes calling then they know they should keep them. If they are not gonna bring Freeland over then they should see if anybody wants him. He has talent but if it's not a fit for Portland then maybe they can package him and get a late pick back.
Neither Freeland nor Claver are good enough to consider wasting a bench spot on. We already have a full squad of bench players better than either of them. What this team needs is superstars (not one, not two...).
I think this is kind of a ridiculous post. Why not bring them over, they would be on very manageable contracts and if things did not work out, they could be attractive trade fodder in a later trade. Sure this team needs superstars, but what it really lacks right now is TALENT.
I wonder how people that matter, like NBA GM's and scouts feel? Rudy was great in Europe, not so much here. (Probably Nate more than anything though) Sergio was a very good prospect in Europe I guess I am just saying that while there are certainly Euro's that have come over an had an impact, there are also just as many if not more that don't pan out. I personally don't think Freeland's game translates to the NBA. Not saying he won't be good, I just don't think he will
You could be right, but what part of his game do you think won't translate to the NBA? Like I said I have not seen him play in 6 years, but from what I remember he was atlhletic with more skills than most big men these days. He is compared to a taller David Lee. And no I am not saying he will be as good as David Lee, but from what I saw I can see the compariosn. He was very active. I guess the question is he better or cheaper than JJ Hickson? Although right now I think we could use both if we do not draft a top big man in two weeks.
I have had the opportunity to see him play a couple of times. I'm really not sure what it is, other than the ever subjective "eye test." I am going to see him play next Wednesday here in Houston
My guess is that it is a money thing. If you can bring Claver over under the rookie salary cap, then it is worth the risk. If you have to buy out Freeland and offer him enough money to be happy (at least match what he can get in Europe), then he becomes a significant part of the salary cap. I don't know if I have all that right, but it would make sense on why they want to rush Claver over and take a wait and see approach with Freeland.
Agreed, Money and Minutes for Freeland. Too bad players are always looking out for themselves and don't realize that if your team succeeds you will too.
I think it's a combo of two things, first, as you stated a money issue, but secondly, Freeland has said several times that he does not enjoy sitting on a bench all season and will only come to the nba if he expects to be used. He spent his first couple seasons on a team where he was not used and did not feel appreciated by his coach so it makes total sense that there could be positional issues. Especially if the blazers use one of their picks on a center, who will likely get unearned minutes. There are only so many minutes to go around, and if a player is not going to be accepting of a very limited role, then it makes sense for the team to not Try and bring him over. By the way, I have watched Freeland a several times over the last two years streaming on the internet and actually really like his game for the nba. More defensively and rebo unding then on offense, but he can do a bit of that too.
