Looks like: PG: Lillard/Price (injured)/Smith SG: Matthews/Batum/Smith SF: Batum/Pavlovic PF: Aldridge/Jeffries C: Hickson/Leonard/Jeffries Freeland seems like the odd man out. Given our defensive problems in the front court, I suppose it's no shock Jeffries beat him out. Swing positions look mighty, mighty thin. We're probably seeing Batum and Matthews play 35-38 mpg. I've been reasonably pleased with the quick makeover (given where we were) but this is a major oversight by the GM. Babbitt/Ammo/Sasha were really thin gruel to try to shove into that role in the preseason. The Oregonian has been hinting for the last week that Karl is gone, which is really disappointing. Of all the bench players, he seemed to make the most of his minutes during preseason.
Pavlovic has been invisible - yuck! Shotting 36.8% in preseason and 33% from 3 pt land, get rid of him and play Claver
Very disappointing. Nolan Smith must look a hell of a lot better in practice than he does in games. I know he's a second year player who was a former 1st round pick and has a guaranteed contract, but Coby Karl totally outplayed him at both guard spots, during the preseason. It seems a shame to cut the better player for financial reasons, but I guess that's the way the business works. BNM
there can be the "admitting a royal screw up" side of things, but Olshey was not responsible for Smith and he can just clean house, unless they hold out some shred of hope for him
My first reaction is also to be disappointed to see Karl not sticking. Personally I wish they hadn't signed Claver and so there would have been room for Karl. But he is 29 and there is no reason to make a move that would make the team marginally better during a season that we need to improve skills and keep our lottery pick.
Yeah, I've been thinking about that. It's not just financial--you have to remember that Karl is 29. A veteran team looking to make noise in the playoffs should look at guys like Karl. But Portland? If Karl helps us win 3-4 games, is that really a good thing? I think the Blazers would rather roll the dice on a much younger player with upside, no matter how sketchy it seems. We need to take more high risk/reward type of players. I admit Smith doesn't seem to have much "reward" about him, but it is where we are.
well if that is the case I would rather open up a roster spot for a young someone, perhaps on waivers, with more upside than Nolan, that should not at all be hard to find
But it's not just the "upside" thing. It's also the "we already bought it/financial" thing BNM mentions. The two combined make it more attractive to the Blazers than just picking somebody up off waivers.
If Babbit/Claver/Freeland can't beat out Jeffries/Pavlovic for playing time, that is just horrific. I hope none of those three have offspring - no child should have to live with that kind of shame.
If Pavlovic is really going to get minutes, I can see why some predict the team to win 27 games. Why bring Claver over is you're just going to let some veteran scrub take his minutes?
So, sign him, give him all the back-up PG and some of the back-up SG minutes, let him pad his stats on a crappy team, and then trade him at the deadline for someone younger, or a future draft pick. The guy belongs in the league. Something Nolan Smith has yet to prove. Smith is 24. He is what he is, an under-sized shooting guard who can't shoot who is forced to play back-up PG because our only other options are an injured Ronnie Price and a soon-to-be cut Coby Karl. There is no "upside". If they insist on keeping Nolan, that's fine, just use the Elliott Williams DSE to free up a roster spot for Coby Karl. BNM
29 year-old PGs who have a career NBA PER of 9.2 typically aren't valued NBA assets simply because they had a decent first-half in an exhibition game between two mediocre teams. Karl is an afterthought.
What you guys aren't getting about Pavlovic is defense, he brings it. It's the sole reason he's in the lineup, that and a little veteran IQ. Regarding Babbit/Claver/Freeland this is a good ego check, they need to show their character by battling in practice and improving their NBA readyness.
Those are not the guys I would have picked, based on pre-season observation, and they sure as hell didn't look good last night.
Wow, wouldn't it be great if we could keep Karl around as a backup PG and instead of having Nolan "homeless man's Sebastian Telfair" Smith, we had KENNETH FUCKING FARIED? but hey, Jarred Jeffries. Awesome. /dead horse, beaten.
