General manager Neil Olshey eyes the future while the Trail Blazers eye the playoffs

There was a much deserved standing ovation at the Rose Garden for the starters Wednesday after the Trail Blazers were both entertaining and good while beating the Sacramento Kings 109-91. And now, for those of you at home, it’s time for your standing ovation: If the season ended today, the Blazers would be the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

It’s early, I know.

But it hasn’t been too early for fans at the Rose Garden to wonder. To wonder if this team could realistically make a playoff push if it just had a little more depth. Or someone to protect the rim on defense. Or someone to backup Wesley Matthews.

In other words, it hasn’t been too early for some to wonder if general manager Neil Olshey should make a move at the Feb. 21 deadline.

Apparently, that curiosity extends beyond the cheap seats and internet chatter boards. It is beginning to spread throughout the league.

During the Blazers’ recent homestand, a respected and veteran beat reporter approached me and told me that an assistant coach for the team he covered said the Blazers are shopping LaMarcus Aldridge.

I chuckled, because earlier that night, I spoke with Olshey about the trading deadline, which is now eight weeks away. In a nutshell, Olshey said the Blazers will likely be built through the draft and free agency, not trades - and certainly not mid-season trades.

Still, on Wednesday before the Kings game, I felt obliged to corner the whirlwind that is Olshey.

I asked him directly if he is shopping Aldridge.

It was as if I had told Olshey the best joke he had ever heard. In fact, I think he is still laughing as I write this.

Olshey said he has made zero calls to other teams about Aldridge. He did say he has fielded one inquiry from another team, but it was more exploratory in nature, that team feeling the Blazers out. And he said he has no plans to make any future calls about Aldridge as February approaches.

That doesn’t mean Olshey doesn’t expect to get more calls. He senses the league might still perceive the Blazers to be a team willing to give up talent to gain assets, much like it did last March when the previous regime traded Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby for picks and cap relief.

That is no longer the method of operation. Olshey has identified a core: Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard and Matthews.

“The players on our roster who are no-brainers,’’ Olshey said, referring to that core, “are not going anywhere.’’

So teams can whisper that Aldridge is available. And teams inquire all they want. Olshey said the Blazers won’t make a move unless it makes them a better team. Not down the road. Not next season. But from the next day forward.

“Until you get enough phone calls for the message to get around the league that we are not breaking this up to rebuild, that we are building from where we are, (rumors) will probably still be out there,’’ Olshey said. “But clearly, trading a 27-year old All-Star like LaMarcus doesn’t get you better today.’’

It’s still possible Olshey makes a deal before the deadline, but it is unlikely to be one that, to steal his favorite phrase, “moves the needle.’’

The two most viable options at the trading deadline from a contractual and talent standpoint are Matthews and J.J. Hickson.

Matthews, quite simply, is going nowhere. If the Blazers dealt Matthews, they would need to get a starting shooting guard in return. It is highly unlikely teams would swap starting shooting guards. Plus, privately, Olshey has grown to value Matthews beyond his statistics, which happen to be at career-high levels across the board. Matthews’ toughness, work ethic and positive attitude are invaluable, and Olshey wants him to be part of what he is building.

Hickson, on the other hand, could be expendable, in part because he is playing out of this world, far better than his $4 million salary. After finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds Wednesday, Hickson has nine consecutive double-doubles, and is averaging 12.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, statistics that could be pricing himself right out of Portland. Not only will teams be interested in his high-energy game, the Blazers might be interested in getting something in return before he hits the free agent market.

Olshey wouldn’t talk about trade scenarios or what he will be looking for when the trade deadline, or free agency arrives. Instead, he wanted to emphasize his approach to make the Blazers winners: Not sacrificing long-term flexibility for short term gain, while still trying to accelerate the Blazers winning sooner than later.

Most likely, those moves will be made this summer, when the Blazers will probably pursue a center and shooting guard in free agency, where they expect to have around $13 million to spend, and in the draft, where they could have a late lottery pick in a talent pool that is below average.

The intrigue, in these next eight weeks, is whether someone on the Blazers emerges as an asset in the eyes of another team. A Luke Babbitt? Nolan Smith? It’s unlikely, but even Olshey admits he is learning more about his roster from game to game.

“What people have to understand and be a little patient with is - if we are still learning what the value is with the majority of the players on our roster, then how do they have any assigned or perceived value around the league?’’ Olshey said. “Everything is what do I give/what do I get? At this point, we have a better idea of what we would give, but I don’t know what we would get back from other teams.’’

So yeah, this has been a fun ride so far. But five of the next six are on the road, where this team has not played well. And January has a slew of big-time opponents lurking. This playoff masquerade could be over by next weekend. In the meantime, don’t look to Olshey for help ... unless it works into his model of sustainability.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...sider_general_manager_neil_olshey_eyes_t.html