It's true that the Harden deal wasn't the best for OKC. For a moment, it made me think Presti was looking his touch. But, as I've heard several times, this is the "new NBA". We've seen some guys dumped for very little. I'm sure OKC probably could have found someone to give up more if they took more time, but there was the risk that they wouldn't have gotten as much as they did if they piss off Houston and shop the deal. Teams have to consider the financial aspects of trades now far more than they have ever previously had to (at least if the reports on the new CBA are to be believed). As for the Green/Perkins deal..... I don't think OKC is as good as they are the last 2 years without making that deal.
Of course all GMs make mistakes, but the reality of the situation is that they have made more good moves than bad. Personally, I think getting Westbrook at 4 (which was considered a pretty big reach at the time) was probably, all things considered, one of the best moves any GM has made in the last half decade.
Id love gortat. I think gortat, frye for Freeland, Barton, our pick (this yr( we make our pick for them) or next if we lose this years) it would work. Renounce jj, so we have the space to absorb the suns guys.
You continue to assume that Hickson would agree to S&T deal to PHX. Why would he do that? Your next assumption is that our gift of giving PHX cap savings is what they want. Big assumption! The next assumption (pointed out by others) is the Frye would give up guaranteed money, especially coming off a lost season with a heart ailment. Get real!
I was misspoken. I was meaning Frye would not "opt out", making the absorption of his contract more appealing to the suns. We can forget Hickson then and just use Freeland + Barton + Cap Space for Gortat and Frye.
Take out hickson. There,were rumors gortat could be had for a 1st in the lotto range before the deadline. So we give them one. unloading frye for Freeland is probably a no brainer for them too. I dont think its that unrealistic
I'm pretty sure Frye is done with the NBA. I've not researched much, but enlarged hearts don't seem to be easily fixed.
I think he's done too. It's basically the tax we would pay to get Gortat; which will cost us an additional 3.5 mil per season. But, Gortat's contract is pretty good. I mean we are talking about offering 10-12 mil for a quality center. With Gortat's 6-7 mil contract and the additional non-productive Frye tax; he would be in that threshold.
If frye is done and gonna retire, just give them the pick for gortat which has been rumored as to what they want for him. If they insist on giving us something, give them Freeland for Beasley, barf, not sure id take him.
They basically aren't fixable (my wife worked at OHSU doing research on enlarged hearts about 10 years ago)... I feel very bad for Channing because he's a great guy who has a tough road ahead.
Didn't Chuck Hayes have an enlarged heart? I think he sat out for a while but is still playing in the NBA.
I think Gortat would be really great because he can hit mid-range jumpers, play solid defense and, most importantly, he's great in the pick n roll. Right now we don't have anyone who sets great screens and is good in the pick n roll, which Damian would be great in because of his great shot and handles. It would be nice to have something so bread and butter to go to, while Maynor is awesome at feeding LMA in the post, which Lillard needs to improve on. IF Channing could come back, he's actually improved his post defense a ton, and would be a great floor spacer with Gortat during the pick n roll OR when LMA is posted up on the block. The leftover minutes would go to Leonard for a very solid 3 man rotation in my mind. Leonard should model his game after Gortat too, with his wide frame and athleticism he coudl be a very good pick n roll player on offense. LMA could always have the post to work in, and wouldn't need to defend the other teams bigs and we could take advantage of his great ability to defend pick n rolls at the top of the key rather than JJ, who is terrible at it. Lillard/Maynor Matthews/Lillard (when next to Maynor) Batum Aldridge/Frye Gortat/Leonard All we need is a reliable backup 2/3 man with a nice shooting stroke and defense and I think our rotation would be fairly well set. Honestly I think Martell Webster could be a nice fit there, but only if you give him consistent enough minutes to get into a rhythm.
When he says he's 95% sure he's playing next year is it just unbridled optimism? They sadi that they caught the virus before the enlargement is permanent, is that incorrect?
This is one of the main reasons why I love Gortat for us. He already shown he is very effective on the pick and roll (Nash year games). He is tough and a banger too. ANd the selfish blazer fan in me just loves Frye. I want to read his "Stay Weird Portland" blogs more!
The following link is for an article discussing the virus and enlargement: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...channing-frye-power-rankings-nba-a-z/1900431/ Sounds like they caught it in time. Excerpt: "I was really, really lucky…that my (condition) was viral and that they caught it before my heart had actually stayed that size," said Frye, who has two seasons and a combined $13.2 million left on his deal with the Suns (player option in 2014-15). "It's like a rubber band. If you have a hot rubber band and you're moving it back and forth it's going to stretch out, but once you put it in something cold it's going to stay that big. That's the problem with a lot of hearts is that they stay that big. "I'm pretty comfortable with any situation. Do I want to play basketball? You bet your dollar I do. At the same time, I have no control over what my body does. I can just give myself the best opportunity. That's the best attitude I can take."
I would be interested in seeing which pick it was in this deal and who turned it down. For OKC, they would definitely upgrade at C and get salary relief. The Toronto pick is looking pretty good right now though and will be a nice tool to get a quality player while keeping salary down short term. The Hickson sign and trade scenario makes little sense for them. If they were to do that this offseason or next, they could send Gortat to a team like Atlanta for a bigger name like Josh Smith. The salary relief is better the longer they wait as Frye could be waived and save cap space with the stretch provision. I like that they are atleast talking about moving him. The more center options out there hopefully makes one of the better options land here.
