I don't think Gortat is a needle mover. Olshey wants to accumulate chips for the big trade for that superstar. Giving up a couple of chips for Gortat doesn't seem to fit. Now Gortat in a way could be considered a chip (expiring contract that can help in the playoffs) and trading one chip for another works. #10 or Lenard works for me. But there goes about 5 million in cap space. That or keep Lenard, the #10 and get a top shelf free agent? Just don't see Gortat raising this team to another level.
You're assuming we can land a top shelf free agent. BIG assumption. Especially looking at the market. I really think we are limited to C, and a dynamic SG. I think Olshey prefers the trade route (he has said as much.)
Olshey never said he wanted a top of the line Center. He said he wanted a very good Defensive Center. I don't think you can say Gortat is top 5 for Defense but he is light years better at D then Hickson and he maybe top 10 all-around Centers in the League.
Yeah, when I try too hard to sell my point, I usually pick a small sliver of one's career (aka the career year). It's like me talking Flip Murray's unbelievable run or Lin's and saying that's the player they are, rather than looking at their complete body of work. This was the 2011-12 season, not last year. It's his best year of his 7-year career. Prior to that, he hadn't come close to those numbers save for the prior season, and his numbers this season were down from his career year. And his career numbers are okay, but not great. By the time Leonard is 28 (Gortat's career year) or 26/27 and in his 6th season (Gortat's career year was his sixth season), it would not surprise me if Leonard could match Gortat's season.
Spending the majority of our assets (pick + salary flexibility) for Gortat and mediocre bench players is the prefect recipe to become a treadmill team with no prospects of advancing in the playoffs. Go big or don't go at all. Try to hit a home run with the pick on a wing (Oladipo/Shabazz) or use Leonard/10/FA to both get a center like Gortat AND a good wing like Tyreke/Iggy/etc. If that fails, save the space for next summer.
Can we roll Dudley into another deal for a pack of smokes and a fist full of beef jerkey? I will if I have to, but I really don't want to root for a team with that dude on it...
First, Flip or Lin never did it for a full season. They both exploded for part of a year. Second, I have no doubt that Leonard should have a good chance to do some of those numbers by his 6th Season. POR doesn't seem willing to wait that long however. And Gortat was hurt for quite a few games and limited in the games he did play and still did 11/8.5/1.6. Do you know the number of NBA Centers who did that this year? 4 Gortat, Duncan, Howard, and Noah. Hibbert and a few others just missed out.
Good point, I think Olshey will try to get a big name player by free agency or trading. Either one. That is the idea behind accumulating chips for that big trade. I don't think Blazers should give up two chips in a #10 and Lenard for Gortat if they want to make a bigger trade down the road. I like the idea of getting a really good free agent and trading a few young players for top shelf player . . . all in one summer.
I never doubted it. You just posted stats from a career year (that weren't even from this current season), and I was poking fun at you for it. BTW, If I tweak your stat group even slightly, I can add more centers to that mix, and some of them had some other stats that were far more impressive than Gortat's stats. It's easy to use stats to prove a point, and in this case, it's misleading, as if Gortat is one of the top 4 centers in the league. He's not. Don't get me wrong, I like Gortat. I've said so in this thread a few times. At this time, he's better than Leonard. But dumping Leonard and the #10 would be a terrible deal. If Gortat was 24-26 and had more years on his contract, I still wouldn't like that deal, but it's more palatable. But given where this team currently is....... I think we're on the same page, overall. I just didn't like the way you used your stats in your argument, so I was poking fun at it.
Fair enough on the stats thing... And I not trying to say Gortat is a top 4 Center in this league. I think he is a top 10 Center though (probably right at #10) and since we would have his Bird Rights I not too worried about him leaving provided we wanted to keep him. I keep #10 if Shabazz or Oldapilo drop there. Other then that I don't see a compelling reason to keep the pick. We all know this is somewhat of a down draft. To get a legit Center in this league you have to overpay in either money or trade. This isn't overpaying in money (at least not yet) so you have to do the other option. I just like this option more then blowing our money on a guy who doesn't really produce (looking at you DeAndre and McGee) much.
I think/hope so, yes. At least if utilized to the same degree. Leonard has a rare combination of size, athleticism, skill, and the attitude and work ethic to put it all together.
And an uncanny ability to fail to learn proper positioning on defense and slightly too passive on offense. He doesn't have the greatest attitude, FWIW.
Fail to learn would make sense if he wasn't a rookie. One season, and he's failed to learn? Also not at all concerned about being passive on offense.
How highly touted was Gortat at age 20? Hell, other than Dwight, how many of the top ten centers currently in the league came in as anything more than projects?
The Dude would be interested in knowing what those types of players were known for, or had going for them. Leonard was known for being an athletic big, who could face up and hit a nice jump shot, and that's what he was. Kids got huge offensive potential for sure, and if he could improve his defense a lot, it would make life a lot easier on our front office. Oden was another player who was known for defense, but had a very raw offensive game, and that's what he was too. I wonder how many players (especially ones picked in the top half of the first round) that were known for one thing became good at the other?
No he is assuming that one day a superstar will be disgruntled and want to leave. Having talent will allow us to offer talent in return for the superstar.
I think if HOU is going to go after Howard, and it sounds as if they will...then POR should try and help them clear space...Asik and a young player or two (Terrence Jones? Thomas Robinson? Motiejunas? White?) for the #10 and maybe rights Papanikalou???? That could give HOU $20-25 mil in cap space if the cap goes up to $60mil as some have projected....and without sacrificing any of thier core players (aside from Asik who would be replaced by Howard).... I don't think it makes POR anything more than a 1st round and out team most likely but allows them to stockpile more young talent and I like Asik much better than Jordan, Mcgee, Hawes (ugh) or even Gortat...and the other options named (Noah\Sanders) are not realistic IMO....
