dont know if this is up here or not already but i didnt see any posts or threads about it... Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes Jan 15 #Blazers having so much fun I'm told LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard have discussed their plans to play together long-term. I would say thats a good thing?
Very cool! Hope Wessy's in the plans too, because he's as important as Batum to our success right now. Actually, I think this starting five (knock on wood for health reasons) is a lock for long-term plans together... Robin, Batum, and Lillard are all around the same age, and Wes and LA are around the same age... All close enough to each other to think about the next 3-5 years together.
Awesome, I really want our starting five to stay together here for a looong time. I don't want this winning to end! Also I agree^, Wes is huge for us. I think he gives our team the tough attitude that we need to win
I hope they're talking about playing together long term in Portland. I wonder if they'd be willing to take pay cuts to bring a more competitive team than they'd be able to if they all got max contracts.
I.e., sacrifice to get a better bench? Well, Lillard and LA are both max players now (though you never know, one or both may surprise us with generosity).
Lillard is going to need to get paid in the next two years. There's going to be some tight purse strings for everyone to still be happy, or a lot of compromise and promises. BrianWA, or anyone else, know if players can make a clause about opting out of contract if certain teammates get traded?
I like Wes, and I think he's been really good this year, but I don't put him on the same level as Dame, LA, and Nic. Those three would be very hard to replace right now, and are the core of the team.
Wes has been more important than Nic or Dame this season. He is the best defender of the bunch and a very efficient scorer. Dame's offense is better than Wes but his defense is so bad on the whole he doesn't help the team as much. Statistically our most efficient lineups relative to the opponent for the year have been with Mo Williams in place of Dame only because the team defense is so much better. Wes has been the second best SG in the league behind Harden so I think his production is harder to replace since the position has less talent. I think long term the team keeps all 5 of them together for quite a while though. The issue will be if CJ, TRob or someone else really thrives off the bench, with a spendy starting lineup we will have a difficult time paying enough or give them enough minutes to stay happy. But we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
Not hard to imagine those three hanging together like Ginobili/Parker/Duncan have. Dame, Nic and LMA have such complementary skills and professional mindsets that you have to figure they can work long-term. I think a huge reason Harden forced his way out of OKC was because he was never going to reach his potential there. Even aside from the money (which was no doubt significant), you had three perimeter players who all wanted to be The Man. Aldridge and Dame in the coming year or so may transition from "all-star caliber" to superstars, but in the complementary mold of Stockton/Malone, or Kobe/Shaq (before egos destroyed it). And Batum is the kind of guy you can plug into practically any team in the league and he'll find a niche. If I had to speculate, I'd guess he's the one we'd be most likely to trade if we had a chance at a third elite player at some point down the road. But I'm definitely not in any rush!
Wes has been more aggressive with his post-ups, and he's becoming a pretty decent slasher. But a lot of his stats are a product of the offense. He scores off opportunities created by Damian/LMA/Batum/Mo. Dame and LMA scare people. Those two guys force teams to design defenses around them. Batum doesn't scare people, but he creates so many open shots for guys like Lopez and Freeland. Wes is our best defender, but that's kind of damning with faint praise.
I've never heard of one. The standard opt-outs apply (for whatever reason), but they're pretty limited. And you don't have to have a reason for one. Player Early Termination Options (ETOs) give the player the right to terminate the contract early. An ETO can't occur prior to the end of fourth season of the contract (which implies that the contract must be for five seasons). An ETO is not allowed in a veteran extension. Coon CBA #58 has a lot more info.
I agree with Aldridge, when he is out of the game are offense really struggles at time. Damian is a sniper that spaces the floor. Just like Kyle Korver or other elite shooters. But teams are not worried about his offense outside of the long ball. He isn't above average scoring from anywhere else. Mo Williams is more accurate with the open long 2 point shot. Everyone is more accurate at the rim. Damian does a great job giving the ball up to other play makers and not overdribbling, thats one of my favorite attributes of him. With his shooting it will force defenses to give him other opportunities on the court, I hope he can improve those areas because he could be one of the best guards in the league if he does. But he isn't there yet. Wes is much better at creating offense than earlier in his career. He can post people up, he can finish drives to the hole, he can hit a step back.
Sorry, but I just don't see it. I think people vastly overrate Wes on defense, and I think you are underrating what Dame has done on offense this year. Wes has a DRTG of 109 Dame has a DRTG of 110 Wes has a defenisve win share of .08 Dame has a defensive win share of .07 Dame has 30 steals Wes has 37 steals. Dame has 14 blocks Wes has 7 blocks. Is Wes really that much better on defense?
Great example of why defensive advanced stats mean shit. Or do you think David West is the third best defender in the league?
Uh huh, that's always what someone says when the stats don't back them up, and then they go and cite some stupid shit that the starters play better with Mo than Lillard
