One who can actually score, and one that is actually a point guard. Two things our bench direly needed.
This thread reminds me a bit of when our draft selections were severely derided in the past when all we had was the 25th pick.
I would give us C+/B- I think Kaman was a solid addition in case of injuries and quite frankly that's all I cared about in getting a big man. Someone who was big enough to bang with the other bigs and at the same time can pass/shoot the ball from the high post. I was happy with Robin and Joel (before he got hurt) last year but knew we were gambling without one more experienced center on the roster. Kaman gives us that depth. I view Blake as insurance as well. I hope CJ and Will will improve enough to give us solid minutes. We either needed to trade for a top back up or sign a vet for insurance. Neil went with dependable vet. There was something about Mo's play with the 2nd unit that did not seem right last year. They never seemed to play together or trust one another. I am hoping for a more cohesive 2nd unit. Of course you can't put that all on Mo, the other players needed to step up regardless. Mo saved our ass on many occasions, but this year the points need to be spread out. I wanted Sessions, but I have always loved Steve's competitiveness. I think he will be a steady influence with the young players.
B. A lot of guys here underestimate Kaman, he's been a very productive center with the time given. Blake won't give us the headaches that Mo did.
B This season is going to 95% depend on the progress of the other players already on our roster. If all our guys under 30 continue to improve these could be A additions. The aspect I do really like is both players can be beat out of the rotation and accept limited minutes. But if the young guys struggle both players can be respectable pieces of a playoff teams rotation and even temporary starters. If our bench really struggles again while Kaman and Blake don't contribute then yes the offseason would be a failure. Its odd so many fans talk about how we should be more like the Spurs but then when we keep the same coaches and 13 of 15 players people complain that there aren't a bunch of short term flashy changes.
The other great aspect of these additions is we didn't lose any assets, we didn't lose any draft picks, and we didn't assume any long term salary. We had no draft pick this offseason but now the debt to Charlotte is paid off and going forward the team has all 7 of their own future first round picks. In that sense you could think of this offseason as gaining one of our picks back. Picks are basically the currency used to swing trades so having all those assets could help us bring in an all-star down the road if one becomes available. While I was intrigued by the idea of adding Monroe we would've had to pay him a max contract and that likely means losing one of our current starters at some point. Not adding long term salary will allow the team to keep all of our free agents next summer or possibly pursue an upgrade if Neil wants to go in that direction.
I dont have a grade and actually like Kaman, but this is funny as hell. my appologies if this is posted already. [video=youtube;Cv1cBN8M-9I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv1cBN8M-9I[/video]
Wow, A+ huh? A realistic one, or at least a fairly realistic one would have been buy into the late first round and select Rodney Hood Would have tried to do a S&T for a better center and or PG Signed Aminu as a good defensive wing Hindsight would have been.....As you know I don't feel the Blazers will win anything as constructed though, so with Lebron going to Cleveland I would try to deal Aldridge to them for Wiggins, And other young talent then S&T Mathews, Leonar_ and future picks or whatever for Monroe
