Should be "this" not "the" in the title. As painful as it is to watch, is this good news for the future? Will it force management to have a more realistic picture of the ceiling of some of our players? Will it force the players to realize that maybe some of them aren't worth max money, or may be worth less than they thought? I know we have a lot of injuries, but the inability of some of our key players to truly step up to the challenge is very apparent.
I know Lopez won't be getting the mega money like many expected. Matthews is no way guaranteed the near max money before injury. Afflalo shouldn't opt out and wait for the pay day when cap goes bananas.
I think Afflalo does opt out but that is questionable? I think his stock went up here with the injury to Wes. I think he can and will look for a 4 year deal and his age is the reason. He is 29 and going to be 30 this year. A four year right now takes him to 34. Then he can pull a 2 year deal or maybe even two of them. It's timing IMO. Right now this team needs to keep him.
I fine with Afllalo staying for 1 more year but if he opts out there is no way I sign him to a 4 year deal. If he wants to opt out then bye bye imo.
I think Afflalo didn't "show" anything in the chance he had. I don't know why any team would give him a big, long-term payday based on what he's done this season. He's a sixth man. Ironically, Wes going down may have upped his perceived value. That is, if some team decides to overlook his injury. It will be interesting how that plays out. All I know is, Aldridge is getting maxed by whatever team he wants to play for.
You would not give him a 4 year at 20-24 mil? He can always be used in trade? He is absolutely worth that.
That is the whole point. He is a sixth man. The Blazers need that. And maybe even more so if Wes does not come back? There is a chance that Wes never plays again. Certainly not at the same level. Very few do. Signing Afflalo to a 4 year does not hurt the Blazers if the money is right.
No, it's bad news. Aldridge has less reason to stay and Wes's cost just went through the roof, as the team stinks without him. Hope Afflalo does opt out, and we don't re-sign him. He's not as good as Wes at just about everything and CJ is better than him at many things.
I would rather sign and trade him in that scenario. To be honest I not thrilled with him (and a lot of that isn't his fault). I think he asks for more than that from us anyways. Could take him for one more year but I think there are upgrades out there for that money range and other guys are ready to step up.
Wes cost went down significantly. There were a few reports that the Knicks were going to offer Mathews a near max, now Mathews will either come at multiple years for a discounted price or an 2y deal with a PO. Rolo was looking at damn near max money as well before he went down with his injury now 10m is around what id expect him to get.
So injuries have hurt the value of Rolo and Wes. But this series has to raise Wes's value from the point it was before it, because we look so much worse than we did when we had Wes.
I hope that we start the season with all three (Wes, Arron, and CJ), Wes recovers beyond reasonable expectations and we trade Arron in February. That's what I was getting at. Value went down with the injury, for sure. Then may have gone back up some since it appears the Blazers are toast without him. That is, depending on the risk someone is willing to take. If his recovery is going well, I'd think he'd go for a one year contract?
If Aldridge stays, Wes, Afflalo and Rolo will likely stay in Portland. If he doesn't, they're all gone. We need Afflalo, who knows what Wes is going to be like coming back, Aaron got a really short time here. He's just like Wes, but a little better posting up and not as great a 3 point shooter. I like him on the team.
There are positives and negatives to it. I think most of what we see are negatives, and the fact that some of the players might not cost as much (that's debatable; it only takes one other team to want to sign them for more than the Blazers would) doesn't outweigh the downsides. The biggest issue, IMO, is if LA was inclined to stay in Portland but has doubts now about whether the team is getting him any closer to a championship. I've said elsewhere that none of us know LA's real motivations or thoughts, regardless of what he might say publicly. So this is just speculation. But keeping Aldridge needs to be Objective A, B and C for this offseason. Maybe Objective Infinity. He is a unique talent, and I don't see the Blazers replacing him if he leaves, and I don't see them being very good anytime soon if he does. I mean we might be talking years out of the playoffs. The reason the other guys might not cost as much is simply they might not be quite good enough to get the team to the next level. So far, this has been built as LA and Lillard and a bunch of very good role players what make the total greater than the sum of the parts. Now I have concerns that Lillard might be hitting a Stephon Marbury-type wall that will define the player he is for the rest of his career. As for those other guys, I've learned not to fall into your own players ... when I first got to this board I floated an idea of trying to trade Batum and Rolo to the Bulls for Noah, with some parts thrown in (possibly Luol Deng or Jimmy Butler at the time; no longer a realistic option) and got told it was horrible. But Noah gives you a lot of the same defensive qualities of Rolo and is a great passer, which it seems Batum has evolved into to his own detriment (he forgets he is one of five players on the floor he needs to get involved). Anyway, you have to be open to dealing players you like -- and these guys all are pretty likeable -- to make the team better. Honestly, aside from chemistry, who other than LA really is irreplaceable on this roster? I'd argue none, maybe not even Lillard, having watched his struggles the second half of the season. Batum is one of the biggest question marks moving forward. He's shown he can be a dynamic offensive player when he looks for his own shot. But he doesn't do it often enough. And the potential of him doing it isn't enough to justify the financial commitment. He has to be a scoring threat. And, if he goes elsewhere, the Blazers need to find a 3 who can defend several positions and is an above-average ballhandler and passer, because our 2 isn't the former and our point isn't the latter. I've looked through rosters, and there aren't a lot of 3s that have that particular skillset. If you don't get those qualities in a 3, then you need to get them somewhere else. The other big issue is how do you fill the holes. If Aldridge stays, it becomes a lot easier. You have a superstar talent who doesn't appear to have a superstar ego. His presence could attract other good players, because he wants to win and will do anything asked but he doesn't necessarily seem to feel he has to get the attention as the guy that is the reason for his team winning. I think he's more of an exception than the rule, though. A lot of these guys have been told all their lives how great they are. They want to be THE guy and have the spotlight. And Portland, while I've always heard is a great place to live and I know has terrific fans, doesn't put those type of players in a position to get the kind of accolades and endorsements to which they aspire. It doesn't offer the "excitement" of a New York, Chicago or L.A. That becomes a big challenge for Olshey. You not only have to find players capable of making you better, but you need to find players willing to come to Portland and do it. It can be done. San Antonio has proven that. But is isn't easy. It all starts with convincing LaMarcus Aldridge to stay and then being willing to make some unpopular moves to upgrade the roster. I honestly feel this team might only be one acquisition away from being a true championship contender (I think the current roster could do it, but it would take an awful lot of good luck, which this organization hasn't had in decades). I'm not sure what that acquisition is, but it's close. You have to hold onto LA, though, or you might as well become Philadelphia West.
To me, everything hinges on what LA does. If he stays, then we re-sign Wes and Rolo. If he leaves, then we start the rebuilding process now. No big contracts, lots of playing time for Leonard, Freeland and CJ and we look to trade Batum.
I'd love to have Afflalo stay for a full season just to see how he fits in. I thought he was really starting to get it when he got hurt. He's a decent starting 2 who the Blazers can bring off the bench on the current roster once Wes returns. If you let him walk, you have to address who starts while Matthews continues to rehab or where you get perimeter scoring if C.J. moves into the starting lineup. I would think, if you can get LA back, you could sell Afflalo on a one-year deal that would give him a chance to be a key contributor to a very competitive team. Then you don't have to make your decision until the salary cap goes up in 2016. EDIT: Of course, if you can get him to be part of some kind of sign-and-trade deal that makes you better, then by all means you do it.
There is no way Wes's money went through the roof. He will be lucky to get even close to what he is getting now for 2 years. What are ya thinking here?
