To answer all the posts at me: I was saying having Meyers at the 4 to help space the floor, he just needs to hit 1 or 2 threes to help clear it out for penetration or pick and rolls, etc. Plums doesn't do that.
Aminu played PF all playooffs and since vonleh moved to the bench, come on... It's not only a you, I've seen plenty of people moving Meyers to the starting line up. What I really dislike is that beside the 3 he is useless. No other offense and very little defense. And when the 3 doesn't drop, he hurts the team.
Eh, you're right about Aminu. Dunno what I was thinking. fucking 5:30 am thinking. Regardless, I think we miss Meyers for the playoffs. And also, if there's a better option to get for the PF, then yes... but there isn't... Plums is not the answer. That's why you're seeing so many say Meyers. He's really our only spread option for PF.
As much as I am not really a fan of the guy, and as much as I know damn well this was a calculated PR move, I liked the things that not only he said, but also what Chuck and Kenny told him. There is also this thought in my head of, what IF we ended up with him, and got that ring...how great would it be to rub THAT in the Lakers and Rockets faces? Winning it all with the guy you all said no one could win it with.
And yeah, Mason is brutal trying to "finish". If he could score around the basket we'd be up 3-1. Here is where I hope he can improve.
People have forgotten him. They shouldn't. If he puts in the work this summer we may not recognize him next season. Vonleh and Harkless are our two lottery picks this year.
Meyers is a spot player. His ceiling is a 20 min bench player who can be a threat off the bench. Brings little else to the picture. He shouldn't stop you from going after others.
The year Dwight and Parsons were both in Houston, they came to every home game they could of my son's high school football games because someone tweeted to Dwight that he should adopt the team as his own. He did, and was EXTREMELY cool with everyone, standing up, cheering, high fiving people, and generally just being a big kid. For the record, Parsons was really cool as well. Dwight did the same thing this year, and sent the school a giant thank you note and funded some huge project in congratulations for winning the state championship. No idea what he is like in the locker room, but he does seem like a nice guy
I think Howard still has potential to be a guy like Zach Randolph or Rasheed Wallace--somebody whose reputation gets tainted (unfairly or not) and is at the heart of some pretty underperforming teams, but in the end finds a little redemption with the right fit. I'm sure a lot of Rockets and Lakers fans would laugh at what I just wrote, just like a lot of Portlanders would have laughed at Detroit and Memphis for taking our "headcases." I guess they might say that Z-bo and Sheed were still at the peaks of their career when moved, whereas Howard has clearly already seen that point. Still, given how badly we need a defensive center, I think we need to roll the dice on him making a comeback.
The question for me is not if we go after him, rather it's for how much? I asked earlier, but I don't think there's anyway he's getting an offer of less than 20 mil per. I think we can go upto 4/100 with team options in the third year depending on who else we want to pursue.
My final thoughts on Dwight: His max contract will start at around 30 million and will average out to be around 32 million a year. Portland has the ability to give him that contract but in no scenario should Portland (or any other team for that matter) offer a max unless it is a 1+1 with a team option. Of course, there is also no way that Dwight Howard would accept that as the team that acquires him wouldn't even receive his bird rights after his contract is over. So with that in mind, I would welcome Dwight if and only if he takes less than a max AND wants to play in Portland. Him genuinely showing interest in our culture and then taking a smaller deal to play with Dame, CJ and Terry Stotts is akin to him accepting his limitations as a player AND buying in to the player culture we have built in Portland. I have to imagine that if Dwight comes here we will throw it to him a few possessions per game just because he immediately becomes our best post offense option (even if he's not a great post player), something that we sorely lacked throughout the year. Terry Stotts plays an "equal opportunity" offense and has been known to throw it to guys in the post even if it wasn't the best option in terms of PPP (*cough* LMA) just because it keeps the big men involved. If we lose one or two offensive possessions a night in order to have Dwight engaged as a defensive monster I am okay with that, and I would assume Stotts would be okay with that as well. I would offer him anywhere from 20-25 million a year on a 3+1 with a team option contract. The less he takes, the more he is committed to winning, because it gives us some more flexibility this year. In the end if it takes 25 million a year then whatever, because after CJ's extension we aren't looking at capspace for a long time, and this is our last opportunity to really improve our team in free agency. With that said I don't think Olshey should make him Plan A, but he has to look at Dwight at the very least. Even before last night's interview I thought Dwight's character changed for the better while playing in Houston. Felt like he took for granted team chemistry and playing the right way. So in that sense now would be the perfect time to prove it. Still, I think last night was a bit of maneuvering on his agents part (he hired a new one this year). Unscripted or not that interview really helped his perception around the league and that can only benefit him in free agency. TL;DR - I would take Dwight if Dwight is committed to Portland.
Let's be realistic here. We are most likely not even in Horford's top three. Durant probably won't leave OKC, but if he does, I highly doubt Portland would be high on his list. If Dwight was actually serious about coming to Portland, I would give him a look. We need more weapons. Dwight is a weapon. But if we added him, we would need to make other moves. It couldn't just be sign Dwight and call it a day.
I'm gonna have to agree with Herb Brown on this: bringing Howard here would be a mistake. "I think you're courting disaster. He's not a finisher inside. He doesn't like being subservient, or being second-fiddle to other players, and I don't think he's developed his game, and improved his game." That's the big thing for me, one of the most physically gifted players ever but doesn't work on his game. Not a fit for the Blazers. The only way I would think about it is if he agreed that if we signed Horford to a max, that he would accept whatever is left over." http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2016/05/post_51.html
