To be honest, I'd rather have neither. But that wasn't an option. I also think Whiteside is likely to sulk if he's pushed into a bench role, but RoLo never would. Also RoLo is a much better passer and screener.
Did you think Rolo hasn't dropped on every category? Points? Blocks? Assists? Rebounds? Take your pick. Yep Minutes too!
The question is does he want to be in Portland? I would guess that he liked his time here, but I haven't exactly heard him say he can't wait to get back. I am sure it will come down to money. Seems like we have a better shot with Whiteside. Don't we have his Bird rights? Also, I doubt it was Whiteside who made our defense terrible. I am pretty sure the other 4 players on the court were also factors. (and the coach)
I kinda think a Chip would be pretty fun. But sure let’s beat up some mascots starting with that funny looking cat. I totally figured @SlyPokerDog would be all in on beating up cats?
Curious to see the rebound stats with both on the floor. Rolo never had the gaudy stats, but his impact was massive. His boxouts were epic, and he never blindly chased blocks. And he set better screens for Dame than anyone before or after he left in 2015. And he just started shooting threes this past season, at a decent clip. Think my feelings about Whiteside should be clear by now. At no costs do I want him back.
Surprised with all the Whiteside haters... Not that I totally disagree, he often has very empty stats. I just thought he would be clearly valued higher than Rolo. Rolo is borderline unplayable against certain lineups. Maybe that is fine with a backup part time center. It makes me even more curious what Whiteside will get in free agency. It's not as though only some Blazer fans are the ones with this opinion of Whiteside, many Miami fans think similar, so do many in the media. I'm just not sure what GM's will think. Teams used to pay for big stat guys even if they had major issues. Especially the Knicks, TWolves, etc. But teams are much smarter now and look at advanced stats, team success. Maybe Whiteside doesnt even get MLE offers. For the stats he puts up he might have the lowest contract offer (as a percentage of the cap) in league history.
RoLo is getting fewer minutes per game on the Bucks than Pat Connaughton, BTW. I would rather let Whiteside go entirely. What with Nurk and Collins we can cover it - and the remaining C minutes can go to Moses Brown. Yes, Whiteside puts up numbers for us, but that's because he's being put into a position to do so. But using him in a way that makes use of his strengths has resulted in our defense being shitty. (Of course, losing Harkless and Aminu and playing Carmelo doesn't help either.)
Oh hell yeah I'd get Aminu in a heartbeat over either of these guys. He'd be a perfect complement (off the bench? starting?) at SF to Collins and Melo. I'd really rather see him play the bulk of his minutes at SF if he starts, though. Harkless...I'd pick up on a vet minimum.