Blazers Season Preview

harbingerofdoom · Oct 31, 2004

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Portland Trailblazers Offseason Review/2004-2005 Season Preview 
An Offseason of Deals Falling In the Wing.

By Henacy

Coming off a 2003-2004 season that saw the Blazers miss the playoffs for the first time in 21 years, it came as a shock to no one that John Nash & the Blazers were looking to make offseason roster shake ups. The problem is most of the potential deals ended up falling by the way side. 

The Offseason started with heavy trade talks between the Nets & Blazers, for forward Shareef-Abdur Rahim. A deal that would have landed the Blazers with veteran Swingman Kerry Kittles & Power Forward Aaron Williams. The deal apparently fell apart when the Nets would not include there starting Center Jason Collins in the package. Blazers GM John Nash felt that a deal not including Collins would be to low of an offer. And Rod Thorn wasn?t about to give up another starting big man after losing All-star power forward Kenyon Martin in a sign & trade, so both sides decide to cut off trade talks and look to solve their problems else where.

With Kittles trade talks on the decline, the Blazers where still in the market for a wing player to fill a hole in Portland's wing with the potential departure of free agent swingman Darius Miles. In mid July, the Blazers signed perimeter lockdown guard Trenton Hassell to a free Agent offer sheet of 6years-27million dollars, an offer that many felt the Timberwolves, the team Hassell played for in 2003-04, would not match. But at the last minute of the 15 day waiting period, the wolves decided the importance of Hassell to their teams defensive concept and decided to match Portland's offer. The move forced Portland to go back to the drawing board on ways to fill their perimeter need. 

The Blazers went back to shopping around Rahim, there were rumors of potential deals with Minny for light's out shooter Wally Szcerbiak or Rahim to the Bucks for journeyman forward Keith Van Horn. There was even some talk of a different deal involving the Nets that would land Rahim in Jersey and All-star Floor Leader Jason Kidd in Portland. But nothing serious came from any of these rumors or trade talks.

So at the end of a summer of potential deals. And even more rumors of potential talks, the Blazers find themselves going into training camp with much of the same core roster from last season. There were however, a few moves made by Nash, the biggest of which was the Blazers re-signing career underachiever Darius Miles to a 6 year deal. The Blazers also made a few moves that puzzled some basketball experts. 

On draft night, the Blazers passed up on college player of the year, Jamieer Nelson, to take unproven high school star Sebastian Telfair. Drafting Telfair 13th overall seemed a bit high, especially when many experts projected him at best to be a late 1st rounder. The Blazers also acquired Nick Van Exel, regarded as a NBA problem child by many around the league and gave up veteran workhorse Dale Davis in the progress.

So now, the Blazers look to bring a core of veterans & youth together while they find away to get themselves back into the Western Conference playoffs . A position that the Blazers & their fans have become accustomed to in 21 of the last 22 years.

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Key Offseason Player Losses for the Blazers

Center Dale Davis traded to the Golden State Warriors

Guard Dan Dickau traded to Golden State Warriors

Point Guard Omar Cook via free Agency; signed with Charlotte Bobcats

Key Player Additions for the Blazers

Guard Nick Van Exel acquired via trade with Golden State

Swingman Darius Miles re-signed; 6-years/48mill 

Center Joel Przybilla via Free Agency

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2004-05 Blazers' Depth Charts(based only on players currently on blazers roster)

PG: Damon Stoudamire/Nick Van Exel/Sebastian Telfair

SG: Derek Anderson/Qyntel Woods/Richie Frahm

SF: Darius Miles/Ruben Patterson/Viktor Khryapa

PF: Zach Randolph/Shareef Abdur Rahim/Travis Outlaw

C: Theo Ratliff/Joel Przybilla/Vladimir Stepania 

Blazers 04-05 Total Roster Payroll:$80,976,116

Blazers' 2004-05 Season Schedule

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Questions/Problems Surrounding the Trailblazers Entering Training Camp

How to produce more victories away from the Rose Garden? Portland missing out on last years postseason can greatly be attributed to their play on the road. The Blazers could manage only 16 wins on the road last year. They seemed to lack the commitment to team defense needed to win on the road. So their main focus needs to be putting the effort forward on defense to pull out road games.

Offensively, the addition of Van Exel will help the blazers on the road. Van Exel loves hitting big shots. But it still all about the Blazers commitment to Defense on the road because you cant get into a scoring battles with opponents on their own court.

What to do about Reef? After spending most of the offseason shopping Shareef to ever team under the sun, the Blazers still find themselves with the same question they had in early July. What to do with Shareef Rahim who has made it perfectly clear he doesn?t like his role with the Blazers and doesn?t seem like he wants to give any with his trade demands.

So the Blazers find themselves entering training camp with a potential chemistry buster who can explode at any time. In order for the Blazers to trade Reef before the start of the season, they may have to lower their expectations of Rahim's market value. It maybe unrealistic to expect to receive the likes of Jason Kidd or Vince Canter in return for him. They may have to settle for a Keith Van Horn or Wally Szczerbiak. If not, get use to seeing Reef in a Blazers uniform, at least to the February trade deadline.

Who is going to be the face of the Blazers franchise, winning back fans lost over the past 2-3 seasons: A few months ago asking the question of who is going to be the face of the Blazers franchise seemed to give you a clear cut answer, Zach Randolph. But after Randolph's offseason legal trouble, the Blazers may start thinking twice about that answer. The Blazers are already trying to recover from the media doghouse where they were know by many as the Portland "Jailblazers". Having a guy with the potential to further the teams reputation of bad off court characters, made be a setback in the Blazers winning bad fans lost during the "Jailblazers" era.

At the end of the day, winning is a cure for all other diseases. But the Blazers still need to be careful about who is the face & character of their franchise for the next decade.

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Portland '04-05 Player Breakdown

Starters:

Point Guard:

Damon Stoudamire

'04-05 Salary:$15,750,000

Damon's Player Profile

Playing for his future?

Many have seen Damon Stoudamire as somewhat of a disappointment since returning to play in his hometown in 97'. Stoudamire has had his fair share of off the court problems and on the court as well. At one point, Damon was as low as 3rd on Portland's point guard depth charts (during the 02'-03 season). On court, Stoudamire played all 82 games as a starter, something he hadn?t done in 3 years. And off the court, Stoudamire took & passed a media given drug test. It was a method used to re-gain the trust of the Portland Trailblazers fans & community. But the 2004'-05 season, brings about tests of a different kind for the 9-year veteran.

Damon once again has competition for the workhorse load of minutes at the point guard spot. The competition comes in the form of former all-star point guard Nick Van Exel. Any signs of inconsistency from Stoudamire and there may be a shift in point guard minutes toward Van Exel, especially late in the game. A shift away from Damon would be major, since Damon is in a contract year and is playing for a new deal.

Many feel with the trade to acquire Van Exel and the drafting of high school star Sebastian Telfair, it is very likely the Blazers will look to go in a different direction at seasons end, maybe even earlier. In which, case Damon may be auditioning for every team in need of veteran PG help, as well. Damon is still one of the league's quickest guards, But shooting inconsistencies and a lack of size on defense (especially against the league's more physical guards Cassell, Davis, Payton etc) can be very costly at times.

04'-05' Stat Projection: 13.0ppg-6.5apg-3.0rpg in 31mpg

Shooting Guard:

Derek Anderson

04'-05 Salary:$8,443,300

Anderson's Player Profile

Same Old Song with DA.

When talking about Derek Anderson's health with Blazers fans, they cant help but to use a old Nasir Jones saying "imagine that". Just imagine, if Derek Anderson could stay healthy for an entire 82 game season? Nobody has ever questioned DA's talent, but there has always been questions & concerns about his health since he entered the league in 97'. Questions that stem from a injury he suffered his senior year at the University of Kentucky. Derek Anderson's absence from the Blazer's lineup creates major holes in Portland's perimeter. 

The Blazers made major attempts to add some security on the perimeter with major trade talks for Wally Szcerbiak and a few other trade talks. However, trade talks have been unsuccessful thus far, which puts the concerns back on Anderson to stay healthy. The addition of Van Exel, who is capable of playing some two-guard, should help if DA goes down. With Anderson out of the lineup, the Blazers lose one of the teams best perimeter defenders and a lot of athleticism. 

Derek Anderson won?t put up offensive numbers in the likes of Kobe and other premier two's but he does contribute solidly on offense despite some shooting inconsistencies. He also brings a lot of experience to the table, something that is key. When DA is out it forces an inexperienced Qyntel Woods and a disgruntled Ruben Patterson into larger roles in the perimeter rotation, something most Blazer fans may not want to see. 

'04-05' Stat projection: 13.2ppg-3.9apg-3.5rpg in 32.1mpg

Small Forward:

Darius Miles

04'-05 Salary:$6,000,000

D-Miles' Player Profile

Spotlight shines on D-Miles.

The summer sunshine brightened up a smile on the 5th year guard?s face, as Darius Miles pockets got much bigger during the offseason. Miles signed a 6 year, 48 million dollar contract in September to re-sign with the Blazers. The Blazers weren?t quick to re-sign Miles when the offseason first hit. They explored other perimeter options mainly trying to sign swingman Trenton Hassell, but when all other deal fell thru, the Blazers opted to meet Miles at the table with the money. So now, the spotlight still shines on Miles but for a different reason. The big contract means big expectation of Miles.

Miles has been somewhat of a disappointment in his first 4 years in the league. Traveling from the Clippers to the Cavs, & now Blazers, critics site the same problems in Miles' game. He lacks consistency in his perimeter shot. He hasn?t really been that productive in a half court setting either. He mainly contributes in a open court style. Miles could stand to have put on a few pounds during the offseason.

Blazers would like to see Miles develop a little back to the basket game, where he can use his height & leaping skills against smaller wing players. Miles also needs to use his leaping to improve abilities on the backboards. Miles does use his size & athleticism well on Defense, but the effort could stand to become more consistent. No one is expecting overly dramatic improvements from Miles over last year, but signs of improvement must be shown. Miles may spend the 1st half of the season splitting minutes with Rahim, who the Blazers are expected to give a lot of playing time, so he can be trade bait come the February deadline.

04'-05' Stat Projection: 12.0ppg-5.0rpg-2.3apg in 29.5mpg

Power Forward:

Zach Randolph

'04-05 Salary:$1,805,126

Zach's Player Profile

Is He Worth Max?

After the 2003 playoffs, it was clear entering the 2003'-2004 season that Zach Randolph was ready to take that next step in his basketball career. He did just that last season, as he joined the league's exclusive 20pts & 10rebound club. So now, the question needing answers from the Blazers organization is ?was Zach Randolph worth the Max contract?? and is he the guy to be the face of the franchise for the next decade?

When you think about 20 & 10 big men, who are really worth a max deal names like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber, & the big fella down in Miami, come to mind. Zach Randolph isn?t yet at that level of basketball in his career. He does not impact both ends of the court to that level, so if the Blazers do decide to give Randolph the money he is demanding, it will be for the future. The Blazers will be paying what Randolph may do or become down the road. However, that doesn?t always work out for a team (just look at the Blazers roster to get a couple of examples Rahim, Damon etc). Randolph may have to spend the season proving he is worth the investment for the future.

One area Randolph needs to prove himself is one the defensive end. Players like KG & TD are great offensive players but they are also two of the leagues best defenders. Randolph also may need to get more of his production around the hoop. Right now Randolph score a lot in the mid-range area, he needs to show a bit more inside toughness. Randolph also needs to prove that he has the leadership skills & character of a franchise max player. After guys like Rasheed Wallace, the biggest decision the Blazers may make, is about the type of character they want their franchise to instill on & off the court.

04'-05' Stat projection: 20.9ppg-11.0rpg-1.0bpg in 36mpg

Center:

Theo Ratliff

04'-05 Salary:$10,937,500

Theo's Player Profile

Money Well Spent.

Theo Ratliff won?t be a top 5 scorer on the Blazers this year, probably wont even average more then 8 or 9pts per game. But make no mistake, Ratliff's presence will be felt on this Blazers team. And for that reason, the 3-year contract extension the blazers gave him is money well spent. The Blazers needed to become a better as a team defensively. Theo Ratliff in the middle will be the anchor of such change. Ratliff, one of the league's best shot blockers, will allow the other 4 players on the court with him to become better defensive.

Offensively, Ratliff just needs to keep defenses honest from overplaying Zach Randolph. He needs to get garbage points by working the offensive boards and needs to get a few baskets here & there in the half court set. Theo will give the Blazers double-digits every other night, but it?s mainly about the impact Theo can have to the team defensive structure of the Blazers.

04'-'05 Stat Projection:7.8ppg-7.5rpg-3.8bpg in 30mpg

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The Bench-Guards

Nick Van Exel

'04-05 Salary:$11,821,750

Van Exel's Player Profile 

The Key Offseason addition.

In an offseason that consisted of a lot a trade rumors, possible free Agent signings, & the drafting of a high school, the Blazers key addition went relatively uncovered by many. In a trade early in the offseason, the Blazers sent veteran big man Dale Davis to Golden State in a package to acquire clutch shooting guard Nick Van Exel. 

Van Exel brings big shot making ability off the bench, something the Blazers desperately needed last season, especially on the road. The Blazers now have shot maker needed to pull out close games in other teams building. Van Exel?s ability to play both backcourt positions, adds more depth & versatility to the Blazers perimeter.

Nick 'the Quick' will have times where his shot selection and me 1st attitude can be somewhat of a setback. But if Mo Cheeks finds away to blend Van Exel & Stoudamire together at the point, enough to keep both parties happy, Portland may have one of the league's stronger 1-2 punches at the point guard position.

04'-05 Stat Projection: 11.5ppg-4.0apg-2.5rpg in 28mpg

Rookie Spotlight

Sebastian Telfair

Position:Point Guard

Size:5'11, 165lb

High School/College:Lincoln High, (Brooklyn, New York)

Drafted:1st Round; 13th Pick Overall

Biggest Strength: Extremely quick off the dribble and in the open court.

Biggest Weakness: Lacks size for today's modern day point guards.

The Transition into the NBA won?t be a fast break for Telfair. Last year around this time, life was much simpler for Sebastian. The High School phenom had the whole world in his hand. Telfair was high on every D1 school list and eventually elected to play under Lute Olsen & the wild cats. But for several reasons, by the end of his senior year, Telfair elected to take the lure of the millions and skip college for the pros. 

Telfair traded mid-terms for training camp. Now he will quickly learn that life in the NBA isn?t all its cracked up to be...especially when you were the man in high school and will now be regulated to a third string role in the NBA, during your rookie season. Sebastian Telfair won?t find many minutes on the court playing behind veterans Damon Stoudamire and Nick Van Exel this season. However, Telfair can gain a lot of character & experience from going thru the type of season many believe he will face.

Telfair has things he needs to work on before he can be a every game pg in this league. He needs to prove that he has an NBA level perimeter shot. While Telfair is a great playmaking point guard, he still has some selfishness in his game that he needs to shake, in order to run a offense at this level being undersized. Telfair's lack of size will also be costly for him on the defensive end. The point guard position in the league only seems to be getting bigger & more physical, that doesn?t hold well for Telfair in the future.

Rookie Season Projection: Won?t play much unless Might mouse or Van Exel goes down. He may spend a large part of the year on IR.

Other Guards On the Bench:

1. Qyntel Woods

2. Ritchie Frahm

Summary: Many felt like this would be the year Qyntel Woods would get the opportunity to breakout. Woods had a strong summary league. But after late offseason legal troubles and a suspension from the team, it seems that Woods maybe gone by the trade deadline, if not before.

Ritchie Frahm is an excellent shooter from the perimeter and is a decent defender. It?s hard to imagine from cracking the every game regular rotation with the Blazers having so much veteran experience in the backcourt. He may be used mainly as a shooting specialist off the bench.

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The Bench: Forward Positions 

Shareef Abdur Rahim

04'-05 Salary:$14,625,000

Reef's Player Profile 

Making the Best of a Bad Situation.

After a summer of trade demands, & even talking about holding out from training camp, it seems that Rahim has finally come to the reality; he is stuck in Portland for now. Rahim can now use the situation to better strength his status on the '05 free Agent market. Rahim has never been known as a winner, so if he is willing to swallow his ego, and take a smaller role in Portland, for the time being, it may look good on his free Agent resume. It?s a way of showing that he is willing to do something for the good of a team.

A Antawn Jamison type role, similar to the one he had in Dallas, would be perfect for Rahim & the Blazers. Rahim will spend a lot of minutes playing the 3 alongside Ratliff & Randolph, which gives Portland a strong frontcourt 3. Reef will also see minutes backing up Randolph. Shareef ability to score in the low block & outside on the perimeter, adds a Rasheed Wallace type versatility aspect, but to a lesser degree. 

Rahim may give Miles a run for the starting spot at Small Forward, as the Blazers may be looking to showcase Rahim for the Feb. trade deadline.

04'-05' Stat Projection: 12.5ppg-5.0rpg-2.0apg in 29.0mpg

Other Forwards on the Bench:

1. Ruben Patterson

2. Travis Outlaw

3. Viktor Khryapa 

Summary: Ruben Patterson is one of the team?s best athletes and a notable perimeter defender league wide. However, his presence on the Blazers over the years, has become much more of a negative than a positive. Off the court problems and fights with teammates, has made Patterson a team cancer in the eyes of many. Paterson spent most of the summer demanding trades and complaining about his role on the team. Patterson and the Blazers may need to part ways, to ensure a fresh start for both, which occurred with Bonzi Wells and Rasheed Wallace.

Travis Outlaw suffers from the same fate that many who elect to skip college have faced, bench splinters. The 23rd pick in the 2003 draft, simply doesn?t have the body or skills, yet, to contribute at this level. Outlaw should have elected to go play for a top division 1 program, where he could get the teaching & skill development he needs.

Viktor Khryapa is expected to miss the entire year with an injury, but they say he is an excellent defender and is very athletic.

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The Bench: Center 

1. Vladimir Stepania

2. Joel Przybilla

Summary: The Blazers' main backup Center spot seems to be up for grabs this year, with the departure of Dale Davis. Vladimir Stepania spent much of last year as the backup, so he is very familiar with Mo Cheeks' system. However, with the signing of Joel Przybilla in mid-august, it seems as if he will have competition for the spot during training camp.

Przybilla doesn?t have the touch from the field like Stepania, but he is willing to mix it up around the basket a bit more and has good size for an NBA big. However, neither will play a bulk of minutes nor produce a bulk of points.

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Portland's Preseason Grades

Perimeter Scoring: B

The Blazers' have 4 legit options on the perimeter that can provide 10-15pts each on a nightly basis (Van Exel, Damon Stoudamire, Derek Anderson, and Darius Miles), so the Blazers definitely have offensive balance on the perimeter. The question comes in his the balance at the 2 guard & wing position consistent enough offensively to bring it on a nightly basis in a conference that includes the likes of Kobe, Mcgrady, Melo & Ray Allen.

Perimeter Shooting: B-

The addition of Nick Van Exel big shot making ability will help on the perimeter. Having Richie Frahm who can be used as a shooting specialist off the bench will be a plus. However, you will still see the lack of perimeter shooting consistency in the starting lineup.

Perimeter Defense: B-

Derek Anderson, Ruben Patterson are both legit perimeter defenders, which will help in try to contain the big time western wing players. Miles is also a good defender at the 3 spot when he gives the effort. The problem comes in that the Blazers' didn?t get much better defensively at the point guard position even with the signing of Van Exel.

Frontcourt/low Post Scoring: B

Zach Randolph is the team?s best offensive option playing the 4 and Abdur Rahim is a great scoring punch off the bench at both forward spots, but the Blazers won?t get much from the Center spot scoring wise.

Frontcourt/low Post Defense: B-

Theo Ratliff at the Center is the anchor of Portland's team defense and backup Przybilla is willing to bang down low defensively. Rahim has been known to give some of the better forwards problems from time to time with his defense, most notably conference rival KG, but Zach Randolph needs to show more on D.

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Team's Biggest Strength: Depth. The Blazers can legitimately go two deep at just about every position especially on the perimeter. The addition and versatility of Van Exel & Reef are really going to help Portland's bench coach Mo Cheek's just hast to find the proper rotation to keep everyone happy, that the hard part.

Team's Biggest Weakness: Lack of team chemistry. It seems every year the Blazers' display one of the league's deepest rosters. However, the problem is, it never seems to be the right mix of players to produce the team chemistry needed to be affective. It?s a problem still maybe casting a gray cloud over this organization. The Blazers spent a lot of the offseason with people complaining and putting their individual interest in front of that of the team. 

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The New Northwest Division 

Due to the addition of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, many teams were forced to which divisions during the offseason, the Blazers were one of those teams. The Blazers moved from the Pacific division to the newly named North West division (last year's Midwest division with the exception of the Sonics & loss of the Spurs). This is a major change for the Blazers, gone are the days of chasing down the Kings and Lakers for a division title. They now have a new monster at the top of the hill they most knock off, the Timberwolves. 

The Timberwolves are the projected divisional favorites, lead by last year's league MVP, Kevin Garnett. The Timberwolves despite not making any major offseason additions are still a favorite in not only the Northwest but also the Western Conference. The Wolves are favorites mainly because they are bringing back the same cast that won last year's Western Conference regular season and played in the conference finals. The T-wolves are team that includes core players Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell and a nice group of role players like Trenton Hassell & Fred Hoiberg which may not only be the favorites in the division, but are a leading candidate for the WCF Championship as well.

The addition of Kenyon Martin has led to high hopes in the mile high city. The Denver Nuggets feel they might have just enough to get it done this year. And why not? Kenyon Martin added to a frontline that already includes Power Forward Nene, Center Marcus Camby, & explosive wing forward Carmelo Anthony gives the Nuggets one of the league's most talented frontcourts. The things that may set the Nuggets back is their play at the two-guard and their lack of playoff experience as a team.

After the Nuggets & Timberwolves, the Division starts to pair off a bit. While the Utah Jazz, have made nice offseason additions, stealing Carlos Boozer from Cleveland and gaining championship experience with the addition of Okur from the Pistons, they did not add the big money time player, they need to be a true high level team. The Jazz lost a lot of close 4th quarter games last year due to lack of scoring & big shot making in the 4th quarter. They did not address this concern, so similar losses may occur often again this year. In addition, the Sonics are the mess of the Northwest, making no additions to improve a team that struggled on a nightly basis last year. 

Realistic Predictions: The Blazers are not up to par with the Wolves & Nuggets. However, a third place finish in the division is not out of the question. While the Jazz maybe a bit better on paper, they have a few new additions that have to adjust to playing in Jerry Sloan's team 1st system. They my get off to a slow start. 

Finishing 3rd in the Northwest doesn?t mean playoffs are out of the question. It?s very likely this team could get three teams into the big show come April. The Blazers will have to finish top 3 in the division to stand a chance, getting 4 teams from the same division maybe unrealistic, especially with the talent in the South West division. Making the Playoffs in the west will be a struggle for the Blazers but not out the question.

All-Star · Oct 31, 2004

Very nice preview Henacy. Best one I've seen so far. Nothing looks wrong in it.

P.A.P. · Oct 31, 2004

Best Preview this far, the only thing I disagree with is the Frontcourt/low Post Scoring, but thats minor. Very good preview. I'm surprised there isn't a poster from the Blazers forum that would do this

Henacy · Oct 31, 2004

Thanks guys, Banks do you think the Blazers frontcourt scoring should be graded higher or lower then a B-, cause that one was kind of tricky for me because the blazers probably arent going to get an overload of scoring from the Center spot. Theo's gonna get some scrappy points underneath here & there but not much offense will come from the Center spot other then that on a nightly basis. But the Blazers will get a boat load of scoring from the 4 spot with the combination of Randoplh and Rahim, so I try to offset it by giving them a B-.

P.A.P. · Oct 31, 2004

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks guys, Banks do you think the Blazers frontcourt scoring should be graded higher or lower then a B-, cause that one was kind of tricky for me because the blazers probably arent going to get an overload of scoring from the Center spot. Theo's gonna get some scrappy points underneath here & there but not much offense will come from the Center spot other then that on a nightly basis. But the Blazers will get a boat load of scoring from the 4 spot with the combination of Randoplh and Rahim, so I try to offset it by giving them a B-.</div>

I thought it should be a B+. Randolphs inside game is what makes him sucessful. His mid-range jumper is what compliments him and what makes him a big threat. For his inside scoring, I give himself an A-. With Abdur-Rahim as player who can go both inside and outside (more effective inside). I expect this frontcourt to be able to score over 40 PPG with Ratliff. Randolph: A-, Abdur-Rahim: B/B+, Ratliff: C. That averages out for B+ for me, although it would be around a B if you translate the letters into numbers, the fact that Randolph and Abdur-Rahim are always getting touches inside with the ball made me give them a B+.

Henacy · Oct 31, 2004

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post">I thought it should be a B+. Randolphs inside game is what makes him sucessful. His mid-range jumper is what compliments him and what makes him a big threat. For his inside scoring, I give himself an A-. With Abdur-Rahim as player who can go both inside and outside (more effective inside). I expect this frontcourt to be able to score over 40 PPG with Ratliff. Randolph: A-, Abdur-Rahim: B/B+, Ratliff: C. That averages out for B+ for me, although it would be around a B if you translate the letters into numbers, the fact that Randolph and Abdur-Rahim are always getting touches inside with the ball made me give them a B+.</div>

My bad, I gave their frontcourt scoring a B, so you are completely, right.

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