This is only my opinion; but I think if Portland can always bring their "A" game in the playoffs; we have a good chance against anyone else's "A" game. This includes the Lakers. What are your thoughts?
I like our A game, especially at home. We attack pretty relentlessly, and take advantage of a matchup before the other team can adjust. But the trick is being able to bring the A game more often than the other team can bring theirs. That's what will prevent us from proceeding, if it comes to that.
Before we got Wallace, they scared the hell out of me. With Wallace and his grit, its infectous. I like our chances. I think we are one big away from being very very good. Not talking about role players, but an honest to goodness center ala Oden. Get someone like him as far as size and speed, or a perkins type of hard ass..whooohoo that would be fun. But to get back on point..our "A" game should be fine if we only have to play five on five at a time.
I remember how the officials took us out of the Houston series by calling two different games on each end of the floor. I think the same would occur against the L*kers. K*be is going to be allowed to run wild and anyone that breathes on him is going to get a whistle. I want to avoid them if at all possible.
Yeah I'm right there with you about avoiding them, but I think the sooner we face them; the better chances we have in the future. If somehow we are able to knock them out; then we won't have to worry about 5 on 8 until the finals.
I wanted Wallace so long ago and was ridiculed in O-live. This was during the contract negotiations between Wallace and Charlotte. At that time, we had an opportunity to free up enough cap to offer him 12 mil a season. So many thought I was nuts for even thinking it. I knew Wallace was a game changer on the right team. He is and was everything our team was missing the past 5 years. Someone like Kersey that put his body on the line for his team.
Who ridiculed you? I'm trying to remember. I thought he was good, but I didn't know he was this good. I probably would have been fine but not thrilled about acquiring him (like I was about Dre) back then, and I would have been shown to once again be a basketball ignoramous. He's amazing.
It wasn't necessarily about his talent, but the contract. If we offered 12 mil; it would have put us in cap hell for the next 5 years. I think most the ridicule was being crazy enough to pay for a player of "Wallace's caliber" at the time. Many thought he could be another Darius Miles. I can't remember, but I kept using "trade machine" to make the deals work and was laughed at.
I have to say, if I had seen Joel Przybilla / Dante Cunningham / Bayless for Wallace in a Trade machine post, I would have dismissed the poster as completely unrealistic.
Nah man it wasn't that scenario. I think it was us taking on their point guard's contract as well. I believe it was Randolph, Outlaw and Jack for Wallace and Spencer (was getting 8 mil a season and Wallace was getting 12)
Kind of awesome that the deal we got was probably better than even the most lopsided fan deals could conceive of.
