Bill Simmons and Steve Kerr Talk Trail Blazers On The BS Report

Tempting.

Asik/Lopez would be the best center rotation since ...........?

 

The single biggest problem Portland has is defending at the rim. I'd really like to see us upgrade the center rotation so we could have a hard-hitting 7 footer smacking people at the rim for the full 48 mpg.

Asik was the second best player on a team that won 45 games last year, and cut his teeth on a pretty awesome defensive Bulls team for a couple years before that. Lopez has been a minor role player throughout most of his career, and was maybe the 3rd or 4th best player on a 25 win team last year.

To be clear--I'm not nearly as excited about giving up Lopez + CJ to get Asik as I am giving up Leonard/CJ/Freeland.

 

I think the real question is would you trade them TRob for Asik?

 

I wouldn't. I like Asik, but right now I think Robinson has the potential to be a home run for us. He has star potential, but he just needs development. Asik is a role player. He's a starting quality center, but he is ever going to be a star. He is what he is. I think we need Robinson as an insurance policy in case Aldridge decides to skip town.

 

I was kidding. Irony and all that.

We definitely need Robinson to backup Aldridge. And I'm not as enamoured with Asik as some -- role player is about right. That $15mil he's owed next year makes him a tough pill to swallow and lowers his trade value, IMO. I doubt Houston makes out all that well when they do trade him. Other teams have them over a barrel.

 

I just don't think Morey would do that. Give us TRob and then trade Asik for him. That would be too funny.
Keep in mind that Terrance Jones is starting to play pretty well for them

Edit: Nevermind I just saw your last post about you kidding about it.

 

Man I wish there was a way for us to have both...

Asik is good, but I think it defeats the main purpose of getting him if we have to trade away Lopez -- depth.

Plus I like guys who like Portland and want to be here. Plus his teammates like him. Plus I like his hair, and the way he stands sideways at the freethrow line.

I wouldn't mess with anything right now unless Olshey can pull a sweet 3-team deal in which the main outgoing assets are CJ/picks/& TRob, Freeland or Leonard... which I find hard to believe is possible.

 

No no no and no to all these trade ideas. We're clicking. Lopez is a real legit center who is playing great for us and has room to grow. We DEFINITELY don't want to trade CJ. The current rookie class picked him to win rookie of the year. You don't trade that unless we NEEDED Asik. But we don't. The Lopez/Aldridge/Freeland/Robinson is working,

 

Haha me too!

 

Again, Kersey and Buck for Barkley? What could have been? We'll never know because we didn't want to ruin team chemistry.

 

Yeah. Because Asik is a top 50 all time player.

 

Who knew Barkley was going to be a top 50 player back then?

 

By the time Barkley was 27 years old (Asik's age) I think everyone knew that was a distinct possibility.

 

CJ, Freeland and Leonard for Asik?