Anyone think we might have done better or be a better team if we had keep Channing and not picked up Howard?
With the hole we had in the middle without Oden or Przybilla, we needed someone tough in the middle, not someone who jacks up three's from the outside. Close call, but I would still take Howard. He is Father Time, afterall.
I love Chann, but we were missing an enforcer type who could battle down low. Not really Frye's specialty!
I was thinking Fry might have been a better defender, but Howard a better mentor. Howard was abused defensively at center, but he also understood the position.
Howard's toughness and experience helped the team deal with all the disasters. Frye seems to be a nice guy, and at this point is (periodicaly) a better player, but his "easily distracted by sparkly objects" personality was NOT what the team needed.
Let's wait and see how much Frye enjoys playing against Howard after a few games. The Frye I remember hated being bumped.
We'd be better off in this series if we had Fry and the Suns had Howard, but overall Howard has helped us more than Frye did last year.
Portland had Juwan and Pendergraph under contract for about the same rate Frye got from the Suns + Jeff is under contract for next year. I'd rather have what Juwan brought Portland this year (then what Frye projected to provide) and I'd rather have Pendergraph's inside toughness for the long term. STOMP
No. As much as I like Channing's personality, he was not a good fit in our system and has put himself in a better position to succeed by being in Phoenix. Win/win for both parties.
Frye didn't do anything last season to show that he deserved a new contract here in Portland. He found a great fit in Phoenix and I'm happy for him. Also, Juwan Howard's veteran presence (along with Miller and Camby, but Howard seems more vocal) has been huge for us.
No. Howard is a leader on this team. He and Camby are the only ones on the team who have been on a team that won a playoff series.
Frye wasn't very happy with his role or time here in PDX, so he went somewhere he was wanted and could get PT ... how is this even a topic for debate?
This team would have sunk more deeply if you replace Howard with Frye for the season. Juwan was a lifesaver, while Frye was just a passenger in the boat. We need more experienced players like Howard, Miller, and Camby. We need to abandon the youth movement and get players through trades and free agency, not drafts.
Yup. Channing just didn't fit, and we just couldn't trust him enough when he came in the game. Juwan was the veteran we needed for this team, and provide that leadership.
for a little perspective on this comment and general overboard Juwan praisings (like that he was the team's MVP this season), KS was going to Univ. of Michigan when Howard was. STOMP