Matthews vs. Webster

Probably, but in terms of developing a player's maturity and approach to the game, I think College does have some benefits that jumping straight into the league doesn't have.

 

I think it was pretty clear that Webster's chance of breaking out with this team has passed away. He was given the opportunity again and again and failed to deliver. He is either never going to make it - or needs a change of scenery to make it happen.

With this said - the gamble on Wes makes sense. Would have been nice if they could get him at a discount compared to Martell - but it was not to be given his RFA status - so at least they did not go half-assed about it.

 

At the same time, better players know to get to the rim instead of jacking all 3's. The reason Webster never got a game going to the rim going, is because all he did was jack 3's and make bad decisions when he went to the rim. Does an out of control drive ending with an aerobatic clunker off the rim jog any memories? That was pretty much Websters game going to the rim.

A big reason the Blazers are better now than they were 4 years ago is because they have gotten rid of shitty players and filled in behind them with better talent. Webster, Outlaw and Blake moving out were the final moves to moving on and making the team better.

 

Because the Jazz play a system that encourages cutters and slashers, and on top of that they've got a great point guard getting people the ball.

Portland plays a system that encourages players to shoot jumpers, and shoot jumpers they do......

 

At that overblown price I doubt any other team would want him so I suspect Larry Miller sees him as a major player for us. Also Matthews will never be satisfied playing Bayless minutes nor would we pay so much for a backup so I guess Brandon is being traded?

 

Talk about tunnel-vision.

You guys never noticed that there's always a second team playing when the Blazers play? In fact, you can see every team in the league play against them at least twice per season. I guess I've watched more closely than you have.

 

Miller looks for cutters. Blake not so much. Batum and LMA received alley opps from Miller by cutting to the basket. I agree this needs to be increased and with Greg on the floor i think it will.

 

I think that Webster needs to be somewhere where he has the green light. The more he shoots the more consistent he will be. He also seems to be the type of player that needs consistent minutes and a 30 minute a night role to be more consistent.

I think that if we kept Martell and he had the role he had toward the end of the year getting 5 minutes here and there you completely devalue him and he becomes worthless. We turned him into the 16th pick. Nate wanted a shooter and they got the top rated shooter in the draft. Personally, I don't know if I am excited about Babbitt, time will tell.

I think, setting salary aside, Wes Matthews is going to be better suited to playing 15 minutes a night. It's addition by subtraction. You don't have a veteran (albeit young as well) sitting on the bench behind Batum. This frees Batum up to play 35 or 36 minutes a night as some have pointed out. I guess I just see the Webster move as a necessary one. He was a great guy, kept a great attitude, and he deserved a chance somewhere. I will cheer for him always. I truly hope he becomes a Tracy McGrady (left Toronto and Vince Carter and became a star).

 

Webster had talent but he had big issues with confidence and needed so much time on the court to get going and be effective that I just don't think there's any way to compare the two players. From everything I've gathered (Utah fans mostly, and a couple of NBA writers) Matthews is like a slightly less talented, but more physical version of Batum (if Nic were 4 inches shorter). He's an energy guy, he's supposedly tough and he doesn't need 30 minutes every night in order to produce in an efficient manner.

If Webster had been less of a high volume, rhythm shooter I think the team would have been perfectly happy keeping him as a swing man to back up both Roy and Nic, but I'm thinking that never really would have worked out the we (or Martell) hoped it would -- he was after all only a career 40% shooter from the floor and a 37% long range shooter, in four years without much change.

I have no idea if Matthews is going to pan out or be this great defensive player who can space the floor consistently or not, but it sure as hell wasn't going to be Rudy, it probably wasn't going to be Martell and after that who else were we likely to get in a trade or free agency with Matthews particular combination of age, skill-set, and toughness (by reputation). We probably overpaid, but in this market his salary is probably about average relative to the rest of his free agent peers.

 

I think it says Wes Matthews is 23 and Raja Bell is 34 ... wings over thirty (especially defensive aces) don't usually age real well.

 

Concisely. Raja also was injured last year and when a man who hangs his hat on perimeter D begins to lose a step or two they lose value. I would way rather have Matthews at 6.5 than Bell at 3, 2, or 1...

 

Bruce Bowen? For someone who doesn't really rely on athleticism, he played really well until he was 37.

 

No one's saying there aren't exceptions to the rule.

 

Matthews can play the 2. Martell can't.

 

OK pop quiz. What exactly is the difference in your opinion? Isn't the modern wing kind of interchangeable, I mean unless you are talking about offensive skills like dribbling into traffic, etc.

 

Martell used to be billed as a SG, and while he can do the "shooting" part of shooting guard, there's more to it; Martell's ballhandling skills were abysmal compared to a true SG like Roy, or even an average SG. It might be worth the money to effectively turn Martell from a SF into an SG, while giving him an 8% boost in shooting overall.

 

I think that the 2 requires ballhandling and decision making with the ball (amongst other things obviously). Decision making with the ball includes passing skills, but more than that, when to pass and when to keep it. Those are a couple of areas that I think prevent Webster from being real effective at the 2, but I think he is definitely adequate in those areas to play the 3. Other than that it comes down to whether a 3 like Webster can guard a 2. Personally, I liked Webster, I just feel like Batum needs and deserves a 30+ minute role.

I don't know that much about Matthews. I couldn't say whether he defends 2's better than Webster. I know he guarded Kobe, but I don't know if that comes down to him being the best option the Jazz had at the time. Knowing, at least statistically speaking, his role with the Jazz, it looks to me like he would be adequate in the backup role.

 

You said defensive aces. So what are some defensive aces that didn't age well? Because even if their production drops offensively, their defense is still mostly intact as it relies more on hustle/skill than athleticism.