Hypothetical trade scenario, would you pull the trigger? Lillard / Blake Matthews / Ross Batum / Johnson Aldridge / Leonard Lopez / Freeland That would help a lot imo. http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=n4n7u2t
Plain to the fans - but only a priority to the fans. Neil's job isn't on the line, and Paul has the Seahawks to keep him warm.
Hypotheticals are fun to discuss, but I'd be shocked if Neil moves any of the top 7 guys. On the other hand, I said I'd be shocked if both Dame and LA didn't make the All-Star team and we all know what happened there, so ...
IT would be a lights out get, but what do we have (realistically) that Phoenix would want? Middleton's had a resurgence in Milwaukee, but I think they're looking to acquire assets for a playoff push rather than sell.
The question here, is the 11 points a game on 42% shooting better than what Crabbe would be if given 26 minutes a game. I don't think so.
Ross is better than Crabbe and I like Crabbe. He is a better finisher than Crabbe and far more reliable.
The Crabbe hype is crazy. He showed flashes but has been otherwise underwhelming. Per36: 8.5 PPG on 43 FG% PER100 pos: 12.0 PPG (this is putrid) 9.2 PER I think this shows just how weak this teams' SG/SF depth really is.
I promise, you bring in Ross, and give him the sporadic minutes of Crabbe, and you will see the same results. It's about committing to a player, and developing confidence. For whatever reason, Ross has been allowed to play the minutes needed to develop, and it's not due to talent. It starts with the coach.
I think the argument for Crabbe is just cus he doesn't make many mistakes and plays decent defense and can (mostly) hit the open shot. He isn't asked to do much as there isn't much left available for him when starting. Basically Batum-lite (when Batum wasn't hurt). So he doesn't necessarily win you games but he helps you not lose them. With that said I think someone like Ross is definitely an upgrade. Problem is teams aren't going to want our scraps. Crabbe might still be hurt though. He looked like crap last time he played (when before that he looked good).
Portland needs a sixth man....This is what a sixth man is: http://espn.go.com/nba/notebook/_/page/Sixth1415/2014-15-sixth-man-award-predictions Getting another role player like Ross, or similar is not the answer. They need a guy who can take over off the bench, which means having some shitty games mixed in. A player you love and hate from game to game. Mo and Crawford of recent years. If there is a Cliff Robinson out there, that would be nice as well.
Regardless of this slump it's clear that the bench is still a ways away. Kaman is up and down offensively and is as bad of a P&R defender as I've seen from our bigs in a while. Blake is solid in limited minutes. No complaints here. CJ is basically Nolan Smith. A complete dud. Meyers needs a bigger role as his jumper is money - nearly in the 50/40/90 club! His production is solid and is really becoming a nice player. Stotts is stunting his development by playing him such inconsistent minutes. Last night he played a solid 7 minutes in the first quarter, didn't play until 50 seconds left in garbage time. The clock is ticking, Neil.
I thought Kaman was an absolute steal early in this season, but my esteem for him has plummeted. Now I'd just be happy to get rid of his contract. He should be our 3rd string center, and I'd play Meyers at backup 4 over him.
