Oden and Batum for Kyrie Irving? would you do it?

Yes, and without much thought. I love Oden and hope he returns healthy, but with 842 surgeries on his knees, I don't trust that he will ever be the prospect that he was once projected. Losing Batum would also suck, but you have to give up something to get a #1 and considering that we now have GW I think that Batum is expendable.

It's a risk to go with Oden and it's a risk to go with Irving ,but at least with Irving we have new obstacles and a clean slate.

 

Free agents coming off rookie deals first and foremost always look for a long big contract. Lebron/Wade/Bosh/Carmello/Deron/Dwight/CP3 etc all of those guys signed a big deal as soon as they could so they didn't risk losing millions. Once they have earned that large contract and established themselves permanetly they look to move to a more ideal situation. Even second tier guys like Ben Gordon tried to sign a long extension and then UFA contract with the Bulls, the Bulls weren't interested.

Oden's primarliy focus will be guaranteeing as much money as he can from whoever gives it to him. If he has an offer on the table in the $10mil+ per season range like the Canzano report we will keep him for many years. These injuries have worn on him too, he knows its possible he could get injured again and he isn't going to turn down his first huge contract just because of slightly better weather in other cities, being closer to home somewhere else, or a few critics amongst fans and media.

 

Yes.

I like Batum and he is a useful supporting player, but let's not get carried away.

As for ****, he will never play another game in a Blazer uniform. Even if he tries to play for another team, all the injuries/surgeries/inactivity will have left him a shell of his former self.

 

I wouldn't do the deal. The risk involved in each player is too high. The decider, for me, is that I know Oden is an elite talent. I don't know that about Irving (or Batum, for that matter). I'll generally take the risk on a known-elite talent with health issues over the risk of a player who's ability is in question.

 

God this reminds me so much of Qyntel Woods or Martell Webster. Players that on paper should be the next Carter or T-mac; but once in the NBA, became jokes. The Jury is still out for Oden because of his injuries. But if that kid can just stay healthy, there is no doubt he will be a force. Just the little amount of time he played, showed promise. Something that should be a good sign for Blazer fans if he stays.

Batum is a proven talent. He has progressed every year and that says a lot. He's no Outlaw, that needed 5 years just to be a role player. There could be arguments that he is starter ready right now. I would hate to gamble on a rookie draft prospect.

 

Oh and to top it off, this kid is from Duke! YUCK!!!!!!

[video]http://www.collegehumor.com/video/766547/why-duke-sucks[/video]

[video=youtube;DtJbnQ1Kz98]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtJbnQ1Kz98[/video]

 

I've heard Kyrie may have to play with a special insert on his toe for the rest of his career? Anyone else confirm this? If true, stay away, stay far away. If he doesn't have to wear anything on his foot, I'd think long and hard (that's what she said!) about that deal. I did think CP3 was his best case scenario but I'm shy about dealing for possible injury prone players.

 

I wonder how many lottery PG's we drool over with ppl professing they would trade Oden for that end up being mediocre/average.

 

No thanks.

I would have made that kind of deal of John Wall though.

 

I would do it...Batum and Oden are up for extensions really soon and I'm not entirely convinced we're going to go anywhere with a lot of money locked into them. I'm not too convinced on Irving either but he's relatively cheaper than Batum+Oden and I think the game nowadays favors quick point guards with his skill set.

 

Duke players are great in college but only one has ever made it long term in the pros. Grant Hill!

As for Duke PG's that have gone pro? Think Hurley and Jason Williams both huge off the court injuries...

Does Portland really need anymore bad mojo with #1 prospects?

For the reasons I say HELL NO!

 

Elton brand. Carlos Boozer. Shane Battier. Luol Deng. Corey Maggette.

 

All complete trash!!!!!

 

Getting Irving won't make us better in the next 2 years then a healthy Oden would. Throw Batum in there and we lose a lot for a young PG who is gonna need a year or two to really be anything when were a team that is in win now mode. We have to much big money on our team to try and add rookies that will cost us wins to add (by trading away proven talent for them). Were a middling NBA team, worst position to be in, you either blow your team up and try and rebuild or you trade for veterans not rookies to try and improve.

 

Kyrie Irving scares me in the way that Evan Turner did...a smooth player with some well-rounded skills who does nothing brilliantly. I think a player's "bust chance" goes up significantly when there's nothing that they truly dominate at. Whether that's scoring, rebounding, passing, defense or even amazing athleticism...a blue-chip prospect who doesn't have any aspect of the game that will clearly separate them at the NBA level is not a prospect I want to bet a lot on. Rose had elite quickness and potentially dominant scoring (which has, pardon the pun, bloomed). Irving, however, doesn't flash truly dominant scoring skills, passing skills nor does he have out-of-this-world athleticism. He's crafty quick, he's got the ability to do everything at least well at the college level, but no calling card.

That doesn't mean he's a sure bust. I'm not saying that at all. He might still be a star. Brandon Roy is an example of a player who didn't seem to have any dominant aspect, but still flourished at the NBA level. I just think those types of prospects are riskier.

 

You just described Mike Conley, Jr. to a T.

 

It's really tough to judge, since we're going off of a small sample size with Irving, but he was a better scorer in college than Rose was. I don't see how Rose had potentially dominant scoring, and Irving doesn't? Irving scored more on less FG attempts per game, showing a great ability to get to the line(6.5 times a game, in only 27.5 min.). I think it's easy to say Rose showed that dominant ability because you know what he became. Irving was just as good and better a scorer in HS. Better in the short stint in college. Two out of the 11 games he played in, he had a higher point total than Rose's college career high. I dunno, to me that sounds like judging a guy off of his MVP season, and saying there were flashes of dominant scoring, and not judging it off of a guy averaging 14PPG in college.

 

It's really not an issue of stats, as college stats are pretty poor indicators of NBA success (other than rebounding, apparently). Rose looked more explosive and more projectible to me, though I hardly claim a scouting pedigree....my recollection of scouting reports at the time jibe with that, though. But it certainly is possible that my view is coloured by knowledge of where Rose has gone.

 

not really. Conley has outstanding speed/explosiveness and below average size. The concern expressed about Irving is that he's potentially a strait B student

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