batum a superstar? no. batum a better fit? yes, but its hard to tell, when has gay ever had players around him? remember batum was compared to gay by some coming into the draft.
Now I will argue that with you, there's no way in hell that we know how good Batum is going to be. The sky is the limit for him.
Conley really hasn't shown that he'd be anything but a step down from Blake in the short term... or Roy when he teams with Rudy. Conley will probably be traded as OJ should be starting the starting point. At his pre-draft he posted about the same height, length, & weight as Jarret Jack. He also has stated numerous times that he sees himself best projecting as a PG in the league. I could see them really coveting Rudy, but obviously there is no way that Portland is making a MC for RF deal strait up. Maybe part of a larger deal involving picks Gay and Outlaw or Webster or Frye? Really I'm pretty luke warm on their talent and hope KP has another target in mind STOMP
In the short term, you might be right. I don't think KP is thinking in the short term though. I also don't think Memphis is interested in a Blake for Conley trade. They'll want Bayless or Sergio.... and I'm not willing to give up on Sergio. I love our spanish connection.
Huh, any way they could structure it salarywise to send future first rounders our way? Wouldn't mind having one of those (considering their talent level). Likely a pipe dream, but it's possible they'd view it as a way to get good young talent right away rather than waiting for draft picks to show up down the road.
as well as blake and sergio have played...our major weakness is PG. not so much even scoring but on defense and fast breaks. thats the truth. seeing it live last night as duhon abused us made me realize mor ethen ever. PG WANTED...kidd would be excellent for us. it would also gurantee playoffs and a 2nd round matchup
I say no deal with Memphis. The only player they have that I'd want is Mayo and they won't give him up without getting one of our big 3 in return. BNM
You know we haven't discussed this, but what about Martell Webster to Memphis for Conley. If they (Memphis) does feel that Mayo could be their PG, then Martell would possibly interest them. He'd be a nice fit to compliment existing team I think.
Webster and Conley have had very similar careers so far. Early struggles. Both selected early and haven't played up to expectations.
Kidd's a has been. He's too old and he's never won anything and Dallas sure hasn't looked better with him at the helm. Plus he doesn't fit that clean cut image that Pritchard wants to portray.
I'd trade Webster for Conley. I don't think Webster will be an impact player, so if Memphis liked him, I'd be willing to give him up to take a shot on Conley.
My thinking is that Webster plays the 3.. and they have Gay at that position. Outlaw can play the 4 which is their biggest need right now. Unless they want Webs to be a 2 guard, then it could work.
The consensus of Rice, Barrett, Tone... and myself, is that Frye is going to be relegated to the bench when Webster comes back. That's why I suggested a trade of Frye to Memphis last week. That's what they really need, a starting 4 that can back up the 5.
By moving Webster for Conley you wouldn't disrupt team chemistry. Then you could move Bayless, Frye, Diogu, Randolph, and/or LaFrentz for the best available SF. This would allow Outlaw to get his time mainly at the 4. I'm not excited about any of the experienced PGs out there and I'm really excited about what Blake and Rodriguez are doing on the court. If Portland could package those above players for Gerald Wallace, Vince Carter, or Michael Redd, and assuming that Batum is just fine with coming off the bench, but still with big minutes, then I think this would be the best scenario out there.
Would you be cool with this even though it means that then either Sergio or, more likely, IMO Bayless would be used to upgrade at the 3?
