Indiana is discussing a Josh fucking McRoberts for OJ Mayo deal....If I were POR I would be on the hone discussing how to acquire OJ Mayo in a sign and trade....as long as it doesn't include Aldridge, Batum or Matthews....
It would be hilarious. I would love to see it just to see LJ cry again. But I would never want to see that asshat in PDX. And I used to be a big fan of him too.
Mayo is a SF or SG? I really didn't pay much attention. Regardless, I suspect we would want to be on top of that if we had a competent GM. Anyone? Anyone?
He's a tweener combo guard. He said he was a PG coming out of college, but he wasn't foolin anyone (except maybe Memphis). He's not tall enough to be a shooting guard, but he's not really good enough to be a point guard.
No thank you then. I'm no fan of combo PGs. I would rather us have a true PG and SG (tall enough). The undersized guards piss me off (DA and Fernadez).
Trading Matthew and Wallace for future picks and matching expirings would do it. We would not only shed salary, but also worsen our team this year enabling us to select in the lottery
Trading Matthews and Wallace for "future picks" would make us way worse now and for 2-3 years at least - basically you are suggesting blowing it up and then you may as well trade LMA because he's in his prime now and trading for "picks" is wasting him, with your approach you may as well totally blow this thing sky high and get a top pick for LMA - no thx for me. I say add pieces we need now and try to build around LMA/Wes/Nic, maybe Ray if he works out, Freeland next year, try for an impact player next summer and see how EWill and Nolan look this year.
Blowing it up? Aldridge, Batum, Felton are a nice thing to start with. That core just needs a bit of help
Building your way will make most fans happy, but will never win a title. Typical short term thinking that has landed us in the playoffs a few times with nothing but first round blowouts. They were bad guys, but the last good Blazer teams had a ton of lotto picks on them via trade
Well during the Whitsett era, and after the Drexler trade; Portland still never hit the lotto and had 6 first round outs. Eventually, we built a team that possibly could have won many titles. Even made it to the WCF twice. So I disagree with your point.
I'd rather try this way then yours, so there we differ. There is luck involved in all choices, if a guy like Ewill blew up and Nic shows solid improvement IMO with an impact player addition we could get close and the team would be very fun to watch. Look what the Mavs won with last year, do U think we are really that far away from them, especially if a few good things actually happened to this team? Your way is a valid option, but I'd prefer to rolld the dice with the one I have suggested.
well why are we arguing then? My "core" is basically the same as yours. I guess it's that you want picks and I want players. LMA and Felton are 27, "building" around them with picks IMO is not the way to go as they are too old, gimme players using expirings if we can and capspace and Wallace in any combo we can.
No you don't. Damon Stoudemire - 7th Rasheed Wallace - 4th Bonzi Wells - 11th Brian Grant - 8th Derek Anderson - 13th Scottie Pippen - 5th Stacey Augmon - 9th Joe Kleine - 6th Steve Smith - 5th Other guys like Greg Anthony and Detlef Schrempf were selected just outside the lottery as well. Lottery picks is the only way to compete for a title. Period. Whether you draft them, trade for them or sign them as FA's.
They don't have to be our picks. We just need lotto picks. The best way to get them is selecting them yourself.
But that's what I'm disagreeing with you on. Those players you mentioned where picked by other teams and made names for themselves already before we traded for them. Only one was actually our pick. We can argue Roy, Batum and Aldridge were great picks on our part; but I can give you many before that and one after considered terrible picks. What I've explained was Portland had a stretch when they had mediocre picks and we had 6 years of first round and outs; yet through trades on players already established; we made it to the WCF twice. That's why I disagree with your idea of giving Batum and Wes away for picks. Really doesn't support your argument.
