What now? Who do we keep? With Oden back ANOTHER year, we need to seriously think about trading everyone except Roy, Aldridge and Rudy/Batum (choose one) to get a team that can get back to highly competative, playoff basketball. Miller is now much too old to be with our "new" cast. He will be dealt. Same with Blake.
We must insert Andre into the starting lineup immediately, and remove Blake. We must step on the other team early and use LaMarcus and Martell's ability to fly down the court to get easy buckets. There isn't an option any longer to remain the status quo and hope it 'figures itself out'. We cannot depend on two units, and we cannot depend on jumpers falling. We must push it.
What about Elton Brand? He's on the outs in Philly. Kind of a temporary solution to things. Arenas or Butler in Washington?
Starting Bayless would be a good move. Need to get the young guns more PT and get younger....trade the vets. Our window is pushed back indefinitely.
Cant' build around Oden. That's obvious at this point. Miller and Outlaw/Batum need to be packaged for something fast and good at the SF position. The Blazers gambled on going big. They wasted 25% of this season going big. It's failed. What is next?
We have to assume Oden will be servicable but not dominant now in our plans. We keep him, hopefully long-term, but plan around him instead of being lazy and letting the "cake bake". I think we need to try to get a stud @ the SF position now. Consolidation trade, even our guys like Rudy or Batum are trade-bait for the right young talent. I'm talking guys in their first 4-5 years in the L.
LOL at everyone pretending Oden's career is over. It's a tough situation, but he's only out for the season. He'll be 100% next year. We've seen how dominant he can be.
Trade Miller and Outlaw for a young PF that will run and has hops. Bayless/Roy/Rudy/young PF/LMA bench is Blake/Webster/Cunningham/Howard/Pryz THEN fire Nate. Hire a coach that will implement SSOL. Profit.
Part of me wonders if he knee never fully recovered from the crack from Maggette's knee brace last year.
yeah, but we have to plan around him right now. What we have now is not working anyway, time to roll the dice (protect Roy and LMA though).
His knee may be, but he wont play basketball for a very long time and will get out of shape again, and he'll have to take it easy in the off-season..again. It's a big setback.
Oden's career isn't over. His Hall of Fame career, however, is over. He's injury-prone, and no team worth anything is going to build around his brittle bones. I feel like I've posted this for two years. Oh wait, I have posted this for two years.
