I see a 7-8 seed at about 45 wins at best Idk, I'm not confident Aldridge will be here past his contract.
Don't get me wrong; I totally understand your concern. I'm just not wired that way. It seems olshey is not going the rebuilding route which leads me to believe he's confident that lma will stay. But, Aldridge will still have value and if the right deal comes along; I'm sure he will pull the trigger. Personally I'm just happy that from the looks of the moves; I won't have to sit through another mediocre season with a lot of disappointment
Malone, Asik, Jermaine O'Neal, and this guy..... It was a dark day when Jason Jennings left the organization. [video=youtube;VJj4BL11uQ0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJj4BL11uQ0[/video]
A slight improvement over last year. we damn sure need improvement in becoming a center from Mr. Leonard though. Perhaps the two of them can make is less painful to watch until one of them owns the paint. I like it, about I good as I expected the team would do.
Seems to me that getting Robin Lopez is a solid upgrade, and unless you've got another team over a barrel or you've got something really tantalizing to offer an unrestricted free agent, anything better than "solid upgrade" is pretty darn hard. Lopez can block shots both as a one-on-one defender and as a helper, he can score when called upon, and he can deliver a hard foul. His main area of deficiency is as a rebounder. And honestly, if he can do everything else - including defend the opposing team's better frontcourt player - maybe we can expect Aldridge and Batum to step up on the boards? I think Olshey has improved the starting five slightly. Lopez is a better center for what the Blazers need than Hickson. In terms of the bench, McCollum is unproven, but then our bench guards last season were not good, so that's an even move at worst, and Thomas Robinson is definitely an improvement. Overall, team is better than it was, but not a ton better. Could use one more solid addition - either in the backcourt or on the wing.
not anymore. Losing LMA pre-draft, and picking up Noel or Len? Yeah, I could see a lotto pick. Now, we could trade him for Lee and still make the playoffs. I'm not advocating that, btw.
How many teams out there could add LMA right now and still end up as one of the worst 5 teams next year? Seems like you may be better off trading him before next year's draft, to make sure you get a top 5 pick instead of rolling the dice. I get that there is a risk either way, but I am not buying everyone's theory that waiting a year will take away our leverage. I am not even sure waiting 2 years will.
Out: Hickson, Babbitt, Nolan, Elliot, Jeffries, Pavlovic In: Lopez, McCollum, T. Robinson, Crabbe, Wright? I can dig it. I'm calling 45 wins if healthy. Hoping Dame makes a superstar leap so we're better than that.
Is anybody certain he'll be here past his contract? That said, only the pant pissers seem to be freaking out about it, and considering NateBishop3's ridiculous concerns about "fax machines" last summer, I'd take anything he says with many grains of salt.
If he doesn't, none of it matters. I can see him becoming a Roy level/All-NBA 2nd team player, which matched with LMA and another decent pick-up can mean a legitimate contender for WCF in two years. Trade LMA for picks now, and I'm not sure I'll even wait to see what happens, because I know Lillard isn't going to want to play for a loser.
Claver's a SF until Olshey adds a SF. A roster has 3 of them. Possibilities are Batum, Matthews who starts at guard, and the 99-pound Barton. Claver is Batum's backup.
