I know he wouldn't be the Blazers answer but he would be a nice addition for not only Leanerd but maybe to Aldridge as well.
Do we need a new thread for each Center we think of? Jermaine is fine (as a backup) but I think he is going to command a little more then people think. Is he worth 2.5 MIL a year for two years? Maybe but doubt we are going to have that to spend on a backup big guy when we still need a good 6th man.
He played well this year. So you have to consider him. Let's say all Olshey's trade options before the draft do not materialize, and a center is the BPA on the board at #10. I can see drafting a center and then signing a cheap Vet like O'Neal for a year, and using the rest of the money on a bench.
I see the Blazers stocking another over the hill big man, like a Jermaine or a Perkins, for the vet min. So, why not? Beats the heck out of Jared Jeffries.
You can't have all young guys and expect to be a winning team. All good teams have disgruntled players. Maybe the Spurs should get rid of Duncan. Duncan and Parker are almost 10 years apart.
Some of the most annoying "what if?" talk on the planet comes from those who say trading him away when we did was some sort of huge mistake. If he comes back to Portland, we'll never hear the end of it. There's no way he produces at a level anywhere near enough to be worth all the noise.
I see no reason that would happen any more then it does now. You said yourself that he is not the same player. I don't think we need Jermaine but that reason you gave has nothing to do with why.
Jermaine oneal isn't the same player he once was but it doesn't mean he's not valuable. He is a vet min played that will only demand 1.5 max per year. From that benchmark; he has the capability to give a guaranteed 5-6 points and 3-5 boards; while still shorting a high percentage from the floor. He also is still good at protecting the paint and plays solid defense. Paying 1.5 mil for that bench player is cheap in comparison. Some say that a move like this would hamper the development of Leonard. See I think it doesn't. Let's say Portland finds a starting caliber center. I'm talking the center of the future. Obviously keeping Leonard would be a big question then. But if we sign a stop gap center like dalembert; there is a good 20-30 minutes a game that's free for Leonard to develop. Also, jerm would be mainly used as aldridges back up.
Jermaine is a competent back up and efficient for the salary he will demand. He's not getting anything more than 1.5 mil per season. In that scale; he will still grab 5-6 points, shoot over 50%, defend well and rebound at a 4-6 rebound clip. This move wouldn't hamper Leonard either if we grab a dalembert "stop gap" center. Dalembert will get around 20-25 minutes per game; which leaves 20-25 minutes for Leonard backing up center. Jerm would back up mainly Aldridge's minutes IMO.
Where do we get that Jermaine is going to only demand 1.5 MIL? He made 1.4 MIL this year and is in line for a raise. He had a great year (considering his age and little playing time) this season. He is going to get a 2 year deal at 2.5 MIL a year imo. Johan Petro made 3.5 MIL this year and that guy is dog meat compared to Jermaine.
