PGOTF? Been thoroughly impressed with this kid on and off the court. Natural PG athletic defender http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/10/blazers_rookie_armon_johnson_w.html
To be clear: I see Koponen as an Alvin Williams/Doc Rivers type: tall, solid defender, decent shot, decent passer, basically a glue guy. I hope his injury isn't serious, but it looks like we'll have to wait for him. Rubio I thought was something special, but I'm starting to worry about him not developing ANY offense. He's still a very good on-ball defender (which Sergio wasn't) and Sergio's equivalent at creative passing (that talent thing again: Sergio was better than most NBA players at at least one thing) and his stand-still three pointer is improving, but he seems to have regressed a little, and was less impressive in the Worlds than he was in the Olympics. But he is STILL only 19 (hard to believe, right?) so younger than most rookies THIS year.
Again with the oversimplifying. I certainly thought that Sergio and Rudy would be EXCITING, and nobody could possibly deny that that was true. I still think that both are better than many NBA players at certain skills (Sergio ball-handling and creative "how did he see that?" passing, Rudy three-point shooting and steals, and rebounding for his size and weight). I don't think that either has been proved to be NON-NBA players. I still think Sergio's talent could be used effectively for a coach that believed in him. Did Drazen Petrovic suddenly get better when he was traded to the Nets? Of course not - he just went to a coach that had to use him, and therefore was prepared to work round his defensive deficiencies. This seems to be true of a lot of foreign players: I think NBA coaches are, in the main, as Xenophobic as certain posters on here (particularly one fan of a certain white American player who, ironically, really should go to Europe). Look at Detlef Schrempf - buried in Dallas, blossomed in Indiana/Seattle. Look at Boris Diaw - did nothing in Atlanta, suddenly useful for a good Phoenix team. Look at Thabo Sefalosha. Maybe there's even hope for Darko Milicic. Of course some Euros really CAN'T play (Tskiskiwhatwashisname), but they tend to struggle when they go to Europe, too. Incidentally, I'm not a fan of a player just because he's foreign, even if he's good. I really hate Nowitzki's game, even though I have to recognize that it's effective. And of course, by any measure, Rudy has been the best Blazer player in this preseason. So if he's not an NBA player right now, we're in deep shit. With you that amounts to damning with faint praise. After all, you can't measure defense with PER.
Xenophobic huh? My favorite college player is Elias Harris, guess where he's from? Detlef Schrempf played his high school and college ball in the U.S. He was born in Germany, sure.
To complicate matters, I don't think Jermaine would've "gone Jermaine" had he stayed. Some players really need a change of scenery and to go somewhere new to reinvent themselves. I think Jermaine had just lost confidence in himself and lost the confidence of the coaching staff (he'd certainly lost Sabas's confidence - he said something to the effect that Jermaine was a moron). Meanwhile, Indiana was the PERFECT situation for him. Say what you like about Isiah, but when he believed in a player, he could get the most out of him. He made Damon ROY. He even got Eddy Curry looking good (briefly) in NY. I don't regret losing Jermaine. Let him have his success. At least it was just for the Pacers and not the Lakers or something. It's a mistake and unfair to hoard too many players and stunt their growth if they'd be happier elsewhere. It's like any industry. Bayless will never be a decent PG, and he'll never supplant Brandon. Let him get his chance at being Petrovic. (Do people regret trading Petrovic, too?)
Well, Qyntel's a GOD in Poland, and Viktor was voted the best defensive player in Europe (and a star player for CSKA Moskow - you know, the team that just beat Cleveland in Cleveland without him). Viktor wouldn't come back to the NBA even if asked - he's earning more money there than he would here. Qyntel would, of course, and if he had Michael Vick's talent, he'd get another chance. But, to be fair, Poland is not one of the better leagues...
What is this? The number of mail-brides you wrote to and the number that bothered emailing "NO" back?
Not at all. Defense is probably my most valued attribute in a player. My all-time favourite player, by a wide margin, is Scottie Pippen, who derived a massive amount of his value from defense. I loved Stacey Augmon, even if he was offensively inept at the NBA level. I loved watching the Jordan/Pippen/Rodman/Harper Bulls mostly because of their defense. Same for the Celtics of recent vintage. The reason I valued Bayless over Rondo way back then, prior to Bayless having played in the NBA, was because I read a lot about how Bayless was active and quick on defense and projected to be a good defender, in addition to being a dynamic offensive player. Defense is extremely important to me. It's why Batum and Oden are my favourite players on this team. Kind of a non-sequitur, though I realize why you said it. I view PER as a good measure of production--everything that isn't defense.
Yeah, you really nailed that one! So, how does the trade make sense for both sides, and what has changed since you posted this sentence?
It can't happen for 90 days, but I would love that. More realistic is trading Joel's expiring contract and maybe some youngins like Babbitt or Williams.
It can't happen ever, because it's absurdly lopsided in Portland's favor. But I think that was purposeful on BGrantFan's part.
