Travis or Ime?

Who would you prefer to have this season, Travis or Ime? At times I find my self lost wondering who would be more important to the success of our team this year.

Our biggest personal hole seems to be that defensive wing who can hit the 3 and play with poise. Ime fills that need, he's even came up big for us at the end games. With Ime you're looking at a player who will give maximum effort no matter what. He will come off the bench, take less shots, and not complain a bit or play with less intensity because of it.

Where would our bench be without Travis? There would be no NBA proven scorer coming off the bench. No guy to bring off the bench that has proved he can hit tough shoots down the stretch. Bayless and Rudy could bring scoring off the bench but neither of them have even played in an NBA game. Frye has shown a nice shot but he has not shown the ability to carry the scoring load of a unit. No player off our bench has the physical skills Travis has to get his shot off when ever he wants.

You need a lot of talent to win in the NBA. You need to be able to defend, you need players off the bench that can bring a scoring punch. Who do you think would be more important this year Travis or Ime, and why?

 

I always thought Ime was really over rated for what he really brought to the team. Travis isn't a lot better, but he's younger and better at getting his shot

 

I thought Ime did a lot of good things for this team, but I take Travis every day of the week.

He can play the 3 and 4. He's getting better at knocking down the corner 3-pointer. He has a better midrange game. He doesn't have Ime's bad knees. He's quicker than Ime.

He's much better than Ime.

 

Ime might be better (or at least a smarter player) right now, but with his age (31 IIRC?) I have a feeling he's going to be over the hill by the time this team is in serious contention, which would mean he wouldn't be contributing all that much to this team's long term success ... then again I don't think it's an Ime vs. Travis argument I think it should be an Ime vs. Martell comparison.

Whatever the case I think KP made the right decision letting him walk; the contract he was seeking was kind of a sticking point and wasn't all that reasonable to the best of my recollection. Let's not get too carried away, we're now talking about players outside of the core who, while important, are not going to make or break the team.

 

I actually believe that KP wants a three that is primarily a defensive stopper but who can also hit the open jumper. It amazes me that TO hasn't translated his physical gifts to become that player. I believe that is why we drafted Batum. I expect Travis to be traded sometime in the next year for that very reason--his value is high and he hasn't shown a willingness to lock down on D.

 

Part of the reason Ime looked so good was that the Blazers team he played on was so bad. Remember, that team only won 32 games, and Juan Dixon actually got more minutes than him.

At best he's a backup 3. At best, Outlaw is a starting 3.

 

Agreed, although how much emphasis has Nate given to those components of Outlaw's game? We started off using him mostly for shot blocking.

Then we were desperate for a franchise player or two. I think that was the career track Outlaw was supposed to be on early in his development, so they worked a lot on his one-on-one play and midrange game. Even last year his role was really just "bench scorer."

Problem is that it's not easy to tell a younger player that the $12 mil/year featured scorer isn't in his future anymore, and instead he needs to focus on being a $6 mil/year defensive specialist. It's a downgrade not only in money but in limelight too. And it's one of the reasons I didn't see a long-term future for Jack on this team.

I like Outlaw, but I think we may wind up trading him for somebody who can play the role we need.

 

Travis, without a doubt. Travis has the tools to bring more to the table than Ime ever will. The only nod Ime gets over Travis is his basketball IQ.

 

With my previous post I didn't really address the question. I think if you're a losing team looking to restock your talent base and have to make a choice between the two, you choose TO. I think if you're a deep team that is going to make a playoff run and you need a solid vet to make the smart play, you probably go with Ime and trade TO away.

We were the former and SA was the latter. We both ended up with the proper players.

 

Ime solves all our problems at the 3. Play tough D....... hit the open 3! He doesn't need to score to help the team. I don't think we can say that about Martell or Trav. Ime did all the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet.

 

Travis because he holds way more trade value.

I like Travis a lot but he's not really effective at the 3. He did most of his damage last year on the second unit running at the 4. Can he really get the minutes he wants with Frye and Ike there? Of course Aldridge, Pryz, Ike, & Frye all have injury concerns, so Travis is great for depth. But I think he has his eys set on his next contract and he's gonna wanna get PT no matter what.

If Webster can't turn into that defensive stopper that can hit the open jumper (glue guy) that we need, I say trade Travis to get a long-term solution at the 3.

 

I agree and welcome to S2 BlazersBlood.

 

Thanks Tortimer. Good to be here.

 

I would honestly be shocked if we don't trade Raef and either Travis or Webster for a SF. It should be interesting who we keep because each have their issues.

Travis-one dimensional scorer, but great attitude
Martel-fits what we need at the 3 except consistency, said to have a little attitude and may want big dollars

My top choices for a possible trade
1. Prince
2. Grainger
3. Childress (best chance)

 

I'd take Outlaw over Udoka. Udoka was kind of the scrappy, not-very-talented player who generally becomes a fan favourite. Everyone loves a hustling underdog. But in terms of actual value, Udoka was pretty limited. Outlaw is limited too, but Udoka much moreso. I like Udoka's defensive effort and wish I could infuse Outlaw with it, but it isn't enough. He's basically a Trenton Hassell type...a liability on offense and only decent on defense. A net negative. Outlaw's scoring prowess is a more valuable skill.

That said, I'm not a big fan of Outlaw as a starter. And his "scoring punch off the bench" value is mitigated by the presence of players like Bayless and Fernandez, one of whom will have to come off the bench long-term. I'd love to deal LaFrentz and Outlaw for a good starting small forward. To get someone like Danny Granger, I'd throw in more...like Bayless and Webster. But I expect Granger is not going to be available since Portland wouldn't (and shouldn't) deal any of the big three.

Viva Childress.

 

For the role he is given and his minutes at PF, Travis in a walk. I don't really see it as a comparison.

Now, if we want to debate Ime versus Martell, I think that is a more relevant comparison. Both are adequate stationary shooters, and Ime is a better defender.

 

Thanks Ed. I photoshop'd it today. I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't trying to start any beef with some BlazerCrips.

I agree with others that Danny Granger would be that perfect SF for us. He could be Pippen-like without the exceptional handles. If we could throw Travis, some picks, and another asset, that would be a sweet deal for us. But I doubt the Pacers would even consider it.