Vidoes That Make Me Think We Only Need Minor Changes

Greg Oden (Fyi, the beat to that 2Pac song is legendary)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ0QwxWgA9E

Jerryd Bayless (See, he does have a jumper. Confidence is a must)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcqe9UXkc8o

Nicolas Batum (If he keeps improving that mid-range jumper, lights out)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_1fQk1_-wU

Travis Outlaw (Yea, a bad series, but a clutch bench player? YESSIR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Z4nxdjpnE

We already know Roy is a top 7 player and Aldridge a future All-Star..I think we just need one vet who has been there before to help us out in the playoffs. Also remember, we were one win away from still playing right now. We close out against LAC, Philly, or ORL and we get the 2 seed, crush NO, and playing Dallas right now. We are a damn good team, hope we don't get too drastic of a makeover.

 

You know, I like your idea and I agree with you that I think these players are good. But I hate highlight videos. All they show are the real flashy plays, it is only a small sample size. They never show and real defensive plays either unless it is a massive block. I am just not a fan of saying, or using, highlight videos to say a players could be that good.

 

Damn Bayless has mad hops.

 

When it's all said and done, only Rose will be a better PG out of the 2008 draft class

 

I love Greg. Next year we'll see him return to form after slimming down and getting some more strength back in that knee. I'm sure he was playing through a lot of pain last year and never complained about it or blamed any of it on his bad knee.

I love Batum. Part of me wants to get a vet SF and let Batum's game develop, but the other part of me would rather see him just get more minutes and continue to grow on the floor.

Bayless? He'd be a great scoring punch off the bench but I don't know if he can really co-exist with Roy if he's not dominating the ball. Hopefully his game can evolve.

Outlaw. He's been clutch, but his defense drives me crazy. I think Rudy and Bayless can take the scoring load with the 2nd unit, and maybe even Martell if Batum continues to start. Out of all the guys listed, I'd feel the least worried if he was shipped out.

 

The only thing we'll need is to punch the entire team with the exception of Roy in the balls. we're fine, team just needs to sack up.

 

Now if someone could be kind enough to post the videos of Travis getting burned on every defensive play, Bayless sitting in his warmup suit next to the coaching staff while Blake and Sergio get killed on the defensive end, Oden backing down and either traveling or throwing up a hook shot from his ass, and Batum sitting the entire second half in favor of players who like to jack up shots then we can get back to reality.

 

[video=youtube;uFFaEXGQ1Sc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFFaEXGQ1Sc[/video]

You guys should trade for this piece of sh..awesome PG as obviously evident by this video

 

god forbid people get excited about our team.

 

there's a difference being getting excited for our team and being complacent. being excited doesn't do anything, we need to act and make the BEST use of our cap flexibility while we still have it.

there are obvious flaws with our team, otherwise we would still be playing.

 

Being excited and being disillusioned are different though. I love the Blazers and want them to win everytime they step onto the floor. I just don't get excited about certain players. Blake is a great back up. If he remains the starter next season then IMO Pritchard has failed....again to add someone better. Sergio is more proven than Bayless, but as Aaron Brooks proved to everyone if you have the talent playing time is the only realy way to get better. Travis is just a bad basketball player who makes really tough shots. I mean what else does he really bring to the table?

I will be excited if those players are upgraded. Why in the world should anyone be excited if we keep things the same? We weren't even good enough to get out of the first round with HCA. The team needs a bit more than "minor tweaking". It needs a new starting PG and a SF who can guard people on the perimeter with more experience than Batum has.

 

Because most of the players aren't even prime. This is the worst version of Oden, Batum, Rudy and Bayless we'll see until they're old. Aldridge probably still has some ability to improve. The overall level of improvement this team should see just from internal development will make a significant difference. They're not far from contention, IMO. They're just below a critical point and internal development could get them to that point.

That said, I do hope Pritchard makes some moves. I've been vocal (as far as that makes sense in text) about my hopes that Portland can add a player like Andre Miller or Ramon Sessions. Doing a lopsided-in-salary trade with some team for a good/very good player would also be great. I want every resource the team has to be utilized, which includes their cap space.

I just think your implication that no moves means a team exactly as good as the 2008-09 team is wrong. Portland had the youngest active roster this year, and it wasn't their scrub players who were young and developing. It was most of their core talent.

 

I get that in theory this years Portland team will be the worst one if everything stays the same. That however is not entirly fact.

Batum, Rudy and Bayless could all end up like Travis for example. Someone who improves one aspect of their game, but never gets better in the others. That really doesn;t make us better in a few years.

 

The chances of all of them improving as little as Outlaw is quite low. One of them might, but I think at least two of those three should become at least solidly above-average players (Rudy and Batum were near average players as rookies).

Oden was solidly above average as a rookie, and considering he was recovering from microfracture surgery and didn't get a proper off-season of conditioning, I think it's very safe to say that's the worst version of him that we'll see.

I don't think the team should get complacent and just assume the development of young players will carry the day. The front office should always be aggressively trying to get better. But it is nice that the team has a "security blanket" of being able to get better through internal development if no good trade/signing opportunity comes along.

 

Wow, some of you guys need a hug or something. So sorry for being excited about our team and yea, we do only need minor changes to compete.

 

Holy crap, where did all those vicious dunks come from? Are you sure that's the same Frye? I don't even recall one dunk from him in the Blazers uniform.

 

man, forget the dunks, where have those post moves gone?

 

channing is an "every other year" type of player. he should be fine next year.

 

Man.. I forgot about that. If we had Rose, how sick would that have been? Arrghh..