Fixed. Travis is great as an instant offense guy off the bench, but he's probably just never going to be suited to fitting into a team oriented passing game, and his team defense is pretty subpar.
I disagree. I've always been hard on Outlaw, but I think he's a great player off the bench for the Blazers. I just wouldn't start him or have him in there with both Roy and Aldridge.
in the 2nd unit as the 8th or 9th guy, he's fine. we need a guy like him who can dunk, attack the basket and score when needed
Whoa! I'm speechless. No way Webster takes that deal if he hadn't broke his foot. Bad news for him. Good news for us. I'm swear Pritchard is God incarnate. Some of his moves become just dumb luck, but also, he knows when and how to capitalize. Sweet.
Very good move by the Blazers...I think Webster will develop into a very valuable player in the years to come....
5 mil per for Martell? For four years? Hell yeah, great deal for the Blazers. Now hopefully he can just stay healthy, but that's a bargain for the player he can become.
I wasn't sure about Webster but after he got hurt and seeing how Outlaw has played as a starter plus how Webster played the one preseason game with Rudy I think this is a good move by the Blazers. I think now for sure he is our best SF and should be our starter unless we can trade for someone better at the deadline.
I don't understand how people can say that Travis is not a good fit on the team? His personality alone makes him a great fit.
No doubt. He's pretty much a friend to everyone on that team. I'll never understand the Outlaw hate. He is paid to be a scorer and to give a chance at offense when things are stagnant. It's a bit like Jack. He's grilled all of last year, yet now everyone laments that the team doesn't have a PG who can attack the rim. Yes, I know about Bayless, but right now, Jack is a better NBA player.
i love this deal, but it is about what i expected as far as salary goes. now his cap hold is gone, and he also becomes a nice trading chip. hopefully we can ink frye to a similar deal before midnight.
So does this mean Webster is more valuable than Outlaw . . . Outlaw 4 mil/yr; Webster 5 mil/yr. In today's age of the NBA, it is not just who you sign but for how much. Having a talented player with a decent contract is big in many ways including the salary cap and trade possiblities. Another good move by the Blazers, IMO. Also, does anyone know it the contract includes any payer or team options?
I agree with you that this is GREAT GREAT news. But you have long expected WAY too much out of Martell Webster considering that this should be his SR year of college. It's a serious fault of yours and your notion that Martell owes Portland anything for being patient goes hand in hand with that fault. Any team with a clue would've been patient. Just as any fan with a clue would've.
I'm happy with Websters development. However, we should be given the chance to realize his potential, since the notion of "him owing us" for letting him develop his game. If he were to suddenly demand a huge salary/extension based on the blazers taking the time to devleop him or to lose him for another team when we invested a pretty high draft pick to get him, that would have been inappropriate.
It's a good value signing. Martell was a solid, if unspectacular starter last season. While he didn't "explode", his per 36 numbers were up in almost all areas, and his FG% and 3FP% were both up - and he did this against other teams' starting small forwards. He's still only 21 and still has some "upside" - as shown in the brief flashes of incredible play he exhibited at times last season (that 24-point 3rd quarter against Utah was just flat out awesome). He looked great in that one preseason game, worked hard in the off season and came into camp in great shape. We don't need a superstar at every position, and if Martell can be a solid, complimentary player at the starting small forward position, I think he's a good fit long term. With Oden in the low post, he should get plenty of open looks from the perimeter. He has that really sweet looking jumper, and when he shoots it with confidence, it goes in. He was still inconsistent last season, but again, he's still only 21. He has the mechanics on his shot down and the more he plays the more his confidence will grow. This contract extension by the Blazers gives him some security and should remove any doubts he may have about the team's commitment to him. I hate to go all pop psychologist here, but given Martell's extremely rough childhood, I can't help but think some of his wavering self-confidence has to do with abandonment issues. By stepping up and signing him to an extension, KP has given him the reassurance that the team won't abandon him - of course, we could still trade him, but I don't even want to go there. I do think KP sees him as a long term part of this team - either as as starter, or a long range threat off the bench to spread the defense (a younger, more athletic James Jones). BNM
I don't know if I would call it inappropriate as it's the nature of the business to seek out the highest bidder. With that said, Martell showed a great amount of loyalty in signing this contract because I strongly believe that he will end up being a bargain as early as this year and he knows that in signing this contract it helps the team in the long run. I was a big fan of his before this signing, now I am in love.
