I would keep Webster and trade Bayless. I prefer keeping Webster as our #2 or 3 SF and #3 SG. My personal opinion is that Rudy will not be here long term and Webster will be Roy's back-up. Webster plays good defense, has a good attitude and as a SG can easily out muscle almost any other SG- he won't get posted up.
I think we are just getting a glimpse into what Bayless can do for us. At a PER of 15.8 with all the inconsistencies he is displaying, he is still 3 whole points better than what Webster has ever, in his entire career, achieved. If all we get from Bayless is just a small improvement that makes him more consistent - he will be a much, much more valuable player than Webster imho. Right or wrong, the Webster experiment has, imho, pretty much played itself out to the point where we can be pretty sure that Webster is at best a role player. With Bayless all we know is that he is at worst a role player - one that is just as inconsistent as Webster - but is going to give you great games a lot more frequently than Webster. So, no disrespect for Webster, I would rather keep Bayless and his "attack the rim" mentality than Webster.
I agree. If Camby stays, then there are no big holes that NEED to be mended. With Oden returning, he and Camby can take care of the Center position. But, If Camby leaves, the Blazers will need to scramble to get another quality center, especially with Oden's less than stellar heath history. If we need to get another Center, the players that will most likely be on the Block will be everyone not named Roy, Oden, Roy, Batum and Miller, and possibly Bayless. But at the top of that list will be Webster. I like Webs and think that the Blazers would like to keep him if possible because he does a decent job off the bench and does not seem to complain about playing time. He accepts his role even if he does believe he can do more. At least, thats my take on the situation. We need a good deep bench if we are going to finally become a great team, and there is room for Webster on that bench. He will only be traded if he is needed to fill a more important hole.
I could see him packaged in the draft with Bayless and our first round pick with around 3mil in cash for a top 15 pick.
Pritchard has no trading ability, but Paul Allen's $3M payoff sometimes motivates another owner to trade. We recently discovered that he traded Sergio with an exchange of 2nd round picks by including a few million. So I'd say that Webster will go for the same. That's all Pritchard is capable of.
It's a fair debate. Do we want an undersized Bayless that is a weak defender, but can push the ball and really get to the rim, or a much stronger Webster that can defend better and shoot well. I can see the pros & cons, but in the end I'll take Martel.
Hardly. He averages 1.9 assists per game and 1.3 turnovers per game. Sure, he has the occasional cool pass but he isn't consistent. On that note, did anyone see Travis Outlaw had 6 assists the other night?
Unfortunately 40% FG and 37% 3P (this season and career avg.) is not shooting well for a supposed shooting specialist.
I agree he's having a down year, but overall I still think he'll be the better player. But still, neither Bayless or Webster will put us over the top.
That's why I pointed out his season numbers are the same as his career numbers. Unfortunately he's not having a down year, it is the norm for him.
Are you sure? Blazers courtside talked about this stating that Joel is out at least 9-12 months which puts him this late in the season next year. Oden could be back at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season. We need a backup Center and I think Camby for now is the key. I don't think KP wants to sign Howard again for that position. Camby is still a well known player and I think KP doesn't want to let Camby go. I'm thinking Webster is a mixed bag right now as Batum is taking the spotlight this season.
I think that what Martel brings is less of an issue for this team, honestly. We have our SF of the future in Batum, we are still in a transition to find the PGotF (tm) - and while there is a good chance it will never be Bayless - it is still too early to tell - and it might be him. Webster, is at most, a backup for limited minutes in a position that we have other players that can man it for short periods of time (be it Rudy or Roy), while Bayless is at most the PG/Combo Guard that can play next to Roy, guard the opposing PG and help bring the ball up-court when the Miller era is over. From a position need, Bayless is a much better fit, from a offensive production pov - so far, it is Bayless by a landslide, and Bayless has played less than 20% of the minutes that Webster played in his career - it is a lot more likely to have him become better, more consistent than it is to expect the same from Webster at this point.
I agree! i thought that there were three plays in arow or very colse together in the Toronto game that were supurb. Did yo see the smile on his face as he did that? He looked very much like he looked in Europe. If we play a quicker hitting and a good rebounding game or get steals he will be very Gianobli like. On Webster if we can get something for he and Priz I think we can get a good player of better caliber for him. However we may want to just save the money depending on the new CBA.
this wasn't a recent discovery, we discussed it the day it happened right here. What makes you think Sergio had/has any trade value? My understanding was that they basically covered his salary for this season which (of course) Portland was already on the hook for. Clearing him from their cap gave them another Mil or so of wiggle room to play with in Free Agency where Portland was able to both screw Utah and ultimately land a starting PG. At 23 and quite likely his final year in the league, SR was going to be on the end of the Blazer bench rotting away which would have been a negative situation for everyone. Now having failed to garner a rotation role on two of the worst clubs in the league he can go back to Europe knowing it wasn't just Portland. Pritchard was also obviously targeting Pendergraph who should enjoy a solid backup Big career. Complaining about that move in retrospect seems odd as Portland came out better for it. STOMP
No, he's actually having a typical year. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/webstma02.html a career 40.6% shooter and 37.2% from 3
Actually, we all didn't think that. It's been an open debate, with some of us pointing out that Webster has been reserve quality from the start and hasn't improved his production at all over the years he's been playing. His defense might have improved slightly. I think he's an okay, not exceptional, reserve. If we assume that he'll never improve (which, given his years of stagnation, now seems the likeliest case), then he's a bit overpaid. He's paid like a good reserve. But the contract made sense at the time...with even tiny improvements, Webster would have been worth his deal. Even without them, it's far from an albatross contract. If Webster is traded, it'll be as a throw-in. I don't think any other team will specifically target him. If the opportunity to include him as a bit part of a more significant deal doesn't come along, I think Portland will have him back up Batum until his contract is up and let him depart as a free agent.
Webster is looking like a real bad fit for this team. He isn't good enough to start, but his skill set is not really right for a reserve. He is not an energy player - he needs extended minutes to get in sync. If his shot isn't falling, the rest of his game tends to deflate. He is also not a guy you can call on when the offense is struggling, as he can't create for himself.
