Which Starting Backcourt Would You Rather Have?

ABM & I are at the beach for a few days. On the drive down we talked about women & Blazers. We disagree about whether or not we should trade away Batum if it means getting Rondo or Parker. I think we need to keep talent we have (aka Batum & LAM) and he thinks we need to trade Batum if it means gaining Rondo or Parker. So our debate leads us to the question- Which starting backcourt would rather have:

Rondo or Parker & Matthews

or

Brooks & Batum

Me, I'll take Brooks and Batum as I think it gives us above average talent at both positions and improves our overall team talent. ABM thinks a Rondo or Parker upgrades us so much that Batum is expendable.

 

Rondo and Matthews for sure. Parker shouldn't even be in this conversation.

I wouldn't trade Batum for Rondo though.

 

I think it's an impossibility we get Rondo without giving up Batum.

 

Did you agree on HCP's wife at least?

 

Rondo and Williams

...eventually

 

I think this team is probably several years away from being in any kind of position to contend ... adding aging players like Parker or a guy who will be at the tail end of his prime in Rondo when the team might finally get back to being competitive isn't going to pay nearly the dividends that people think they will.

 

Of course not. Batum is the future and can do no wrong.

 

We were wondering if she likes to be two holed.

 

Oh to dream the impossible dream...

 

It's good to see you coming around.

 

Something like that

 

I think Batum is/will be an above average SG and is very much worth keeping.

 

Sure he's worth keeping

He's not worth keeping if you can get Rondo for him, though. That's just silly.

 

I think this team is one solid PG and a backup big away from contending.

 

Batum has PER of 19.7 right now. The highest PER Rondo has ever had was 2 years ago at 19.1

Rondo's had the luxury of having 3 future HOF'ers around him his entire career. I just don't think he'll be the distributor he is in Boston if he came to Portland with incosistent shooters around him. It wouldn't take long before he and Nate get into it. I'm not as high on Rondo as most.

 

I disagree.

I mean, I get the fact PG is a critical position and Rondo is a very good (but not elite) PG. But our talent level is so incredibly low that I think it's imperative we keep Batum as he & LAM are our best two players. Sure, we improve as a team with that trade, but not by very much. We lose a B- player and gain a B+ one. If we add Brooks (as an example) we keep the B- player and add another B- player. Or, we add Rondo (B+) and start Matthews as a C- or D+ player. I just don't see the overall team improvement.

 

I like the Brooks idea. Short-term of course.

 

You trade a SF for a better player that is a PG. I mean this just seems like common sense to me. A top 5 PG, too.

Rondo is an all-star and has been the floor general for teams that have made it to the finals and gone deep into the playoffs. He's tough. He played a series with a bad dislocated shoulder. He's a pass first PG, a tough defender and a 1man fastbreak. If he were playing in a different, higher-paced system his numbers would be even more impressive. Instead he plays with a bunch of old guys that play at a snail's pace. There a few players like him in the league.

That is not Batum. He's a nice SF who does some nice things, but overall his impact on the game isn't as big as Rondo's is. That isn't hard to see imo.

Easy trade for me to do. Too bad Boston would never go for it.

 

Oh I agree.

My point is that we have a near lack of talented players. Because of that it is more important to add talented players and increase the number of talented players as opposed to maintaining the same amount of talented players- even if the total overall talent of those two only players increases a bit.

 

Star talent wins in the NBA - not a collection of good talent. The more true difference makers you have the better. Rondo is more or less one of those players. Not quite on the level of the true elite players, but he's considerably closer to that than Batum. Rondo can make everyone on the team better. Batum not so much. That's the main reason why having an elite PG is more desirable than a nice SF.