You guys are asking the wrong questions.... The question isn't how ridiculous the above offer is, rather if there's any reason to believe it's actually true. Why would Wheeler have the information about a rejected offer unless it's PR material to demonstrate why Pritchard hasn't made a move?
I think a lot of people are simply forgetting business 101. The offer always starts off high. The Wizards didn't expect the Trailblazers to go for it. They're just trying to get a feel for some teams and what they wants, how desperate they are, etc.
I think the Wizards are really after Juwan. They think he's still got it and they want to relive the 90's.
That is the absolutely worst case scenario for Batum, with him reaching NONE of his potential. He was a 'nice role player' last season. He just turned 22. Why would you think he won't get better with more experience? I don't think we've seen enough of what Rudy is capable of to know how good he might be. He's always been in Roy's shadow, and apparently has been hurt for a long time. On a different team, 'marginal starter' would be the low end of Rudy's potential. I'll give you that his back could trump of all his potential. Go Blazers
The same way you pass on a chance for Brandon Roy for Randy frickin Foye? Edit: I see BNM beat me to the joke.
How dare you put out a clueless opinion like that, ridiculing a guy who's being paid to make decisions like that?!?! When you get your first NBA check for scouting, or your first interview about the selections you've made, then let me know.
Business 101 suggests you start with something semi-realistic, even if high, otherwise the other party realizes you're not actually serious about finding a deal that will work for both sides. If a GM approaches Cleveland with an offer of two bench players (say, Sasha Vujacic and Adam Morrison) for LeBron James, is that just good business? Start low, see if you can get a steal...work up from there?
What can he do that Pendergraph can't? How about contend with real centers in the post on defense for starters. I love Jeff's hustle, but there's not a chance in hell he can be your full time backup center and expect the team to do well in a playoff situation paired up against the Bynums, Gasols, and Howards of the league. But, yeah trading a backup shooting guard when we're busting at the seams with wings and guards is "crazy talk" Don't you have something better to do like harassing homeless people anyway?
So sign him in the off-season and don't lose 2 players that A: have significantly higher ceilings than him and B: could garner much better players than him
That would be a good plan if the Blazers had enough cap space to do it. With Roy's and Aldridge's contracts kicking in after July 1, the Blazers will be over the cap even if they let Travis and Blake walk.
Wrong. There are going to be tons of teams with cap room chasing too few free agents, if anything Haywood can probably expect a 3 year 8 million dollar deal.
But here's the thing, this offer wasn't out-of-this-world outrageous in the eyes of the Wiz GM. Nicolas Batum --at least in my eyes-- will never be an all star but rather a really good role player (sorry). And of course, Rudy. I'll be the first to admit my man-crush on the guy. Fun to watch, can score in bunches, decent playmaker, possible future 6th man of the year/starter. Haywood is by no means an all star but he's an above average center who can get you a consistent double double and is a decent defensive presence. Factor that in with Portland's need for a center, and the deal isn't so bad.
My biggest issue is his contract situation. If he weren't a free agent this summer it'd be a lot easier to stomach, as it is there's probably a half-way decent chance he'd be a half season rental. So giving up two guys like Nic and Rudy for what would amount to cap space (that won't put us under the soft cap) is a bad deal.
I think the deal is pretty silly. Haywood is a classic journeyman-caliber center. He's exactly the kind of player that can be picked up for the MLE (and usually proves to be a mistake, as most MLE pick-ups end up). He will, in fact, be a free agent this off-season. I don't think Fernandez is going to be an All-Star, and I think Batum will only be an All-Star if he hits his ceiling. Despite that, both are talented young players who are exactly the types a successful team needs around superstars/stars. The deal isn't as outlandish as the hypothetical I posed, mine was meant to be an exaggeration. It's still a deal that I don't think any competent GM would ever consider or use as the starting point for a different, fair deal. Considering that this season has effectively been "lost" (in relation to the start of the contention window), "need" is really not a factor. I can imagine a GM overpaying for need to keep serious contention hopes afloat. Turning a lost season into a slightly better lost season isn't going to be the time for a "need" trade.
get you a consistent double double? you mean like how he's had 13 double doubles this year? Out of 37 games he's played in? That's the same # of double doubles LaMarcus has had. consistent double double my ass. Let's put it this way, his nickname wasn't Brenda Haywood for nothing.
