Recruiting Hedo
Forget the tours. Don’t worry about the fancy dinner or the luxury items.
Be careful about bidding against yourself, but you better acknowledge right now what it’s really all about. It’s always about the money. Always. And it’s the guy’s last big contract.
If you want him, it’s real simple. Pay the man.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | July 2, 2009
Dwight Jaynes, free agency, Hedo Turkoglu, Portland Trail Blazers, show me the money
It would be an interesting dynamic in the locker room. Remember all the old baseball movies where the overpaid veteran is hated by all the young scrappy players?
His signing signals a shift in the mentality of the organization. It is a needed shift – it’s time to go for it. But it’s no longer the same Band of Brothers, players who are in the same situation, fighting to be contenders. Of course, pros should be able to work through that stuff and gel as a team. We’ll see how it goes, should they sign him.
Dwight do you think Blazer fans are having a hard time accepting that the future is now with this team?
I think too many are stuck in the build-for-the-future mode.
Tim — Yes, and I also believe there’s a chance the team is in that mode, too. Now THAT would be a shame. But you can’t just continue along thinking about next year all the time.
From what I have been hearing from fan’s lately it’s as if any change to the team is going to ruin the chemistry or somehow tarnish the blazers image. I just don’t understand this.It’s time to move ahead.I really don’t believe that Hedo would make or brake the blazers.And I think Rudy will get over it.It is crucial we Trade some sf’s for that pg we badly need though. cant have 5 players at that position.
i thought it was about the pizza?
The future is now? I’m bot seeing how with merely the addition of Turkoglu the Blazers Presto Change-O become a title contender. If Oden starts showing signs of being the player we thought he was going to be I might rethink that, absent which the most Turkoglu gets the Blazers is one round deeper into the playoffs.
I disagree, to an extent. I do think it is important to show Hedo that this city isn’t as bad as many people make it out to be, especially if he’s looking at a long term deal. I think it actually appeals to Euros, for what it’s worth.
Yeah the money is very, very important, but it isn’t EVERYTHING.
Greg – He declined an offer from his team of the last 5 years, a team that just went to the NBA finals, because they didn’t offer him enough money, so yeah, I think money might be everything in this case.
Hey Dwight there’s a great article on the Portland Tribune about Oden’s summer workouts. Care to comment on it?
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=124648085393215300
Great point DC.. You don’t walk away from the eastern conference champs (especially when they are located in Orlando, Fl.) unless money has something to do with it. Also, I think most people who come to Portland believe it’s a great city but realize that it’s a small market. In the end though I think money talks and Hedo will be attracted by that plus the fact that the Blazers have a good thing going. I could be way off base on this, but I would guess that the city these players play in low priority for most players because they are on the road so often. I mean if the city itself was that important would people really be jumping at the chance to play in Detroit?? Toronto is a fantastic city, but it seems to be low on the totem pole in terms of preferred destinations. Again, I could be wrong about the city thing but that’s my opinion.
Forget the pizza, drive him by the Nike campus. Remember, this guy is thse Michael Jordon of Turkey. They’d sell a lot of “Hedos” in Instanbul. Wouldn’t hurt to drive him by Addidas either.
Do you remember what we as fans were told as the 2009 trade deadline approached as we sat patiently with Raef’s expiring contract? It was the same thing we were told as we went into this offseason. Due to the poor economy and Portland’s desire to challenge for a title, we shoud think BIG! Remember that? KP was never shy about proclaiming that he was swinging for the fences.
Well, it appears that if he did in fact swing, it was certainly a whiff. Hedo will NOT bring this team a championship. It’s time to stop drinking the KP Kool-Aide folks. He has screwed this thing up and we the fans will suffer for it.
My thing with Hedo is this: Is he enough of an impact player to push us over the top? Is he that “homerun” kind of player or is he a “solid double,” to coin a phrase from Dwight. I just don’t see him as being that homerun kind of guy. Maybe that’s coming later, as I’m sure there would be at least one more move, but if we’re going solely off of signing Hedo, it isn’t enough for me.
Also, as a little side note, we need that banger kind of PF off the bench, right? Not that I don’t think Pendergraph is going to be a really good fit, but since we didn’t take a flyer on Blair or Young in the draft, should we take a little risk and sign Leon Powe? I think he could be had fairly cheap considering he won’t play until Feb, and when he does get back on the floor he’s going to have a huge chip on his shoulder after Ainge spit in his face by not offering him a QO. If we could get him on the cheap for a short term contract, wouldn’t it be worth it even if he’s a 14th or 15th guy on the roster for right now?
I for one am in the mindset that the time is now. Too bad the free agent market right now is so bad that Hedo may very well be the best option to get a player without trading anyone.
This is why last summer was horrible and the trade deadline was a disaster. I was easy to predict for the last three years that this years free agent crop would be horrid. Now Portland reaps the benefit of hesitation.
Namely overpaying a role player that is decidedly not the final piece of a title hunt puzzle.
Okay, I’m going to say it again in a different way.
Following Dwight’s logic, we should have just faxed him an offer sheet at 12:01am yesterday and left it at that.
Yes, of course it’s about the money, but you don’t just treat a person like a slab of meat. Anyone who has ever recruited or been recruited knows that you have to go through the motions of flying them in, taking them out for a meal, showing them around, etc… yeah it’s a common courtesy and that’s it, but it would be foolish not to.
Unless you want to go back to the Whitsitt “CTC” era.
To Jeff: What is in Orlando besides tacky theme parks? Portland is a very likable city, and I don’t think Turk is a man craving the sun-belt (he better not be, with POR and Toronto being his two strongest suitors.)
On the basketball side of things, it makes me mad to see polls showing nearly a 50-50 split on fans’ desire to sign this guy. The people opposed to this are the same people who freaked out after James Jones left/ Z Bo got traded for Frye/ and the Blazers chose not to draft Adam Morrison.
People need to accept the departure of Batum or Outlaw or Webster because it is totally necesary if we are to get out of the first round ever. None of those three guys understands their role on this team, whereas Hedo will understand his task for the ‘Zers almost immediately. Let’s wrap this thing up by the 4th of July!
They are not the same people that worried about James Jones leaving or Z/bo being traded. Speak for yourself.
I don’t care for choosing Hedo because I don’t think he brings enough for the money, number 1. It eats up all the cap space usable for a point guard or a tough guy back up power forward.
Number 2, – and perhaps more importantly – he is not part of the culture of development. The team has progressed as a group of young guys growing together. Something that the city and the fans have participated in. That’s being deviated from by grasping for a 30 year old outsider that doesn’t fit the mold that KP’s been using.
It gets worse if another “vet” like Steve Nash or Andre Miller is brought in for the sake of having a veteran presence.
Young, capable tough guys like Ariza, Bass, Milsap, Sessions, even Chris Anderson or Marvin Williams could be run for and provide a “fit” into the existing pattern and chemistry with a good chance of success. Not to mention possible trades that might be out there.
Dwight made a terrific point on Talkin’ Ball about hoping that the Blazers mgt did all they could to find out if Devin Harris could be had before going for Hedo.
To say there’s only one approach to acheive a championship – getting veterans – is unimaginative. It diminishes what the current group has done and what they and those like them might accomplish.
It’s not just business.
Well said crosley.
Be warned however, there are many ‘fans’ that simply think KP can do no wrong. If KP signs Hedo, then they think that he’s a can’t miss surefire piece to the championship puzzle. If KP had passed on Hedo, then those same braindead KP worshippers would be the first to call Hedo ‘overrated’, and a ‘bad fit’ for Portland.
chris anderson is the same age as Hedo