Once in a while, when you are an emerging power, as the Trail Blazers and their fans believe they are, you get an opportunity to sign a free agent because that guy is tired of losing and wants to go someplace where he can win a ring. Someplace where he can be a part of building something special.

But this Hedo Turkoglu situation is different. This is a player who was a critical piece on a team that won the Eastern Conference championship. He was wanted back. He would have been paid well to come back. He was valued by his coaches and employed perfectly within the team’s system to maximize his own talents. He was appreciated by fans and teammates alike and, in fact, had just gone through a long, long playoff march with those teammates. That team still has a lot of upside — and, in fact, he was part of building something special in Orlando.

But he has chosen to leave. For what? Really, I don’t think you can say it’s anything but money — and not even a lot of that compared to what he’d have made in Orlando. It seems just a tad mercenary to me. Which is fine, I guess — it’s what made this country great. And there could be more about this that we don’t know. Maybe the guy just didn’t like playing for Stan Van Gundy.

But I’m surprised that there hasn’t been some concern about his loyalty. His motivation. He’s always been known as a good guy to have on a team but why would a player so quickly seem to want out of a situation like that one? Is this a team-first guy? What, exactly, are his values?

Really, it all makes you wonder just what makes him tick.

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Stan Van Gundy

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.

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, free agency, Hedo Turkoglu, Portland Trail Blazers, show me the money

People have asked about this and I think the best way to look at it is to compare the situation to last season.

At small forward last season, Portland used Nic Batum as the starter and he averaged 18.4 minutes per game. Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw and Brandon Roy all served time at small forward behind him. Outlaw averaged 27.7 minutes per game but a lot of that time was at power forward, not small forward.

If Turkoglu comes to Portland at upwards of $9 million per season, you can expect the team to use him at least 36 minutes a game. A small portion of that time could come at power forward, of course. But the other problem for Rudy is that the Blazers are going to want playing time for their backup small forward(s) — either a developing Batum, who simply cannot ride the pines with his defensive skills, or Martell Webster, who, if he’s healthy is going to be a big help with his outside shooting. Or both.

This, of course, is assuming Outlaw is traded. It’s possible two small forwards could be dealt, but even if that’s the case, the remaining one — either Webster or Batum — is going to need plenty of playing time in a backup role.

At point guard, the same problem exists. If Andre Miller or Kirk Hinrich arrives, they’re going to play more than the 31.7 minutes per game Blake played last year. And Sergio Rodriguez, the backup point guard last season, averaged 15.3 minutes. You’d want Jerryd Bayless or Blake, whoever survives the deal that will bring Hinrich or Miller, to get at least 15 minutes a game behind the starter. I think this will bite into the number of minutes Roy will play at the point.

Rudy got 25 minutes a night last year mainly because coach Nate McMillan wasn’t sold on his backup point guard and also because of the injury to Webster. That opened playing time that won’t be there this season — unless there’s an injury, which you don’t really want to plan on or hope for.

Brandon Roy averaged 37.2 minutes and it would be smart to cut that back some, in the interest of Roy’s long-term health. But it won’t be cut back much and even if it’s down to 35 minutes, that still leaves only 13 for Rudy behind him.

The Portland lineup featuring Fernandez that was used most often last season was, according to 82games.com, the one that featured him at off-guard, along with Blake at the point and Roy at small forward. I wouldn’t expect Roy — or Rudy — to log a lot of minutes at small forward this season with Hedo and Webster and/or Batum sucking up those minutes.

And moving forward, even 25 minutes per game isn’t going to placate Rudy. That’s not to paint him as a complainer, either. It’s just that he’s better than that. He’s a starting off-guard in the NBA and eventually that’s what he’s going to want to be. I don’t blame him. And I think trading him is eventually going to be the right thing to do for both parties. That’s not saying do it right now, either. My stance has been consistent — he’s going to have to be dealt at some point, so keep your eyes open and do it when it makes sense. Don’t wait until you’re backed into a corner.

Accepting bench roles and limited minutes in the NBA is for seasoned veterans who have already made the big bucks. Young players want to establish their worth and get into the big contracts. It’s just the way it works.

In summary, acquiring a prime free agent at point guard and small forward would solidify Portland’s rotation to a great degree. I don’t think you’d see Roy playing as many positions and it’s presumed the rotation would be more defined and probably shorter.

By the way, I promise to do my best to make this the last post on this subject for a long time.

Tags: Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Kirk Hinrich, Martell Webster, NBA, Nic Batum, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez, Steve Blake

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s what the Trail Blazers are saying. When they can sit him down and talk to him, that’s what Rudy will say, too. He’s not dumb enough to put his name on this stuff, anyway.

Folks — this is what agents are for. It’s why players have them. They pound the desk and scream — and the players are insulated from it and have total deniability. It’s been that way for years. The message was delivered and understood.

Sure, everything’s fine. Erroneous report. Yeah, right.

When are people going to understand this situation? I wrote about it back on May 7 and everyone thought it was nuts to speculate that Rudy was going to eventually tire of his role here. Yeah — they voted 98 percent to 2 percent that he ought to be back on the team next season.

I guess that’s why I sort of enjoyed listening to talk radio yesterday and reading blog comments as people beat Rudy up pretty good. All of a sudden, he’s a bum, I guess. For wanting to play. Does this mean he won’t be back as a Blazer next season? Of course not. He has no options. It’s play here or nowhere. The European teams have to honor NBA contracts.

But Blazer fans, you can pencil out these minutes any way you want. You can pretend that Portland isn’t going to use any backup point guard other than Brandon Roy. You can pretend that there will be only one small forward. You can pretend Rudy is a point guard or a small forward.

But the fact is, Rudy is an off-guard. Brandon Roy is an off-guard. In the end, if Rudy is to become the star he wants to be in the NBA, it’s ultimately going to have to be with another team. Why not trade him while you still have some leverage?

Don’t wait until you have no choice but to move him.

Tags: Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez

Now he’s reportedly upset with the Blazers for chasing Hedo Turkoglu:

Portland’s pursuit of a certain player from Turkey has infuriated the Trail Blazers’ lone remaining Spanish player, Rudy Fernandez, to the point where he’d prefer to play in Greece, Russia or even Spain again, ESPN.com learned Tuesday.

A league source told ESPN.com that Fernandez has already been courted informally by European powerhouses Olympiacos, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and CSKA Moscow as word spread that the Blazers had become the apparent front-runners to land free agent Hedo Turkoglu.

And then this:

The Blazers have been made aware of Fernandez’s feelings, the source said. The source added that Fernandez has not formally requested a trade but has expressed his dissatisfaction with the way he was used by Portland coach Nate McMillan over the course of his rookie season. Fernandez averaged 26 minutes off the bench and scored 10.2 points per game, rarely handling the ball or acting as an offensive initiator — two of Turkoglu’s specialties.

Every time I write it, people want to skewer me, but the fact is, Rudy didn’t come over here to be somebody’s backup. He’s been a star his whole life. Long-term, as long as Brandon Roy is here, Rudy is never going to be a starting off-guard, which is what he wants to be. You might as well trade him now — because later you’re going to lose leverage if he stomps his feet and goes home in a snit.

Better to trade him while you have options than wait until he’s holding all the cards. You might get one more season from him where he’s content, but that’s going to be about it.

LATE ADD: The word around the league is that Rudy’s agent has made it clear to the Trail Blazers that if Turkoglu signs with Portland, it’s time to trade Rudy.

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Hedo Turkoglu, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez

This should be a very exciting time for Trail Blazer fans. The development days are over. For the first time in many, many seasons the front office is chasing a big-ticket free agent.

It’s a test, too — can this franchise lure a key player to Portland? Can Kevin Pritchard make this city a destination for good players looking to win a championship? Or are those players going to do what they usually do — stay with their original team for money or seek the big markets and/or the sun belt?

That’s what we should all be thinking about. But just from the comments in the last few days about Hedo Turkoglu, I have a feeling a lot of Trail Blazer fans are pretty conflicted. Is this really the player who is going to put Portland over the top? Is small forward the position where you felt the most need? Is this a guy you want to see $50 million invested in?

And by the way, if Turkoglu comes here, there has to be some sort of trade in the offing (probably the Kirk Hinrich deal) because Travis Outlaw would never wear a Trail Blazer uniform again.

Honestly, is Hedo the right guy?

I don’t think I’m the only one a little bit skeptical about this. Yes, I wrote yesterday that I was coming around to it. I can see what they see. I guess I’m just not as certain as they are ($50 million certain) that it’s going to work.

I’m not sure this whole thing feels the way it’s supposed to feel.

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, free agency, Hedo Turkoglu, Kevin Pritchard, Portland Trail Blazers

This is from a blog by Pooh Jeter and I pulled this out of the comments section with a big thanks to “Shallwemaui” for finding it on draftexpress.com:

 Spanish players in the ACB that got drafted:

Ricky Rubio- The number one question I get from people is HOW GOOD IS RICKY RUBIO? My answer to the question is he is good, but I think if he continues to improve, he will be real good as he gets older. I seen him play a few times this season and I played against him once because he was hurt the first game. I saw how crafty and smart he is in this game of basketball. I think his IQ of the game is what makes him good because he knows where his teammates are at all times. When we finally played against each other, I had 18 points and 4 assists and he had 16 points and 8 assists. He led the league in steals and assists this season. A lot of 18 years don’t know the game like he does because he’s been a pro since he was 14 years old.

Sergio Llull- Sergio is a very explosive and quick point guard. I didn’t really see him score, but he brought energy off the bench for Real Madrid, especially on the defensive end.

Victor Claver- To be honest, I think Victor Claver is the best pro right now out of Rubio and Sergio. I know people may think I’m crazy for that comment, but hey, it’s my opinion. Victor Claver is like 6’9; he can score and is very athletic.

Jeter, a former star at the University of Portland, played in Spain last season.

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Pooh Jeter, Portland Trail Blazers, Ricky Rubio, Sergio Llull, Victor Claver

They are reporting in Philadelphia that Miller is seeking $10 million a year. I have no idea what they’re putting in those Philly cheesesteaks these days but this guy has to be hallucinating. It isn’t going to happen for him at that price in this economy. Obviously it’s just a starting point in negotiations and the writer should have pointed that out.

And any talk of a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers at that price? No way. You can’t have $10 million of your cap space tied up with the likes of Andre Miller. Sorry, but a guy who over the last four seasons has made just 23 of his 122 three-point attempts? A man who has, during his career, made only 21 percent of his three-point field goals?

It isn’t just that he can’t make threes — it’s that he runs from them as if they’re his own personal Kryptonite.

That’s just plain ridiculous for most teams to sign him at that number, let alone a team that plays the kind of game Portland plays. The Blazers need shooters. They need players who keep the floor open.

A guy who can’t consistently make a three-point shot just can’t play alongside Brandon Roy at any price, can he? Roy needs people around him who can keep the defense away from him — guys who make defenses pay for double teams. I just cannot imagine that the Blazers’ interest in Miller is real.

It has to be a smokescreen, doesn’t it?

Tags: Andre Miller, Dwight Jaynes, NBA free agency, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers

The New York Daily News is reporting that Jason Kidd’s free agency will begin Wednesday with a visit to the Knicks. He’d have to want to be a Knick pretty bad because all New York can offer is a mid-level exception, which is a lot less than Dallas or Portland could give him.

The story, by the way, also mentions that Kidd will meet with the Trail Blazers.

And in other news involving potential Trail Blazer point guards, the Detroit News is reporting that the No. 1 free-agent target for the Pistons will be Chicago combo guard Ben Gordon. That’s important because most people believe if Gordon leaves the Bulls, Chicago will not be interested in trading Kirk Hinrich.

Tags: Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Jaynes, Jason Kidd, Kirk Hinrich, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers

Ian Thomsen of  Sports Illustrated says they did. And around that time such a move was discussed right here in this blog and at Blazers Edge. The reaction from Blazer fans wasn’t very positive — mostly outrage. I believe Portland did make serious inquiries about a deal for him. And I think Ian’s quotes from Shaq — there was no reason for him to say this stuff if it wasn’t true — verify that interest.

At the time, I felt two things about bringing him here would be positive: Someone to mentor Greg Oden and someone to insist that the ball be fed to the post more often that it has been around here. But I also wrote at that time that Shaq would have a “hissy fit” about coming here, which he apparently did. It’s just not his kind of town.

And by now, he’d have been politicking to get out of here and go play with LeBron, too. It might have been a move for just half a season.

But before you get all huffy about how horrible it would have been to have the Big Raindrop in Portland, stop and think a  moment. Do you think Houston could have beaten the Blazers if Shaq had been a Blazer? Do you think the Lakers or Magic could have? Honestly, I am not sure they could have.

Something to think about.

Tags: Blazers Edge, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Ian Thomsen, Portland Trail Blazers, Shaquille O'Neal