Subscribe Feed (RSS)OK, to review — the Lakers have added Ron Artest, the Cavaliers have added Shaquille O’Neal, the Rockets have added Trevor Ariza, the Magic have added Vince Carter, the Spurs have added Richard Jefferson, the Celtics have added Rasheed Wallace. Toronto, as we well know, has added Hedo Turkoglu. The Mavericks are trying to add Marcin Gortat and are retaining Jason Kidd. And moving forward, the Spurs are pondering Big Baby Davis, the Cavs are looking into Shawn Marion.
Man, the good teams are bulking up.
And the Portland Trail Blazers? Well, probably by mid-week they’ll add that point guard they want in a trade — either Andre Miller or Kirk Hinrich. But it shouldn’t affect their cap space much. They’re going to have all kinds of room under the cap.
In some ways, they kind of remind me of that old story of the guy wandering through the house of ill repute with his pockets full of money who can’t find a date.
Honestly, there’s still plenty of time to use that cap space to help facilitate an unbalanced trade for a good player. To make a solid roster addition. But so far, I have to say this is not exactly the way I expected the offseason to go. Kevin Pritchard is going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat or this is going to be one letdown of a summer.
And a setback for the team. When everyone you’re playing against is improving and you aren’t, you’re in for trouble. And no, just the expected improvement of Portland’s young players isn’t going to be enough.
It would be a shame to squander what’s been, since before the trade deadline, a golden opportunity to add talent to this roster.
Tags: Dwight Jaynes, free agents, NBA, Portland Trail Blazers
Dwight,
The Lopsided trade is still coming. Right?
I cannot understand The Blazers infatuation with Andre Miller. He’s not a shooter by any stretch of the imagination and does all of his damage with the ball in is hands–turf currently occupied by Brandon Roy. A head scratcher for sure.
Hinrich is big, younger and more athletic, but I don’t think he can be a difference maker in a conference that fields Parker, Paul, Williams, Kidd, Billups, and Nash. Of the nine teams vying for playoff spots, only L.A. (who doesn’t need one in their offense) and Houston would have lower caliber point guards.
Why not make a run at Bibby? Of all the PG “available”, he seems like the best fit. How about Leon Powe? Isn’t it the glue guys who typically make the difference on teams who are already good?
It’s just a little weird that KP wants to hit the homer the first time he picks p the bat. How about some singles first?
I cannot understand The Blazers infatuation with Andre Miller. He’s not a shooter by any stretch of the imagination and does all of his damage with the ball in is hands–turf currently occupied by Brandon Roy. A head scratcher for sure.
Hinrich is big, younger and more athletic, but I don’t think he can be a difference maker in a conference that fields Parker, Paul, Williams, Kidd, Billups, and Nash. Of the nine teams vying for playoff spots, only L.A. (who doesn’t need one in their offense) and Houston would have lower caliber point guards.
Why not make a run at Bibby? Of all the PG “available”, he seems like the best fit. How about Leon Powe? Isn’t it the glue guys who typically make the difference on teams who are already good?
It’s just a little weird that KP wants to hit the homer the first time he picks up the bat. How about some singles first?
I agree that this summer will be a disappointment if we don’t add talent with the cap space we have. Still though, I thought the front office was aggressive in going after what they thought to be the best fit on the market. However, this is still a team that won 54 games last year and tied for 1st place in its own division. The most important factor for improvement is within the existing roster. Will Rudy come back next year and have a bigger impact? I think so. What will Greg’s improvement be now that his recovery from microfracture surgery is in the rear view mirror? What about a complete off season to work on his footwork? What will the hardest working back-up point guard in the league give us next year? Free agency is definitely important. A Kirk Heinrich here, a Brandon Bass or McDyess there. But the key to beating these other teams is taking a big leap forward in developing the untapped potential of the existing talent on the roster. Of course, a gameplan that dumps the rock into the post for Oden and LaMarcus would be nice too.
Truly a “COMCASTIC” weekend for the Blazers. But good things often come to those who wait. They should thank Hedo for not taking them up on that awfull deal, and I hope that they take their time and see just how desperate some of these other teams get.
I’m not really sure the rich got all that richer… at the very least, it’s gonna take 1/4 to 1/2 a season to see how all these moves pan out.
The Lakers added Artest… AND all of his potential baggage and headaches, AND lost Ariza to boot. Did they improve with this? I don’t think that’s a forgone conclusion by a long shot.
The Rockets added Ariza… and might have lost Yao for the season, or forever, who knows.
The Magic added VC, but lost Hedo, who was a critical component to their success last year…
I’m not defending KP if we’re the clear losers in this offseason, but come on – we all knew Hedo was a mixed bag and had we got him, we’d all be pulling for him on the one hand and wondering if we paid WAAAAY too much for an aging player who didn’t clearly fit one of our primary needs (D, PG)…
Bottom line – we’re still $9million to spare, there are some players out there, let’s see what happens…
Dwight, you are mostly talking about teams adding older talent or talent that is not of the premier variety. This all hinges on player development! We have a lot of talent ? A couple more pieces THAT FIT would not hurt, but this is not about panicking, it is about coaching and development. We are not going to win a title if Greg isn’t who we thought he was!
What about Rondo?
Dwight: Lets do the quick math:
1.)54 wins in 08-09
2.)Greg Oden getting an “A+” for his off season conditioning
3.)Healthy Martell Webster
4.)Another year of seasoning for young nucleus of Roy, Aldredge, Oden, Batum, Webster, Fernandez, Bayless
I say, upgrade at the PG with a trade of Travis for Heinrich. Sign Ronny Turiaf to give some toughness, and tremendous positive energy (PDX will fall in love with this guy).
Just because the rest of the league is in an arms race does not mean Portland has to participate.
We have the players in place now to get us a deep run in the playoffs. A couple of tough as nails, no nonsense vets would put us even deeper.
I like the energy of David Lee. If we add energy to the team’s spirit, rather than subtract it, (cough, Hedo, cough), we could be in for a pleasant surprise. Several of our key players will be going into their 2nd year playing in the NBA. What if one of them has a freakish improvement? (cough, Oden, cough) What if Rudy and Batum are 20% better just from the second time around?
Last year could be the smoldering, and this year the fire takes off.
The Cavs and Lakers will be extremely tough next season but Orlando and Houston have gone backwards. Orlando lost 3 of the starters who got them to the Finals. San Antonio? They’re playing with the worst contract of all: Father Time.
Sooner or later, Time comes for all of them – except Kobe. Kobe is a vampire.
Dwight you have been dead on the last week or two. Very good stuff!
KP has screwed up in a big way going back to the trade deadline last year. It seems that he is so infatuated with our young players (Outlaw, Batum, Bayless, etc) that he is not willing to part with any of them unless a very unbalanced trade (Pau Gasol type trade) presents itself. Remember that he didn’t use Raef’s expiring contract because he was shooting for something ‘big’ this summer! A big arrogant mistake IMO.
I think KP has also completely overestimated the effect that the poor economy would have on what other teams were willing to spend on free agents, as well as their willingness to retain high salaries on their rosters. We were led to believe that teams would be begging us to take salaries off their hands. Well guess what? It hasn’t happened.
Unless the Blazers make a move to get significantly better (and I don’t mean Hinrich or Miller) then we will not contend again this next year. Furthermore, after extending BRoy and LMA we will be handcuffed for the big free agent bonanza of 2010, which will allow other good teams to get better.
It should be obvious to almost everyone now that the ‘messiah’ KP, thus far at least, has blown a huge opportunity to get us to the next level. I would suggest that even if the Hedo signing didn’t fall apart, I would feel that same way. Hedo was never the answer. His spurning of the Blazers just added further confirmation that KP isn’t nearly as smart as he thinks he is.
It is a bit of an eye-opener that our beloved city, with a young team on the verge of greatness is treated as kryptonite by other NBA players. Is it just the lack of a cosmopolitan vibe and long gray winters that are the sticking point, or is it the organization (and those who run and coach it) that players find fault with?
I would respond to Dwight’s latest post in this way. The NBA bests have added pieces and the Blazers path gets tougher. As to whether or not the Blazers youngers getting better will be enough I suppose depends on ones expectations and definitions of enough. I for one did not feel the slightest bit slighted by Hedo’s rejection. I was relieved. He just flat out is not worth 5@50mil. I prefer to look at things this way. Thru my RoseCity colored glasses? You tell me.
We really got nothing out of Oden last year. If Oden’s off season is productive and he Gives the team anything close to what his expectations are. If Oden gets a double double then we’ve got our Shaq. If Batum continues his expected growth and can develop some offense consistency to go with his defensive growth Blazers have their Artest. If Rudy comes back and is given the 6th man role, minutes and a consistent role they have a better than Hedo shooter, second play maker. Then if KP can add a solid PG of at least Hinrich’s defensive caliber. Add a Milsap or Bass to back LA. What is there to be disappointed in? Not getting Hedo? Gimme a break.
I agree. Hate the sit and wait approach while everyone is getting better, or at least making moves trying to get better. We got bounced from the 1st round people. You think all of a sudden we’re going to become a contender because a few guys got a summer older?
Everyone said we were sitting on gold with RLEC and we did nothing. So then we thought KP would use that cap space on draft night and we did nothing. We can see that KP tried to do something already in FA, but didn’t pull it off.
Now, let’s hope that THE move we are all waiting for happens because there won’t be another chance at this.
It would be a huge bummer if KP didn’t add some quality players to this roster before February.
Dwight,
Do you realize that you and Franklin seem to be gelling? I have a great deal of respect for your opinion on some matters, but Franklin?
Dwight, you are a more well rounded thinker than some of the posts that you have been making lately. I believe I agree with you on McMillan and the offence, but to go to this level?
KP is not stupid! To talk about him like he is is, well, fun! But let’s not have any more of it.
Dwight,
Of all the additions that have been made by different teams a few are not really upgrades. For example, one can argue that if Artest and Jefferson produce similar to last season then they are not going to add anything to their respective teams (in fact they would be subtracting from last season’s team wins).
The real additions are with the Rockets, Cavaliers, and Magic, and you are right that just hoping that the young Blazers develop further won’t be sufficient to meet the standards of these teams.
Barry,
Remember when the NBA All-Star game was in Vegas? I think it’s finally wound through the legal system and is just a memory now.
Anyway, I was watching one of the shows and the subject turned from how much Vegas had to offer the players to how little Portland has in terms of night life. Charles Barkley basically sounded like he’d rather do another long weekend in the Tent City jail then come here. None of the other players put up any disagreement.
Of course, many players who come through here end up staying after they retire, but it’s an acquired taste. We’ll never know but eventually even Hedo’s wife could have liked it.
Artest is a more productive player than Ariza, and San Antonio didn’t give up much to get Jefferson who will give you 18 ppg easy…anyway, I digress…
The move Portland should make, hands down right now, is signing Lamar Odom. Hurt the Lakers now, get a guy that can play some 3/4. Then you can trade for your PG. Odom can start at the 3 if needs be, he’s got a good enough handle, he’s a solid vet who can be the enforcer type. Then we need to make our trade for whatever PG we’re looking at. Trade one or two of our SF’s, maybe a PG, and get a good player at the 1.
If Odom doesn’t work out, go after Marion with a 3 year deal. Another 3/4 guy who can defend and slash. He’d probably be a little cheaper than Odom to boot.
I fail to see how aquiring one of those guys isn’t an upgrade right now. They’re fairly low risk. With them in the lineup, having a PG like Andre Miller or Kirk Hinrich wouldn’t be as ugly, but I’d still try to get a Ramon Sessions or Devin Harris first.
Everyone is reading too much into this “no free agents want to come to PDX” paranoia…
What, so NBA ballers want to go to Memphis, OKC, Minnesota,SLC, San Antonio,Milwaukee, Denver, Indy,Charlotte, New Orleans or Sacramento?
Of course NBA players seek the big cities and big endorsement dollars first. It does not take Sherlock Holmes to figure that out. At the end of the day, money talks.
If Portland would have offered Hedo $54 million the day after Toronto offered him $53 million, he would be stating “My wife and I visited Portland and loved the atmosphere, mountains and fresh air”….a buncha BS..
I am as white as a sheet. Caucasian to the bone…but give me $53 million over 5 years and I will play every game in South Central, or Mumbai, or Tokyo..Just show me the money, and I will make my own excitement.
Give me a break people…stop drinking this media hyperbole…
Fun banter and fodder I suppose in a slow sports time of year….but it is poppycock.
Bill, who really cares about what Hedo or his wife would like at this point? The only thing we should learn from the latest debacle is the KP isn’t nearly as good as he thinks he is.
In all fairness I don’t know if you can say Houston is getting better….. Artest out, and Yao out indefinitely.
But the rest is all worrisome. Is it so bad if we let the arms race go as most of these teams are shooting to win championships now? Aren’t we still aiming to win them in 2 years and beyond?
I’m not saying we should sit tight and do nothing, but it’s no time to panic. Stick to the plan!
Dwight,
How did the Rockets getting Ariza count as “the rich getting richer”, when they lost Artest, probably lost McGrady for the whole year and more than likely lost Yao for the whole year too?
We’re still better then all those teams but LA and Cleveland. Making the wrong move would be much worst then making no moves. Be careful what you wish for.
“The rich getting richer… etc.” was probably not the best way to put it — but you know what I’m talking about… the point is, other teams — most of them good teams — are going out into the free-agent market and signing players. Portland, a team with a lot of cap room, has not.
Or, I guess I could have said, “While other teams add players, the Blazers have paid other teams to take theirs” (Sergio)
Here is Nate McMillan’s coaching record for the last four years with the Blazers.
2006 Wins – 21
2007 Wins – 32
2008 Wins – 41
2009 Wins – 54
Do you see a pattern here? Clearly, next season the Blazers are going to win over 60 games. Why make a change?
I’m joking, slightly. But still I don’t see why the Blazers have to make a move. I think staying pat is the right thing to do.
Dwight,
Maybe the KP apologists in here should make up tee-shirts with your phrase on them:
“While other teams add players, the Blazers have paid other teams to take theirs” (Sergio)
Afterall, if KP does it (or tries to do it, or forgets to do it, or meant to do it) then it must be the right thing to do.
Franklin,
I agree: Who cares what Hedo or his wife thinks now.
But what I can’t figure out is how you feel about Kevin Pritchard. Do you like him or not? Get off the fence and make up your mind.
Bill,
Franklin’s a troll. Ignore him.
I think the importance of adding a free agent or making a trade at this point hinges on one question: how good do you think Greg Oden is going to be next season. If you believe he’ll be the monster double-double center we had projected him to be, then perhaps a minor addition (e.g. a point guard) or no additional player may be necessary to get the Blazers over the playoff hump.
But if you believe Oden is going to make small incremental improvements over time, then acquiring noteworthy players through free agency or trade may be necessary. With KP’s (failed) attempt to acquire Turkoglu, I’m reading that he doesn’t believe Oden will have progressed enough to take the Blazers over the top next season.
But I’m just speculating. I’m looking forward to see what KP has up his sleeve.
Go Blazers!
The beauty of Hedo was that we wouldn’t lose anybody, so it wasn’t dependent on the pace of Oden’s progress either way. David Lee is a restricted free agent, meaning the Knicks could match. I’d hate to lose some of our good young players to save face making something happen. You don’t want to force it and turn this into Hedo’s Revenge.
We ran into match-up problems with Houston but we played the Lakers tough last year. The Blazers are not that far off.
The best stews are the ones that are allowed to simmer for a while. I think the Blazers are doing just fine. They’re not overpaying for Hedo and they’re not panicking (yet). They should try and add a veteran point guard, a back up power forward. But some times the best moves are the ones you do not make.
Actually, the Blazers just picked the wrong year to fall into empty cap space. There are no perfect fits for the Blazers – no great point guards and no solid backup power forwards to be had for cheap.No, instead you’ve got a few decent point guards, and some power forwards who are used to starting and probably won’t like coming off the bench. Maybe a trade is coming, but as far as free agents, it’s just bad luck. Jefferson wouldn’t have been much of an upgrade.Who wanted Shaq? Kidd would have been nice, but he’s getting old, too. It’s easy to blame somebody, but the reality is that the Blazers were never going to add a significant piece this summer. They’re done building. Now, it’s about role players and improving.
Yeah, getting rid of lousy backups who bitch about playing time, Fernandez getting an offseason to rest, and Oden being healthy… they’re doomed. They’ve done nothing to improve, like overpaying for a soft Euro, bringing a drama queen into the locker room, or an over the hill Point Guard who wants money that sane people wouldn’t have paid to MJ.
They’re doomed, I tell ya. Doomed. They’re going to be a lottery contender for years again.
Dwight-
I don’t think it is fair to say POR has failed in free agency yet…there are still some players\moves that could be made….
David Lee is out there, possibly allowing for Przybilla to be dealt in a deal for a veteran (Shane Battier?)…Andre Miller, who I think is an upgrade from Blake, can run the pick and roll and get to the rim\break down defenses….Tyson Chandler could be had for cheap…
Guys like Kurt Thomas, Antonio McDyess, Oberto…
Possibly Hinrich available via trade, Marvin Williams is an intriguing restricted free agent…and couldn’t POR facilitate a deal with another team that covets a guy like Milsap or Lee and would be willing to give something that POR likes in return….
I think we could all be laughing at TOR in the end…given that they may have to cut loose 3 or more of thier own players for nothing (good luck getting good trade value for any of them in their predicament) AND pay Hedo around $12mil per season for 5 years….You can’t blame Pritchard for being that foolish…or expecting another GM to be….
I’m with Justin on this even though I sympathize with Dwight.
It’s hard to watch teams that are already good making moves that “might” make them better.
But the TBers “might” be better without significant changes.
In my opinion the TBer’s “might” trumps the other teams’ “might.”
I’m very curious to see what the brain trust comes up with now. I know this much–I wouldn’t want to be the guys trying to improve this team. Hell, I once thought Telfair was going to be a “great” PG in the NBA.
“If only you knew the player I was discussing.
-Kevin Pritchard as reported by Canzano.
Still waiting…
Congrats Bean, you just hit the heart of it. That KP statement along with many others he made over the past several months have raised expectations and it is now blowing up in his face.
This is really what happened with the decision to draft Oden. KP never shied away from the huge hype surrounding GO and really was proud of his decision to pick the next Hakeen, Shaq, DRobinson, etc. After GO’s very dissappointing first two years in the league, KP’s arrogance has returned to bite him in the @ss.
Here’s what I’d do if the right move doesn’t turn up – and I’m not even sure the league rules allow this but they should.
Have a team meeting and say, “You guys did everything we hoped for last year and more. We’re going to split the cap money among you as a bonus. Now go out there and kick ass.”
That’s how you buy loyalty and effort in the business world.
I think you can’t bank on improvement from your existing players when they’re already in their prime or they are grizzled veterans. But having so many young players on the squad last season, it would be shocking not to see 3 – 4 more victories just from Oden, Batum, Rudy, and Jerryd all having another year of experience. There are only a couple of teams you can expect that from (OKC being another notable) and Portland is clearly one of them. If that’s the case, even incremental moves like upgrading the point (I still think Hinrich is the best option) and bringing in a better backup 4 is enough to push that 3 – 4 win increase to a 5 – 6 win increase. If 59 – 60 wins isn’t a satisfactory improvement for this squad, then expectations aren’t realistic.
Gotta love the wealth of comments that feature the following remark, “But WHAT IF Oden turns into a beast AND everyone else continues to improve AND Nate decides to stop foolishly playing a walk-it-up style of offense…”
That sounds like a lot of “what if”
elite organizations (spurs, patriots, etc) do not sit on their hands, they make moves.
Bob Whitsitt and John Nash did a better job in the free agent arena than KP has done to date…
Does it really look like the Blazers are sitting on their hands? Dwight may be implying that, but is it true? They called Hedo as soon as they could.
I’ll bet Pritchard is trying to, “Just do it,” in an INTELLIGENT rather than a hurried fashion! When the right deal is offered, there will be a ring–ing sound of a slap!
I wouldn’t expect any moves on the Blazers part until all the teams are notified of what the cap will be…that will be when teams will want to unload players
Jason Quick’s saying Gerald Wallace is the next target. I had the NBA Pass one year and I saw him play a lot. He’s a warrior. Not to bring up a bummer, but he has a little of the Steve McNair thing where you play so hard you get injured, but when he’s playing he seems like 60% of the entire team effort. Tremendous spirit for the game.
Sounds like we’d lose Batum which is a major drag. That’s a decision that could haunt us big time.
One thing I’m sick of is hearing all these sports guys say, “It was Hedo’s wife, and how many guys out there have to do what their wives want?”
Fine, I’m married. I know that aspect of it. All you have to do is say, “Kevin, I’m really impressed with the offer, I love the team, but before I agree to anything, let me talk it over with my wife.” It’s not that difficult.
Update: Gerald Wallace is off the radar.
Talk of Andre Miller.
It’s not looking promising. Even Sarah Palin said she wouldn’t play point guard for the Blazers.
I would probably be more upset at using our cap space for any of the weakness that is on the current market.
Dont sign people just to sign them.
Everyone says the Blazers need to get tougher, but they just barely missed out on getting a guy whose wife tells him where to work.
I’d love Wallace, but if he’s not available he’s not available.
Matt, I’m not much of a football guy but I know the Spurs did a lot of standing pat.
Bill, you could void everyone’s contract, with their permission, except maybe the guys in their first 3 years. Then re-write them identically except for THIS year being bigger than in the original. I think.
Is it necessarily arrogant of Pritchard to get excited about his players? Especially in the case of Oden, where KP basically takes no credit for getting him (thanks, ping pong balls).
Peru, you’re giving up on Telfair already?
Bean: regarding the KP quote, are we sure Canzano isn’t full of shyt?
Whatever your take, it’s too early to call it a loss, or as someone said on another site, a “dumpster fire” of an off-season.
Some things need to be remembered when comparing the Blazers’ approach to the offseason to that of the main contenders. The Blazers are in a different situation. These other teams were constructed as contenders, and were ready to win – and didn’t. They are at or past their peaks, and now are desperately trying to do something big, fast, loud, and hard, to win it next year. Then their window closes, with the possible exception of Orlando (Cleveland is worried about LeBron leaving).
Here in Portland, we want our team to contend next year, but it’s not like we’ve been to the conference finals the past two years. We’re in an awkward adolescence between a young, developing team and a contender. As such, we want the same results as the contenders, but the GM’s actions won’t – and shouldn’t – look quite like those of teams like San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Cleveland, etc.
We still have things to learn about our players. We still have a chemistry that could be damaged by a single rogue player. We still have internal improvement to expect, but don’t know exactly where it will come from. We still could make a big move and then realize in a year or so that we addressed the wrong need.
That said, changes are needed. They may not be major, but they need at least to be significant.
As for KP, he assembled the young team. Then instead of sitting on his arse for several years, which he could have done, he saw a chance to create a salary cap room this year and worked hard to make it happen. The only real loss was his energy and maybe the moral irritation of paying Steve Francis. So while high expectations have been built into this free agency period, KP shouldn’t be blamed for the relatively unpromising appearance of it. He more or less made it out of nothing.
There’s no position where the team is terribly weak. The team is deep. The team is young. The team has good character and chemistry and, for all the talk of toughness, rebounds well and finishes well in crunch time.
Now, I’d like to see some of the same improvements as many of the other commenters (though I still prefer younger vets, like Gerald Wallace). But I’m not surprised or disappointed that the Blazers aren’t the team signing Shaq, Kidd, and Ron Artest.
Joel P. is too tough to let go, especially when Oden is still unproven and the team lacks inner gut. LMA has improved, Roy and Blake are gamers, but where is the 5-man roster that will stand up to the punishment of the playoffs? Hinrich is a fall-back choice, in my opinion, given that the team needs a legitimate backup point guard.
Why do top players avoid PDX? It’s a boring, grimy town with nothing to do, yet it beats its chest and proclaims itself Nirvana.