The Waiting Game Starts
posted: 6/30/2009 at 10:06 PM
Game on.
I've read absolutely everything there is to read on the free agent signing period. I've gone up and down my list of reliable sources, and have had so many conversations on what could, and will, happen I can't even count them. Where does all of this have me? Same place I started, and it's driving me nuts.
Yes, in the past I've gotten hints on what's to come. I've had inside information at times and have either dropped subtle clues, or have simply sat on news. This time it's different. The Blazers' executive team is playing this very, very close to the vest, and all we're left with are rumors and the usual sell jobs by agents.
This, after all, is when the agents are at their best (or worst, depending on your perspective). To say that they use the media during times like this is an understatement. I would bet that 75 percent of the stuff you've heard up to this point has been planted by a player agent. This is not to bang on them. They're just doing their jobs- drumming up support, creating a marketplace, or pushing the value of their clients. They know this is such an emotional time, a few well-placed texts or e-mails will be followed by front-page news.
With that in mind, I always have this unrealistic desire to know everything that's going on- the deals that were close, the rumors that were completely false, and the stuff that was floated that actually worked. Of course, we'll never know most of this stuff. And, even if I'm ever treated to a nugget, which has happened in the past, I'll be forced to lock it away in Fort Knox.
Going off simply what I've heard from league sources (and from no one on our executive team, I assure you), it sounds like catch o' the day for the Blazers will be Hedo Turkoglu. This isn't news to you, I realize. And, we're about to find out if all we've heard has been even the least bit accurate.
When it comes to trade rumors, or rumors of a big signing in the NBA, it's often true, where there's smoke there's usually fire. But, this isn't always the case. Again, the agents have PR machines at their finger tips, and they've become masters at selling high. In short, the illusion they create often becomes real.
You don't need me to recap the events of the day in this free-agent race. Boozer elects to stay in Utah, the Bucks don't exercise the option on Villanueva, Kobe picks up his option, ect. The only reason why I bring up the Boozer situation is, this could greatly affect the Trail Blazers.
For weeks now we've heard that Detroit's first option in the free agent market would be Boozer, followed by Ben Gordon, and then Turkoglu. Now, with Boozer staying in Utah, they can shift their focus to Gordon and Turkoglu. But, late word out of Detroit is, they're not thinking about those two in that order. It's now Turkoglu who is their number-one target, reportedly. Hedo has to be loving this, even if it isn't true. Up goes his price, the bidding war starts, and we get an economics lesson in supply and demand.
The other possibility in all of this, and something I haven't heard discussed a lot, is the fact that you can actually sign and trade free agents. I wrote about this earlier, but didn't explain it very well. So, let's try this again.
The rules state that if you sign a free agent you can't trade him for 90 days, or until December 15th, whichever is later. That's always been the case. BUT, there is a bit of a loophole here. If the free agent you're about to sign is aware that he's going to be traded immediately upon signing, this is legal. So, if a free-agent contract is specifically designed to be a sign-and-trade deal, it's okay.
Going this route would definitely give you a much larger pool or prospects, provided you could find a willing trade partner, and a willing free agent. If a team that's over the cap has a free agent its targeting, it would just have to find a team that's under the cap to help them, and then, of course, you'd have to find a trade that works.
So, even though we've only been hearing about a handful of guys being possible future Trail Blazers, I'm telling you to think outside the box. That's what KP always tells us he does, right? So, should we be set for Andre Miller, Turkoglu, Jason Kidd, or Brandon Bass? If we're to believe what we've been reading, it should be one of those guys. Maybe I'm reaching here, but I don't think it will be. Of course, I could be dead wrong.
You've all made your comments on who you don't like, but I haven't heard as much talk about people you do like, who haven't been discussed yet. Care to fire off about this?
I'll be sitting here, waiting for a text, waiting for an e-mail, and basically waiting for any word. When will it come? Who knows.
Concerning Turkoglu, Orlando fans have already said farewell, knowing the chances are very slim that he'll be back in a Magic uniform next season. There's a great
article from today's Orlando Sentinal, written by Mike Bianchi. If you don't know a lot about Turkoglu, outside what you have seen on the court, it's a good piece to read.
I like how Bianchi ended the article talking about Turkoglu, and what he evidently meant to the city, franchise, and fans.
"Time now to say goodbye and good luck to Hedo Turkoglu. Thanks, Turk, for never quitting on the team or second-guessing the coach. Thanks for never being a cancer during the bad times or a prima donna during the good ones. Thanks for never cursing a reporter or kicking a photographer. Thanks for the buzzer-beating 3s and the dribble-drives among the trees. Thanks for always embracing the fans and never disgracing the franchise. Thanks, most of all, for displaying grace on the court and class off of it."Sounds like some of the stuff written about this current crop of Trail Blazers.
Not sayin', just sayin'.
RSS FEED
Who do I like? I like Steve Nash! I like Gerald Wallace, but dont think he will be a target. I like Bass, as a backup. The problem with all these different guys is the drawbacks that each bring to the team. I just dont see a perfect fit. Probably because the box walls are too high around me.
I have also heard Steve Nash's name come up quite a bit, especially now that Phoenix has no idea what way is up right now. Shaq was close to being a Blazer last year and that would have helped Oden develop. No reason why KP and Kerr don't get along and get a deal done. I like the Kirk Hinrich deal the best. Hate to trade anyone from the team but I can see Blake and Outlaw going to the Bulls for Hinrich as well.
24 Hours from now and we will see 09-10 taking shape!
If we sign Turkoglu, I will be really pissed off. He's a 30 year old player with a below average PER and below average defense who needs the ball in his hands and will be seeking big money. He would be a terrible, terrible mistake.
Boozer was my number 1 (almost) free agent this year. People keep talking about the Blazers needing to get tougher. I couldn't agree more. Boozer would have brought toughness and is a serious scoring threat.
My number 1 player to trade for would be Tony Parker. Although I doubt that San Antonio would ever consider trading him.
I can't wait to hear who the Blazers made an offer to!
I'm kind of hoping this economy work in our favor with regards to Hedo. I would be absolutely disappointed if we signed him unless it was for something reasonable like 3 yrs/24 mil or less. And even then... He totally clogs up an area of strength and growth for us (Batum, Rudy, Roy, Martell)
To go off of your suggestion and combine it with the topic of hedo: I like us signing hedo if we immediately use that signing to consolidate talent and bring in an upgrade at the 1 or 4 spots.
I like Hinrich, Devin Harris, Billups and Brooks.
I don't know as much about fours. So I'll let others bang that out.
NO TURKOGLU PLEASE. He is an overrated volume shooter. Be as it may, he does create for others, we already have that type of player in Brandon Roy. Hedo would be useless without the ball in his hands. GET SOMEONE BESIDE HEDO PLEASE.
My wishlists are Turk or Tayshawn Prince (either one) Devin Harris, McDyes or Brandon Bass.. Ron Artest (maybe) if you're talking about toughness and locked down defense. JKidds for short term is not a bad idea but think he would demand more money and long term since Dallas is his leverage.
to start, i'd like to briefly state that i think that this blog should be as positive and inclusive as possible. the best comments and ideas come when someone throws out something that i hadn't thought of, or after a healthy back and forth has caused the posters to fully articulate differing views in detail. sometimes we will come to agree, and others we can agree to disagree. it is disappointing (and a buzz kill) when the blog turns into calling each other idiots, especially since this is supposed to be fun.
more importantly, i hope that signing turkoglu is not going to be the final or only outcome. at age 30 we should sign him for 2 years at max, and i don't think that we need 4 small forwards that all need playing time. i'd take nic and travis over turk any day. i'd also take nic and martell over turk. i'd probably take travis and martell over turk as well. (all this, given that martell gets healthy). if i were an agent trying to drive my clients price, i would try to draw the richest owner into the fold as the starting point.
free agents that i'd like to see signed:
brandon bass
players that might be available long term that i'd possibly like to see brought over in trade:
gerald wallace
again, my strongest hopes are:
-that greg is able to play to his own level of satisfaction
-martell makes a full recovery from his injury
-rudy is started in the backcourt with brandon (no disrespect meant to blake, as we all know he is warrior that has battled through injury and adversity. we still need him, and i'd still give him 25-30min a game)
the shaq rumor is likely to be just another sideways shaq-ism meant to insult joel & greg and/or get in their heads for next year. shaq is probably scared of greg getting in shape, and desperate for an edge the next time that he sees him. yao may be lucky to not have to face greg again next year when, as shaq would put it, "the ninja is ready to climb the ladder to become the shogun." big GO and all the rest of the team have me feeling no necessity or desperation with regard to bringing on new players. jeff pendergraph + what we did last year = let's roll!
vince carter, richard jefferson, carlos boozer, shaq & all the rest begin to seem less relevant as long as we have a back-up power forward that can bang, and good health for the rest of our guys. they will become the past, struggling to tweet their way to stay relevant.
GO BLAZERS
I would guess the 9pm offer went to Roy: a 5-year max contract extension.
Hi everyone,
I am not on the Hedo bandwagon either ! Adding Hedo is saying to our great young assets that we give up on them. More, with the draftees we picked, it doesn't make sense to add Hedo.
Is J. Calderon available ?? I know that he got a pretty good contract in Toronto but with Bosh likely on the go mode ... Does Calderon really want to be their franchise player for the futur ??? Plus the spanish armada would be in Portland again.
I think that he got like 9 millions a year so maybe for Toronto loosing Bosh, a trade like Travis, Steve + cash or Draft rights ... might be enough for Calderon.
That way, Toronto obtain flexibility for next year FA to keep Bosh and add another big name.
Anyway, I think it is pretty too much to ask !!
I agree with Jacob, Tony Parker is a dream but a legit PG for next year jump to the finals.
keep up the amazing work
Best regards
GOOOOOOO BLAAAAAAAZZEERRRRRSSSS !!!
Oups I agree with Avi not jacob about Tony Parker !
Also I agree with Jacob that Hedo is not a good fit in Portland scheme.
Apologies
players i would want:
devon harris,
teyshawn prince,
antonio mcdyess.
players i dont want:
kidd cant shoot or guard anyone,
miller cant shoot,
nash cant guard anyone,
hedo wants too much money,
heinrich is too expensive,
lee is too expensive,
bass is too expensive.
Kirk and McDyess...Filling our most pressing needs for sure. Worry about SF at trade deadline, if Martell isn't making the grade.
They called Turk's agent. It appears he is their target.
I'm not sure what to think about this. On one hand, i have all the respect for KP. On the other hand, Turk just doesn't seem like a good fit to me. He needs the rock a lot to get the most out of him. I don't see him as a great off the ball perimeter player, which we'll need him to be if he's going to be playing a lot with Brandon.
I think adding Turk takes a lot of time away from Webster, Nick, and especially Rudy. I would be fine with that, but Turk just has too many things about him i'm not really in love with.
His shot selection isn't good. I question his work ethic because i never could understand why it took him so long to become a very good player. His desire to win has a question mark for me for a few reasons. I feel he could be one of those incredibly gifted guys that does just enough work to earn himself a big paycheck, but then relaxes and underperforms. His defense isn't great, and i'm not enthused about his on court behavior. His shot is suspect.
So, all in all, i'm not all that excited about adding him. I think he'll make us better, but would a little more patience bring a much better future? I was for doing a little more in the draft and waiting for 2010 to go after a FA. It just makes sense to me to take 1 more year to more clearly identify our needs, have a FAR superior crop of players to choose from to address them, and quite a bit more money in play to secure them.
I don't talk to other GMs everyday, so i don't know who is available and who isn't other than the FAs. And, like i've said before, i'm not really impressed with this year's FA crop. So, i'm really not too excited about adding anyone, especially if we keep Travis. I've been watching that kid drive me nuts for so many years, now, to the point that i'm almost used to it.
KP and Nate just love the kid, and i guess that is just the way it is going to be. I've never been able to envision five or more rings on the hands of Travis Outlaw, but that's just me. Throw Bayliss in that category, as well. If we're keeping those two, then don't do anything but maybe pick up a serviceable PG. Perhaps give Sac a call and inquire about acquiring Sergio.
Now, having said all that, i give KP the benefit of the doubt and believe in his vision. I will wait to see what we have when training camp comes around. I will say this, though. KP has built his reputation by what he has done in the draft. Now, it is time for him to show what he can do to land the right guys to complete a perennial contender.
I think our team is fine, offensively. I think it is time to shift focus to defense. Hedo doesn't do that, in my opinion. So, we'll just have to see what all KP has up his sleeve before we hit camp. If we do acquire Turk, here's to hoping it's a sign-and-trade deal that involves Outlaw. And for god's sake, could we just find ONE other real PG besides Blake. I didn't know they've gone so out of style.
PS If we renounce the rights to Freeland and Koponen to sign Turk, i will be pissed. That would probably be the one thing KP could do that i would flat out not agree with. If you're going to get that desperate for Turk, you had better believe he's the one, and that's a lot of eggs in the basket of one Hedo. I know KP is a risk taker, but i'd be nervous for him.
The rumor mill now is saying that the Pistons have set their eyes on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. This may help to keep the price creep on Turkuglo down. I hope you are on the #'s with your idea. I still have dreams of Devin Harris in a Blazer uniform. Maybe with the concept you have presented some combination could make it appealing for both teams.
Another thought is that the Blazers lose out on using their Mid Level Exception by having cap space, why not have the team we trade our free agent for sign a player like Mcdyess to fill our desire for a hard nosed veteran forward. We can then trade someone like Blake for him, and not only recieve 1 player we want back but 2. It would be like making a 3 way trade where free agency is the 3rd team which makes it much easier to pull off. Blake could then be waived by the team so long as it is done prior to July 30th and then resign with the Blazers. I am not a master of the current bargaining agreement. So I have zero idea if this is allowable or not. Maybe you could shed light on this Mike.
Thanks always love your insight.
I dont think you can do a sign and trade with Turkoglu. say if the blazers sign him i dont think they can trade him until 12/15/2009
Why Steve Nash? he prefers the up tempo game and he just doesnt fit well with the Blazers. I like Andre Miller And Ron Artest. Hedo Turkoglu is a good player but like Jacob said, hes not that good on defense and isnt really a banger. Ron Artest is. I like Brandon Bass as well. I just dont want to see us go crazy all of a sudden and give away Steve Blake and Travis for one of these guys. Maybe get rid of one of them and get Andre miller and Ron artest. Not Hinrich. Hes really not that great. Jason Kidd is too old. Steve nash is on his way down as well. And what about Jerryd Bayless? i expect hi to shine this year but you cant be adding a third point guard. Jeez, Blake might be getting traded because Bayless is the future. But anyways, I dont know if Ron artest is staying in houston but he is one of the top free agents. Ron Artest,Andre Miller, And Brandon Bass. One of those three. I slightly agree with adding Turkoglu but who knows what the mastermind in Kevin Pritchard is thinking
My primary target is Rudy Gay, a do it all defender, rebounder, ball handler, penetrator, creater for himself and others, with elite level athleticism that will likely be an all star at some point and fits our timeline to a tee.
Second choice would be to go after Grant Hill and Antonio McDyess to mentor our young'uns while still producing at a pretty high rate.
Next tier down would be Brandon Bass and Anthony Parker. You'll notice that all of these players are at least decent defenders and this is a non-negoitable prerequesite for me.
I like turkoglu, but I cant see him on this team at all. However, I can see KP going for a sign and trade for a veteran point guard, maybe even Billups.
I didnt like the idea of Kidd at first, but then thinking about it more, Kidd could be the best point for this team except possibly Billups. Obviously his defense is suspect at this point in his career, his J has always been spotty and he doesn't have the speed he did. However we are after all the second slowest team at the in the NBA, and he only needs to play 15-25 minutes a game which will also give Bayless more time if he is at 3rd.
His greatest contribution will be his intangibles. The entire team will improve under him. And as for the training, bayless will always be a slasher, but Kidd can show him how to be a true point guard. Its the point guard mentality that bayless needs, and Kidd can supply it.
5 years/ 50 million and KP is crazy. 3 years/ 24 million an it's a great move. Hedo is declining and he didn't get it done in Orlando. That's why they got Carter. Don't be the sucker team that gives this guy a gigantic pay day for yet another aging star. LaFrentz was once an all star, don't forget that.
hopefully the blazers have learned by now that one bad contract can mess up everything for years and years. if it wasnt for the money we owe darius miles this year, we would be in a position to go after nearly anyone in the league.
NEW RULE:
3 years should be the most any player can sign to. this would prevent gm's from messing up the market, and force players to keep working and earning their checks.
Thanks for the blog mike, good to hear from you.
No insult intended Mike, but you was the one that started the Turk rumor for me. I heard you say it on one of the court-side shows. I have to say now that I have read more into it that I disagree with you.
I have to agree with Travis on about everything he said. I feel exactly the same. Others has had some great input that I like, Mostly I like as Travis said no one called anybody idiots.
I am not up on all the potential Free agents for Portland. From what I have read from the bloggers, IMO they seem to lean toward household names instead of Portland needs and forget just how great we already are
WE don’t need to mess with our core, just tweak what we have.
IMO, we only need a back up Power forward. And from what I read we got that with Pendergraph.
We have Mills to fill in for Sergio at pg, don’t know if he is that good or not, but he is already a Blazer and we have multi combo’s that can put different players at PG.
Every body either wants Travis Outlaw out of here or they think he is the odd man because of Martell coming back. But I think we should wait another year to see about Martell’s health. Plus we are suppose to have a good player in Cunningham and or Pendergraph to be third backup sf. Plus all our combo guards that can shift to sf on occasions.
With all my ramblings, although I have been told countless times that we can’t keep all our team together, We can keep them for one more year and let them perform multi task.
If we Need to add another backup PF than get McDyess if possible, Everybody else is to expensive or wants to be the big gun. I don’t even know if McDyess is the answer.
I like everybody’s blogs and insight. The Blazers are already exciting and I can’t wait.
hg
Mike, can you please explain for me this signing a player for another team angle that you mention? From what I can recall, there's rules in place where you have to wait either three months, or until December 15th to trade a player signed through free agency. I can't imagine our big offseason move would be one where we sign a guy, and have him play with us for a month and a half, and then trade him in the middle of December. That doesn't seem like something KP would want to do at all. Or, really, any GM. Is there some very little know loophole to this rule I am missing? Thanks for any clarification.
This post has been removed by the author.
mangas fox,
You got it. I guess that was a sneaky way of working the Roy angle, but you picked it up. KP has said his very first calls were to Roy and L.A., in a desire to get them locked up long term.
MB
If the Blazers only managed to bring in Gerald Wallace, and all other pieces remained the same (other than the traded players), I would be a happy camper.
People are saying the Blazers need a dramatic upgrade at the 1, but what I took away from all the games last year is that (more than upgrading the point guard position) the Blazers need more hustle play that results in fastbreak points. You know, blocks, steals, diving for loose balls. Gerald Wallace.
I'm no expert and I am probably wrong. Maybe the hustle points thing would be mitigated by better perimeter defense, but a kid can dream.
Charlie,
I've got some additional information on trading a guy you just signed as a free agent. There is one case where you can do this, and that's if the contract is signed specifically as a sign-and-trade deal. In other words, if the player you're signing is aware that he's being traded immediately, you can do it.
I hope this helps.
MB
How about we do . . . .NOTHING. As basically the youngest team in the NBA, and with a GO that was still learning & rehabing, we win 54 games in the (tough) western conference. The championship Lakers couldn't win in Portland, so I don't understand the argument that we need to keep up with an improving league - Who's improving? Rockets?, Suns? Dallas? Jazz? - don't think so.
As for the PG issue, Lakers won with Fish, Orland got to the finals with Alston, I dont even know who Cleveland's pg is. The reality is Roy, like Kobe controls the offense, and should. Blake fits well in our offensive scheme - and at the price, allows for $$$ we could spend for a real player so . . ..
Before we start messing with the chemistry, lets take a year to see what we got, let the team continue maturing & jelling- and shoot for 2010 when the real Free Agent class comes around.
It seems as though the season ended such a long time ago. It is agonizing for me to wait for this team to lace them up again. Just excited about the future I guess.
I, like many others, have softened on Hedo and Hinrich. In fact, I have come full circle on this and am back where I started. No major moves are necessary right now, we just need a few pieces. Hedo and Kirk will tax our franchise way too much, and won't get us over the top.
Tyson Chandler is on the trading block, and might be able to be obtained for a draftee and one of our small forwards.
I'd love to get Prince but don't think that its possible.
Jason Maxiell is interesting, as is Leandro Barbosa.
As you see, I'm leaning more towards trades than free agents. I just don't think any of them are the key piece for our team.
KP, please DON'T mortgage our future.
RIPCITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike: thanks for the info on sign and trade. But, I don't understand why. If someone else wanted a player why not let them bid for him? Is it because if a team doesn't have cap space they can't go after a free agent, but can trade for a player of even value? If that is the case how does the lopsided thing work? For instance if we spent our entire cap space on Turk than traded him wouldn't we have to match values of both contracts? Also, if we traded Turk on a sign and trade would we get our cap space back? Last question, If we extend Roy and LMA before we sign a free agent does that go against our space cap? If we sign a FA before can we spend all we want on our players? OPPs one more question. If we decide to not go for free agency this year and than extend BRoy and LMA contract, does that eat up our space cap until we drop Miles?
Full of questions.
hg
Hey Mike, I might be mistaken, but I'm not seeing anything about being able to sign another team's free agent and then trade them before Dec. 15th.
Here's a link to clarify:
http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q76
The first line of the explanation of the rule is as follows [sic]:
"Under no circumstances can a team sign and then trade another team's free agent"
If you have different info about this, I would actually love an explanation. I've emailed quite a few "experts" in the know and they've all told me it can't be done. Is it more of a situational thing?
Thanks Mike!! Love the blog man!
ESPN.COM is reporting that Coach Nate is in Orlando today to meet with Hedo and that Hedo will be in Portland tomorrow to see the facilities so I guess that answers that. Why did Brandon Roy turn down the USA Basketball invitation for this months workouts? Does this disqualify him from being considered for the next Olympic team?
Mike, please tell KP and Nate that we don't need Turkoglu. We need an upgrade at point guard first, and then maybe small forward. I hope the Andre Miller rumors are true because that guy is one of the most under appreciated point guards in the league, ever since he's been in the league.
PLEASE, KP and Nate, stop chasing Turkoglu. He needs the ball a lot and we already have Brandon. Go after a guy who would distribute the ball more and make others better like Miller or Kidd. Thanks for listening.
Trevor Ariza Grant HOT HOT
I can not get excited about any of the names we keep hearing: Turkgolu,Miller,Kidd,etc...
The Blazers need to get a piece that fits.Potential names: Devin Harris,Ramon Sessions, Brandon Bass, Or dare to dream Chris Bosch (before he leaves Toronto for nothing ,or Chris Paul!
Glenns, to answer you question about B Roy he and the coaches talked about what would be best for him. They concluded that it would be better for the Blazers if he rested instead of working to make another team. Now on to MB, I am hoping that the Blazers do not pick up a big name player. I think this could throw off the balance of teamwork and chemistry. I hope for a guy like Ramon Sessions, or Brandon Bass. These would be two solid back-ups at the positions we need help in. Plus Hedo is almost Blazer enemy #1 after all the game winners he has hit against us... But that could be a good reason to have him on our side...
i like hedo as a player but i do not think he is a good fit for this roster for many reasons. i keep reading that blazers are hot after him and he is wanting a 5 year deal. its hard to tell if any of this info is true because most anylists especialy from espn cant tell there head from there you know what. so please no long term deal if we are going for hedo a 2 year feeler deal wouldnt be to bad all i know is ive had alot of bad experience with contract year signings here in portland.
go blazers!!
MIKE BARRETT- You couldn't have said it better this is the Jerry Maguire era for agents to sell their clients through media leaks and rumors through Chad Ford of ESPN and other unreliable sources. We need to look at need and to fill the 5 roster spots open from the draft day trade. We can like Steve Nash or Hedo all we want, but why do we like them? Because they we key veterans on their team that will demand 10 million or more? And be good for 1 or two years and hinder development of our young up and coming players? I don't think so. We could use a veteran point guard yes or one that is established. Names that come to mind are Andre Miller, Ray Felton. These guys will come in and give you 16 points 11 assists a game, and can defend the ball well. A sign and trade wouldn't be bad either. We don't need a starting SF, so to develop our guys and say goodbye to Travis I call to Grant Hill, a guy who is still very athletic, total class, and is glue in the locker room. A veteran presence like him could be what Batum and Martell and Oden need to blossom. I don't see us giving Frye a contract, but I do smell a sign and trade deal that could bring in a great backup for LA, any free agent in the 4 spot would cost us too much and we need to lockdown LA and Roy to longterm deals before camp so using our mid level exception would be a good fit to backup our future AllStar. If we go for a good backup I look at Varejo or Denvers Chris Anderson, we need a good defensive presence coming off the bench in our second unit. But we have to look at character and chemistry too. That's my take on this, as we wait a week to hear what is gonna happen let's just relax in knowing KP is reading this, and will do his best to make sure we can compete against LA and San Antonio, especially the Spurs with their pickup of R-Jef.
Well MB, you are the one person I have always trusted to not blow smoke about Blazer news.
Because KP always plays his hand so close to his vest, I have a hard team believing what we are hearing today, and can't help but think Hedos agent is driving up his value by dropping the Blazers name.
I'm not sold completely on Hedo, the price is too high for someone who isn't going to improve primeter defense.
I trust KP, and if this move does happen, I have to believe it is for the best.
I am reluctantly preparing for Outlaws departure.
But to give up my Travis, I would feel better about a deal that landed Kidd and Bass.
Go Blazers !!!
Who do I like? Great question, because honestly unless I really think about it, Blazers come first in my mind, so during the season I'm not really viewing other peoples performances, but more of the Blazers.
I will say this: if we are to be an NBA finals team, we can't have Hedo as a player or a starter on this team. My opinion is that he did horrible in the finals and let that little punk Ariza get to him.
I'm not sure who is a free agent, in fact I get my news as it gets big on this website or the NBA website.
My opinion is we need someone to train Oden. Shaq would have been great, and it'd be hilarious seeing Shaq vs Kobe in the Western Confrence finals. However since he's near retirement and is now a Cav, he's out of the picture.
Oden has the potential to become great like Dwight Howard or Shaq in the days, he just needs time. But players don't rise all the time, when he's rising a player could be diminishing. I'd say get a center.
Not because I'm a Blazer fan, but I see us being like last seasons Nuggets but with a happier ending. Last season was just a taste of what will happen to this Blazer team.
I think we need either a center or a backup Powerforward.
As for our current players - LMA has got to get into the NBA All-Star game, he's definitely proved this year that he got cheated out of it. Roy has to be in that big MVP debate. I'm not saying he needs to ball hog, infact he needs to do less than that. I read an NBA article somewhere (and lost it) saying that the MVP is based on who brings the best out of his team. Roy has to do that, there were a few times last season where his teammates depended too much on him and were too coward to take a shot themselves. THAT IS WHY THE CAVS LOST.
I'm going off topic a bit here but as my final answer to your question: Brandon Bass. I didn't like Bass much in the regular season last season, because I'm not a big Mavs fan, but I think he could be that backup Powerforward, or at least help Joel with Oden.
I think we should save our money for signing the guys that we have, Roy and Aldridge. We are good at all positions, or getting better with experience. Everyone thinks that we need a PG, I don't think so, we have Roy, Bayless, Blake and even Rudy. The only addition that the Blazers could use is a back-up PF, a different style to Aldridge, a rebounder tough guy.
having just read the chris sheridan article on espn, i need to point out that he does NOT have any direct quotes from anyone. there is no quote from rudy, the "league source" or any trailblazers official.
this could work if our starting line-up is:
rudy
roy
turkoglu
lamarcus
greg
please do not make any crazy or major changes or trades PLEASE! someone, coach nate or kp, call rudy and tell him that he will be starting next year. squash the rumors!
WE NEED RUDY!!!
RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!
Travis,
Nice job on noting there were no Rudy quotes in that story. What did I tell you in the blog above about who runs this league, especially during times like this? Agents. No quotes, a bunch of quoted numbers about what Rudy could be making in Europe, followed by the fact that Portland will be in a position to extend his contract. This isn't Rudy talking- this is an agent looking to use emotion to gain leverage. My two cents on the situation.
The Chris Sheridan article on espn.com (if it is true, and I'm not sure it is) is exactly the reason KP needs to be incredibly careful about which move he makes.
KP, call Hedon't, and tell him he need not tour our facilies. Thanks, but no thanks.
We are set at the 3, for now. Do you really think Martell will be anything less than motivated next season? Same goes for Travis and Nic. The competition for playing time at SF is going to be intense and will cause each of these guys to go all out. Turk won't play that way sitting on his fat wallet.
Then theres the chemistry issue. All we need is a disgruntled Travis or Rudy p-oed due to dwindling PT.
Listen, we need to simply do a sign and trade with Frye and Tyson Chandler. Throw in a draftee if needed.
Chandler is exactly who we need backing up LaMarcus. He's a great defender, shot blocker, and rebounder, and he is tough. Defense wins championships.
Use some cap space to add Miller or Kirk, but don't break the bank. Keep Blake, but add another piece there. It scares me to death to think about our starting PG getting hurt and only having Bayless to fall back on. He just isn't ready.
RIPCITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To start off with I think KP has earned everyones trust and I don't doubt any move he makes. Think about the drafting of batum last year and rudy the year before, when I saw those picks I thought he was crazy, turns out he is pretty smart. I would welcome the signing of hedo turkoglu. He would give us a third scoring option which we need as seen in the houston series, he also gives us another player that can handle the ball in late game situations to take presure and defenders off brandon, he also upgrades our team, something we need if we expect to compete with the lakers, san antonio and denver in the west and that's our goal in portland, a title. However, I don't think that's all we need. The maturation of oden, aldridge, bayliss and batum will also play a big role to our success as far as a championship goes. If oden can be productive in the range of 10 pts, 10-12 boards and 2-3 blks a game, aldridge play with a little more consistency and become the all star power forward he can be, bayliss mature and become the play maker he has potential to be and batum becoming a defensive stopper kind of like bruce bowen was for san antonio during their title years. We are so close, yet so far away, but I like the direction we are going in.
Save your money.Remain under the cap. Go after LeBron next year. Starting 5:
PG:???
SG:Roy
SF:James
PF:Aldridge
C:Oden
That will take care of not drafting Jordan years ago.
Rick
It has occurred to me that just because PDX is contacting Turk, it does not mean we will sign him. KP said he was going to be very aggressive in FA pursuit. It wouldn't be to aggressive if you signed on the first one you interviewed. KP made the first offer, if Toronto wants him they will have to pay more and give up some key players. Which one of Toronto’s key players could PDX trade for? Which player would PDX buy after Toronto announces them? Calderon comes to mind. Can u imagine Calderon and Rudy playing alley-op? Calderon can make his shots.
Anyway before we go into complete panic and insanity like I already have, let’s wait until the dust settles to rat and wave.
Some of the blogs on Oregon-live started spewing hatred for Rudy just on a rumor.
Hg
Steven:
Thank you for your reply. My main concern was bloggers wanting household names more than helping the Blazers.
hg
WHOEVER SAYS TURKOGLU IS NOT A GOOD FIT FOR PORTLAND ..UR CRAZY! I think hes a perfect fit for this team..think of what were lacking and think of how Hedo plays. We could use a pg and sf and a veteran. Hedo is a small forward but he also is a great passer he even sometimes played point guard for the magic! hes also 30 years old, thats a veteran that will help guide these young trailblazers, but he still has like 5 more years to play. He's a good shooter and he can also drive to the rim. Think of how many weapons we would have nxt year with him, roy, and aldridge.
im sorry but the only way to get to the nxt level is adding turkoglu. All u people out there saying dont get him he'll mess up our youngsters ..u all r just scared to give any of our blazers up lemme tell ya that life is about taking chances and the best chance we got at a run at the title is ADDING TURK!!! if he was on our team last year during the playoffs then b-roy wouldve not had to do EVERYTHING!! and he wouldnt have gotten double teamed by artest and battier every single time! cuz one of them would have had to guard hedo.. actually i believe we wouldve beat the rockets last year if we had turkoglu!
Hedo would be a great addition to the blazers. Nate is looking for experience and leadership. Both of which Hedo has. I was at game 5 of the NBA finals this year and even though the magic werent playing well in the second half he stayed positive. yes he takes a lot of shots and the magic ran the ball through him a lot but he is a match up nightmare for the other team. Brandon Roy said after the series with the rockets that he was tired and needed some help on offense. Hedo Turkoglu is that help
i think Gerald Wallace is the man, he hustles and plays defense unlike turkoglu. i also think we need to find a point guard that had been in the league three or four years so we can keep him longer unlike a Nash or Kidd. I would like to see a guy like Ramon Sessions, maybe sign him in free agency and trade travis and Blake for Gerald Wallace. i also wouldnt mind signing Marvin Williams.
Hedo is a good player. I liek what he would bring to this team. I don't however think it could work. We are loaded at those positions. We need another point guard. Every other position is stacked.
Unfortunately, spanish media also echoed Rudy's discontent on Blazers approaching Hedo. Apparently this is not coming from his agent but Rudy himself. Rudy doesnt trust Nate. He feels that he is not a man of his word (based on certain promises made and not met with certain player not currently in the roster). He may very well be out of the blazers next year if things go the way that seem to be going. Too bad.
David Lee or Lamar Odum would be the best available additions to this team. And Scola, if he can be had. I like Turkoglu a lot, but Lee would fill our need perfectly.
Also a lot of people make strange comments about the PF we would get only being needed for 10min a game. So they don't seem to understand why it's the most important spot for us to fill. Basketball is a team game. Do you think the Lakers won by having the best starting five, or by being the team with the most weapons and tough match-ups they could throw at other teams? Can you actually name the Lakers starting five? Beyond Kobe and Gasol, it becomes pretty interchangeable, and that's a good thing. They also don't have a problem giving Kobe or Gasol long periods of rest in big games. LMA will not continue to play near 40mins for the rest of his career, nor should he if we intend to have him for a long time.
If we had a talent like Lee, you could play two PF at the same time. You try to get your best guys on the court as much as you can. If we had a guy like Lee, LMA would essentially shift to SF with his shooting ability, while Lee would play PF in the paint with Oden. The match-ups that would create are pretty thrilling. LMA can already shoot over most of the league. Defensively we would own the paint with Oden/Pryz and Lee. The only question would be, can Aldridge keep a hand in the face of the other team's SF. The SF won't have a lot of luck driving against our guys in the paint, and it will be tough for them to shoot over LMA, so they will have to create on the dribble. If we get burnt by Carmelo, we just shift the line up and put Batum or Webster on him.
The point is, we can have one of the best big line-ups in the NBA, and one of the best small line-ups with combinations of Roy, Rudy, Blake, Webster, Outlaw, Bayless???, Batum, with LMA or Lee at center. We would have added the needed toughness, and inside scoring, which will also improve Oden's inside scoring. We already know our guys can hit outside shots. Finals here we come.
Lamar Odum would be a more expensive, but greater up-side version of Turkoglu. Those guys will certainly add firepower, but a guy like Lee or Scola add inside power, which is what we are really missing right now. I would be happy with Turk or Odum, but I'd go after Lee.
Hedo is a good player, but TERRIBLE fit for the Blazers. You're bringing in a 30 year old starter who will do nothing but take time away from all the developing players who deserve more time because of their great play (Webster, Rudy, Batum). LET THE TEAM DEVELOP!! We have a great core of 8 or 9 young players and I'm afraid Pritchard will go all Mark Cuban on us and destroy the team by bringing in overpaid veterans and letting great up-and-comers (Devin Harris) go.
OK everybody, let's cool down. I think instead of trying to tell KP how to do his job, we should be preparing to roll with it. Rather than moaning about how poor a fit we think Hedo would be, let's try to figure out how he could be a good fit. In other words, let's try to see from KP's point of view. At least, let's try to see this how he wants us to. This may help: Hedo was a point guard!
I'm having trouble finding the link to the article that I originally checked out through Blazer's Edge, but it detailed Hedo's climb to stardom and included how he was a 1 through high school and into his early career. So really, we're getting a potential 1, 2, and 3 from one player. Sounds good to me.
The only legitimate concern that I've heard out there is about his defense. I agree that we need to play tougher D, and that won't improve because of Turkoglu. We'll have to do something else to beef that up. Oh wait, we did by drafting three defensive players. We will do more by giving Batum and Bayless more minutes. Great progress was made by getting rid of Sergio. Now we just need to slough off Outlaw and (sorry Steve) Blake, then Hedo is our only liability, and he has Nicolas backing him up.
So let's look a new possible rotation(Travis, we're on the same page).
1. Roy/Bayless/Mills
2. Rudy/Roy
3. Hedo/Batum/Cunningham
4. LTrain/Pendergraph/Cunningham
5. Oden/Joel
With this lineup, Roy would be playing the point for the first 5-7 minutes, then move over to the SG when Bayless comes in. I imagine he would move back late in the 4th. I've met with resistance when proposing putting Roy at point, but under this scenario, I think it works. With three ball handlers on the floor, it doesn't put too much pressure on anybody. Meanwhile, Oden and LMA are feasting on easy buckets.
As you'll note, Cunningham has eaten up Outlaw's minutes. I've seen comments referring to Cunningham as a "poor man's Outlaw". Personally, I see him as a smart man's Outlaw; his shot selection looks great, and he can play D.
You may also have seen that Martell's name didn't pop up. I'm not saying that we'll take any action to get rid of him, but I think including him in any potential lineups is a waste of time until we can be sure that he's healthy.
So, you see? Bringing in Hedo could really be pretty cool. Putting him and Rudy in the starting 5 frees us up to take action on 3 players that could do better elsewhere. I'm still holding out some hope for Nash(funny how people are saying "He's slowing down!" and "He plays too fast!" at the same time. Which is it?), but really, I have always believed that you are innocent until proven guilty, and I am yet to see KP and company to be guilty of any wrongdoing.
So do what you, crazy man! Just hurry up and slap a jersey on somebody before I rip my hair out.
Go Blazers.
I'm with a LOT of others here and I do NOT want to overpay and get Turk- I think we have 3 competent SF right now- let's give Martell a chance to show us..... I think if we were to get a great PG like Devin Harris and a tough backup PF like Bass or McDyess we'd be good to go- we have 2 good centers, 2 good SG's, Blake & Bayless as backups, LA at PF and would be championship caliber- if we were to trade I'd LOVE Gerald Wallace as a fit for SF we could trade Outlaw, Frye, Blake or ?
It's nice to see a LOT of bloggers feel the same way as me~ I can HARDLY wait for this next year to start how exciting is this team?! I think Gerald Wallace is the winner here- I'd love Devin Harris but Ramon Sessions might be the more realistic pickup- Andre Miller would be a decent upgrade at PG but I seriously think if we just got GW we'd be serious contenders this year as long as they allow minutes for Bayless- he's a much better defender on the pick and roll as well as athletic!! GO Blazers!!!!
Turkoglu makes sense if we are trying to have a veteran leader on the team, but he also takes up minutes of the development guys. We would have 8 quality guys for 3 spots! I think that signing Turkoglu makes sense if we are writing off Martell or Rudy or both. I liked things before when everybody was happy and excited about growing together.
- Reasons why I think we should not sign Hedo T.
-- He just turned 30.
-- His numbers are down from last year meaning his best individual year was last year.
-- His numbers will continue to decline
-- Ariza and Odom both locked him up in the finals. He was playing real well before they got to the finals but they did a great job guarding him.
-- He's only going to get slower with his old age.
-- He's going to take too many shots on a team that has a lot of shooters.
-- He's not a good defender and is a defensive liability!
Basically, why would we offer a guy that is 30 a five year deal? Yes he has a good first step, but once again he won't be able to drive to the hoop when he's 33 because he'll be too slow. The only players that should get long term deals are superstars guards/forwards or big men that don't rely on driving to the hoop. I've been a blazer fan for many years and I'm only 21, but I know that the blazers will only be making a mistake if they commit 5 years or even 4 to sign hedo. I'd rather spend money on odom who is very versatile and isn't afraid to bang the boards. Another possibility is to spend less money and get ariza. He is only 24 yrs old and he did a great job guarding Hedo and Rashard Lewis. He could be a cheaper athletic lock down defender with a reliable 3pt shot. The reality is that we are going to add a small forward therefore signifying the end of the travis outlaw era as a portland trailblazer. Martell is not tradeable with the broken foot and batum has too much potential to trade.
I hope we don't go after andre miller as I am not a fan of old point guards who don't shoot the three well. I think kirk hinrich is a nice fit and he is an excellent defender.
My only hope is that our guys improve in pushing the ball up a little more to get easy fast break points. We've been horrid in this category in the past and I hope we are able to work on this.
DON'T SIGN HEDO AND DON'T TRADE FOR MILLER!
HERE ARE BETTER OPTIONS:
- HINRICH
- MCDYESS (OLD BUT CHEAPER AND TOUGH)
- BASS
- ARIZA
- ODOM
- BIBBY (LAST RESORT OVER MILLER)
Mike,
I do not understand why the Blazers do not run the ball, instead of the half court offense they employ. They have the second youngest team in the league and out rebound most teams. I would like to see us get a speedy point guard that can distribute the ball and penetrate inside either going to the hoop or dishing to Oden for a dunk. We could play a more up tempo game and take some of the pressure off BRoy. Also, by working the ball inside-out, we would not be such a jump shooting, perimeter team.
blitzer1
I see bunch people telling me all the reasons for hedo becoming a blazer but nobody mentioned why we don't want him. His weaknesses are what were try to improve on. He does not rebounde, can't block shots, can't play defence, his shooting has gone down from the last year along with everything else. he is not a bruiser which is what we need he does not fit(just like rubio). i know the international fan would love to see a international all star team but thats just not going to happen.
we need a bear not a butterfly. there is just to many reasons to stay away from that kind of player. he is a good player but not a good fit for the blazers.
In response to people that think that SF is a "position of strength" on our team, I disagree. What we have at SF are 3 extremely unproven players. Batum played well and is my favorite out of him, Webster, and Outlaw, but he's still very young and inexperienced. Webster still hasn't proven anything in this league, and Outlaw has only proven that amidst his erratic and sometimes inexplicable shot selection, he finds a way to get lucky at the end of games. Turkoglu has had the same end of game heroics as Travis, and didn't disappear in the playoffs like Travis did this past year. Turkoglu is also a better ballhandler and passer than Travis, Batum, and Webster. Thus, I think he's a great pickup.
Since I'm also a huge Rudy fan and I think he brings a lot of enthusiasm and intensity to the Blazer squad, I'd hate to see him go on account of singing Turkoglu (if it happens). But I think that they can coexist. I agree with those like Travis (the blogger, not the Blazer SF) that a very potent starting unit would be: Roy, Rudy, Turkoglu, Aldridge, Oden....plus, talk about matchup problems, I think that would have to be one of the tallest starting lineups in the league.
I've also been hearing rumors about the Andre Miller sign and trade for Blake and Outlaw. On the one hand, I like this since we really do need to start consolidating the roster to about an 8 man rotation, but I still don't know that that trade would allow Rudy to get enough minutes to stay content. Some may not agree, but I would rather have Rudy on this team for years to come, rather than Andre Miller for a couple years.....So, this leads me to my current thought (like some others have said), This coming season I would simply diminish the roles of Blake and Outlaw, and I believe that next year they will be free-agents, so they could go on their way at that point and I think the Blazers would have decent money to spend next summer with their salaries off the books and Darius Miles finally off the payroll
My comment is...if the Blazer's had any brains, they'd go with Steve Nash. Forget Hinrich, or Bibby. We have Steve Blake--who is every bit as good. We want a player with that kind of tenacity
of Nash. Remember the nose breaking incident? He keep on going. Tell me...why wouldn't we want that kind of player?
ok first of all i dont understand this.. how some of you are saying "We are stacked at the sf position, we dont need Turk" but at the same time u say "Gerald Wallace is a perfect fit!" FYI gerald wallace is a sf! Also i think Turk is a better fit than Gerald Wallace..why? because turk fills our needs more..sure wallace may be a better defender..but thats why we have batum..who is meant for defense. i mean alot of the times batum doesnt even score in the games. Turk would help us a lot at the pg position, he is a great distributor he is also a better scorer than wallace. i also saw very good leadership by him in the playoffs. i would love to see the chemistry between him and b-roy i know they both are very unselfish players i think they would work very well together. another thing is that we dont have to keep all of our sf's if we get turk. we can trade outlaw, martell, batum etc. for a better pg which would help us out even more just imagine this starting 5
pg: ?..u name it (trade blake and one of our SF's)
sg: B-Roy of course
sf: HEDO TURKOGLU! :)
pf: lamarcus
c: Greg
i like that...definetly a championship contender dont forget we'll have a deep bench too!
i think if we do get turkoglu we need to get a more defensive minded point guard. we cant win a championship with two defensive liabilities on the court (steve and Turk) defense wins championships but he would fit the role of a third offensive threat.
Mike, I have given it some thought since today is a big day and there are sure to be many more big days.
First off, I have to ask Blazer fans: Why is "trade Steve Blake" such a popular trend now? Steve Blake has led this team very well, and is great at passing the ball and is a great offensive threat. Sure he's not the fastest person, but he is a leader in this team.
But since I keep hearing the Blazers want Hedo, I have given it thought. Is he trade bait? After all, we do have a contract with Raef. Would he be used to earn the money back for Hedo?
For me, I think it's obvious the Blazers want the knowledge Hedo has. After all, they are the Eastern Confrence champions and have defeated the Cavs fairly easily (the Magic that is). The Blazers can't lose to LAL in Portland, us fans won't let them (and I have a feeling that we are tough enough to give LAL a fight at their home court, and that we will be Western Confrance #1). 2nd, he has the experience as a veteran this team needs. He's made it to the finals, and although they kinda got destroyed in the finals, it's still finals experience, and after all, this team is now aiming for the finals now that we have made the playoffs.
I think Hedo will be a good knowledge fit, but not a great playing fit. However, he *can* be trusted to make the last second shot, after all he made the one in Portland that ended the home court winning undefeatable streak. The Blazers need more than Brandon Roy to make the shot, especially since it's fairly obvious.
2nd, I think Hedo could also be a good backup PF. I don't know how well he plays for that posistion, but he seemed to post up against Ariza at the 3pt line.
LMA + Hedo as PF could be very helpful since both can shoot the long ball and would be a good inside and outside threat.
Lastly, I heard rumors that Rudy is pissed off that the Blazers are persuing Hedo and is saying he might refuse another contract with him here. Is that true? I hope not, I'd take Rudy anyday over Hedo.
But regardless of who the Blazers choose, I will respect that player as long as he wears the Blazer uniform with pride and is aimed at supporting this team, city, fans, and is aimed at winning.
I'll admit I can be trusting to a fault. More than once I've found myself wide-eyed with mouth open upon discovering that the course I insisted on traveling was destined for ruin. My initial response to the blazers' interest in Hedo Turkolu is one of bewilderment. It's not so much what He do but what He don't. He don't fill our need for a defensive presence. He don't take the attitude of putting the team first. On the contrary, Hedo has the audacity to play the "I've got to feed my family" card. That's a noble argument when you're like most of us making $30- 60,000 a year. But when you're seeking 10,000,000 annually, it lacks the feel-good ingredient required for my empathy. That is of course unless his family is extremely hungry.
Why do we need another 3-point shooter? Doesn't Martell, Rudy, Blake, and Roy already foot that bill? In KP we trust. I've heard that saying bantered about and it always scares me. The disconcerting thought of blind faith is the 'blind' part. May we all become enlightened in our GM's wisdom. I have no doubt that he consulted both Ghandi and the Dalli Lamma for his supreme guidance. In KP I trust, Amen.
nic will blossom into a GREAT player, and we have travis and outlaw which means no room for 30 year old hedo who is not going to get any better, and only want a lot of money.
also i want 2 add that we are good on experience in my view. 1. from the loss in Houston last year. and 2. the way the blazers where dominating right before the playoffs began both on homecourt and away from homecourt.
nic will blossom into a GREAT player, and we have travis and outlaw which means no room for 30 year old hedo who is not going to get any better, and only want a lot of money. (also i f
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Turkoglu!
KP, please don't upset the great team chemistry we already have (and all the loyal fans who love them). Sounds like Rudy is upset, by the trade rumors.. and I don't blame him! I will be upset if there is no Channing (he was one of the Blazers MOST commited to our city), Sergio, or Rudy...
travis, aka babEnigue, has a higher per than hedo. plus, his freaky dunks are delicious. please don't trade him! and don't mess with rudy either! It's nice to win, but way better with some oohs & aaahs!! also, mcdyss is old and creeky, but hes a champ and respected. i'd like to see him in blazer black, even if it's only for one year.
I'd like to share a tune I wrote for that special someone. It's sung to the tune of the 'Beverly Hillbillys', and I hope it finds a place in your hearts as it has mine.
"Now here's a little ditty 'bout a man named Trav,
All the things he wanted were the things he couldn't have;
Like drinkin' pina coladas and dancin' in the rain,
Or the Scarecrow a sayin', that "I wish I had a brain";
We're lookin for some common sense,
Of that we can't deny;
Hedo plain just got no defense,
Here's 10 million reasons why;
Now if you heed my word my friend, you'll know just what to do;
You'll put this rumour to an end,
and wave bye to Turkoglu.
Mike,
I would like to add my insight on the free agency scenario. Turkoglu (or as I refer to him, Turkey-Glue) would definitely add some depth and experience to our young Blazer roster. That being said, I also think he has become a huge overrated player. I like his game. He is strong and makes very little mistakes. He is not fast but the way he plays, he doesn't need to be. HOWEVER...I feel he is overrated for one reason and I fear this for the Blazers--HE ONLY PRODUCES IN THE POST SEASON! I watched Orlando play quite a few times last season and I was not impressed by their team at all. Besides Howard and a pre-injured Nelson, their team was mediocre. Only when Nelson went down did Turkoglu even think about stepping up to the plate. I think he is very talented, versatile in many ways. I would like to see someone else many slip in before him but when all is said and done, I would take Turkoglu anyday...BUT MOSTLY FOR EXPERIENCE REASONS ONLY. Thanks Mike. Great post.
Im not excited about the Hedo addition either. I think we should give Outlaw and Webster another year to see how that works out. Also, I want to see Rudy stay and i hope we didnt screw anything up with him if we dont sign Hedo. The players i would like to see the Blazers add if you make any moves are Andre Miller and Chris Wilcox. I feel both players would be a great fit and we can continue on our mission to bring another championship to a city that is hungry. Very Hungry.......
RIP CITY!!!!!!!!!!
RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!
the three point bank shot is not very reliable, and should not be over-valued
Hi everyone,
What if everything is just a move with much more creativity than get Hedo.
As I said I am not for a blazer Hedo but what is posible is we get Hedo for a third team and then trade him to obtain one or two other big names.
I am with HG about Calderon from Toronto. They really want Hedo so making the first move allow us to operate.
First senario, Hedo signs with us and we trade him to the Raptors for Calderon. (In fact this can work with others team than the Raptors).
Second senario, they put more money on the table for Hedo wich will make their life difficult to keep Bosh, Calderon and Turkoglu ...
Both senario we can win something.
I think that we don't need a flashy PG and I am not for a run and gun tempo.
In fact, during the playoffs, the tempo is slowing down. Look at the Suns two to three years ago, they made it to the playoffs but didn't win. The same can be said for the Warriors the exact same year. Yes they were fun to watch but there is no ring on their fingers.
That is why, Calderon make even more sense. He is used to play halfcourt as a european guy and he is a winner. It is him not Rubio who carried the Spanish team to the Olympics final.
To the bloger who said that B-Roy was asking for help on the offense.
I think he said that about the actual team not to ask for a FA.
We don't have to fix a team which won 54 games. Look at it with faith. Think about LMA becoming an all star, GO becoming a legit double double threat nights in and nights out. Think about Rudy taking more heat away from B-Roy ... This is a pretty strong offense. Add to that Jerryd and his ability to score and Martell healthy.
For me Calderon in this team would make everyone else instantly better, using GO, LMA and Rudy at their potential. The cherry on the top is his efficiency at the free throw line (you all remember that we lost a couple of games, missing FT !!).
In short, sign and trade Hedo for Calderon and settle down on the roster.
Time is in our favor, we are growing when other teams are becoming old.
It is just my 2 cents ...
Regards
I think Hedo is our point guard. He definitely showed he can run an offense. He did that more than Orlando's "true" point guards. As many others have pointed out, I think he can fit and will work. I also envisioned the following lineup:
PG Turkoglu/Blake
SG Roy/Bayless
SF Fernandez/Webster/Batum
PF Aldridge/Outlaw/Pendergraph
C Oden/Przybilla
Reserves would be Cunningham and Mills.
I just think it might work alright.
I too noticed that there were no quotes. It just seemed like a reporter trying to make a name for himself and stir up trouble. Really liked the Audio that Casey Holdahl posted. I think that speaks volumes over what the article posted does.
I can't beleive I'm hearing such negative comments about Hedo. Did anyone watch the NBA playoffs this year? How many clutch shots did he hit? I think I lot count sometime in the eastern conference finals. There are only a handful of guys in the NBA who can perform at that level night in and night out in the most important games. To win a championship you need championship players and Hedo proved this year that he's one of those guys. Let's bring in Hedo and get rid of some other guys (i.e. blake, Outlaw)to get another experienced PG or PF. Go blazers!
Sorry guys. This is one time I'm hoping Pritchard doesn't get his man. You are adding to a position already overflowing with talent. Why not fill a place that we are thin?
If we get him I hope Pritch is right.
How can you not like getting Turkoglu? You guys are talking like he's 37 and signing his last contract. We will NOT win the playoffs with a young team. Furthermore, by the time our current group is playoff ready (2-3 years), they will be want bigger contracts and look to other teams (much like Turkoglu is now). Many have said he degrading? The guy's last two years have been the best of his career. He won most improved player in '08. Not to mention, the guy improved from 11 PPG in the first round of this year’s playoffs to 18 PPG on 42% shooting. The fact is that he is a veteran player with toughness and playoff experience (two things the Blazers lack big time). Imagine how much Batum and Webster can learn from him?
Oh yeah, Ian, Hedo will not play point guard. He's a forward man. That is ridiculous. In that lineup you posted, B-Roy would be the most likely choice.
Well I think there's very few people available now that would make sense for the Blazers. Turkoglu makes sense but if you go out and get him you have to figure out what you're going to do with Martell, Travis, and Batum. There are two players that I really would like to see Trail Blazers and they're Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. Both of them are on the downside of their career but they're both still really good players and I think they make more sense then Andre Miller. Now I would much rather see Nash in Portland then Kidd but if Portland can get either one I think that would really help them. As far as getting tougher I would like to see Portland go out and get Antonio McDyess or maybe even Ron Artest. Now I know if you get Artest it's the same with getting Turkoglu as far as you're going to have to decide what you're going to do with all of your small forwards, but I think Artest makes sense for what you need on the court. Also I don't think Artest would ruin with his attitude. Now McDyess makes sense because he's an older player, like Kidd and Nash, who is yet to win an NBA title and I think that he'll have that opportunity much like Kidd and Nash will if they end up a Trail Blazer.
I think we sould open our minds and think about the future of basketball, and future of the NBA, and then find a place there. If we get our place we can make ourself bigger than any other team.
As basketball is changing all over the world reducing the distance with the NBA, and the NBA is opening it´s view to new markets, Portland should try to be strong there, and make money for the team of the future.
Personally, the difference between International basketball and NBA´s is the concept. Here in the USA basketball it´s an individual sport based on personal records and highlights (I DON´T SAY THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG). The rest of the world is thinking in team´s records so the players are not only looking for their personal stats but what´s best for the team.
As far as we have some of the best individual players for the future why don´t we go to other places and get the best for a cheap price, always looking for team players (who talks in the NBA abouts Gasol´s defense over Superstar Superman Howard???? Nobody, but was the key for the title).
Players (PF, C): Tiago Splitter from Brazil, Scola, Oberto, Fran Vázquez, Jordi Trias , Felipe Reyes (Spain), Ilyasova, Tim Duncan,Bargnani, Andersen, Kirilenko.
PG: Billups, Parker, Nash, Calderon, Priggioni, Rubio, Navarro, Llul.
Hedo would help and open new markets, but see other options.
We all see Oden as a starting center but at this time he cannot play more than 15 minutes. He needs more than help.
adding to what I already said, here's the lineup I would propose:
Rudy/Bayless
Roy/Webster
Turkoglu/Batum
Aldridge/Outlaw
Oden/Pryzbilla
I know, some of you are going to say something like, "are you crazy, where's Blake?"....but let me make a case for Bayless. First of all, I think that Bayless has more visible fire than Blake does, and secondly he also plays better defense than Blake. Looking into it further, I took a look at how Bayless performed in the 13 games that Blake missed last season. Here were Bayless's averages during that stretch: 9.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists (averaging approx. 22 minutes per game)....compare this to Blake's season averages of 11 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5 assists (averaging approx. 32 minutes per game). Then, if you extend Bayless's minutes out to 32 per game, his averages would be the following: 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists. Thus, I'd say Bayless is more than capable of taking over Blake's minutes. Also, looking at my proposed lineup, since I'm hoping to go with an 8 or 9 man rotation, I would only give significant minutes to either Webster or Outlaw, so this way those two could have one more season to duke it out for a spot on this team.
Turk would be a disappointment for me. I love Hedo and have for a very long time, since Sac. I really do not feel he plays our style of basketball. I do not want our who identity on the court to change. Although he could give B-roy some much needed help on the offensive end of the court. Which could result in us do better in the play-offs. The thing that scares me about Turk is his D. Our team is known to have that switch they can turn on and really clamp down defensively to make relevant stops that lead to runs that eithier expand our lead or gets us back into the game. But even if we do get Turk I will love him as i do all Blazers minus blake. Sorry to all the Blake lovers. He does great things for us but i do not feel like he is the one to get us that ring. I feel like we have the one that can help us get the ring at many positions.
As far as what i would like to see. I feel like there are some extremely talented young guards out there wasting away on the bench. I think one of these hidden gems is in a Lakers uniform. Behind D-fish, behind Sasha, Behind Farmar. There is a guy by the name of Shannon Brown. Everything that i have seen out of him as been fantastic. His stats will not wow you but he is a fourth string point guard there not supposed to. When i watch him play i see a great on the ball defender and a player who is smart with the ball. The arguement that i have with friends that disagree with me on this one is that he has so much talent around him it makes it easy for him. We have just as much talent to put around him.
The next young backup that i see as a potential gem is sitting behind Tony Parker George Hill. I am so impressed with him. He has a good handle on the ball, makes good decisions with the rock, and may very well be one of the best on the ball defenders in the league at point guard. I say this because i have watched the spurs matched up against high quality point guards and he is right in there face. I watched him stay infront of Aaron Brooks, one of the fastest guard in the NBA today. I watched him stay infront of cp3, nothing more i really have to say about that one. If you can stay infront of those two, not many people will blow by you in this league.
Besides those two guys I am with Rip City 100% on this and even before i seen it on the television. I would love to have a Jason Kidd. Although if he was brought in in my opinion he would get the starting minutes, Bayless would recieve the backup time and Mills would get the third.Other then Brown,Hill or Kidd. I would not like to see anymore new Blazers. I do not want a point guard who is going to come in and take Bayless backup minutes. The only way i want another one coming is if Blake is gone. I would also love to see what Pendergraph has.
I would love to stop seeing Bill Walton on my television screen, and more in the blazers facility working with Greg. I am sure that Oden would have great respect fro everything that Bill has to player comind from someone so successful in the same jersey at the same position.
Hey Brian,
Did you listen or watch the finals. What position was Hedo really playing all the time? He was playing the point for Orlando. He was running the offense. Hedo can play many positions and so can Rudy and Roy, so it does not really matter what position you say they are playing. The point is that that trio combined with Aldridge and Oden/Przybilla would give other teams nightmares. Any one of Rudy, Roy and Hedo could penetrate and dish back to one of the other two. Plus you have the two beasts working away down low. It just seems awesome to me. Just one fans opinion though.
oden is going to be a beast pat smear. he put the world on his back after his opperation and is working hard in the offseason to show the critcs he is the furture, the all star and an up and coming gold medalist. I would take oden over gasol, he is a cry baby and you said he plays d tell batman that.
david lee would be who i would target or bass. A bruser!!
Sylvie et Guillaume:
I like all your thoughts on Calderon. It was brought up yesterday, with confusing inputs that if we sign Turk, we have to keep him for three month.
My plan was to bait Toronto to go for the 11 million a year and have to give up players for cap space to cover it.
It was said that you can't sign and trade a player you got in FA. Altough it was said the rule wasn't completely clear and Penn might know a loop-hole.
hg
Many has said that we need to up grade to win the Championship. This is all based on their performance in the play-offs last year. IMO, we needed the play-offs to get that experience that everybody is talking about. I have heard many bloggers say that we just drew the wrong team for the first round. I think that Houston was a good team to go up against for the first time in almost a decade because the team found out how tough you had to be and how tough it is to go up against a team that has great players. The got some quality experience.
I don't think anybody thought we were going to the finals last year, although, we came closer than some realized. Remember the two games we lost in Houston by what a total of 4 pts. Those games could vary well have been won. It was the lack of experience and choking up that made us lose. There is no way of proving it, but I would bet you the house I don't own, if we were to play those games over with the same players after the experience we gained we would win those games.
Remember the plan was just to make the play-offs to get experience. Most of the fans didn't think we were experienced enough to make the play-offs or if we did it would be eighth seed. We would get beat in the first round. Be honest, How many, including me thought we would be in the upper seeds, have home court advantage and tie for the championship with Denver?
Now, it seems like most fans want to trade these young men off because they are not good enough to win it all. Nobody knows that because nobody knows how good the same team will be next year. We dropped the players that wanted to go somewhere else to get more pt. or weren’t fitting in to what we needed. We replaced them with what I feel is pretty good off the bench type players.
Why can't we give these players another year, if for no other reason than to thank them for going to war for us and playing with the heart that we all should be proud of. The over achievement of this team was because of chemistry and the want to win.
It is common knowledge that we need team D. Not individual D. We were getting better and were almost respectable at the end of the year.
Now, you want to trade of players that didn't play great D for players that don't play any better D. You want to trade someone off that is a crunch time player for someone else that is a crunch time player. You want to trade someone off that is streaky at shooting for someone that is streaky at shooting, you want to trade off someone that will probably get better with age for someone that will probably get worst because age. You want to trade inexperience for experience for instant satisfaction of thinking we could win the championship with him next year. I would bet the house that somebody else might win in my first bet that even with Turk we won't win it all next year. That is because of the lack of team D not individual D and we are not there yet.
With or with out Turk we are going to be a lot better next year because of growth and chemistry. We might win a few more games with Turk than without him, but that is no guarantee. If Martell stays healthy and Travis improves on D. we could probably be as good.
I am sorry about the rant and raving. I am not against Turk; I am not against Outlaw or Blake. I am just saying why mortgage the farm when he is not needed until after the following year when we will know more.
Who knows we could very easily win it all with the guys we have. Besides all of that if you got rid of Blake and Travis, you would have to find someone else to hate. You hated JJ until you ran him off than you transferred your hate to Travis until you run him off then you will discover Turk can't walk on water and isn't that much better than Travis after-all and will start hating on him. Oh and I forgot Oden which isn't the savior you were waiting for. Like the rest of the team give him a chance to grow.
hg
My concern is that we are looking at on the court missing areas for improvement without consideration for chemistry. For example Steve is not an all star but he complements Roy very well. Blake can hit the three with the best of them, he doesn't turn the ball over, and he doesn't seem offended when the game is close and they put the ball in Roy's hands. Would Heinrich work with Brandon that well?
If we have to change anything I Like sign and trade with Detroit for Prince (if that is a possibility). Prince is a solid player with years left and a good mentor for Batum to boot. The drawback is that we already have a jam at the 3 and Travis is a big glue guy (DON'T mess with good team chemistry please).
If you have to go for a PG Bibby is tough, smart and a proven playoff leader. He is also just young enough to give us some productive years while Bayless develops. In my mind he is a much better fit then Kidd or Kirk.
Has there been any interest by the blazers in Brandon Bass? Seems like he would be a great backup for LMA and add the toughness that we appear to be lacking at times.
what sylvie et guillaume said about signing hedo and trading him for jose calderon had come to mind. also, we could sign and trade turkoglu for gerald wallace. there has to be some other wrinkle to this deal. if we get turkoglu and keep him, then is trading outlaw the next move? will they announce that martell's foot (like yao's) has him out indefinitely? there has to be more to come with specific regard to the small forward position. maybe we sign and trade for ronny turiaf and a 1st round pick next year? sign turkoglu and trade him & travis for nash? hopefully we'll know soon.
This post has been removed by the author.
hg i agree with ya man no quick fix here. If you thought last year was fun wait till you see what they can do this year.
If steve blake can make it to the rim and finish, and oden improves his lateral movement thats it, only those two things we take the division and are top 3 in the west. Is that a true statment??
Summer League:Where is Omer Asik and Joel Freeland?
I don't know why we are dogging on Hedo being signed and whining and crying about the chemistry loss if he comes. The piece we need is veteran experience, a floor general and a 3 point sharp shooter. Rudy is our guy in 3 point, but throw in a healthy Martell and Hedo, and I calculate 63 wins next season. He can play the 1, 2, 3, or 4 spot, what other player in the NBA even compares to that. Orlando wants to give that up for a 20 million dollar contract in an over the hill Vince Carter, than go ahead. I believe that moving Outlaw is a mistake also, let him be LA's backup at the 4 spot. Make Bayless the starter, and our backup roster looks like this
PG Blake
SG Fernandez
SF Webster
PF Outlaw
C Pryzbilla
That lineup alone would win 50 games in the east. That lineup poses problems since you can make it a more uptempo offense in white unit, making the opponents struggle to be able to make adjustments. Of course the possibility of Blake and Outlaw being traded is a certainty if Hedo is acquired because of the luxury tax. Bringing in a veteran point guard or a tough defensive forward. Keep in mind we still have Joel Freeland, and Peterri Kopponen oversees at those two spots that we need to fill. Don't fret on them not being on the summer roster. So lets wait and trust in KP to bring in veteran talent, pull off some trades, and will make us the West Conference favorite. RIP CITY IS ALIVE!!
I have no problem with Hedo, but hope there's another signing/trade in the works for a PG.
Great comment hg; I think you hit the nail on the head. It's so easy to get caught up in this hysteria that we can forget what an amazing group of guys we have and how with a bit tighter defensive scheme, we could take it all and keep it. Our biggest problem is experience and that is the one thing that you don't have to teach - it comes naturally. So why trade to acquire a puzzle piece that will come to us for free?
Like you, all that I wanted out of last season was to get to the post season, but once we were in it, that trophy started shinning a little brighter. It felt like we could just reach out and grab it, but when we tried we were dragged back down to earth. It is easy to look around at some of our guys and say, "he's the dead weight, let's get rid of him for somebody that knows what they're doing", without thinking about what they could accomplish with a little more experience under their belt.
To illustrate this point, let's take a look at how much our guys improved over one year...
Blake's numbers went up across the board. He showed us that we haven't seen the end of his upside yet. He was having career nights this last season and assuming that he can't surprise us with a new defensive intensity is selling a guy short who has given us nothing but hard work.
Joel Przybilla is another frequently overlooked piece of this team that continues to improve. He had a career season at 29 years old, and the main improvements were in areas that one would assume would be degenerating in an aging center(rebounds, FG%). I predict him coming into the season with better hands and a few more moves.
Then there's the Dynamic Duo... Lamarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy continue to wow and amaze us, and there's no reason to think that they can't improve even more. Roy is unstoppable. I predict him focusing more on defense and assists this coming season. He is already a fine defender, but he's not great. I think that's his only weakness, and it will improve. The assists will come as he grows accustomed to playing with Oden in the starting 5.
Aldridge is on his way to becoming a real beast. We saw flashes of it this season and those flashes will be wild fires by the time playoffs roll around: count on it. Anybody accusing him of softness will be eating their words with a side of dunk. With some solid backup, the L-Train will be right on time. Hopefully a combination of Pendergraph and Cunningham can provide some rest for LaMarcus so he can be more explosive when he's on the court. Look for more offensive rebounds out of him this season.
So ya know what? Here's an unexpected lineup for the '09-'10 season:
1. Blake/Bayless/Mills
2. Roy/Bayless
3. Rudy/Batum/Cunnigham
4. LMA/Pendergraph/Cunningham
5. Oden/Przybilla
Looks like a championship team to me. By subtracting the guys that weren't improving and keeping those that are(sorry Outlaw fans, but the .02% improvement in FG% doesn't make up for losses in every other stat but MPG), we have improved dramatically. By replacing those players with some smart draft choices, we have also added flexibility.
So we get Turk? Fine. We get Nash? Cool. We get King James, Kobe, Howard, and bring M.J. outta retirement? Whatever. We don't need any of them to bring a trophy to PDX. We can win it all with what we've got, and that feels great.
Go Blazers.
I keep hearing everyone say that we need a banger and we have to get tougher but knowone has said why, its because LaMarcus needs to stop acting like hes allergic to the paint! I love his game and his potential but you cant play 35-40 min a game and only get 6 rebounds. You never heard people talk about getting a banger when Karl Malone was playing or Buck Williams. Cmon LA toughen up so Portland doesnt have to waste money on a free agent.
Ive noticed how fans fall in love with the players, enough with the "let em develop" and "we are loaded at the 1 and 3". Travis has proven time and time again that he cant be a starter, Martell is incredibly 1 dimentional and Batum is super young and so he can disappear for huge chunks of the game. I say keep Batum and get what you can for Martell and Travis. Also how bout alittle love for Steve Blake, he shoots the lights out and never turns the ball over. He is great for the team, but we do need more scoring from our starters so I say bring in Turkoglu because you cant have Joel, Batum and Blake only giving 5pts each, that puts so much pressure on Broy and LA.
I like Terk, but I like our young players better, what we need is a proven PG that has experiance in the playoffs, Nash isn't going anywhere but I like Mike Bibby. He can defend, shoot the 3 ball and be that maturity we strongly need. BIBBY BIBBY BIBBY!!!
Who do I like?
I like Andre Miller, I like Rony Turiaf, I like Steve Nash, I like David Lee. I like players who would improve the team's hustle, toughness, rebounding, ability to score in the paint, add quiet veteran leadership, and not disrupt the development of our young future stars.
I love Hedo's game but it's almost the same as BRoy's game. How many guys who need the ball to be effective can you play?
One thing I don't like is all the talk of trading Steve Blake. I know he's not the quickest, best penetrating PG in the league, but he more than makes up for it with his steadiness (which Nate loves), his headiness, and his ability to hit the three. Someday he will be our backup PG and will excel at that also.
when signing turkoglu (if he's not traded) shouldn't the last 2 or 3 years of a 5 year contract come in at a significantly reduced salary? when he is 33, 34, 35 i seriously doubt that he would be a starter for us. the way that salaries balloon for many of these players is inappropriate (see: jermaine o'neal, zach randolph, raef lafrentz, shaq, shwn marion, mike bibby and so on...). paying turkoglu $10mil (or anything near to 1/5 of the salary cap) for the '13-'14 season is not a good idea.
to hg,
Thanks for your thoughts.
I can feel that you love your team.
I really appreciate all your efforts to make everything clearer to me.
What I was refering to was from Mike :
"I've got some additional information on trading a guy you just signed as a free agent. There is one case where you can do this, and that's if the contract is signed specifically as a sign-and-trade deal. In other words, if the player you're signing is aware that he's being traded immediately, you can do it. "
I could have missed other informations, but to me it seems that it is a possibility even if it is a pretty little one.
In fact, the meetings between Hedo and Nate could just have been a way to add to the smoke screen and talk Hedo about the sign & trade possibility.
Am I way off with that ???
I 'd like any of your thoughts and a clarification about the rules.
Thanks
To Travis,
I agree, a sign and trade could be done with other teams and Wallace might be a good one to go after.
Do you all think about other big names ???
Since San Antonio made a move, it is showing that they are chasing after "the hole in one". They are on their last chance to get another ring and Tony Parker is a keeper for them to win it all.
Too bad for us, he was my number 1 before their move.
They might well be really strong and a legit contender if Duncan and Manu can stay healthy.
What about Dallas, Phoenix, Memphis, or Detroit ... Who will be available since their are doing a lot in this off season ?
Thanks again and enjoy this exciting moment. It will make our wait for the season to start, much more easy.
Mike, I hope that I quoted you well and that it is OK with you to do so ?? If not, feel free to edit my post !
I might have forgot something and miss-quoted you.
Regards
If it's possible, I would like the blazers to go after Ron Artest, a very good defensive player and also a talented scorer who is strong going to the basket. Turkoglu is an above average scorer but lacks defense. Great NBA teams are built on great defensive players not on better than average scorers.
Sylvie et Guillaume This is where the confusion lays.
Mike Barrett has left a new comment on the post "The Waiting Game Starts":
Charlie,
I've got some additional information on trading a guy you just signed as a free agent. There is one case where you can do this, and that's if the contract is signed specifically as a sign-and-trade deal. In other words, if the player you're signing is aware that he's being traded immediately, you can do it.
I hope this helps.
MB
Mike Barrett has left a new comment on the post "The Waiting Game Starts":
Charlie,
I should have explained this better. I guess I was trying to say that in the long term, you would be able to do this, but not right away. I'll try and change that so it's worded better. Here's the actual way it's written in the CBA.
Except as set forth in Section 8(e) below: (1) no player who signs a Contract as a Free Agent may be traded before the later of (i) three (3) months following the date on which such Contract was signed or (ii) the December 15 of the Salary Cap Year in which such Contract was signed; and (2) no Draft Rookie who signs a Player Contract may be traded before thirty (30) days following the date on which the Contract is signed.
MB
I don't know which is first. But a blogger with a handle of SOD writes
Here's a link to clarify:
http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q76
The first line of the explanation of the rule is as follows [sic]:
"Under no circumstances can a team sign and then trade another team's free agent"
I hope this helps.
thanks for your reply
hg
Fivehundreddogs: hg here.
Thanks for your reply
You have got to realize that I am a TO lover and the 02% improvement in fg% isn't the only measurement of a good player. I don't get caught up in stats because they are misleading. He did become much more consistent than he use to be. That is hard to believe, but it is true. A point on your side is he didn't improve his court vision, or his passing. But in the end of the season he was trying to improve his driving to the basket and kicking out. He just isn't good at it yet, Maybe never.
I realize TO may have to go because he is the odd man out, If Pendergraph is a good banger and NBA ready. That is not because Travis is bad that is one of the tweaking we have to do to get better. Find a banger for rebounds and defense.
I like the last of your statement "So we get Turk? Fine. We get Nash? Cool. We get King James, Kobe, Howard, and bring M.J. outta retirement? Whatever. We don't need any of them to bring a trophy to PDX. We can win it all with what we've got, and that feels great." That is one awesome statement.
Let the trading begin.
hg
the only way we could trade Hedo before Dec. 15th is if we were to aquire him in a sign and trade from Orlando. Then we could trade him by himself for whoever we're targetting, but he can't be traded with any other players from our team if that were the case.
this is my first comment in this blog. I really enjoy reading it.
i would love to see andre miller in a blazer uniform, as well as gerald wallace.
the guy a havent heard much about, who i think would be great for this team is chris anderson. he has the ability to play center or back-up aldrige if neccessary, and has a great defensive presence. what do you think?
I like who we already have! I really don't think we need anyone, especially not another #3 like Turkoglu! Look, we're already getting a "free-agent" if Martell comes back healthy. We just won 54 games with the youngest roster in the league. LaMarcus, Brandon, Greg, Batum, Outlaw, Rudy, and Bayless are all going to get better. Just cause we have cap room doesn't mean we have to spend it unless we find the perfect fit. Never underestimate team chemistry as a championship trait. That was a huge Blazer strength last year, and you don't mess with that. Let's continue to watch these guys grow and gel for the next 2 years at least and see where they take us...
I've noticed that everyone that is leaving comments on here is definetely terrorised by the decission the blazers might make with hedo. I would have to say that i agree with them. Travis Outlaw and Nicholas Batum a great forwards and very young as well..We fell last season because were obviously a young team and not experienced, but all that can change this year. Greg Oden really needs to step up and be the player we once saw in Ohio st. Oden is playing really soft ever since that injury that left him off the court the entire season...all im saying is that if we (blazer fans)want to celebrate a championship in Oregon, we need to trust on young players and continue to build on them. Greg oden needs to stop worrying that he might get hurt and start being more aggressive because as we all know, Joel is deff not going to be able to this on his own...I love the way Rudy,Lamarcus and Brandon played last year...keep it up guys and Win a championship for us. WE BELIEVE...GO BLAZERS
The more I think about Hedo the more I see what KP is thinking.
Blake isn't going anywhere. Blake is a good player and way to good of guy for the organization to trade a 2nd time. Blake makes no bones about the fact he love it here. He says all the time in interviews he loves playing with these guys. For all he has sacrificed to be here, for saving kids in the woods, and visiting sweet old ladies in nursing homes, he is the "new" culture. You don't trade productive players like that. He will be the perfect backup point guard as we enter this long chamionship window. We can't pay everyone 10+ mil a year.
They love Bayless and won't give up on him. Nobody works harder.
Hedo is the small forward they need AND he played point for 3 weeks for Orlando before Rafer got there. This makes the the lineup so flexible for Nate. KP will probably address the backup 4 with a trade of travis. If not Travis will just play more 4.
Hi, Mackyfad -- I've been saying the same about Blake all year. He's a valuable piece of the team.
I know Bayless is a hard worker, I just don't see him at the point. He'll have to really change his game to ever be an NBA-caliber PG. He's a scorer and with all the other scorers we have on this team, we need a pass-first PG.
If Travis is our backup 4 this year, I don't think we'll go any farther than last. I'd do whatever it takes to trade him to the Warriors for Ronny Turiaf. Turiaf is a natural 4 who can slide over to the 5 if necessary. Not only does this move give us the banger we so dearly need, it also gives us insurance against a bad injury to either Joel P. or Greg Oden.
For any doubters, have a look at Turiaf's stats:
In 21.5 min/game he averaged 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks! He shoots over 50% from the floor and 79% from the line. And he's all heart and hustle every minute he's out there. He's got what we need behind LaMarcus.
for about 5 minutes at work today, i felt like i wanted to smash something. two seasons after being gifted an all-star/franchise level center/power forward, the lkrs get an all-star caliber, all defensive team (whether he gets the award or not) top tier player for the mid-level exception. as if they hadn't just won the title, they now have easily the best current/proven roster in the league.
trying not to over-react, i also feel compelled to be honest. having been on the fence about turkoglu before, i am now off the fence. if this solidifies anything, it is that turkoglu is not capable of being the guy to put us over the top. in light of the lkrs roster upgrade, signing turk would make me desperate for that signing to be a sign and trade for a PHYSICAL player. to be very specific, here's why:
-turkoglu is garnering our interest mainly based on a strong playoff performance this year. during this playoff run, he was not a difference maker against the lakers (who have now upgraded from ariza who was able to render hedo relatively ineffective by being physical with with him)
-hedo is having success against the eastern conference, which we all know is inferior. i'd even say that our '08-'09 team would have had the chance to have beaten ANY eastern conference team in a seven game series, including the magic. there is ZERO chance that we would have rolled over 4 games to 1 against the lkrs, NO WAY.
-the argument that turk can play positions 1 -4 may be true, ON OFFENSE. defensively, he's not even close to being that potent. he lacks the foot speed to cover a 2 and the strength to cover a 4. end of topic.
-turk shot .356 from 3pt for the season, including one lucky bank shot at the rose garden.
here's the list of blazer small forwards that had a higher 3pt. %
martell .388 ('07-'08)
travis .377
batum .369
as in ALL OF THEM
if we add
rudy .399
brandon .377
it looks even worse.
his overall shot percentage is not good at .413, especially when you consider that steve blake shot .427 FROM 3pt!
making the move for turkoglu was one that signaled, "now is our time, the championship window is now officially open." this is no longer the case. we should save our cap space and look toward the not too distant future. brandon has established himself as a dominant player. let us give lamarcus, greg, rudy, nic, martell, travis, jarryd, jeff and the rest time to grow into their roles while nate, joel and steve show them the way.
GO BLAZERS
for about 5 minutes at work today, i felt like i wanted to smash something. two seasons after being gifted an all-star/franchise level center/power forward, the lkrs get an all-star caliber, all defensive team (whether he gets the award or not) top tier player for the mid-level exception. as if they hadn't just won the title, they now have easily the best current/proven roster in the league.
trying not to over-react, i also feel compelled to be honest. having been on the fence about turkoglu before, i am now off the fence. if this solidifies anything, it is that turkoglu is not capable of being the guy to put us over the top. in light of the lkrs roster upgrade, signing turk would make me desperate for that signing to be a sign and trade for a PHYSICAL player. to be very specific, here's why:
-turkoglu is garnering our interest mainly based on a strong playoff performance this year. during this playoff run, he was not a difference maker against the lakers (who have now upgraded from ariza who was able to render hedo relatively ineffective by being physical with with him)
-hedo is having success against the eastern conference, which we all know is inferior. i'd even say that our '08-'09 team would have had the chance to have beaten ANY eastern conference team in a seven game series, including the magic. there is ZERO chance that we would have rolled over 4 games to 1 against the lkrs, NO WAY.
-the argument that turk can play positions 1 -4 may be true, ON OFFENSE. defensively, he's not even close to being that potent. he lacks the foot speed to cover a 2 and the strength to cover a 4. end of topic.
-turk shot .356 from 3pt for the season, including one lucky bank shot at the rose garden.
here's the list of blazer small forwards that had a higher 3pt. %
martell .388 ('07-'08)
travis .377
batum .369
as in ALL OF THEM
if we add
rudy .399
brandon .377
it looks even worse.
his overall shot percentage is not good at .413, especially when you consider that steve blake shot .427 FROM 3pt!
making the move for turkoglu was one that signaled, "now is our time, the championship window is now officially open." this is no longer the case. we should save our cap space and look toward the not too distant future. brandon has established himself as a dominant player. let us give lamarcus, greg, rudy, nic, martell, travis, jarryd, jeff and the rest time to grow into their roles while nate, joel and steve show them the way.
GO BLAZERS
I was so upset when we didnt sign Turiaf as a free agent a couple years back. He has so much energy and loves to do the dirty work none of our PF like to do. What about Birdman from Denver? I know, I know. ANNOYING, but I believe he has turned his life around. He is a great defender energetic and team oriented.
The Blazers need Antonio McDyess
Mark ‘Dyess’ down for a double-double each night. After re-joining Detroit mid-season, the polite veteran posted a workmanlike 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. McDyess could replace Yao in Houston, where he, coincidentally, has his off-season home. Make him an offer KP and let him know Portland is where he needs to be if he wants a RING. The blazers need McDyess as a back up power forward/Center.
The Blazers need Antonio McDyess
Mark ‘Dyess’ down for a double-double each night. After re-joining Detroit mid-season, the polite veteran posted a workmanlike 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. McDyess could replace Yao in Houston, where he, coincidentally, has his off-season home. Make him an offer KP and let him know Portland is where he needs to be if he wants a RING. The Blazers need McDyess as their back up power forward/Center.
We have seen a lot of good teams feel the insatiable need to trade for free agent vets, even though they had a good thing going. The cases of Dallas and Phoenix are the most obvious and recent examples of such trades destroying teams. Dallas was in the NBA finals the year before, and was in position to win, but they had to have Jason Kidd?!?! It actually made the team worse, and they gave up Devin Harris, cash and picks, along with some role players to do it. They had a great thing going, and were a surefire contender. Phoenix had been a serious playoff contender for a few years as well, but didn't play enough defense as everyone knows. They had to have Shaq, even though there was no way he would work with their high speed attack. They didn't even make the playoffs this year, and just like that are rebuilding. One dumb trade for a big name did it. The Blazers don't have a lot of big names, but we won more games than most of the teams in the NBA. We have a good thing going, and big name players seldom put teams over the top. Team chemistry does. We already have that. We are only adding a big name this off-season, because we have this cap money, not because it would benefit the team. It is an infinitely greater risk to a team that is already on the right track. Dallas added Kidd, and two years later, he will likely be gone, and the team in a rebuilding mode. They were in the NBA FINALS in 2006, and they are rebuilding now, because of one stupid trade! What they traded away was not just a good player, but chemistry. Kidd is a very good player, but the trade broke apart a hot team for no good reason.
Say our big free agent doesn't get us to the finals in the next three seasons. A lot of teams like the Rockets are in the playoffs every year, have excellent players, but the wrong chemistry to break through. That chemistry can't be bought. We have it now. It's more valuable than old FA's with contracts that will expire in a couple seasons, and have us rebuilding if for whatever reason we lose one of our stars. People seem to think Roy, Aldridge and Oden are the only things we need, and that they were solely responsible for the 54 wins. I promise you that is not true. You can't buy what we have here. This is a championship group as is.
Every once in a while a team like Boston is able to clear massive cap space, and buy a championship if they pick the right guys and have the right coach, and role players. We can't do it that way unless we want to start from scratch. The blazers were built through the draft, and the good thing about that is that our guys are younger, and we can afford to keep them for longer. The bad thing about it, is that it takes a little longer, and we all have to have a little more patience. Boston was one and done. The Spurs on the other hand have won multiple titles this decade, and still can rebuild with Tony Parker still in his 20's. They built their team with good draft picks, and smart play. We are a lot more like them than Boston, and I'm glad of that. We need a PF and that is it. David Lee or Paul Milsap are the only guys I would go after if we must use this cap space. No big names please! I like Turkoglu, but he doesn't fit our needs, and by adding a "star" player, you risk that priceless chemistry. Lee, Milsap, or Bass will come in and play a role we need, not change our style of play, other than to open up the paint for us, which should improve everything. Turko would need the ball in his hands, so we would be looking at a different perimeter offense, where we are already strong, but no change to the inside game, where we are weak. I for one wish we could unload the cap space for future first round picks, so we can reload down the line. We are stacked now, and can be stacked for years and years. Bringing in free agents now is the wrong move. We'll be rebuilding in a few years. Whereas being a top team in possession of first round picks, means we can reload, and come down cap-wise as we lose some free agents, trades and injuries. Imagine if we had the pick that could land us Blake Griffin this year. A solid PF who being new, would not break our chemistry. Reloading is a fantastic way to go once Roy and LMA are vets, which will be the case by next year at the pace we're going.
Turkoglu was my favorite player in these playoffs, and I would love to have a guy like him on the team, but I want the next guy like him, not him. He comes in overpriced, and over-hyped at this point. He's a great player, but a bad buy for this team, which needs role players right now, not more stars. If KP can't maneuver some convoluted deal to get future first round picks for cap relief, which I know seems far fetched, then I hope he goes for Lee, Milsap, Bass, Scola, or a similar inside hustle player. That is what we need.
It's just an idea off the top of my head, but if you could use the cap space to take a less valuable player with a over-valued contract that will expire in a year or two, and the team unloading him had to give us future first round picks and other goodies, that could pay more dividends as we make an extended run for rings, than adding a guy like Turkoglu now. We'll have a whole team of vets after one more year, and we will also have the capacity to reload. In other words, re-up our flexibility. We may not be under the cap in the future, but if we have the picks other teams want, and some of our guys leave us through free agency, we won't have to go into rebuilding mode for a decade.
soooo, did we sign roy and aldridge yet???
Post a Comment
<< Home