Trail Blazers Bloggers Network

Jun 19

Ford: Blazers Considering Collison, Bledsoe, Turner, Millsap

Comments
19
Subscribe

Sign in to subscribe
Sign in to subscribe
Tweet

By caseyholdahl Posted in: 2012draft, draft2012

Chad Ford wrote yesterday that the Trail Blazers could go any number of directions when it comes to draft strategy. One of those options is trading the pick for a veteran, an approach that some in the organization have alluded to a couple of times as a likely scenario. Sans specifics, of course.

In a chat today on ESPN.com, Ford contemplates Portland's options and throws out a few names of veterans who the Trail Blazers could be interested in acquiring should they decided to trade the 11th pick.

KC (Tulsa)
If the Hornets are looking to trade Pick 10 for a young veteran, who are some of the potential targets?

Chad Ford
Darren Collison, Eric Bledsoe, Evan Turner I've heard a lot. Ditto for Paul Millsap of the Jazz.

Chad Ford
By the way, I'm told the Blazers are looking at the same group of players at 11 if they decide to trade the pick.

Those of you who follow the rumor mill closely probably won't be surprised by Portland having interest in any of those players, except for Evan Turner.

Another ESPNer, John Hollinger, proposed the idea of the Trail Blazers trading the No. 6 pick for Millsap a few weeks ago, so maybe there's something there. Portland has obviously shown interest in Millsap before. At the trade deadline, Portland was rumored to be in trade talks with the Clippers regarding a Jamal Crawford for Eric Bledsoe trade, though that was before Bledsoe had the best stretch of his career during the 2012 Playoffs. And the Trail Blazers have long been rumored to have interest in Darren Collison, a restricted free agent who they worked out prior to the 2009 Draft.

No word on whether any of these players are actually available, though Collison, Bledsoe and Millsap all play on teams where they're backups with little to no chance of overtaking the starting position (Millsap's not yet a backup, but it's an inevitability with Derek Favors and Enes Kanter coming into their own).

Personally, I'd take any three of those players in exchange for the 11th pick. I'd be more hesitant in regards to Turner, only because he doesn't really fill a roster need, but I guess that decision would hing more on which players were still on the board come pick 11.

Now any of those players for the sixth pick? That's a much more difficult question to answer.

Previous Story: Ford: Portland Could Do Anything

Next Story: Arvydas Sabonis Goes USO

19 Comments

Hey Casey: thank you for the update. I am like you, I would be hesitant to trade the 6th pick for anyone that wasn't a All-Star. I like collison and Bledsoe, but I don't think we can get Milsap away from Utah.

by Hg on 6/19/2012 12:52 PM
If you can trade six for Millsap, pull the trigger.

by sarahhecht on 6/19/2012 12:58 PM
Utah is probably going to have to do something with at least one of their PF/Cs, having Al Jefferson, Derek Favors, Enes Kantor, Paul Millsap and (to a lesser extent) Jeremy Evans. That's too much talent on one team at two positions.

by caseyholdahl on 6/19/2012 1:03 PM
I KNOW we couldn't get Milsap for JUST the 11th pick; IF we could get either Collison (THIS would b an insane SSSSSTTTEAL! Even if $ needs to go w/ this pick, DO IT NOW!) or Bledsoe (for our #11 alone for him is a good deal) for it... WOW! THAT would b awesome!!! Blazers have had interest in Collison even b4 he was drafted; I've BEEN callin' for us to get this guy 4eva! PLEASE bring him here! He is SSSSSSOOO UNDERrated; he IS a TOP five guard in this league! Try as hard as possible to get Collison AND Bledsoe (I like Nolan BUT I like THESE guys wwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaay more!)! If we can't get Milsap, that's fine BUT we NEED Collison!

by Simpson on 6/19/2012 1:44 PM
Millsap and Turner are the only players on that list worthy of a lottery pick to me. Collison peaked during his rookie year in the Big Easy while Bledsoe is living off of one pretty good postseason series against the Grizzlies. I wouldn't deal #6 for any of the players mentioned though but No. 11 is a different story.

While Paul is worth that pick, I would much rather use No. 11 as bait to move up and get Thomas Robinson who I feel will be two times the player that Millsap is. I do like Turner and feel like he's the type of player you target when you're looking for trades, but I have a hard time seeing Philly letting him go for just 11.

by DHawes22 on 6/19/2012 1:52 PM
@ DHawes22, NO on Turner; he's OVERrated (he was & always will b)! I will b ssssssoooo angry IF we do ANY deal that involves Turner (he will ONLY b a so-so player w/ sprinklings of a FEW good games here & there); he's been compared to Brandon Roy, THAT'S a joke. I c were ppl wanna say that but he'll NEVER come close to the player Roy was or could have become. Collison is still young & he's a good floor leader/smart AND IS CLUTCH! I think Collison has NOT "peaked" yet; even if I'm wrong, give me the Collison that "peaked" w/ the Hornets... give me THAT Collison ANY DAY! As for Bledsoe, he's got a higher ceiling v. Turner right now AND on into the future. Collison should b the ONLY vet. player that we'd exchange the 6th pick for; I would do everything to keep that pick/trade up for T-Rob (DHawes22, u & I AGREED on this MAN ;).

by Simpson on 6/19/2012 2:35 PM
I'm sorry, but Darren Collison is not a backup point guard, and we are almost certainly not going to be able to take him from Indiana. Also, trading our 6th pick for Paul Millsap!!!??? I can't believe some people think that is a good idea. Trade our 6th pick in this talent loaded draft for an overpaid backup PF??? Laughable in my opinion. I would love to trade for Eric Bledsoe, I am thinking he will explode onto the scene once he gets a starting role somewhere. I remember being really impressed by Bledsoe during the Clips Grizz first round series. Maybe trade Joel Freeland, our 11th pick and any other assets we can scrounge up to the Clips for Bledsoe. Take a risk and draft Drummond with the 6th pick. Boom. All of the sudden the Blazer's future isn't so dim...I can't WAIT for draft day. LET'S GO BLAZERS!!

by Rampone on 6/19/2012 2:51 PM
If we trade the 6th pick for millsap I will lose my mind... this has to be a joke.... are we on punkd or something here? Why would do that when we 1 have hickson and 2 this is the deepest draft we have seen in over a decade.... get real... theres no way we are that dumb... draft lillard at 6 take waiters at 11 and trade our 2 second rounders and move up into the first to swoop on fab melo.... hes a great defender and thats all we need along side aldridge... we get our PG in Lillard and we get our possible wild card in waiter who some people say could be just like D wade.... sounds great to me.... why is there so many dumb rumors when we can get these gys? ???? Dumb!!!!

by Bryan The Truth on 6/19/2012 2:55 PM
by Bryan The Truth on 6/19/2012 2:55 PM
@Rampone: It has been said that Indy might have to let Collison go because of expense and he is no longer their starting PG. so we may get a trade with Indy. I don't know what Collison's contract is, but Portland has the assets to cover it. For one The reason Bird fired his GM was because he didn't act fast enough to get Jamal as their 6th man last year; with us getting a sign and trade with Jamal, they might take the 11th and Jamal with his bird rights for Collison and what ever to balance the trade. That would surely take the stress off from drafting Lillard at 6. But we could do the same thing with Houston for Lowry.

I agree that we would not want to take Milsaps salary on for the 6th pick.

by Hg on 6/19/2012 3:06 PM
Simpson: I'm not as high on Collison as you are, but I'd still be happy to grab him if all it took was the 11th pick.

Rampone: Millsap makes less than $9 million a year. For his production, that's an absolute steal. I look at it this way: if you told me I could draft someone at No. 6 who would average 12 points, 8 rebounds for his career, I'd be happy to draft that person. Paul Millsap is that guy (and over the last three years, he's averaged closer to 15 points, 8 rebounds a game). And he's not a backup, btw. He's started all but 2 games over the last two season.

Bryan: Hickson ain't Millsap. And while this draft is deep, a lot of scouts are on record saying there's not a ton of "star" talent. Paul Millsap could have very easily made the all-star team this year. We'll be lucky if whoever we end up taking at No. 6 reaches that level.

Hasheem Thabeet was supposed to be, at the very worst, Dikembe Mutombo. What people project players to be and what they actually end up being is almost never the same thing.

As far as Fab Melo as a defender, he played at Syracuse! They play zone, exclusively. He'll have to learn how to be a defender in the NBA.

by caseyholdahl on 6/19/2012 3:45 PM
Hg: I agree w/ everything ur saying :) Some of what u mention w/ Indy's & Blazer's situations gives us leverage, making it a very real possibility of giving up relatively little to get 1 of the best pgs in the league :) Trust me, IF we can get Collison, Blazer fans WILL LOVE him (this last comment isn't directed @ ppl that believe in this guy. Hahaha! ;)!

casey: I'm w/ u on everything u just posted, ESPECIALLY the last comment on "Fab" Melo ;)

by Simpson on 6/19/2012 4:16 PM
the main question is, with our roster the way it currently is, which one of these guys could start for the blazers? surely, if we're going to give up a lottery pick, that player needs to come and start day one, or it will not be worth the trade.

Turner? he won't win the starting gig over Wesley (no matter that Wesley took a step backward last season). Millsap? too many continuity issues with LaMarcus in there; if he were a true center then maybe. moving LaMarcus to center doesn't answer that either; he's always been most effective overall as a pf.

Collison? last summer i'd have said yes, but he's simply not a team leader. he would make for an excellent backup, but a lottery pick is too high to pay for a backup. Bledsoe? well, basically, re-read what i wrote about Collison.

there are much better trade prospects out there if we're considering moving one or both of these picks. do NOT pull the trigger on any of these potential deals.

~ KMM

by Kassandra on 6/19/2012 4:39 PM
Turner is an excellent rebounder but he can get lost without the ball in his hands. I have a feeling that he will elevate his game next season but I would like to see some more consistency out of him before giving up picks. Millsap is a hard working guy, but his 8 million a season is a lot if LA won't play center. Bledsoe for the #11 is a joke. Collison is over rated so not an option for #11 either.

by cmeese47 on 6/19/2012 5:13 PM
The ideas/knowledge (especially when it comes to the Blazers intel & etc.) that come/came from the ppl that have posted above, I respect very much; we r all entitled to our own opinions; so here r mine again (I tried to b as brief as possible but it's still kinda long): For 3yrs now, I've been watching closely Indy b-ball (teams I follow in order: Blazers, Indy, OKC); I know the Pacers/players very well, ESPECIALLY Collison (THIS is the BEST time to steal him away from Indy bc he doesn't fit their system & his stats were poor; if we don't go for him, we'll regret it!). I only watched Hornets games bc of him (& a lil' bc of Thorton ;) Dunno if any1's noticed my postings have been more frequent v. usual; reason being, I STRONGLY believe that all the players (if any1 asks, I'll post a list to name all of them that I've mentioned from all my past comments ;) that I've suggested r the best ones to help the Blazers (can players other than the ones I've mentioned help the Blazers? Yes but I think there is more risk/more $ needed to get them.).

Kass: u r unmatched in ur Blazers knowledge but I'm gonna have to disagree w/ u 'bout Collison & Bledsoe. I encourage u to watch Indy games from the time Collison joined the team to present day & c how they "utilize" him, they don't :( He looks bad w/ that team bc of the way they play/"use" their pgs; Hill, on the other hand, is THE perfect starting pg for them (his play w/ Indy was/is VERY much helped by the fact of how he was used by SA). The pgs role for Indy is to bring the ball up the court & then pass it to another player (aka Collison doesn't actually ASSIST in made baskets MOST of the time & DOESN'T have plays drawn up for him to shoot. So how good can a pg look/what can they do if the ball isn't in their hands for very long & once the ball leaves their hands they no longer have involvement in ANY plays?) & that player MOST of the time passes it yet AGAIN to get the best shot or movement will cont. until they find a shot. Collison IS a pick & roll pg that is a slasher LEADER/decision maker that CAN score the ball when needed. Give him a big (Hbbert NOT a pick & roll 5; he's been nagged about this!) that can roll to the rim & watch this guy excel! As far as Bledsoe, I'll just say I've seen him play & he's good (gonna get a lot better, a poor man's Collison ;) & IF we could get him for JUST the #11... do it!

Cory: Sorry man, this will prolly b the ONLY time I'll disagree w/ u ;) Turner (a good rebounder for his position ;) is a guy that MUST to have the ball in his hands MOST of the time in order to b even decent (he even said so to the media); I say EVEN IF u give it 2 him like this, I don't c much coming from this (he had some good games this last season bc every1 didn't pay much attention to him but now that the scouting is out on him... he doesn't have the ability to get much better @ the NBA level). As for Collison... see my comments above to Kass bc they're 4 u 2 ;)

by Simpson on 6/20/2012 8:05 AM
If we are in love with Bledsoe so much why don't we just draft a Freshman point guard like Wroten or Teague and wait the year for them to be at or above Bledsoe's level? You never buy high and Eric's stock is too steep right now.

by ClydeFrog on 6/20/2012 8:28 AM
I would not mind having Collison, and saying that getting Millsap for under $9 million is a steal is ridiculous, especially when we have a starting PF locked up for the next 5 years. Paying your backup PF 9 million dollars a year is absolutely not a steal. I know we could do better than that, and we can draft a solid backup PF in the second round even. We are the reason why Millsap is getting paid $9 million a year when we screwed the Jazz over by matching their offer a few years back. Now we trade our pick in this deep draft for a guy who averages 12 and 8?? PF is the least of our worries at this point. We need the two most crucial positions, PG and C. That should be where all of our focus is, not on acquiring an overpaid backup PF. Backup PF's are so easy to come by in the NBA too. @HG I had no idea Collison got benched for George Hill. If that is the case then I would be so on board to pick him up. And yeah Eric Bledsoe's stock is steep, but they have Chris Paul and Bledsoe, in my opinion, should be a starter somewhere, and he will never be a starter in LA. Plus, they have like 40 point guards right now.

by Rampone on 6/20/2012 10:35 AM
@Simpson: Collison has been with the pacers two seasons, and i have seen many of their games, especially in the playofs (they were one of the few teams to which i paid attention in the postseason, and because i wanted to watch Hibbert play). from what i've seen of him, i'm not impresses. the same is the case with Bledsoe. i don't see either elevating themselves to the level of starter on a team wishing to make a deep run into the postseason. i'll let my previous statements speak for themselves. pass on both.

~ KMM

by Kassandra on 6/21/2012 7:33 PM
I do see Collison or Bledsoe blooming into something better than they are now. Are they starter-quality right now? Not really. Give em the opportunity, I think they could become a solid, but not franchise PG. (Personally I'm a bigger Collison fan than Bledsoe.)
As for Millsap, it would be a mishap to take him now. his best years are behind him and he's not gonna take a backup position, which is different from when we offered the toxic offer some years ago. Back then Aldridge was good but not quite great, and Millsap would've been the chosen PF. That is far from the case today. You take Millsap, you're backtracking.
Evan Turner is probably one of the more movable pieces on that Sixers team, and he's good, but he's not what this team is looking for, or should be at least.

by RipCityVice on 6/23/2012 11:50 AM