25 Comments

1. 

   Lillard, Batum, Aldridge, and Hibbert would be amazing together. The only flaw would be the lack of a consistent SG. If we can somehow trade Wes for an upgrade at the 2 spot, or even the 3 and let Batum play 2, we'd be a dangerous team.

   by AustinRaz on 7/2/2012 10:31 AM
2. 

   As much as I like him, I think we should only match on Batum if we get Hibbert. If Indy matches and keeps Hibbert, I think we are better off letting Batum go, taking the $20+ million in cap room, and look for talent/salary dump trades to improve later in mid-season. OKC used this strategy really well back when they had Durant/RW on rookie deals, and they picked up a lot of picks and rotation players this way for basically free.

   by Doug on 7/2/2012 10:33 AM
3. 

   I'd say it'd be better than a "nice" offseason. I'm drooling on my desk at the possibility of landing Hibby and keeping Nico.

   by sarahhecht on 7/2/2012 10:33 AM
4. 

   I've been beating the "Nic Batum is a shooting guard" drum for a year now, so you know which direction I'd like to go.
   
   Then again, a SG rotation of Wesley, Elliot and Will Barton is intriguing.

   by caseyholdahl on 7/2/2012 10:34 AM
5. 

   This would be the dream scenario-- Landing Hibbert and Nico, letting Wes play out this season. And in FA next summer, go after Iguodala or Paul George through sign and trades, giving them Wesley and "?". Without Wesley, Kurt, and Shawne's contracts next season we may have enough cap... doubtful.
   
   What a starting 5 that would be though: Lillard, Batum, Iguodala/George, Aldridge, and Hibbert.

   by AustinRaz on 7/2/2012 10:50 AM
6. 

   I still like Nic at the 3. A potential front court of Hibbert/Aldridge/Batum is not only young but as athletic as it comes. I'd actually start Elliot with that group and let Wes be our 6th man off the bench as he always brings so much energy to the court.

   by DHawes22 on 7/2/2012 11:24 AM
7. 

   So, I may be crazy for suggesting this, because I love Batum and would like him back, but what do others think about letting Batum go if the offer is 4yr/44M and instead making an offer to Michael Beasley. MB doesn't play any defense, but he is a great scorer and we could probably get him for about 6.5M a year, leaving a little extra room to perhaps sign another player. I'm not sure I even like this idea myself, but I thought I would toss it out there to see what others thought. Beasley is also 23 I believe, and is a respectable rebounder as well.

   by pdxpar5 on 7/2/2012 11:39 AM
8. 

   If the Pacers match our offer, does Hibbert have to take their match or could he still take our offer if he wanted to?

   by joko on 7/2/2012 11:37 AM
9. 

   I don't want anything to do with B-Easy, regardless of the price.

   by caseyholdahl on 7/2/2012 11:37 AM
10. 

    If Pacers match, Hibbert has to sign with Indy. That's the whole rub of restricted free agency.

    by caseyholdahl on 7/2/2012 11:38 AM
11. 

    Rather than deal w/ Minny... let's deal w/ Indy; let's both do sign & trades, us w/ Nico & them w/ Hibbert (this way both teams can tinker w/ the #'s that will make things happen & a 3rd team wouldn't need to b involved); we give Wes, Nico, & Nolan w/ Indy giving us Hibbert (they'd b up for this bc they can get something for Hibbert & this lets them work a deal w/ Kamman), Collison, & Paul George! :) THIS deal is ALSO awesome bc, it leaves EXTRA $ to yet go after more FA's but if that $ wasn't spent & this is all we ended up w/... I'd still b VERY satisfied! IF this deal happened... THIS would b a grand slam! :D @ casey, VERY much agreed on the no B-Easy thing. Even if Blazers were literally paid to take him I would say no to that. Look, 1 of this guy's favorite pastimes is to smell his own farts! Look it up I swear it's true :(

    by Simpson on 7/2/2012 11:45 AM
12. 

    Ha....yeah, I probably don't want any part of him either really. I would much rather have Batum. 11M per hurts though! But I still think Nic has upside, especially if we get some other players around him that can shoot and run the floor. A Hibbert/Aldridge tandem might be able to start a few more fast breaks too.

    by pdxpar5 on 7/2/2012 11:42 AM
13. 

    I like the Hibbert deal by the way. Solid move if we can land him. I figured the Blazers would have to slightly overpay any big name free-agent to get them to come here because we are a small market and currently a non-contender. Once the team gets turned around and becomes relevant in the playoffs, it seems to become a little easier to lure future free agents.

    by pdxpar5 on 7/2/2012 11:50 AM
14. 

    I like how the team is potentially shaping up; although, there are still holes to fill and we're not very deep:
    5: Hibbert?, Leonard
    4: Aldridge, Thomas, Freeland?
    3: Batum, Babbit, Claver?
    2: Matthews, E. Williams, Barton
    1: Lillard, Smith
    
    Am I fogetting anyone?

    by pdxpar5 on 7/2/2012 12:00 PM
15. 

    I believe we need both hibbs and nicco to start are new era of rip city basketball! Keep the core to simmmer and add spice to taste.Keeping theses guys togather and see what they can do will be fun and exciting too watch! GO BLAZERS

    by rip city1 on 7/2/2012 12:07 PM
16. 

    Hope Pacers dont match if they dont then I would Match Batum. A Front court of Batum/Aldridge/Hibbert is too good to pass up ....Batum is only gonna get better to but if we dont it wouldnt be the end of the world. Go Blazers

    by Siccolo on 7/2/2012 12:12 PM
17. 

    this all hinges on what happens with Hibbert. that's going to affect the bottom line big-time. i'd rather see us get Hibbert, re-sign Nicolas, then trade Wesley for a first rounder next year (our own is going to charlotte so we don't have one). that gives us a little more flexibility. we start EWill, bring Will off the bench (Barton, i mean), and bring over Diebler to fit behind those guys. with the extra money from trading Wesley, we bring in a veteran pg who can help mentor Lillard (who, btw, i am guessing will start on opening night).
    
    to the point, however, whether we get Hibbert, i love the idea of swinging for the fences or going for the gold or throwing the bomb on 4th-and-1 or ... you know, just can't come up with one of these lines for basketball. sorry!
    
    ~ KMM

    by Kassandra on 7/2/2012 12:17 PM
18. 

    I am in the Camp with the rest D Lill, E Will Batman, LMA and Hibbert would be a scary starting five; regardless of whether Indy matches or not we should match Batum's offer. I think as Batum doesn't complain much, he should at times, his frustration with Raymond and Jamal's playing last year. Same with Wesley. If D Lill is half as good as we think he might be then our production from Wesley, Batum and LMA should double. And the passing ability of Hibbert is more then scary good. that alone will make the other four triple their out put. Wow, I am not quite drooling on my desk, but when I read that we are on the fense with getting Hibbert I almost wet my pants LOL.
    
    Casey I agree with you on BE, no way. he would be a bad fit no matter how many shots he can make.
    
    Kassandra: I think we can keep Batum and Wesly both, or until we find out what Barton can bring. Every thing else is right on.

    by Hg on 7/2/2012 12:44 PM
19. 

    If nothing else, it's kind of fun to be in the mix for free agents, for once.

    by caseyholdahl on 7/2/2012 12:46 PM
20. 

    I like how Olshey is playing free-agency aggressively, like he said he would. And who would give up the opportunity to have the back court of Batum-Aldridge-Hibbert?

    by basketball1367 on 7/2/2012 12:50 PM
21. 

    Have you seen this Damian Lillard predraft workout video? Pretty darn impressive: Towards the end he is absolute bombing them from everywhere in the building!!
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heP3LWn8-KQ&feature=youtu.be&hd=1
    

    by pdxpar5 on 7/2/2012 1:56 PM
22. 

    I don't think Elliot is a starter quite yet, but I also think he does have that potential. Why is everyone hating on Wesley? I always thought he was a very solid player. A front court with Hibbert and Aldridge would be SCARY!! I also have to mention that I think its awesome how Sarah already has a nickname for Hibbert, lol.

    by newellbrian on 7/2/2012 5:14 PM
23. 

    @newellbrian: I am not hating on Wesley, He is a hard worker trying to improve his game all the time and wants to win. Others are down on him because he can't create his own shot and as of yet neither can Nic. so they are saying get a 2GD or SF that can create. Batum can create for others so that puts him ahead of Wesley at the two. But if D Lill can create his own, create for others that IMO, takes much of the pressure off Wesley and he will improve on his passing and creating.

    by Hg on 7/2/2012 5:41 PM
24. 

    I think it would be a mistake to deal Wesley. He always plays his heart out. During the playoffs, that's especially important. Don't forget that when he was with Utah, Kobe said he played the best defense of anyone else he faced in the playoffs. That's all because of how hard Wes was playing.
    
    Batum's contract scares me. There's no guarantee he becomes more consistent. If he does become more consistent, then I think he'd be worth that much, but floating through some games would really upset me if we were paying that much. Honestly, I'm uncomfortable paying him any more than 9 a year. If it was 50/4, that'd be 12.5/year. LA is only making 13 this coming year. I think Batum's contract should be between LA's and Matthews'.

    by ChrisRozwod on 7/3/2012 12:02 AM
25. 

    Wesley Mathews is a keeper in my book. Glue guy. Leader. Hard worker who can hit the three. Needs to finish layups though. I agree that he should be a 6 man when the opposing team's scorers are tired, let him at them. He's our Bruce Bowen or our Shane Battier. Want to save money? Get a coach to play the bench and use those rookie salaries to the max. Only guys I'd consider trading are Kurt Thomas and Nolan Smith. If we get Hibbert and resign Batum it's a slam dunk in my opinion. Sign Patty Mills and we're set at pt guard. Summer league is going to showcase some pieces that will be cheap to acquire. If we're going young, then go young! Paul Allen owns the team as far as I know and how he spends his money is not any bloggers concern...I'm glad he's willing to cut a check for quality players.

    by riverman on 7/8/2012 7:46 PM