To do the cool things, you have to be logged in first.
Jul 27
I like JJ but... I would do ur deal for Gortat in heartbeat! :)For Rudy, teams/we should b able to get a pretty deal for Rudy (bc Mem has proven that they can EASILY survive/thrive w/o him); I know money wise, ur proposal works but I'm not ready to give up Batum (until we REALLY know what we've got in him; 1/2 of this season should b enough time to tell ;) IF after 1/2 this season, we don't c Batum moving toward his full potential... "let's make a (urs for Rudy) deal!"
Sorry for the 2x's post, my mouse has been "acting up" lately & she's goin' in the round file 2day! 2 the Powers that b, feel free 2 delete this post ;)
Until they've hired a coach with a system and actually had a preseason, it's impossible to gauge how far we'll go. All the factors in the West are unknown as well. Lakers, Mavs, Spurs, etc.. could easily suffer injuries to key players, we know all about this in Portland. Just hope they're fun to watch and competitive. My hope is to make it out of the second round in the west.
I just hope that Damian is good enough to kill the best pg in the league. And get past the 2nd round of the playoff with our pick being at 15th pick of 2013 draft.
@ DamianLilard, I truly believe that u/Damian WILL b @ LEAST 1 of the best guards in the the NBA (in any given yr. I hope he becomes THE best, sooner rather than later ;) I'm a HUGE Blazer's fan/homer but I think it's dreaming to make it to the 2nd round; considering all that's happened (& even considering-ish what could ;) IF we even make the playoffs I'll consider this season an extreme success (Choong broke it down very fairly I think; so most likely, we're the 9th team THIS yr. ;) Should we miss the playoffs (again most likely), just as long as our guys leave it all out there on the court every night & show improvements, I'm gonna b plenty happy w/ OUR Blazers :) All I'm asking of u DamianLilard & all Blazer's fans is that we're patient AND supportive of our guys through their learning curves'. Now w/ that said, let's fight like hell & take it to the rest of the NBA! Go Blazers!!!
Thanks for the comment guys! I wrote this because I was really angry at some of these "experts" giving some harsh season predictions for Trailblazers, especially when the articles were coming from Bleacherreport.com, home of uneducated sports writers. Too many of them had us doing worse than Minnesota, `Golden State, Phoenix and even New Orleans. I took it personally to break it down. We might not make the postseason, but we deserve to be in the discussion.Dallas and Utah respectively have concerns that may lead to a downfall that we experienced last season. Dallas has a very capable roster on paper, but a lot of them are patch-ups. They were brought in for a quick fix, did not have a lot of face time with Dirk, Marion and Carlisle, which could mean the team chemistry may not be there. A bunch of them are under a 1-year contract (Kaman and Brand are 1-years, and Mayo will most likely opt out of his 3M player option) and it could work in a negative way. I expect Utah to make a mid season trade. They will trade Paul Millsap, who is on his last contract year, to make Derrick Favors a clear starter at PF. Depending on the result of this trade, there could be an x-factor that could play in either a good or bad way.I sincerely believe that the team's goal should be to make the playoffs, regardless of how low the seed may be. It will be an invaluable experience for our rookies, and give us a clear sense of achievement moving forward. Although we won't make it to the next round, because we'll likely play the Lakers or Thunder, postseason is always good as long as we don't settle for mediocrity.
Bro that was an awesome article lol. I agree we have a chance to make the playoffs and who knows how good Memphis will be or maybe age finally hits Spurs and they are struggling. But I wouldnt trade for Kevin Martin. He dosent really play defense and in injury prone. I would love to that Memphis trade. Maybe trade Matthews, Hickson, and Babbit, and a future first round pick for Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi. We would be giving up alot but I think MEM wouldnt let go of Rudy without doing so.JJ Hickson and A second round pick draft rights to Kostas Papanikolau for Zaza Pachulia and 2013 first round pick. We get a decent starting center and a draft pick that could be valuableJUst some ideass/..........
Babbit and Victor Claver and 2013 first rounder for Demar Derozan and 2013 first rounderThen have Wes come off the bench and Barton back up Batum lol.
Great blog! Bumped to the front page :)
waive JARED like i have been saying and waive Babbitt if he does not have a good season. also trade Wes for HARDEN this will be a awesome trade for both team also put in a 1 rounder if we have to.
No offense to those who think we are going to win a championship this year. I just don't see it. I would rather rebuild for one year and add one or two more lottery players next draft, then face mediocrity for many years to come (first or second round and done) with #20-#26 draft picks year after year.
I think it's all going to depend on our player development. I believe that LaMarcus Aldridge is capable of becoming the next Kevin Garnett (in his prime). They share similar physique, range and defensive abilities. What LMA lacks is the insane motor and huge confidence of Garnett.Batum definitely needs to become a more vocal player and a leader. Lifting some more weight would do him good, since he's a very skinny-looking fella. He looks like Andrei Kirilenko in developing.Matthews is.... idk... In my opinion, he's the best defender on the team. He has a very respectable attitude who continuously wants to be better. However, he never had that 'breakout season' we all expected. I personally believe he hit his ceilings. I would love to have him around for years to come, but at a lower price.By the end of this coming season, I hope Damian Lillard to look more like Derrick Rose (I think he'll eventually become a better player than Russell Westbrook. Just look at all these positives..). Meyers needs to be at a Javale Mcgee level of athleticism (and he's a MUCH smarter player than Javale). Will Barton has the capability to become a Wilson Chandler, but it'll take more than a season. Then, imagine a lineup of...Derrick Rose (almost.....)Wes MatthewsAndrei Kirilenko (in his prime)Kevin Garnett (in his prime)Javale Mcgee (a smarter one)and add to that, Shannon Brown (Elliot Williams), a more physical Steve Novak (Luke), Nolan Smith (I don't know what to make of him... sorry...), JJ HIckson and a half of Wilson Chandler! I like how it looks :P
@choong HUh I agreed with you on your imagine lineup.I hope we will trade for a lottery pick next year and get Shabuzz, that mean we have to trade away either or both Elliott or Barton.This team will be the next OKC with better depth player.
Great read with wonderful insights!!! Just a question: Do you mind if I use this information with a few tweaks and give credit to you? I want to use this for my "blog" (www.blazersworld.wordpress.com). Some of the trades you mentioned, I am not a huge fan of. Rudy Gay isn't really worth what we would have to be giving away. Kevin Martin is injury prone. I know for a fact Steve Nash makes every player better, and the same could be with Marcin Gortat. I remember that before he was traded to Phoenix, he was one of the lower-caliber players on the Suns team. As for your reasonings about the Playoffs for this Blazers team, I think you are pretty much spot-on! The comparisons you made in your last comment above are what I would consider to be fairly accurate.
^yeah dude. Do not mind
Thanks!!
PLEASE NOTE: The views expressed on the Trail Blazers Blogger Network represent those of the individual authors and do not represent the views of the Trail Blazers organization, the NBA, or any other NBA team.