<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Williams is signing a two year deal with Blazers, source tells Y!</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/statuses/365174129667743746">August 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Williams deal will pay him $5.6 million over two years, with player option for second season.</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/statuses/365174582216372224">August 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Tremendous summer of roster building for the Blazers.</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/statuses/365178839523008512">August 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mo Williams is a selfish jerk who will never outlive his playoff choke jobs in Cleveland. Plus, he would never accept being a 3rd string PG, even on a contender. Good pickup for the Blazers. If they keep LMA the entire season, playoffs are legitimately reachable.
all the blazers were missing was a solid bench. they will probably make the playoffs. bye bye Lamarcus trade scenarios.
Yeah I think they they will probably make the playoffs next season. Robin Lopez isn't that great, but at least he's a real center unlike Hickson. Added MoWill, McCollum, Wright, TRob to their historically bad bench...Question will be if Aldridge is happy with making a 7th/8th seed because at that point he will be an expiring contract with the Rockets most likely on his short list of teams he'll sign long-term with.
Can someone please explain to me what is so awesome about the Blazers offseason? Is CJ McCollum a great draft pick? Who knows? He proved he could shoot a lot in summer league, if not very efficiently. Thomas Robinson? I think we know what he's capable of. Robin Lopez... ok. Dorrell Wright? I used to like his upside, but he's almost 28 now on his 4th nba team. All solid pick-ups, sure, including the addition of Mo Williams. Though they lost Hickson, who I know isn't the best defender but gave them a VERY VERY solid 30 mpg. All the moves seem to make them a bit better and deeper, sure. But they're still going to have to fight for those last couple playoff spots and likely win 1/2 games max in the first round of the playoffs. Before the Williams signing, Aldridge had them at the 18th best offseason. not exactly glowing. http://www.blazersedge.com/2013/8/5/4591856/d-aldridge-blazers-had-nbas-18th-best-offseason Granted, the Blazers ended the season impressively losing their last 13 games, but that caused them to be 16 games under and 11th in the west. a lot more improvement really needed.
This offseason, Portland got very very good. They would have been a playoff team last season if they had a decent bench. This season they upgraded that area tremendously. PG: Damian Lillard/ Mo Williams or CJ McCollum SG: Wesley Matthews/ McCollum or Williams as a combo guard. SF: Nic Batum/ Dorell Wright/ Victor Claver PF: Lamarcus Aldridge/Thomas Robinson/Joel Freeland C: Robin Lopez/Meyers Leonard Lots of 3 point shooting, Excellent perimeter defenders in Matthews and Batum, Deep bench, Athletic roster, and young. If Lopez/Leonard can at least be average, I definitely see them winning at least 48 games.
Lost: Hickson, Luke Babbitt, Pavlovic, Nolan Smith, Elliot Williams, Jeffries Gained: Robin Lopez, Mo Williams, Dorell Wright, McCollum, TRob, Earl Watson You kidding me?
Portland will be OK - - if their Seattle based executive branch could ever let the basketball team have a basketball operations department. Note: It's always about the $$$! Veteran point guard Mo Williams signed a two-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, announced Wednesday. Williams' deal is worth $5.6 million and includes a player option for the second year. Williams strongly considered Miami and Memphis, but neither team was offering as much as the Blazers. This will be the fifth team for Williams, who spent last season with the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 assists in 46 games. His scoring average was his lowest since 2005-06, when he averaged 12.1 points for theMilwaukee Bucks. The 30-year-old Williams joins a young Portland backcourt that includes Damian Lillard and rookie C.J. McCollum.
Please tell me you don't think that is awesome?? Not a single on of the gained players is at this point anymore than an extreme role player starter or average bench player. Great, they have a bench now and may make the playoffs. That's not awesome. That's going from almost drowning to treading water.
Of all the players you listed, Hickson had by far the best season last year and averaged a double double. They could be a good team next season, but I also am not sure why the general consensus seems to be that the Blazers are now all of the sudden "really good". Its like the Blazers were somewhat of an afterthought up until today when they signed Mo Williams. I guess I am in the minority here but I am not that impressed with their offseason yet. It's too hard to tell right now because the only two that could make me change my mind are McCollum and T-rob. Even T-rob doesn't impress me after watching him last season. I did like the move for them to trade for him but that doesn't mean he will do anything of significance. McCollum could just be a bust.... remember, this draft was one of the worst of the last ten years and even then draft picks in that range are likely to turn into nothing. All the other signings are just "meh" acquisitions to me. To me, grading the Blazers off-season is going to have to be a wait-and-see approach. They may have improved solely by having more of a bench but that doesn't mean they are gonna be overly impressive like some seem to think (not just here). Signing Mo Williams did not affect my opinion of their off-season at all, he is not a difference maker and never has been anywhere he goes.
