PG & SF are the two positions the Blazers have publicly acknowledged as wanting to improve upon. Blazers hope to add a veteran/s this off-season. McMillan calls it their "priority" for this off-season. Paul Allen wants to preserve and do "big things" with their cap space next season. If we're off to see the Wizard for a second time, could Portland be the only road that leads to him? Battier +Jackson +25th +54th for Outlaw +Pryzbilla +#13 + draft rights to Rudy Fernandez? This deal frees up an extra $3.99M next season for the Blazers. Keeping Webster over Outlaw allows Blazers those extra free agent dollars. Webster can be re-signed without any worry to their cap dollars since they have his full bird rights. Next season will be their last opportunity to make a big splash in free agency. The season that follows after is when Roy & Aldridge get their extensions and they'll be locked into being over the cap for years. Outlaw isn't a starter, he could be, but the bottomline is he's unproven. Blazers salary dump Pryzbilla. Jackson is a 1 year stop gap at PG who improves their depth there. No.13 isn't enough for what the Rockets are doing here. So there needs to be a catch. Blazers give up a little of their future in Fernandez to put themselves in a better position to really improve their future the following year. Players who Portland can consider with their cap space in 2009: 2009 Free Agents Existing teams will likely offer max or match: Chris Paul (Pritchard wanted to draft in 2005) Deron Williams Established max players: Allan Iverson Baron Davis Andre Miller Shawn Marion Upcoming talent: Ramon Sessions Nate Robinson Name player/s but on the slide: Mike Bibby As they are now. Waiting in the wings are past first rounders in Petteri Koponen (6-5, PG), Joel Freeland (6-11, PF/C), #27 and possibly this year's second rounders in #33, #36, #55 picks. Depending on how things pan out for them CDR is another speculated target who they could go for at #27. Blazers team in 2008-09: Blake, Jackson, Jack, Rodriguez Roy, (CDR/#25), (Jones) Battier, Webster, (#33/#36/#55) Aldridge, Frye, McRoberts(non-guaranteed) Oden, (#27) Possible Blazers team in 2009-10: (2009 Free Agent), Blake(team option), Rodriguez(team option) Roy, (CDR/#25), *** Battier, Webster, (#33/#36/#55) Aldridge, Frye, *** Oden, (#27), Freeland Lastly, I also get the feeling McMillan would rather a Brandon Rush over a Rudy Fernandez. Fernandez is allegedly placing pressure on the Blazers not to draft Rush. Fernandez hasn't signed a contract yet and holds leverage that way. His US agent has spoken about sorting out the "logistics" concerning his contract which I interpret as to who the Blazers draft and trade at SG/SF.
Trade may be preposterous but I can see how the part about Fernandez may be putting pressure on Portland not to draft Rush. That makes too much sense. Fernandez obvously wants to come over here and play.
i believe we are no longer owners of the 55 pick from the bobby jackson trade. i think that belongs to Seattle now? not sure just read it somewhere not to long ago
Rockets got back their 54th pick in the New Orleans trade. They traded a future second rounder in the Gerald Green trade.
Ford: I think Rush is the guy too. The Blazers have three alpha dogs in LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. What they need is a fit guy. Rush drove me crazy at KU because I never thought he played up to his potential. But as he moves into the NBA, his willingness to submit to other teammates will help him. He doesn't have All-Star talent and seems like he'd be content playing a role on a good team. He shoots, he defends, he runs the floor. Good pick. By the way, is Kevin Pritchard the most fun GM in the league? The guy is working on roughly 150 trade proposals as we speak. He has no qualms about calling up a team and saying, "How about Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez for Dwyane Wade." He won't blink an eye. And you know what? I know it irritates some of the old-school GMs, but Pritchard gets it done. Most trade talks fail. He decided to tackle that problem by tripling the trade call volume. I love it. Simmons: Totally agree. When you think about it, what else does a GM have to do all day? Shouldn't he be sitting in an office with nine college/NBA games going on TV and ESPN.com's Trade Machine in front of him just taking notes and calling every GM with wacky offers 20 times a day? That's what I would be doing. I have a terrible feeling that the Blazers are going to dominate the next decade with or without Oden -- now that they've figured out how to spend Paul Allen's money, they are unstoppable. They just keep stockpiling assets and stockpiling them and stockpiling them. They're going to have an undefeated D-League team within the next 2-3 years. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624 ------------------------------------------------------------- not sure where to post it but the bit on Kevin Pritchard was funny
Portland is going to be in the playoffs for a long time to come. The question is, whose place are they going to take?
