Rockets, Blazers discussed a Mo Taylor-for-Derek Anderson swap?

I like what DA can bring to the table, but I would wager that Sura keeps his PG spot. The chemistry and consistancy is there. DA would be a LEGIT 6th man on this team though. He could play BIG minutes at backup PG and SF for this team, with Barry being our 7th man and playing solid backup SG minutes.

Having another athletic wing player on this team that can pass, shoot, cut and defend would be great. It certainly would add alot more than what Taylor is giving us now.

Plus it gives us insurance for next year if Barry leaves and goes somewhere else. We are going to need a guy that can play those backup wing minutes. And Taylor is going to have to be moved sometime because we have to open up a PF slot for either Badiane or whomever we draft/pick up in FA to be our starting PF with Howard coming off the bench. We just cant have Howard/Taylor/Spoon/Padgett and then go out and get ANOTHER PF. We have to move one of those guys to create a roster spot. Moving Taylor for a wing player in DA makes A LOT of sense for us for NOW and for the FUTURE of this team.

 

This deal looks like a natural. Contracts match, 2 unhappy players not getting enough playing time. Portland is not playing well and needs to make some kind of change, they get a younger PF who has ability and get rid of a vocally unhappy player. We get some depth at the guard position, AB, Strick and Ward aren't the answer here DA might be. I don't know why it hasn't been done already.

 

one reason the blazers may not do it is they want to move SAR first

 

Yeah, I do feel that they have to move SAR before they move DA for Taylor. Otherwise they would have too many PFs. I am sure the Blazers are looking for a quality SF/SG for SAR. But is there one available? I dont see any that fit the bill and will match salaries with SAR.

 

Agree, JVG would be crazy to not to keep Sura at PG. These are some more great reasons to make this trade. We finally get rid of the logjam we have at the PF position for a an athletic wing man that is a clear upgrade over AB, Strick and Ward. Strick and AB are probably on one year minimum contracts, we don't have have a committment to JB beyond this year so it'll be easy to get roster flexibility at that position going forward.

I like this deal, seems like a win/win for the Blazers and the Rox.

 

the only value SAR has is expiring contract and his bird rights - no one wants a 14 m a year PF in a SF's body (or is he a SF in a PFs body)

 

I have some mixed feelings about this deal.

#1, DA is 30, has never been more than an average shooter, and has been steadily declining in overall productivity since the Howard shove.

#2 We already have Barry as a back up SG, who is a much better shooter (key to taking some pressure of Yao and Tmac). DA can't really play the 1, so doesn't buy us much there.

#3 Trading Mo leaves us really shallow with 4s who can bang. Believe it or not Mo won't get as abused nearly as bad as Padget or Spoon by the western 4s, and it way too much to ask Howard to take the full load for the 4 spot.

To me a greater need is a forward who provides us something different, particularly defensively. That is why someone like Eric Williams (TE or filler plus a 2nd) or Kurt Thomas (even at the cost of Howard and a 2nd), who bring defense but who are not completely incapable offensively, is much more interesting.

Now if nothing like this is at all possible I still consider DA for MoT strait up, but honestly I think I probably decline because I think down the stretch MoT would be more important given the make up of the roster. MoT can, and has, done more positive things for the Rockets than people give him credit. And yes he is somewhat redudent of Howard, but a fresh 30 minutes of Howard plus 18 fresh minutes of MoT will allow us to hang a lot better than 38 tough minutes demanded of Howard and scrambling to fill the other 10. In the playoffs we will need a legit 4 help Howard a lot more than the extra guard off the bench. So don't just deal MoT to deal him.

 

Of course. You'd have:

1) Sura/Strickland/Barrett;

2) Barry/DA/Sura;

3) T-Mac/Bowen;

4) Juwan/Padgett/Spoon;

5) Yao/Deke.

As far as SAR (and this is in response to a different poster), let's not rag on him too much. He has an expiring contract that he wasn't quite worth but is still a very good player, a class act; Portland won't just give him away.

 

they need to do something, becasue he will walk at the end of this season - and he is all that remains from that Wallace deal

 

SZince it has been reported that Po'land wants to move SAR for a 2 before DA goes, and since Mavs and Finley seem to be needing a divorce, why isn't Daddy MicroBux allowing SAR - MF (+ 'considerations'/picks or another player)?

MF is the prototype anti-JAILblazer.

 

You can't alway get what you want. From the Mavs point of view, paying 14M for a guy to back up Dirk, probably not going to happen. DA sounds like a problem child for the Blazers at this point, maybe they let him go in spite of the game plan.

 

That's actually an interesting move, Finley for SAR. I know Finley is very much the heart and soul of Dallas but they have a plethora of swingmen so they are exactly the type of team that can be willing to give one of them up. Dallas would then be able to get out from under Finley's large deal and give Marquis Daniels more time. SAR would be a nice 6th man on that team with Dirk at the starting PF spot.

You are right, Finley would be a welcome addition to the Blazers in terms of being a good team and community guy.

While the Mavs have a ton of swingmen, I still think they would hesitate to move Finley because of the chemistry he brings to the team.

 

But why the hell would the Blazers move an expiring contract for a 32 year old swing man clearly losing a step (see decrease in rebounds, assists, FG%, points, and even durability) with 3 years, 51.8 million left after the 14+mill this year? No amount of mid 20s first round picks from Cuban would make me want to take that deal. That makes Mo Taylor's 2 years, 19 mill look like chump change.

Desert Scar- We're on a 6 game win streak, and Mo Taylor hasn't seen a minute of it. We're 10-3 since MoT went on the IR, with the 3 losses being home vs. the Pacers (Mo's first game on IR), then @Miami, and the OT loss vs. Sacramento thanks to CWebb. I think JVG is fully prepared to go the rest of the season with the Howard/Padgett combo, with Spoon seeing spot minutes. I think it's far from ideal, but the best we've got at this point.

 

Good point. What was I thinking!?!?

Agreed.

 

NIKE, let me ask you, what do you think the Blazers could get in terms of a 2/3 for SAR? I am having a hard time thinking up any possible trades.

 

Honestly...I don't see much out there. If Sprewell didn't have a checkered past, he'd be an option with his equivalent 14 mill contract that expires and may still be. Perhaps an interesting possibility would be to Memphis for any number of combination of their players- allowing Memphis to get some breathing room to keep Swift/Watson next year.

A Dallas deal I'd consider more plausible would be SAR for Henderson and Daniels. Henderson is wiped away after this season, and they'd get to keep Daniels. Though, I think Dallas tried the many PF thing in the past (Antawn/Antoine) and probably doesn't want to go that route again.

New Orleans may decide to blow up their team, in which case getting an expiring deal plus some more young talent (throw in Telfair, Outlaw, or Monia) for Baron Davis may be appealing. He's not a 2/3 though.

 

Finley makes sense from what he brings 'to the community' and to the team, but not from a contract perspective (other than 'matching' for trade purposes).

I suggested that other considerations would be necessary.

I also reminded about Allen's willingness to pour gazillions of payroll into his toy er team.

Frankly, it makes sense on some levels tho it would take extraordinary extras for me to pull the trigger in Portland. But then I don't face the Blazers' problems with their fans nor do I have a bottomless pit of wealth.

 

But that is a lot different than trying to beat SA or Phx or Dal or Sac in a 5 or 7 game series. I really think Mo is a lot more important in backing up Howard towards that aim than DA as another back-up 2 guard is to that aim. Like I said I'd much rather have Howard for a fresh 30-32 minutes than a burned out 38-40--and that is what it would be 38-40 minutes required of Howard if we have to try to scramble (Padget, Spoon, Deke) to match up with elite 4s day in and day out.

I am not against trading MoT--we obviously are shopping him and keeping him off the court, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be valuable. DA has just as many questionmarks, and plays at a position (SG) that is one of our deepest and where we already have the most versitility (Wesley, Barry, Tmac, even Sura can play it).

I won't be too disappointed if we do this move, but I'd look for other moves that provide a different dimension (Eric Williams/Kurt Thomas) 1st.

 

I think that the reasoning behind getting rid of Mo is that when you are in the playoffs you would like to have different looks at the 4 (Spoon's defense and rebounding or Scottie's shooting) instead of just the exact same player as your start (Mo is identical to J Ho)

also, lets face it, strick isn't going to make it all season - he is already hurt - you need another wing player that can give Sura and Tmac a rest. Barry and Wesley can backup the point (by committe) and DA and give Tmac a break -

 

Because they are the Blazers? It would not be the first time they have taken on ridiculous contracts...