Portland - 2016 Offseason

[zzaj]

It may not be worth the likely overpay to get him (he's a RFA I believe). But Boban from San Antonio could be an under the radar move that at least would provide the Blazers with a 7'3" 290lb option at C...for those who are asking for size at the position and want more skill than a warm body good for 6 fouls.

He does seem to produce decently every time he gets minutes. He'd probably be cheaper than Ezeli. Certainly more so than some of the other FA Cs with question marks. Not really sure if San Antonio intends to retain him or not.

[wjun15]

Just dropping my two cents in here as I've really enjoyed watching the Blazers this year and in the current series.

Barnes is not the answer for you guys. I think Harkless could still develop into a similar player and would be a much better value re-signed for around 3/24 compared to 4/80 or whatever it takes to max Barnes.

Ezeli would be a great fit but his injury issues are definitely concerning. GS knows best how serious his issues are so I'd be pretty worried if they let him walk in RFA because I'd probably match just about anything if I thought his injuries were likely past him or flukey.

Besides adding a high quality big, I think Evan Turner would be the best fit of realistic FA options as his ball-handling and playmaking ability would really help the lineup if he replaced one of Crabbe or Henderson in the rotation. It would be very similar to when the Warriors added Iguoadala, in that he'd allow Dame/CJ to work off the ball some and could take harder defensive assignments.

Horford would be nice, but I'd rather save the cap space a year and make a run at Ibaka or Milsap in 2017. That would also give a little time to see if another star big hits the trade market like Cousins, Jordan, Love or Favors. Or with the right development next year, trading for Robin Lopez or someone similar might be all it takes.

Good luck.

This. Harrsion Barnes is NOT the answer and i hope we dont get him.

[DusterBuster]

Yeah, not high on Barnes either. I wonder just how much of a reality Horford could be for Portland.

[Soulyss]

Beat me to the Thomas/dumars duo... That said, I think long term the blazers need a oversized 6'6+ SG that has elite defensive skills and can either shoot or slash enough to be a threat. If that happens I see CJ going to the Manu role, still playing and getting paid for starter minutes. Need defense? Keep the big SG in, need offense? Bring in CJ next to Dame...

a lot of people have suggested CJ as a super sub. But in 1 year he's likely to get a giant pay-day. Probably way too much money to not be a starter. Andre Igiuoadala is kind of a super sub. He makes 12 million/year. CJ might get twice that

No doubt about it, CJ is going to get paid... So did Manu. I am not suggesting that the blazers woukd have to pay, just that he might be best in that Manu role.

[Masterfully]

I personally find it hilarious that Warrior fans are posting on every corner of RealGM about how Barnes would be terrible on any other team. I mean they do realize that we aren't actually "real GMs", right?

Anyway, whenever I see one of those posts it makes me think more of Barnes.

[Dangeruss]

Horford and Derozan would be a great package for us. Depending on CJ's contract, we should be able to afford it.

[Masterfully]

Horford and Derozan would be a great package for us. Depending on CJ's contract, we should be able to afford it.

CJ's contract won't hit the cap until July 2017. Lillard's contract is a bit more of a question mark at this point.

[Wizenheimer]

Yeah, not high on Barnes either. I wonder just how much of a reality Horford could be for Portland.

Barnes hasn't really looked better then Harkless. He's a better outside shooter and that counts for something in a Stotts offense. But that's about the only real advantage Barnes has. Harkless is a better rebounder and I suspect, Harkless may end up being a better, more versatile defender

here's the comparison for this season: http://bkref.com/tiny/Phrny

looking thru those numbers doesn't give a decided edge to either player, and if it was the Harkless from the last 15 games of the regular season + playoffs, he'd have a sizable edge.Considering that Barnes may be getting 20 million/year (or more) and Harkless may be less then half that, it's a pretty easy call, IMO
****************************************************************

I suggested Horford as a target a couple of months ago but I knew at the time it was a long shot. Horford is from the Dominican Republic. He's played his basketball career in either Florida or Atlanta. He has family in Florida and the Republic, and reportedly has said he like playing in a city that has some Caribbean culture. Portland would seem to be about as far from Horford's roots, both geographically and culturally as you can get in the NBA

it probably didn't help that either last season or the season before, the Hawks arrived in Portland during one of those ice-storms we have up here every once in a while.

So, I'd say he's a long shot at best, although if Woj is correct about the Stotts reputation and Olshey is as good a salesman as rumored, the Blazers might at least get a hearing, providing Olshey is actually planning to try swinging for the fences in free agency. I sure hope he does take some swings rather then him being so proud of what this Blazer team has accomplished that he won't consider a major upgrade somewhere. Portland needs it if they are going to take the next step

I have been a little disappointed with Horford in the playoffs though. In the last couple of years or so, his rebounding and FT rates have really dropped. He still plays some great defense, but he seems almost batum-passive in the offense and on the glass. My guess is that's a function of Atlanta's team structure.

[Wizenheimer]

Horford and Derozan would be a great package for us. Depending on CJ's contract, we should be able to afford it.

you're probably talking about 50 million in cap-space. I don't think the Blazers can get there. even if they renounced Harkless, Crabbe, Henderson, & Meyers. They'd just about have to trade Aminu for a TPE on top of all the renouncements.

I'd also think you'd be looking at the old 'there's-only-1-ball' issue. That's a lot of high usage players. And while I've advocated for Derozan, mainly because of his Blazer connections, there's no denying that his playoff performances have been pretty bad

[Dangeruss]

How's DD as a spot up shooter?

[skoharry]

if they would do it i would trade plumlee, aminu, $, & a pick to MIL for monroe. then i would fill in gaps with players who are young, cheap, and have shown promise. of course we do go after a good F/C target. so if i had my way our roster would look like this
Dame/Frazier/Montero
CJ/Crabbe/Connaughton
H.Barnes/Harkless
Monroe/Meyers/Vonleh/Alexander
Dedmon/Davis

[Jsun947]

How's DD as a spot up shooter?

Horrendous.

[Jsun947]

if they would do it i would trade plumlee, aminu, $, & a pick to MIL for monroe. then i would fill in gaps with players who are young, cheap, and have shown promise. of course we do go after a good F/C target. so if i had my way our roster would look like this
Dame/Frazier/Montero
CJ/Crabbe/Connaughton
H.Barnes/Harkless
Monroe/Meyers/Vonleh/Alexander
Dedmon/Davis

Yuck, yuck, yuck. That looks like we'd be heading backwards and be capped out for the next 4 years all at the same time.

[Malapropism]

Derozan is awful. He really is, for all intents and purposes, a midrange jumpshooter. He doesn't do anything else well enough to compensate for his shot selection, and he can get neutralized by any defender with a brain.

Also, he's completely not a Stotts type player.

[Dangeruss]

Isn't Parsons a sleeper option?

[Case2012]

I'm starting to lose interest in Barnes after watching him the last three games. He's invisible a lot of the time, but you have to wonder how much of that is due to Curry being out and drawing attention away from the wing. Both of Wiz's top FA picks have been pretty bad in the playoffs too, and Whiteside just sprang his MCL. No one is really looking good this offseason all of a sudden. Maybe we should just make Dwight Howard our top FA choice. Weren't the clippers in the hunt for him when Olshey was gm of the clips and Howard wanted out of Orlando?

[zzaj]

Posted this before, but anybody have any interest in Boban from San Antonio as a rotation C with size?

[Jsun947]

Not really. Boban would be a nice offensive option off the bench for less than MLE but his minutes will always need to be limited and his lack of versatility is always be a problem in the modern NBA.

If Harkless gets around 6 mil per this offseason, and Barnes around 20+ per, is the upgrade from Harkless to Barnes worth an additional 15% of our cap space when we desperately need help and flexibility in other areas? I don't think so at all.... And why do we "need" Barnes or Harkless? How are they changing our lives on this team? Neither of them fill an enormous void we're lacking.

[Wizenheimer]

Posted this before, but anybody have any interest in Boban from San Antonio as a rotation C with size?

his stats are a bit mind-boggling but he only played 508 minutes all season. I guess he's worth considering, but he's RFA and has a tiny cap-hold. Unless the Blazers made a big offer to him, which could easily be a big mistake, I'd think it would very likely that the Spurs would take the full 3 days and then match

if Portland wants a C with size, they ought to look at Zaza Pachulia. It may be that Dallas is going to go for cap-space and a big name C like Howard or Whiteside. Zaza may be available and he's a very good rebounder and plays good position defense. And because of his age, he might be willing to sign a shorter deal.

[Norm2953]

I'm of the opinion that if need to overpay for anyone, let it be for a legit rotation player and
not overpay for mediocrity.