Ok... So lets see the 1 deal...

[Spykes]

As the trading deadline gets closer and the Blazers continue to struggle, I see a lot of people begging for KP to make a trade. What 1 trade do you see KP reasonably being able to make that'll put Portland back into the playoff hunt? People wouldn't be this desperate for a trade unless there was something out there that they think could jump-start this team, so what is this deal you guys want made?

[PDXKnight]

I want a guy along the lines of Bass, Milsap, Turiaf, ect. on this team. I'd be content if KP parted with Jack, Sergio, Frye, ect. to get such a player. I liked what I saw out of McBob and he might be able to give us a similar role but one way or another, I want KP to get a player that'll help us with rebounding and can hold his own defensively (not necessarily play to the same level as przybilla though). We need a power big man and whether KP acquires such a player now or in the offseason, it should be done fairly soon.

[jeffhardyfan52]

something to get devin harris that dont give up outlaw or webster

[TowelBoy12]

Cool thread. Mine: Haslem.

As a bonus, I'll even throw in my off-season plan as well...

My other thread

[Spykes]

I want a guy along the lines of Bass, Milsap, Turiaf, ect. on this team. I'd be content if KP parted with Jack, Sergio, Frye, ect. to get such a player. I liked what I saw out of McBob and he might be able to give us a similar role but one way or another, I want KP to get a player that'll help us with rebounding and can hold his own defensively (not necessarily play to the same level as przybilla though). We need a power big man and whether KP acquires such a player now or in the offseason, it should be done fairly soon.

None of those guys make us a playoff contender this season. They're nice players that can help us some, but they aren't going to make us noticeably better.

something to get devin harris that dont give up outlaw or webster

Not gonna happen. The chances of Dallas moving Harris are all but completely dead, and taking Outlaw or Webster out of the equation makes things even more unrealistic.

[Dakotah612]

Blake has been solid, PG is still a position we will have to upgrade. Our weakest link right now is at the three. We need defense, passiing, and consistency. We just aren't getting that with our depth at SF right now. Webster is grossly inconsistent, Jones is always hurt, Outlaw is primarily backup PF.

The missing piece? JOSH SMITH. But it's a shame his trade value has sky rocketed and it would take an arm and a leg to obtain him.

[Spykes]

Cool thread. Mine: Haslem.

As a bonus, I'll even throw in my off-season plan as well...

My other thread

Haslem is a nice fit imo, but again, he doesn't make us a playoff contender this year. Obviously you're thinking more for the future, as your thread points out, but I'm thinking more in the here and now since so many people want KP to make a trade before the deadline.

Also, for the record, I don't see the Heat looking to move Haslem. I think they'll want to keep him as he's a fan favorite and he allows them to play Marion at his natural SF position.

Plus, your deals put a bit of a crimp in Portland's 09 cap space plan, but the Blazers would still have Raef's expiring contract to work with before the trading deadline next season.

Anyway, back to the point of this thread...

In order for us to be a playoff contender this year, we need something more than another role player. We need another star with Brandon. The other teams are just too good for us to only make minor deals that tweak our supporting cast.

[Spykes]

The missing piece? JOSH SMITH. But it's a shame his trade value has sky rocketed and it would take an arm and a leg to obtain him.

Smith, like Outlaw, seems to play his best basketball at PF. I seem to recall Hawk fans saying that he really struggles when playing SF.

But that said, if he could translate over to SF seamlessly, he would be the type of player we need to get to propel us into playoff contention again.

[tucson]

Of all the players that could possibly be available for trade the most productive player is Shawn Marion. He would help our perimeter defense and rebounding and help ignite our running game, plus he's an OK outside shooter.

If we could pry Shawn Marion from the Heat he would definitely help this season. I'm not sure if Miami would take Outlaw, Jack and Raef for him though. He also wouldn't be happy here if he wasn't a top two option on a team. Plus he wouldn't as productive a player once the big three hits there prime assuming we broke the bank and resigned to long term deal.

Devin Harris would help some but probably not enough to put us over the top. Plus he's not worth Outlaw + other young players. Actually, Jason Kidd would help us more this season than Devin Harris.

Mike Miller would also be good replacement for James Jones. We may not have the expiring deals to make it happen although Voshon Lenard could be our Aaron Mckie.

I doubt think KP is ready to bring any veterans to alter the makeup of this team. We need to see how our young guys play with Oden to determine if our impact player will be a PG or SF.

[TowelBoy12]

In order for us to be a playoff contender this year, we need something more than another role player. We need another star with Brandon. The other teams are just too good for us to only make minor deals that tweak our supporting cast.

Hm, what you are suggesting would come dangerously close to "mortgaging the future for the present." I've always been pretty opposed to the idea of adding an established star to this team. I was against it when everyone wanted to sign Rashard Lewis; I was against it when everyone wanted Andre Miller and Mike Bibby; I'm even more against it now that we've shown we can win with the youngest roster in the NBA.

We're still only a few games back and a run of winning 8 out of 10 or so would put us right back in the thick of it. Getting a vet with toughness like Haslem could be more effective than you'd think.

[Wizenheimer]

I want a guy along the lines of Bass, Milsap, Turiaf, ect. on this team. I'd be content if KP parted with Jack, Sergio, Frye, ect. to get such a player. I liked what I saw out of McBob and he might be able to give us a similar role but one way or another, I want KP to get a player that'll help us with rebounding and can hold his own defensively (not necessarily play to the same level as przybilla though). We need a power big man and whether KP acquires such a player now or in the offseason, it should be done fairly soon.

so you want a hypothetical player somewhat like those you mentioned.

and you want portland to trade the players that don't have much 'value' to portland like frye, jack, and sergio(why would other teams part with a good power player for them I wonder), although I'm not sure what "etc." means...is that outlaw and webster, or green and mcroberts?

and ironically, frye is a much better rebounder then 2 of those players you mentioned...bass and turiaf. And since Frye plays C most of the time, I'm not sure how well the 6'9 turiaf, or the 6'7 bass, or the 6'7 millsap would replace frye in the C rotation.

but it wasn't necessarily them, it was somebody like them good enough to help portland make the playoffs, but undesired enough by their other team that jack and frye would entice the other team trade.

and then of course there is the rotation problem next season with oden pryzbilla, LMA, Outlaw, and player X all wanting minutes at the C/PF spots and only 96 to go around.

Oden2...I'm not meaning to pick on you. It's just that I see this type of proposal all the time and I just don't see how it would work unless portland trades either LMA or Outlaw. Those are the two guys on the floor most often when portland gets beat badly on the boards.

[Walton'sBeard!]

I opened this thread to stare at Spykes avatar. I could look at it for hours.

Oh yeah... uh Bibby or something.

[Spykes]

Of all the players that could possibly be available for trade the most productive player is Shawn Marion. He would help our perimeter defense and rebounding and help ignite our running game, plus he's an OK outside shooter.

If we could pry Shawn Marion from the Heat he would definitely help this season. I'm not sure if Miami would take Outlaw, Jack and Raef for him though. He also wouldn't be happy here if he wasn't a top two option on a team. Plus he wouldn't as productive a player once the big three hits there prime assuming we broke the bank and resigned to long term deal.

I can't imagine the Heat turning around and flipping Marion just like that. Marion fits what they need better than anything we could realistically offer, and that's including Outlaw.

And as you yourself mentioned, making a play for Marion doesn't make a ton of sense for Portland. He'd be a fantastic fit talent wise, but his age doesn't mesh well and he has proven to be a malcontent when he's unhappy. Plus he's going to opt out this summer and could up and leave Portland empty handed.

Devin Harris would help some but probably not enough to put us over the top. Plus he's not worth Outlaw + other young players. Actually, Jason Kidd would help us more this season than Devin Harris.

I'd love to get Harris and I do think he'd be enough to make us a playoff team. Not only that, he'd be a great fit for years to come. I'm even to the point where I'd give up Outlaw to get him. That said, the Mavs have all but deemed him untouchable, so you can scratch that idea.

Mike Miller would also be good replacement for James Jones. We may not have the expiring deals to make it happen although Voshon Lenard could be our Aaron Mckie.

I doubt think KP is ready to bring any veterans to alter the makeup of this team. We need to see how our young guys play with Oden to determine if our impact player will be a PG or SF.

I've been thinking a lot about getting Miller as well. He'd really help us, but I don't know if he'd make us a playoff team. With the Grizzlies in salary dump mode, I think we could get Miller for Raef and little else... If we'd be willing to take on Cardinal. However, I don't feel that Miller alone is enough for us to dump our salary cap plan. If we could find a way to move Miles and some extra pieces for him, there might be something to it.

Hm, what you are suggesting would come dangerously close to "mortgaging the future for the present." I've always been pretty opposed to the idea of adding an established star to this team. I was against it when everyone wanted to sign Rashard Lewis; I was against it when everyone wanted Andre Miller and Mike Bibby; I'm even more against it now that we've shown we can win with the youngest roster in the NBA.

We're still only a few games back and a run of winning 8 out of 10 or so would put us right back in the thick of it. Getting a vet with toughness like Haslem could be more effective than you'd think.

That's not at all what I'm suggesting. If you've read my posts on the this subject, I'm firmly of the belief that it is in our best interest to let this trading deadline pass with no moves made and focus our trading efforts for the summer.

However, during a lot of the recent Game Threads, I see more than a few posters begging KP to make a trade. Now, that's all good and fine, but the only kind of trade that'll make us a playoff contender this year, is one that... as you pointed out... will likely mortgage our future.

And I completely disagree that Haslem could be that effective. He'd help, but it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to actually make us a playoff team. We won't get 12 and 10 out of him because he wouldn't be averaging anywhere near the 37 minutes per that he is now. More likely, he'd be around 20 which would mean he'd probably give us something around 6 and 7 a game. Again, not bad and it certainly would help shore up some problems we have, but that won't make us a playoff team.

Also, with Haslem, you have to consider how much he's being paid and the role he'd play with the team. At over 6 mil a season, that is a LOT to be paid to a backup PF. I think we could find a player who could give us near equal production at a fraction of the cost somewhere else.

Rashard, his ludicrously large contract aside, would be a good fit for Portland. Along with needing help at PG, we really need a consistent SF. His skillset fits nicely with what Portland needs help with right now. But ya, that contract he got was ridiculous.

As far as Bibby and Miller goes, their value to us is in their contracts, not their play. Personally, I don't think either of those guys makes us a playoff contender, although they'd certainly help in that department. But in the end, the only way I'd want Portland to make a trade for Bibby or Miller is if Miles is leaving town in the same deal. Moving Raef and some young talent for either of those guys is a bad idea imo.

Winning 8 outta 10 in February-March is a LOT different than winning 8 outta 10 in December-January. When we went on our long winning streak, we had a lot of things working to our advantage. For one, people weren't ready for it and weren't taking the Blazers as seriously as they do now. Joel Przybilla himself has said that the team know feels like they have a target on their back every night they go out. Also, you aren't getting teams best effort early in the season. After the All Star break, veteran teams step it up, meaning that things aren't going to get any easier from here on out.

I opened this thread to stare at Spykes avatar. I could look at it for hours.

Oh yeah... uh Bibby or something.

[NBAMAN2006]

Mike Miller, and I dont care if the choice is unpopular.

Here are his stats this season....


He isnt as good as Roy at creating his own shot, but he certainly can. Miller has above average ballhandling skills, far above average passing abilities for a SG and most importnatly, would come very cheap. I would be very suprised if we couldnt get him for Raef, Jack and a 09' 1st rounder. That would be a hellava steal.

With the inconsistency of Martell, the injury problems of Jones and the inability of Outlaw to play any wing position effectivley, a guy like Mike Miller could really, really improve this team.


Mike Bibby would also be a nice fit, but I would offer no more than Raef, Jack and a 09' 1st rounder.

[Spykes]

Mike Miller, and I dont care if the choice is unpopular.

Here are his stats this season....


He isnt as good as Roy at creating his own shot, but he certainly can. Miller has above average ballhandling skills, far above average passing abilities for a SG and most importnatly, would come very cheap. I would be very suprised if we couldnt get him for Raef, Jack and a 09' 1st rounder. That would be a hellava steal.

With the inconsistency of Martell, the injury problems of Jones and the inability of Outlaw to play any wing position effectivley, a guy like Mike Miller could really, really improve this team.

I do agree that Miller could be a big help to this team at SF. But are you willing to throw away the 09 cap space plan (or the chance at using Raef as a expiring contract) for him? It's clear that the Griz want to be rid of Cardinal's contract, so that's going to be our price to pay to get Miller on the cheap. By moving Raef (and some extra pieces) for Miller and Cardinal, we're locked into that being our big move. I just can't see Pritchard being willing to settle like that.

Now, if it could be Miller and Darko.... Humm...

[SalemStoner]

Trade ID #4494584

Rosters after that trade...

POR
PG - Gordon / Blake / Sergio
SG - Roy / Gordon / Rudy
SF - Webster / Nocioni
PF - LMA / Frye / Nocioni
C - Oden / Wallace / Frye

CHI
PG - Hinrich / Duhon
SG - Jack / Thabo
SF - Deng / Jones
PF - Outlaw / Thomas
C - Joel / Noah / Gray

While I'm not big on eating Wallace's salary, our capspace will be effectively gone by resigning a guy like Gordon anyways(and he's probably as good as anyone we'd concievably get in 2009 considering our team's needs). We also pick up a great 6th man in Nocioni to eat Wallace's contract

Chicago gets out of Wallace and Nocioni's deals early and gets several nice young pieces back for Gordon. This lets them turn into a running team with 4 bigs that can run pretty damn well(Pryzbilla, Noah, Outlaw and Thomas).

[PDXKnight]

-= original quote snipped =-



so you want a hypothetical player somewhat like those you mentioned.

and you want portland to trade the players that don't have much 'value' to portland like frye, jack, and sergio(why would other teams part with a good power player for them I wonder), although I'm not sure what "etc." means...is that outlaw and webster, or green and mcroberts?

and ironically, frye is a much better rebounder then 2 of those players you mentioned...bass and turiaf. And since Frye plays C most of the time, I'm not sure how well the 6'9 turiaf, or the 6'7 bass, or the 6'7 millsap would replace frye in the C rotation.

but it wasn't necessarily them, it was somebody like them good enough to help portland make the playoffs, but undesired enough by their other team that jack and frye would entice the other team trade.

and then of course there is the rotation problem next season with oden pryzbilla, LMA, Outlaw, and player X all wanting minutes at the C/PF spots and only 96 to go around.

Oden2...I'm not meaning to pick on you. It's just that I see this type of proposal all the time and I just don't see how it would work unless portland trades either LMA or Outlaw. Those are the two guys on the floor most often when portland gets beat badly on the boards.

I see your point. The Blazers are most likely going to miss the playoffs but I think a nice backup PF/C player that can come in when the team's being rebounded on like crazy might really help this team. Granted, they probably still wouldn't make the playoffs but a player that could bang in the post would really work well even with Greg Oden in the picture (and would probably fit better than Frye quite honestly). I guess the draft would be the best place to find such a player but if a deal were to happen before the deadline, I'd want that kind of player.

[TowelBoy12]

Another Idea

[SoHo]

It's hard to say what that one deal is. I just don't see it happening because any deal to get us into the playoffs is probably one that hurts our longterm goals and vice versa. If the goal is to get a star we are going to have to part with a lot, at this point that looks like at least Outlaw, and most of our board seems pretty set against that.

I think an addition of a Harris style player is our best bet. I'd love to see him or perhaps Kirk Hinrich on this team. Either of them would help us in the here and now because they are good players, and they are young enough to keep playing with our team into the championship years. Whether it's now or in the off season I see some kind of move using Jack, our pick, maybe Outlaw to get a "PG of the future".

I would say the move to get us into the playoffs is probably for another big who can hustle for boards and score on the block. But that would be a silly trade to make because we have a great post presence joining the team next year: Little known prospect Greg Oden. And if we add a Bass or Millsap type then next year our big rotation is Oden/Aldridge/Bass/Frye/Outlaw/Pryzbilla. There is no way we can play six players at two spots. I'd love a banger at backup PF, but unless we trade Outlaw the backup PF spot is filled.

[Spykes]

Another Idea

Bad trade for the Nets. If they're trading Kidd, that means they're rebuilding. If they're rebuilding, they won't take on contracts longer than Kidd's, which they are doing in your trade proposal.

Also, as it's been stated a number of times, the Mavs aren't going to move Harris for Kidd. That ship has sailed and Cuban has made up him mind on this issue. They're sticking with Harris, which is really the smart move in their situation.

I think an addition of a Harris style player is our best bet. I'd love to see him or perhaps Kirk Hinrich on this team. Either of them would help us in the here and now because they are good players, and they are young enough to keep playing with our team into the championship years. Whether it's now or in the off season I see some kind of move using Jack, our pick, maybe Outlaw to get a "PG of the future".

Hinrich could be a realistic option. He probably doesn't make us a playoff team since he's having a terrible season, but the fact that he's having a bad season is probably what gives us a shot at him. If I could see into the future and know that Hinrich will return to the player he once was, I'd seriously consider making a move for him. As it is, I'd be hesitant, primarily because any move for Hinrich likely means we're taking on Wallace as well. That's a lot of money to roll the dice on a player who's having a bad season.

if we add a Bass or Millsap type then next year our big rotation is Oden/Aldridge/Bass/Frye/Outlaw/Pryzbilla. There is no way we can play six players at two spots. I'd love a banger at backup PF, but unless we trade Outlaw the backup PF spot is filled.

Bingo.