'Short' time till the Draft

[tisbee]

Re the scouts. Strong,mature GMs tend to want to bring in their own people.
If,again if,KP is gone,keeping the scouts may indicate the replacement either is young w/out having developed extensive contacts around League(and also cheap),is someone fairly familiar w/the Blazers or is going to be a figurehead.

[BballFanAddict]

Reliving a nightmare / OT:

so nothin was on tv when I sat down to eat my cereal so I settled on NBA tv. The moment i turned it on....: with the 2nd pick the Portland trail blazers choose Sam Bowie!

Bleck!


What was even more sad was the commentators talked a out Bowie's injuries and how the pick was a risk considering Jordan's "sure thing talent".

Even worse, Bowie is interviewed where he reveals Portland put him through a 7 hour physical because of his injury fears and due to Walton having similar injuries.

Painful.

[Village Idiot]

And/or

separate the trade into 2 or 3 trades with $3 million included in each trade IF the big cheese feels so inclined. Sign Blake for the BAE and still get Mike Miller to backup the SG & SF positions.

Blake/Bayless/Mills
Roy/Miller/Bayless/Webster
Granger/Miller/Webster
Aldridge/Granger/Camby/Cunningham
Camby/Oden/Pendergraph

There is some flexibility...

Blake, Roy, Granger, Miller, Bayless, Webster, Camby all play multiple positions.

I'm not wild about Blake, but he knows the system, works well with Roy and can hit the 3 ball.

Good idea on splitting it in two deals. Even better is splitting it in three

I'm feeling greedy. Chicago has said they'd be willing to move the #17 pick if they can move a salary with it. I imagine the thinking is to sign LeBron outright and use the remaing cap-space to offset the salary difference between Deng and Bosh/Boozer/Amare.

Indiana is reportedly also considering moving their pick.

Trade 1: Chicago-Indiana-Portland

Chicago trades

Kirk Hinrich
#17 pick

Chicago receives:

TJ Ford
2011 1st from Portland - top 10 protected
#44 pick

The Bulls save $500,000 in the difference between Hinrich and Fords salary and another $1.3 million due to the pick.

Indiana trades:

Danny Granger
TJ Ford
Josh McRoberts

Indiana receives:

Nicolas Batum
Andre Miller
Rudy Fernandez
Joel Przybilla
$3 million

Assuming Przybilla stays injured (I imagine the Pacers doctor can see choose to be very cautious with his health) they getting the massive savings I mentioned in my previous post.

Trade 2: Indiana-Portland

Indiana trades:

#10 pick

Indiana receives:

#17 pick
#22 pick
$3 million

The Pacers save another $2.5 million and get a decent two-for-one

Trade 3: Chicago-Portland

This trade is made in the beginning of the new salary year since McRoberts can't be packaged with another player in June.

Chicago trades:

James Johnson

Portland trades:

Dante Cunningham
Josh McRoberts
$3 million

McRobers contract is only guaranteed for $250,000 so by cutting him they free up another $700,000. Cunningham and Johnson are similar tweener players with slightly different strenghts but similar projected roles. In total Chicago saves $2 million in salary and gets another $3 million to pay for the discrepency in talent.

We use the #10 to draft Patrick Patterson (broken record, I know) and sign one of the many decent veteran swing-men in free-agency.

PG: Hinrich, Bayless
SG: Roy, (Bayless/Webster), FA
SF: Granger, Webster, FA
PF: Aldridge, Patterson
C: Oden, Camby

That team would have veterans entering their primes at every position (except center) with talented young players challenging them for minutes.

[JasonStern]

that said, tim duncan seems like a great target

I was thinking this for a fleeting moment and then thought again SA would never give up the face of the spurs.

ewing was traded to the sonics, olajouwan was traded to the raptors... if spurs management doesn't think the team as currently built isn't going to contend (big if), why wait until duncan's value rapidly deteriorates to move him/overpay to keep him when you can possibly dump a bad contract like jefferson and bring in some talented young pieces?

Duncan has 2 to 3 years left in him tops of elite or near elite play ...

everyone said the same about ray allen and KG, yet in the last three seasons, they won 1 championship and lost in the finals recently.

if paul allen's health is rapidly deteriorating, I could definitely see him sacrificing young talent for three years of contention instead of taking a guaranteed three years of first round playoff exits, with oden's health being the x-factor...

[DeBlazerRiddem]

I like that offseason plan V.I. I don't wanna waste space quoting all of it, but +1.

[BballFanAddict]

Okay, so this is not substantiated in ANY way whatsoever. I normally wouldn't even post this type of stuff because its not substantiated at all and instead is just an anonymous internet kid posting on a forum. But, with news being slow today, I thought some of you would be interested in it nevertheless. At the very least it could spark some conversation.

Essentially, a kid / guy / whomever posted on ESPN's NBA / Portland forums that he is a personal friend of Andre Miller's. And, that Miller told him that Roy received a text message from Bosh talking about playing together. The story goes that Roy approached Pritchard with this news a few days ago.

Again, likely total crap, but today is a SLOW day.

Not sure if its kosher to link another NBA forum so you'll have to find it yourself if you're interested.

Of course this does not sound like anything we've heard lately because it was my understanding that the rumor deal(s) revolve around players under contract and not around free agents. So, again, take it with a HUGE grain of salt. Hell, take it with an entire salt mine!

As for the truth of it, the only thing that I could read into it is that Bosh COULD be interested in Portland simply because Roy is known to not be ego-centric; Roy is known to be very unselfish; known as a winner; and Bosh may see Portland as a great core that he could still be the "man" at as opposed to being Robin to Wade and Lebron's Batman.

Just some food for thought.

mmmm food.

[Billy]

I saw that too BBallFanAddict. Would be great if true.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Pieces coming in indicate the effort is much more in line with a trade or sign-n-trade. They are also trying to move up in the draft but that is not the the biggest item on the agenda.

Anyway, that question aside, if KP is really got a huge deal up his sleeve to save his job, it has to be for an All Star. I don't think simply moving up in the draft (even into the lotto) or getting a 2nd/3rd tier player like Kirk Hinrich, Richard Jefferson or Mike Miller. It's gotta be someone who's a no questions All Star.

DB...absoluetly right. A legit star at least. Obviously no S&T now but there can be periphery discussions without talking specifically about the player. I would look more at the straight 'trade' options right now.

I didn't remember this second quote so I edited (had wondered why people were dismissing S&T's). Does sound like whatever TBpup heard was a straight trade rumor. Even so, if Bosh came to Portland through KP how the heck would you fire him? He would be wooed by every other team instantly. Also Bosh practices with Aldridge right? Maybe he liked the team sound of Portland or something

[Wizenheimer]

Duncan has 2 to 3 years left in him tops of elite or near elite play ...

everyone said the same about ray allen and KG, yet in the last three seasons, they won 1 championship and lost in the finals recently.

if paul allen's health is rapidly deteriorating, I could definitely see him sacrificing young talent for three years of contention instead of taking a guaranteed three years of first round playoff exits, with oden's health being the x-factor...

this is really a bad comparison in my view

KG and Allen were both trade to Boston when they were 31. Tim Duncan is already 34, and he'll be older at the beginning of next season's playoffs then KG and Allen are now

if we were talking about grabbing Duncan at the end of Roy's rookie season, or even perhaps possibly his second season, then maybe there would be some validity to it...but not at this point

Perhaps Duncan does have 2 or 3 great years left in him. But the fact is, the Spurs were healthy in these playoffs and the Duncan-led Spurs were swept by the same team that the injury-riddled Blazers took 2 games from. And Duncan has often been injured at the end of seasons as well. So it's just as likely he could start a steep downhill slide in his abilities as it is of him remaining a great player.

Paul Allen MAY be willing to sacrifice everything for a short-term opportunity to contend. Or he may still have an eye to the future as well. It's total conjecture at this point

[EGame]

Dangit BFA, even it is not true (probably most likely), you got my hopes way up now> Errgggg.

Edit: Yeah, just say the post as well. My first question is to post some kind of proof he is friends with Miller. My second question is to post proof on this potential trade, although, that would be a little tougher.

[JD45]

Also Bosh practices with Aldridge right? Maybe he liked the team sound of Portland or something

That would be ironic. The only way Bosh comes to Portland is if LMA is sent out, and likely to Toronto. Toronto would prefer a C, so would try to work out a 3 way deal. But still, LMA would be good value for Toronto.

So LMA tells Bosh how much he likes playing in Portland. Bosh then lets the Blazers know he is interested. The Blazers send out LMA to get Bosh.

LMA hires a hit man to take Bosh out.

[sabi]

Bosh, Roy, (healthy)Oden would be the best trio in the NBA and would win multiple chips. That and the fact that the rest of our team is pretty good too, lol.

[Walton'sBeard!]

I suspect that a S&T deal for Bosh would center around Oden. No, I don't know how well a Bosh/LMA front line would work, but I would be willing to give it a try.

[jeffhardyfan52]

bosh as a blazers makes me orgasiem
i traded lma for him in 2k10 its awesome

[EGame]

Well I don't know if it is involved around Aldridge or Oden, but I keep seeing how Bosh and Aldridge are friends, which is probably true I am not going to question it, but if this report that this dude on the ESPN boards is reporting is true (and there is plenty of reason to believe it is not true), there is a reason Bosh texted Roy and not Aldridge even though they are the ones who are closer as far as friendship than Bosh and Roy. Bosh knows Roy and his capabilities and being a three time all star is a pretty big deal as well. I don't think Bosh would be hurt or anything if he were to replace Aldridge, he just wants to win, and whether that is with Roy, himself and Oden, or Roy, himself and Aldridge, we have that opportunity. Personally, I hope it is Roy, Bosh, and Oden as Aldridge and Bosh on the front line may be horrible, but I guess I would be down for either. But yeah, I think there is a reason Bosh texted Roy over Aldridge if this report is to be true.

[JD45]

I suspect that a S&T deal for Bosh would center around Oden. No, I don't know how well a Bosh/LMA front line would work, but I would be willing to give it a try.

Maybe. Toronto certainly wants a C. However, LMA has a long term deal signed. Oden will be restricted after this year. If he didnt like Toronto, he could pull a Bosh once again on Toronto and be free in two years.

A Bosh/LMA front line would be frightening. Nate is definitely not the coach for that lineup.

[jeffhardyfan52]

if we traded oden for bosh camby would have to take lamarucs starting spot or we would be destoryed in the front court
but still like tb pup said oden nd roy arnt in the deal

[Manuel Calavera]

It's possible that we are really overestimating how much leverage Toronto has in a S&T. We all just assumed that Aldridge/Rudy or something would be sent out but what if that guy is right and it's just Bayless/Rudy/Pryz? Those three together means we can take back 16 million in salary which is what Bosh should be willing to sign for. It's not like Toronto has a say and they are no doubt getting useful pieces back, they are over the cap so Pryz's contract being mostly insured+expiring means he'll be a super expiring along with two promising players with the right attitudes in Rudy and Bayless.

I don't know...sounds crazy but when you look at this:

Oden/Camby
Bosh/Aldridge

You can't help but hope.

[jeffhardyfan52]

Can a team that says they will do a sign and trade at some point after the player signed the contract to the team that is tradeing him decide not to do the trade and decide keep him?
basicley trick him to stay on a team?
id hope theres rules against that

[farzi]

Yeah, I'd be stoked for our 65 million dollar boy to play 15 minutes a night as backup PF.

But if we were able to trade him to NJ for Harris and Lee...

Harris / MLE (Blake or Ridnour)
Roy / Lee
Batum / Webster
Bosh / Patterson (Ford's mock has him falling to 22)
Oden / Camby

Would be a lot of fun, but likely wishful thinking