Trade Deadline

Thursday the 21st is the NBA trade deadline (12 PM PST) and a lot of names are being bandied about such as Portland's own Jarrett Jack. With all of the trade activity over the past month, I think there could be a couple more big money makers moving over the next couple of days. The Nets are going to try hard to get rid of Vince "Half-Man Half-Amazin'" Carter, the Pacers would like to dump J. O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley (good luck, his contract sucks, bad, real bad, one of the worst out there), Udonis Haslem, basically anyone on Miami not named Wade or Marion, and countless others are waiting to get the call.

Should Portland be part of the trades? Pritchard isn't going to do anything to jeapordize the young talent development on the team, but we also currently have four point guards (and a half if you count Roy) and have Rudy Fernandez and another first round pick potentially coming in next year, not to mention 3 or four second round picks (you have to think that they will either trade those or just pick big potential foreign players and stash them). Really there are too many eggs in the basket, so here is a list of potential trade options for the Blazers, either at the trade deadline, or before the draft.

1. Jarrett Jack

Jack is a big point guard that other teams covet. He can certainly pass the ball, and score in bunches, but the Blazers still haven't really figured out how he fits in with the team as he is not a natural PG and is kind of a tweener. Another interesting argument I have heard is that he is one of the last of the John Nash picks on the team (so is Martell Webster, but I think the entire team likes this guy and why wouldn't you, I think he is blossoming into a very complete player, plus I think he was Nate's pick), and Pritchard obviously did not like the way Nash picked players. So we could definitely see Jarrett moved by tomorrow, or soon. I think he is the point guard they do not want to keep, we know they like Blake for his high level of mistake free basketball and the fact that he is a true PG, Pritchard loves Rodriguez as much as Nate gets frustrated with him, I think they see him developing into a good if not great PG (and he is only 20 and will likely play with fellow Spainiard Fernandez next season). And I still think Taurean Green will develop into a solid PG as well. So Jack, as much as I like ya, you are the odd man out.

2. Channing Frye

Hey Frye has his pluses, but he is a SF trapped in a PF's body. He just does not really fit, this team does not need another soft PF (yes LA12 this is a dig at you!) they need a banger, someone with post moves, someone who can get rebounds, score in the post, and just muck it up. Think about it next year when Oden is our starting center, he will complement LA's soft game well, and we could just use a banger to side with Joel who can score, then you could put Outlaw at the 3, but I don't know if Nate likes him there, which leads us to.........

3. Travis Outlaw

He has a heap of potential, can be a great scorer, is a good team guy, has a very reasonable contract. I'm kind of on again off again about trading Trout. I really like the guy, thinks he is a great bench guy and could really be an awesome sixth man in this league, but I just don't know how he fits, another tweener, they have tried playing him at the 2, 3, and 4 spot, and Nate sees him as a four, but is he? I don't think he is rugged enough, I mean his body type is more of a T-Mac, Rashard Lewis, Tayshaun Prince, and none of them play PF. I could see that with a small ball lineup, but not with Joel in the middle. I would be okay with trading him if we got the right player, but only if it is in a deal that makes sense for us.

4. Darius Miles

We don't want him and we don't need him. Then again, I don't think anyone else does either, the only reason he is on this list is because we just really want to get out from under his contract. Maybe we could entice the Knicks to trade us Malik Rose and Mardy Collins for Miles and his potential. Rose's contract is up after next season (as opposed to the season after for Miles), and really he could be a solid big body backup at PF. Collins is just thrown into to make the dollars work, and we could just buy him out since we don't have the roster space for him, or trade him for a 2nd round pick in like 2010 or something. But if we trade Miles it will be something similar to that deal, because he just isn't worth much at this point.

Really I don't see any other player that we should trade at this point. I like the makeup of the team and think they will only get better.

As we are seeing right now, this team is hitting a wall, with many players playing in more games and getting more minutes (like this here) than ever before. But think about our lineup, not only is Roy playing more than he ever has, Aldridge is getting way more minutes than he ever has (he didn't exactly play a full season as a starter last year), Webster is playing a lot more, Outlaw is playing a lot more, these guys are just learning what it is like to play an 82 game season with significant minutes. Sure the All Star weekend gave some of them a break, but not much of one, not enough to totally recover. I feel this explains LaMarcus' slump (so ease off him Nat!) and the lack of fire and energy this team has right now. So patience is what we need to have with this team and these guys, whatever their record gets to be this season, all of these players will reap the benefits, trust me, this season will pay off big further on down the line......

All about Roy?

One of the highlights of the All Star game, is that the one guy who looked like the most unlikely to actually be on the court with the other players was our very own, Brandon Roy. The thing is it's not like I don't think he should be an All Star because he definitely has the talent to be on the same court as the other players, but you can just tell he is of a different breed than most of the others. Unassuming, humble, quiet, reserved, and a team player. And in doing all of this he also commands a certain amount of respect different than most of the other All Star caliber players. That and he played the most minutes on the West squad, and had the best all around game of his team, here is an article that suggests he was the Most Productive Player on either team. More on the humble, quiet, and respectful player Roy has become from the Sunday Oregonian right here (great article gives some insight into Roy as a youth). Then the Oregonian article from today on the All Star game for Roy here.

But I think all of the attention on Roy ever since he became a Blazer deserves some dissecting. In the two seasons previous to Roy's arrival, the Blazers were still known with the prefix 'Jail' and still had selfish, ball-hog type players who genuinely believed that there is an 'I' in team. Telfair, Miles, Randolph these players all talked as though they cared about wins and losses and playing as a team, but they never really showed it. The organization had been attempting to woo fans back to the arena with the 25-point pledge, pinning up the faces of the new young players who were supposedly good kids. Well guess what they weren't, and the front office was still being run by some fairly shady personnel who really weren't doing their due diligence concerning putting a competitive, character driven team together, but they got us the pieces. Then came the draft of '06, we essentially traded Viktor Khryapa for LaMarcus Aldridge, and then take Raef LaFrentz' contract off Bostons hands in order to get Roy. And this move was a stroke of genius, we got a 4 year college kid who was just a good guy, naturally humble, and a natural leader, yet with the drive and passion to win just like all the great basketball players have. Roy wasn't happy losing, and he also wasn't happy with ego-centric players. He quietly usurped the role of leader of this team, and in my mind, single handedly changed the culture surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers. He reminds me of Tim Duncan, not in his game of course, but in his demeanor. Obviously he has a bit more flair than TD, but not much, he quietly goes about his business and plays his game. He knows his strengths and uses them to his advantage, and most of all he puts his team above or at least on the same level as himself. He is clearly the best player on this Portland team and is definitely the star, the one player who truly makes the team 'go', but he doesn't take credit for that. He never has and even after all of his personal success since joining the Blazers, I doubt he ever will. Look at the article from todays paper, and notice the last quote he has in it:

"But I'll go back and tell my teammates about this whole weekend and the experience," Roy said. "I'll tell them this wouldn't have been possible without them."

Do you think Kobe Bryant would ever say that, LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, 'Melo? I highly doubt it. We have a very rare player on our hands, one I could see taking less money just to give his organization and team the best opportunity to win. One who I hope never leaves our fair city, one I don't see leaving our fair city, one whose number should be hanging in the rafters of the Rose Garden some day. And like Duncan, he rubs this unselfish attitude onto his entire team, he embraces his team and does his best to put them on his shoulders, to make them feel as important and as responsible for his own personal accolades. He has quietly, humbly become the heart and soul of this team. We are fortunate to have him, and I am fairly certain he feels the same way about the city of Portland and it's fans.

All Star

So this is what I have gathered from reading about All Star weekend, a lot of attention, and rightly so, focusing on the NBA and the help they have generated in the community of New Orleans. It's interesting, I read an ESPN magazine story about the NBA and how it is viewed by the public. Most people think the game is filled with thugs and self-centered, drug smoking hoodlums. And I wouldn't argue that there are those kinds of players out there, but seriously, this league does more community service work than any other major professional sports league, yet this gets constantly shoved aside by the general public. It is time the league received its due.

Other All Star hubbub, whether or not LeBron James should have been MVP, most people think it should have been Ray Allen. I think it is stupid to let the fans decide in the first place, it is not a popularity contest, so don't make it one......and I will get two new vending machines for center hall.

Then of course is the dunk contest, which Dwight Howard won (see all of his dunks here), due mainly to the fervor surrounding his non-dunk Superman dunk, but I was quite impressed, but it was a year too late for him to win, as I think this dunk should have garnered more attention than it initially received.

A mess of things....

What a mess this Kidd to Dallas thing has become, it's just kind of stupid if you ask me, first of all with Devean George being such a whiny little bitch, I mean come on dude, you aren't that good, just shut up and agree to the trade, and then Stackhouse, keep your effin mouth shut dude! If you want this deal to go through then just shut up about returning to Dallas already, sheesh!

Interesting editorial by Canzano here, I mean if Darius Miles could come back and be productive for this team and act like a veteran I would be all for it, but something that is the most glaring for me in this article is the strip club scene. I mean remember when this guy got married? He stated that he had settled down and didn't go out much. What does his wife think about all of this? I mean talk about a slap in the face to her. But if Miles really can't do anything, I tend to agree with Canzano this time. Hang em up dude, especially since he still gets his money, he can always try a comeback when he wants to, and most of all he can still live his NBA lifestyle, he could just join the posse of one of his buddies. Yeah, time to move on.

UPDATE: A little added piece about the Miles column.

And a little piece about James Jones here from Joe Freeman. Jones is a key part of this team, and I think will be one of the most key components to this team in the future, he is the 'veteran' of the squad, and I know he isn't that old, but to the Blazers he is, and he has been there with other teams, Indiana he learned from the great Reggie Miller, and then in Phoenix playing with Nash. In the piece by Freeman, he mentions everything me and my buddies have talked about before with Jones, he is such a smart player, he makes a lot of great little plays, how many times have we all seen him make a weakside block on a shot, come up with a much needed rebound, along with hitting a clutch 3 pointer from the corner. The guy just plays smart, not an overpowering defender but a sneaky good one, he is almost like the teams coach on the court. Which is why this mystery knee injury is so scary, not only for him, but for us as well, we don't need any more bad knees here in Portland, and I hope it is not something that will require major surgery. As such, as much of a detriment it would be for this squad, I almost think they should shut him down for this season and just let him heal all the way. Because, let's be honest, I really don't think the Blazers will make the playoffs this year, and the only reason I would want them to would be for experience anyways. And if Jones is shut down, it is highly likely he will pick up his player option for next year, if not I feel like he will stay around here and I think we definitely want him here, he is the consumate role player. But I want him healthy next year, when this young Blazers team really has a chance to make some serious noise in the league. Time will tell but I think shutting Jones down for the year, especially if the Blazers seriously slip after the All Star break, is the wise thing to do, but only time will tell.....

Missing the boat.....

Wow I have been slacking of late, maybe it's because I've been playing my college basketball video game so much Lindsay is about ready to kill me from playing so much. But here are my thoughts on basketball lately, the Blazers more specifically.

They are drained, extremely drained, physically and emotionally, they just look beat. They have also lost their confidence level, you see them hesitating on shots, then just taking worse ones, they aren't passing as much, and most of all they have lost their confidence. Which is not all that surprising for a young team, this is the most involved Webster, Aldridge, Roy, and Outlaw have been for a team, and you can just tell they are tired. End of story, the All Star break is going to be necessary for these guys, they deserve it and they need it.

But it is looking more and more like they will not make the playoffs, and if they get in the lottery and trade a draft pick, they have to get a good PG, I like Blake and I like Jack, and I like Serge, but come on, this team needs a good distributor, and I like Webster at the 3 spot, and yes I like LaMarcus at the four. The one thing this team needs most is a rugged backup PF, Brandon Bass would have been perfect, and they could play them and LaMarcus together, I'm sorry, I think Frye is a good guy and all, but he is just way too soft, we need rebounding, bad. Maybe we could get like a Craig Smith type guy, hell I'd even take Reggie Evans just for the rebounding he would provide (and the fact that the best year of his career was under Nate).

As for the Kidd trade, well, lets see if it happens. Apparently Devean George (yes, THAT Devean George) has blocked the trade. Using a little known clause as a player who is in a one year contract and the team that signed him has early Bird rights for that player, as such, if involved in a trade, said player waives his Bird rights, thereby making it harder for him to get more money on his next deal, and also taking away more money if involved in a sign and trade:

• This is the lesser form of the Larry Bird Exception. Free agents who qualify for this exception are called "early qualifying veteran free agents," and qualify after playing two seasons without being waived or changing teams as a free agent. Using this exception, a team can re-sign its own free agent for either 175% of his salary the previous season, or the NBA's average salary, whichever is greater. Early Bird contracts must be for at least two seasons, but can last no longer than five seasons.

Basically I look at it like this, George sucks, he and his agent probably don't think that he will get signed next year unless he has his Bird rights, and they are just grubbing for money. As a player I can understand, it's business, but now the two teams need to figure something out as an alternative, they could include Eddie Jones and Juwan Howard (but man that would suck SOO bad for Eddie Jones, poor guy just cannot get a championship within his grasp, I tell ya, the one year the Heat won, he was in Memphis, and I think he signed with Miami before the Lakers won, I kinda feel sorry for the guy), so they may work around it, but seriously what a bitch move by George.

If the trade does go down, I would agree, the west is certainly shaping up Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, and Lakers (ugh, that makes me sick to include them), but look to New Orleans to mix things up and make it interesting. As for Jimmy's comment about the team with the easiest path making it, I'm just curious what path that would be? I mean right now, NO is the first seed, then its the Suns, Dallas, Utah, LA, San Antonio, Golden State, and Houston, with Denver and Portland hanging back. I don't think the Blazers will make it, but Denver has a great shot, I mean there is NO easy road in the Western Conference, and honestly I think it is a free for all, I think any of those nine teams could make it to the finals, easy.

And with the trades occurring I mean it isn't like the balance of power has shifted any for any of the top teams. Except maybe the Spurs, who are just looking too old right now. I think Kidd will make Dallas a lot better, and I think Pau AND Bynum together will make the Lakers much tougher, and yes I think Shaq will fit in wonderfully for the Suns (who better to start a fast break, I mean we are looking at Showtime Lakers basketball from these guys with Shaq at center, it will be like having Kareem start the break, and Magic getting the ball to the player in the best position, trust me this is going to be one nasty combo folks!). I could care less about the East, where even Miami and New York still have a shot at getting into the playoffs. But how the West is won will be some of the best basketball anyone has seen in recent history.

And to think......

I used to like Rasheed Wallace, what a turd. All I have to say is that the Blazers are in contention for a playoff spot in the west, in the east, even with their current record, they would be in fourth place, probably better since they would have an easier schedule. C'mon Sheed, you guys are second in the east, which is like saying you would probably be eighth in the west. What an ass.

Weighing in

The Shaq trade. Like I said this is such a small story compared to when he was traded a few years ago. My oh my how things have changed. The bottom line for this deal though is that Miami gets some cap flexibility because I really doubt the Matrix will sign there in the offseason, and I'm not even sure Miami really wants him to.

For Phoenix, the trade makes sense, they got rid of the horrible Marcus Banks contract, and he never really fit in with their team, and they also got rid of a huge dissenter in the locker room. Marion wasn't happy there, he and Amare didn't get along, either on the court or off of it, and it was just a huge clash of ego. Although I think Amare's head is about as large as an NBA arena anyways, and that isn't due to his brain, which is, like cats, probably the size of a pea. I mean talk about a dumb kid, he didn't come out after high school solely for his basketball skills, colleges were probably going to have a hard time figuring out how he was going to get a good grade in anything.

As far as Shaq not fitting in there, I dunno, the trade does make sense. One reason Phoenix traded for Kurt Thomas is that they wanted interior defense, and Amare definitely wasn't giving them that. I mean he will kill at PF I'm fairly sure, and Shaq gives them the big body in the middle they have been craving. So to me the trade does make sense for them. Also Shaq is at the point of his career where his ego has been deflated, and he knows he isn't the player he used to be and is able to defer to others. I think it will be good for him.

And really Phoenix can use a lot more Boris Diaw now, who is almost always a triple-double threat. He is versatile, a great passer, a decent scorer, and a good rebounder. He isn't as athletic as Marion, but I feel the points and rebounds Marion provided will be split between Diaw and Shaq. Not to mention Grant Hill coming off the bench, I think this trade suits Phoenix a lot better than people think. There was talk of a Marion for Kirilenko trade, but that is like swapping two very similar players, and Phoenix is on the hook with Diaw for awhile, so they might as well give him some playing time and get the big man they covet. Overall, a decent trade for both teams. Now if only Miami would shut down Wade for the season and let him heal....