Biggest concern, PG or SF

[1 Eye Jack]

Small forward is the far bigger concern for me.

I don't think Portland needs a "pure" point guard. With a future guard rotation of Roy, Bayless and Fernandez, you'll always have two good passers with court awareness in the backcourt. Roy will guide the team most of the time, but both guards will be able to create for others.

At small forward, we currently have two options: a below-average player in Webster and a slightly above-average player in Outlaw who derives most of his value from taking the ball and going one-on-one. So, neither makes a good fit as a starter for a championship-caliber team.

I'd like an average to above average player. Defense is at the top of the ideal skillset of this player, for me, but after that, some package of passing, outside shooting and rebounding would be great.

Josh Childress is the ideal player who could be available for Portland. With luck, Atlanta can be induced to deal his rights to Portland for some combination of LaFrentz, Webster, Outlaw.

I agree I like Childress although Grainger or Prince would be my first choice.

 

[Minstrel]

I agree I like Childress although Grainger or Prince would be my first choice.

I'd love Granger. In fact, I'd be ecstatic if Portland got him without giving up any of the big three. But all indications are that Indiana plans to do whatever it takes to lock him long-term. And even they can't for some strange reason, he won't be a UFA until the 2010 off-season, by which point Portland won't have cap space.

 

[NOBODY]

I think our biggest need is SF. We seem to have enough PG's who can all do specific things. The one thing the team is lacking is a lock down defender on the perimeter.

 

[THE HCP]

HCP, I don't see Roy as a PG in any stretch of the imagination. He can't push the ball or drive the lane consistently. For a young and athletic team that needs to push the ball, we really don't have a PG (or SG) to do that effectively. And that's our missing link.

He isn't our PG? Really. He can't drive the lane? Wow, I swore I saw him take it to the rack on every defender that tried to guard him last season. He may not be a stereotypical PG in the sense that he isn't 6'2. But he runs this teams offense, and there is no denying that! The only thing he does NOT do is guard the other teams PG.