I want to say "Unsettled Ripples" so bad, but I think it's premature. So I'll go with Calm Watters with a warning of Unsettled Ripples ahead. There are some things about this team I love. For years, we wanted a playmaker - a scorer who could make shots/get to the line in the clutch. We finally have that in Roy. We haven't had that since . . . I don't know. Even Clyde was more of an open court guy (not a guy who won you games in half court down the stretch) So that's great. Except, he gets hurt. Now, the Calm Watters part is maybe he stays healthy if we get him some help offensively. The guy just gets punished night in/out physically.
Oden. He's played with more emotion and energy recently, which gives me hope. Two weeks ago, I was worried big time. Reports of him allienating himself, becoming isolated . . . and he looked like he wanted to cry on the court. He's shown more heart recently. The kid has the weight of the world on his shoulders, but what #1 pick doesn't? I'm more optomistic now that he'll be okay. Not Bill Russell, not Shaq . . . maybe just a workman 15/10 with 2 blocks game. If he does that, plays with energy/heart, and stays relatively healthy I'm great with that. I just don't know what to think yet.
PG. Blake is worthless when he's not banging down 3's. Sergio is has no disciplan and can't shoot. And neither can defend worth a crap. Bayless? I don't know yet. He does about 4 things bad to 1 good, but sometimes I see a glimpse and think he just might be okay. But I thought that about Outlaw too (see below) Should we trade for a PG? WHO?? Forget about getting the elite guys . . . maybe a guy like Andre Miller would be good. It's hard to get excited when I read we're looking at Raymond Felton.
SF. Batum looks like he's going to be a good one. That game at LA the other night was an eye opener. Still, it's probably 2 years before we see that from him on a consistant basis. I'll wait! The guy has shown he can defend, he can finish at the basket, and he can shoot - he's going to be a good player. Outlaw? I'm tired of his act. Every 2 weeks he'll have a break out game - he'll score (and sometimes in the clutch), block a few shots, eat up some boards, grab a few steals . . . but even in his good games there are just so many mental lapses. Martell? We'll see, but I've never been impressed by him either. Same as Travis, he used to have about a break out game (24 points in a quarter last year vs Utah) and then dissapear for a while. It bothered me that he never improved on his weaknesses (ball handling, FT shooting - how does a guy with that stroke shoot 70% from the stripe?) We've heard "Martell worked with Kobe in LA this summer and . . ." more than once. What can we expect this year from him? When he comes back, we'll be fighting for a playoff spot and it'll be training camp for him. So, we'll have to wait another year to assess him . . . Great.
Other Notes: Rudy is hard to read. Some nights he looks great, others he looks awful. I think he'll get better, but I'd like to see him work at getting better shots. He settles for too many 3's, and when it's not falling he needs to get to the basket more. I thought he was supposed to be a slasher? I really had hoped he could be the guy to help B-Roy break down defenses in the 4th quarter - so far he's been mostly an inconsistant 3 point shooter. Lamarcus is a solid guy - it's such a luxary to have a PF who can shoot 20 ft jumpers. His post game is solid too. I think he'll get better, maybe not a TON statistically but I think he'll become a better defender (he's not bad, but he could be really good) He really does seem like Rasheed with a better attitude.
Needs/Trades: No secrets. We need a b/u PF who can bang and do the dirty work. PG and SF are obvious weaknesses, but I like Batum in 2 years. Should we trade for Lee? Well, can we sign him after this year? Will he be okay as a b/u? Big questions. I'd like to move Outlaw and Frye, but who'd want them? Frye has been terrible, but he is playing out of position big time. He's not a center, he's not even a legit PF. He's more of a SF, who can't defend other SF's. On the right team, he can provide a scoring spark off the bench. I don't know what Travis' trade value is - it seems like the "potential" might have come/gone since he's been here 6 years - he is what he is now. Martell probably doesn't have any trade value either.
Summary: I'd love to have G. Wallace, C. Butler, or Andre Miller but at what cost? How much value does Raef's expiring hold to other teams? Does anybody want Outlaw, Frye, Martell, Sergio, or Blake? I get as frustrated as anybody when the Blazers struggle, but I try to remember that this is a young team that sometimes starts 3 rookies. I also remember how a bad trade can handcuff you for years. Or a bad contract. I still trust KP. If the Blazers do make a deal, I think we'll (us fans) like it. But I'm not going to bash him if the deadline comes/goes and we don't do anything. Someone on here suggested that "if KP is really a good GM, than he should be able to pull off a Gasol-like trade . . " Give me a break - that was a gift and they don't come around very often. I do trust that if we don't make a move, it's because there just wasn't anything out there that makes sense. And I don't think we'll make the playoffs w/o a trade BTW. When Utah is healthy, they are a much more complete team than we are. The only team ahead of us that I could see falling off is Phoenix. If Shaq, Amare, or Nash gets hurt than they could nose dive. If we do miss the playoffs, than I think you have to call next season "playoff or bust". But not this year. If the right trade comes along, then great. If not, I understand why.
