Can we get a deal done please?

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Frankly, if KP can't trade Blake for CP, Outlaw for LaBron, Joel for Howard, and Bayless for D-Wade, then he's worthless to us. There, now I feel I'm in the swing of things around here.
 
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I think the Blazers have been traditionally poor when it comes to using cap space. Normally, we let contracts expire and do nothing with the space. Remember Sabonis' contract? Remember Raef? I'm not on the same band wagon as everyone else thinking Pritchard is some sort of genius. Remember that two of his first round picks will never play in the NBA in Kopenen and Freeland. I think people have a right to question his history. Everybody and their sister thought the RLEC was the crown jewel and we didnt' pull the trigger. Now, in the only off season in which we will have cap space for the next 5 years, most of the intriuging players have signed:
Turk- Toronto
Kidd- Mavs
Bibby- Hawks
Marion- Mavs
Artest- Lakers
Ariza- Rockets

And then we seen other top teams improve:
Sheed- Celtics
Jefferson- Spurs
Carter- Orlando
Shaq- Cavs

You can call us questioning KP whiners, but I'm not completely convinced he is some genious. If the Turk is the best he could do when others are bringing in tier 1 level players, I have serious reservations.
those are tier 1 players??? I'd have reservations about Portland adding every one of the guys you listed as they are either redundant to talent already in place or declining and too expensive for what they bring.

I want the club to make smart moves that improve the championship chances.... to hold on to their assets until the right opportunity comes along. I'll save my complaining for when an attainable guy who would fit this team's needs is allowed to go elsewhere.

STOMP
 
You may not think being under the salary cap is an advantage, but i think it is beneficial for the next year or until we use it. Raef for Carter (and his prima donna attitude ) would have wasted it. (Plus NJ wanted more from us) I would rather use it on Lee or Millsap than Carter or Jefferson. Even if they are back ups.
 
KP was directed by his boss to improve the roster this offseason.

He hasn't done so

Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has told general manager Kevin Pritchard to upgrade the team's roster for next season, adding suspense, intrigue and pressure to what already figures to be a critical juncture in the team's pursuit of a championship.

"Overall, our timeline has moved up," Pritchard said last week after one of several offseason meetings with Allen. "We need to take it to the next level."
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/06/allen_tells_his_gm_go_for_it.html

Upgrade the roster does not mean let the cake bake.
 
The $9M cap hit you guys took for Darius Miles killed your chances to be the big player in FA this summer. You don't want the best players available; you want guys who don't play the same position as your top 3. At SF and PG, the pickings are just slim, and the teams with more than $9M in cap space signed the truly best available for more than $9M you guys had.

As we learned in Chicago, cap space can get you into a situation where it's "use it or lose it" and we ended up signing Ben Wallace whose contract ultimately turned into Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, then into Brad Miller and Salmons and Jerome James and Tim Thomas. Hardly anything to shout about.

Hedo was the best option for use it or lose it. I think you guys may have lucked out in not signing someone for the sake of it. Look around the league at guys you can get in lopsided (salary, not talent) deals and you may end up way better off.

Exactly right, Denny. The Bulls parallel is the one that scares me.
 
Sometimes improving the roster means doing nothing right now.

What would you do to "improve" the roster. Which FA's would you sign? Which trades do you think are realistic?

Is this the argument KP used on Paul Allen? Hey, boss, Sometimes improving the roster means doing nothing right now. Paul, What would you do to "improve" the roster. Which FA's would you sign? Which trades do you think are realistic?

He was directly by Paul Allen was his point. Your arguments may apply to us, but not to him. In fact, they would get KP fired! (which I really don't want).
 
Is this the argument KP used on Paul Allen? Hey, boss, Sometimes improving the roster means doing nothing right now. Paul, What would you do to "improve" the roster. Which FA's would you sign? Which trades do you think are realistic?

He was directly by Paul Allen was his point. Your arguments may apply to us, but not to him. In fact, they would get KP fired! (which I really don't want).

Obviously Pritchard had a target in Turkoglu. Now, I didn't like that target, but to say he didn't have a target that he felt would improve the team is totally false. After Hedo spurned Portland, isn't it at least possible that the organization feels that the only FA the would have actually improved the roster was no longer an option, and that any other FA wasn't a good use of the cap space? If that's the case, may as well keep the cap space in hopes of a lopsided trade with a bad team over the cap (like Washington, for example).
 
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It does strike me as odd that some teams that are at least as good as the Blazers could somehow make use of some of the guys that so many Blazers fans on this board don't think good enough to make the Blazers roster.

Ed O.
Like who?
 
For all of you saying "they're not Tier One guys---they're old---we didn't want them anyway"....

who the heck was KP targeting with his "Cap Space '09" Plan, then? It's not like the FA class has been a secret for the last two years. They had targets, didn't get them for one reason or another. Fine. Hedo leaving wasn't KP's fault. Putting all of your eggs in the "It's Free Agency '09 or Cake Baking" basket is a very questionable move, imo.

It's ok to be giving KP the benefit of the doubt. But if you don't think they're room for doubt, I just don't know what to say.
 
For all of you saying "they're not Tier One guys---they're old---we didn't want them anyway"....

who the heck was KP targeting with his "Cap Space '09" Plan, then? It's not like the FA class has been a secret for the last two years. They had targets, didn't get them for one reason or another. Fine. Hedo leaving wasn't KP's fault. Putting all of your eggs in the "It's Free Agency '09 or Cake Baking" basket is a very questionable move, imo.

As compared to what? He still has all of the options available to him that any other team has, but he just has more flexibility in making a deal. Obviously, the team's first choice of signing Hedo didn't play out, but that doesn't mean that making a deal on a FA just to make a deal is the smart play. Holding on until a player that does fit becomes available through an unbalanced trade is most likely the fall-back plan. It just takes longer to work out because the Blazers have to find a willing partner.
 
For all of you saying "they're not Tier One guys---they're old---we didn't want them anyway"....

who the heck was KP targeting with his "Cap Space '09" Plan, then? It's not like the FA class has been a secret for the last two years. They had targets, didn't get them for one reason or another. Fine. Hedo leaving wasn't KP's fault. Putting all of your eggs in the "It's Free Agency '09 or Cake Baking" basket is a very questionable move, imo.
It's ok to be giving KP the benefit of the doubt. But if you don't think they're room for doubt, I just don't know what to say.

Your not mentioning the "lopsided trade" option that is relevant until 2/2010 seems to be a questionable move as well if we're going to question Pritchard. Also, what is wrong with winning 54 games with a young team and having cap flexibility for much of the next calendar year? I understand that most "fanatics", as we all are here, aren't very patient by nature, but I really don't see a reason to REALLY start criticizing Pritchard until after the cap space is either used or it expires.
 
I really don't see a reason to REALLY start criticizing Pritchard until after the cap space is either used or it expires.

Why not?

His boss told him to upgrade the roster.

He didn't do so. He did NOT get the job done.

Not saying we should crucify the guy, or even get rid of him. I'm saying he did NOT do what he was directed to do by the owner of this team.
 
Why not?

His boss told him to upgrade the roster.

He didn't do so. He did NOT get the job done.

Not saying we should crucify the guy, or even get rid of him. I'm saying he did NOT do what he was directed to do by the owner of this team.
Do we need to upgrade before summer league starts? I'm guessing his boss told him to do it before the season starts in November.
 
Why not?

His boss told him to upgrade the roster.

He didn't do so. He did NOT get the job done.

Not saying we should crucify the guy, or even get rid of him. I'm saying he did NOT do what he was directed to do by the owner of this team.

As I posted earlier, isn't it possible that outside of Turkoglu, there isn't a FA or player via trade right now that Pritchard feels "upgrades" the roster? Plus, what if he pulls a lopsided deal over the next 8 months for, say, Caron Butler? Will those wasting hour upon hour bashing him then reverse their opinion? Seems more rational in my mind to wait it all out and see what the roster looks like next February. The nonstop whining a week into what could be an 8 month process seems unnecessary and a bit naive.
 
Do we need to upgrade before summer league starts? I'm guessing his boss told him to do it before the season starts in November.

It could easily stretch into next February and the trade deadline. I imagine by that point half of the posters here will be on suicide watch, and many others will be on some sort of medication.
 
The season starts in November. It's July 8th. This is the beginning of the offseason. Nowhere did I read in your quote that Paul Allen demanded a roster upgrade by July 8th.

:cheers: You are absolutely right about that.

I am tired of hearing about what we are going to do. I want action, not excuses. I don't want to hear anything about how much we like our guys and how we're going to let the cake bake.

Our roster is uneven, and needs adjustments.

Outside of Roy, Oden or Aldridge, anyone else on the team could and should be considered as a tradeable asset.
 
:cheers: You are absolutely right about that.

I am tired of hearing about what we are going to do. I want action, not excuses. I don't want to hear anything about how much we like our guys and how we're going to let the cake bake.

Our roster is uneven, and needs adjustments.

Outside of Roy, Oden or Aldridge, anyone else on the team could and should be considered as a tradeable asset.

I want an upgrade as well. Not a move, but a true upgrade. I don't think Turkoglu would have been much of an upgrade, and that was an unpopular opinion, so perhaps I have a higher standard of what an "upgrade" is than a lot of other people. That said, if next February comes and nothing is done to address what I believe are the primary problems (a PG who can shoot and defend and/or a SF who can create his own offense), I'll be joining in the chorus who are wondering exactly why the Blazers needed cap space.
 
It could easily stretch into next February and the trade deadline. I imagine by that point half of the posters here will be on suicide watch, and many others will be on some sort of medication.

With the Blazers standing at 41-8 behind the stellar play of 3 time all-star Brandon Roy and rookie all-star selections LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden - those that are on medication/suicide watch will not have the Blazers to accuse for their predicament ;)
 
I can tell you I started feeling better as soon as a few months ago I came to the conclusion KP isn't going to make a deal. Once you realize the reality of the situation, and don't expect anything more, it is much easier to just sit back and watch nothing happen. :devilwink:
 
I can tell you I started feeling better as soon as a few months ago I came to the conclusion KP isn't going to make a deal. Once you realize the reality of the situation, and don't expect anything more, it is much easier to just sit back and watch nothing happen. :devilwink:


Very sensible advice.

Numb indifference might be the best way to go. :dunno:
 
I can tell you I started feeling better as soon as a few months ago I came to the conclusion KP isn't going to make a deal. Once you realize the reality of the situation, and don't expect anything more, it is much easier to just sit back and watch nothing happen. :devilwink:

KP. Isn't he the guy that was blowing smoke up our asses at the tradel deadline about letting the cake bake, and how much better the trade opportunities would be this summer......while letting go of RLEC, which they'd been telling us for a year was a huge asset?

Yeah. Same guy.
 
KP. Isn't he the guy that was blowing smoke up our asses at the tradel deadline about letting the cake bake, and how much better the trade opportunities would be this summer......while letting go of RLEC, which they'd been telling us for a year was a huge asset?

Yeah. Same guy.
you must have been a big fan of John Nash. He played his cards face up and wrote fans emails... those were the days

STOMP
 
you must have been a big fan of John Nash. He played his cards face up and wrote fans emails... those were the days

STOMP

Yeah, the guy who told us about how Nick Van Exels expiring contract and Damons expiring contract were going to get us something really good.
 
KP. Isn't he the guy that was blowing smoke up our asses at the tradel deadline about letting the cake bake, and how much better the trade opportunities would be this summer......while letting go of RLEC, which they'd been telling us for a year was a huge asset?

Yeah. Same guy.

Yep. That is him. The facts are everything doesn't go like you want it to in life. The facts are the GM controls the team, and we are just along for the ride. So if you are going to hop on the ride, you have to accept the fact you are not in control. Ok so it's not going like a lot of folks want. If it had, the Blazers would have won the last 30 or so world titles. No big whoop. I have been putting up with it since '76, whats another year. At least it's better than when Nash, Bassy, Zbo, Dixon, Miles and Patterson were around.
 
Apparently some of you geniuses think you are smarter than RC Buford. Richard Jefferson was a great pick up. Antonio McDyess was a great pick up. There is a reason they have won 3 titles in the last decade and we haven't won a sniff.

I'm not saying KP is a bad GM. I'm just not ready to suck the guys wad after two seasons of inactivity when we have major space and assets is concerning. I'm also not giving him a free pass for wasting our first round draft pick this year, wasting a draft pick with Sergio, Freeland and Koppenen. He was also player personel director when we drafted Kryhapa and Monia. Thats 5 first first round picks that were stinkers. If we are going to give him credit for the Roy/Aldridge draft he needs to take the blame for those picks as well.
 

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