Canzano: Blazers on fast track to lost summer

[tlongII]

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...sf/2010/07/canzano_blazers_on_fast_track.html

The odd offer on the Matthews contract shouldn't bother most fans. After all, it's Allen's money and if he wants to ensure he gets Matthews, that's his prerogative. But overpaying for a decent player in his second season is symptomatic of everything going on with the Blazers right now.

They lack vision.

The Hornets, without a GM themselves, indicated this week that they wish to talk with former Portland executives Kevin Pritchard and Tom Penn. So it appears that Pritchard may finally get Paul -- the All-Star point guard he coveted for so long. If Pritchard gets that gig, Blazers fans can forget about Paul. But while we're waiting on that development, you can't help but see how Pritchard and Penn are perceived as solid candidates by the Hornets and wonder if the Blazers just canned the only two guys who were capable of planning and development.

The Heat have a plan. The Lakers have a plan. So do the Bulls, Celtics, Rockets, Jazz and Nuggets. Even Cleveland, the one team entitled to sit around shell shocked, had a backup plan after losing LeBron James. But by watching the Blazers operate in the last six weeks, it's clear they're rudderless and drifting.

Miller, the guy with the big desk, doesn't feel like he has enough player personnel experience or, frankly, the autonomy, to get big things done. The scouts, Mike Born and Chad Buchanan, are skilled enough at identifying talent, but aren't experienced deal makers. And Allen and the people around him are more interested in jockeying for control inside the organization than they are in carrying out a plan, even if they had one.

 

[Nikolokolus]

So tell me again what Cleveland's backup plan was? Sending out a scathing letter in comic sans?

Anyway, I'll give John credit, he knows where to stick the knife and twist with this fan base; I'm sure he'll get lots of page hits and lots of riled up people calling into his afternoon drive show to argue with him and for him.

 

[julius]

So tell me again what Cleveland's backup plan was? Sending out a scathing letter in comic sans?

Anyway, I'll give John credit, he knows where to stick the knife and twist with this fan base; I'm sure he'll get lots of page hits and lots of riled up people calling into his afternoon drive show to argue with him and for him.

He's just baiting the hook, and throwing out the chum.

 

[XXPrimusXX]

Clownzano at his finest.

 

[mook]

But overpaying for a decent player in his second season is symptomatic of everything going on with the Blazers right now.

They lack vision.

Those lines absolutely bust me up. Does anybody else see the irony here? I think "vision" is exactly what it takes to nab (without giving up any assets in return) a starting shooting guard for a second round playoff team who is entering only his second season. Especially if that shooting guard fills in several holes on your current team (perimeter defense, three point shooting).

The Blazers don't lack "a plan." The plan is simple: Get guys healthy. Add a little perimeter defense and perimeter shooting. See how it all fits.

Canzano conflates a lack of movement with a lack of a plan. That conflation demonstrates a true lack of vision.

 

[oldmangrouch]

There is a difference between planning and hoping.

Every team in the lotto hoped they would get John Wall. Several teams hoped they would land LeBron in free agency. If their actual plans for the future were contingent on those hopes coming true - they were idiots.

As long as the Blazers' "plan" is to hope Oden gets healthy and becomes a superstar, then Canzano is not wrong. (lord, it scalds me to say that!)

 

[julius]

Isn't "overpaying" a player in his 2nd year, a vision to thinking he might be a really good player in the future?

Lacking vision would be signing a much older veteran to a long term deal. Or doing nothing.

 

[maxiep]

I wish we had an opinion writer who had more interesting opinions this summer. The Cleveland Plain Dealer's sports opinion writer has it. So does the Denver Post's, the New Orleans Times Picayune and the L.A. Times'. It seems our sports opinion writer is afraid to cover new ground. It seems Canzano is on the fast track to a lost summer.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I wish we had an opinion writer who had a more interesting opinions this summer. The Cleveland Plain Dealer's sports opinion writer has it. So does the Denver Post's, the New Orleans Times Picayune and the L.A. Times'. It seems our sports opinion writer is afraid to cover new ground. It seems Canzano is on the fast track to a lost summer.

Word.

 

[THE HCP]

And he's the first guy to kiss ass when we go on a winstreak!

 

[RoyToy]

Article definitely has some merit.

 

[Wheels]

maybe its just me.. but I dont see a thing in that article that is Hooking the bait to get Blazer fans.. I def see valid points in it.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

There is a difference between planning and hoping.

Every team in the lotto hoped they would get John Wall. Several teams hoped they would land LeBron in free agency. If their actual plans for the future were contingent on those hopes coming true - they were idiots.

As long as the Blazers' "plan" is to hope Oden gets healthy and becomes a superstar, then Canzano is not wrong. (lord, it scalds me to say that!)

There's a difference between hoping Oden gets better and not being able to plan around such a huge question mark without data. I see this situation clearly in the latter camp. The "Oden Problem" has a solution that involves not resigning him and letting him go, or resigning him and keeping him. But the big question mark is how he performs this year. It's a variable without a value right now, and you can't solve this equation without a value in place.

Sure, you can make up a value now ("he'll never be great" or "I'm sure he'll be great") but you sure as hell better be right if you do, because if you're wrong, the team is fucked for the next five years.

it's much easier to wait and see one more year. If he busts himself up again, cut bait and start Camby. You now know that your system needs to be guard/wing oriented, without a strong center. That's not horrible; SA won without a true center. So did the Lakers more recently. Same with Boston. None of these teams have had dominant centers (strong PF's, though). So you tune your team appropriately.

If Oden plays great next year, you sign the man, roll the dice, and adjust the team to accommodate a strong center with an injury bug. You keep experienced backups like Camby in your arsenal. You make sure your starting PF can play some center. And you start a more post-oriented offense.

The problem isn't that we don't have a plan; the problem is we have a plan, and are waiting on one last variable to show its value. And this will take *all season* to do. People who are impatient for a Plan to emerge have to realize that we can't move intelligently without data.

Oden will deliver data next season, one way or another.

 

[Ed O]

I like it that the Jazz and other teams have "vision" or "a plan" or whatever... where's the proof of that, though? The Nuggets have a plan?

What?

He clearly is just pulling stuff out of his ass to support a predetermined position of Blazers incompetence.

Ed O.

 

[julius]

I like it that the Jazz and other teams have "vision" or "a plan" or whatever... where's the proof of that, though? The Nuggets have a plan?

What?

He clearly is just pulling stuff out of his ass to support a predetermined position of Blazers incompetence.

Ed O.

the Nuggets plan consists of keeping Carmello, and overpaying for another wacko player. The Jazz's plan consists of losing Boozer, Korver and Matthews and trading for Al Jefferson.

clear as mud Ed.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I like it that the Jazz and other teams have "vision" or "a plan" or whatever... where's the proof of that, though? The Nuggets have a plan?

What?

He clearly is just pulling stuff out of his ass to support a predetermined position of Blazers incompetence.

Ed O.

Dude. I'm telling you Al Harrington was their missing piece, if you can't see that then you need to learn the game, then post.

 

[THE HCP]

Al Jefferson was not in the plan! Sloan is gonna rip his ass when he doesn't see him hustling out there.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

Bring back Penn.

Bring back Pritchard.



Steinbrenner did this with Billy Martin.


Bring 'em back Paul!

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Dude. I'm telling you Al Harrington was their missing piece, if you can't see that then you need to learn the game, then post.

I don't know why I read the Canzano piece. Every time I read one of his articles, I am reminded he's an idiot. Must...Stop...Reading...Canzano.

Well, this is my obligatory JC is an idiot post. His arguments have no merit. He's obviously just stirring the pot.

 

[Masbee]

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...sf/2010/07/canzano_blazers_on_fast_track.html

So, acording to Canzano, making a play for Chris Paul (and as odds would predict failing on the grand slam try) is adrift with no plan?

Matthews would have been part of "THE PLAN", ie, get Chris Paul, and give up Batum in order to make the deal. If the team got extremely lucky and was able to pull off a Paul deal, they HAD TO have another worthwhile wing. Posey (if he came to the Blazers) was not going to get it done.

Matthews also would have fit seemlessly into the try to make disgruntled players (ie Martell & Rudy) happy off-season plan by moving them and replacing them with a deluxe "role" player type, who doesn't need plays and shots to make an impact.

The Can Man can is just stirring up shit.

If Babe Ruth strikes out at the plate would you say, "that guy had no plan"? Or, would you say he planned to hit a home run, but when you take big swings you are more likely to strike out?

 

[barfo]

Miller, the guy with the big desk

Does Canzano even know if Miller has a big desk? Or is he just assuming it because he's a black man?


Oh, desk. Nevermind.

barfo

 

[MARIS61]

I think Miller has a plan, but it's nothing like the old plan and it's based on something other than knowledge of basketball players.

We could call it the Hindenburg Plan, or the Titanic Plan.

 

[RoyToy]

I think the only concrete plans Lazy Miller had coming into the season were his vacation plans. After that...

 

[jlprk]

Where was Canzano when Pritchard kept having lost summers?

 

[Idog1976]

Those lines absolutely bust me up. Does anybody else see the irony here? I think "vision" is exactly what it takes to nab (without giving up any assets in return) a starting shooting guard for a second round playoff team who is entering only his second season. Especially if that shooting guard fills in several holes on your current team (perimeter defense, three point shooting).

The Blazers don't lack "a plan." The plan is simple: Get guys healthy. Add a little perimeter defense and perimeter shooting. See how it all fits.

Canzano conflates a lack of movement with a lack of a plan. That conflation demonstrates a true lack of vision.

Bingo great post as usual. I think we need a new PG, but still I agree generally.

 

[Idog1976]

There is a difference between planning and hoping.

Every team in the lotto hoped they would get John Wall. Several teams hoped they would land LeBron in free agency. If their actual plans for the future were contingent on those hopes coming true - they were idiots.

As long as the Blazers' "plan" is to hope Oden gets healthy and becomes a superstar, then Canzano is not wrong. (lord, it scalds me to say that!)

What's YOUR plan given the Lakers and Heat? It's Oden or he won't be the only one who's a bust. Unless you got a trade idea for a Superstar lined up you can forget about a ring. Also that Superstar better be a Center if we want to have a prayer of beating the Heat.

 

[Idog1976]

Does anyone in this thread honestly think we can win a title without a healthy Oden I mean really? If Oden ISN'T healthy then he isn't tradable. Also what pieces do we have to trade for another star to put next to Roy? Gut the entire team for Melo? I mean seriously let's hear a viable way to win without Oden being healthy. That is the plan if it don't work, we'll revisit this all when the Heat dynasty is over. It's that simple.

 

[oldmangrouch]

What's YOUR plan given the Lakers and Heat? It's Oden or he won't be the only one who's a bust. Unless you got a trade idea for a Superstar lined up you can forget about a ring. Also that Superstar better be a Center if we want to have a prayer of beating the Heat.

How can anybody answer that question without knowing what the new CBA is going to look like? Whatever roster you build right now, may be blown up 2 years from now.

Even if everything breaks right, can the current roster realisticaly contend for the 2011 title? I'm not convinced they can. That leaves 2 basic options. The first is to use Oden as bait to trade for someone like CP3 *without* having to gut the rest of the roster. The second is to wait until the post-apocalypse, when it is a very real possibility that every team will be thrust into some degree of rebuilding.

That's a big part of the reason I want the team to hire an analytical guy like Cho as GM. With most (if not all) teams reeling, it would be a real advantage to have a GM who can grasp and exploit the nuances of the new (hard)cap system.

 

[BGrantFan]

That's a big part of the reason I want the team to hire an analytical guy like Cho as GM. With most (if not all) teams reeling, it would be a real advantage to have a GM who can grasp and exploit the nuances of the new (hard)cap system.

They had that guy, and they also had a guy with a scouting background pounding the phones. I hope Cho remembers to give Paul Allen credit, and I also hope he doesn't give many interviews! Is one a month the allowable amount?

Canzona nailed it in this column. The organization is a mess right now. Thankfully, the talented players that the fired GMs brought in likely don't give a shit and just want to play ball and win games next year.

 

[oldmangrouch]

They had that guy, and they also had a guy with a scouting background pounding the phones. I hope Cho remembers to give Paul Allen credit, and I also hope he doesn't give many interviews! Is one a month the allowable amount?

Canzona nailed it in this column. The organization is a mess right now. Thankfully, the talented players that the fired GMs brought in likely don't give a shit and just want to play ball and win games next year.

Yes, we did have those guys. At this point, the odds of finding an upgrade are pretty small, but maybe the team can luck into somebody at the same level.

In the abstract, KP and Penn were not irreplacable. The team is now finding out that *in practice* the guys who are actually available aren't anything special.