Cho evaluates season.

[UKRAINEFAN]

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/4/29/2141692/blazers-gm-rich-chos-year-end-thoughts

Key quote: "We need some more speed, size and some more depth in general. And some shooting."

When I saw that, my first thought was how the heck did we get in a position where we needed so much?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/4/29/2141692/blazers-gm-rich-chos-year-end-thoughts

Key quote: "We need some more speed, size and some more depth in general. And some shooting."

When I saw that, my first thought was how the heck did we get in a position where we needed so much?

I'm not so sure we need all that much. I mean, we made the playoffs as the #6 seed without Oden, without Roy (and when he did play he hurt us more than helped), Camby missed a fair amount of games and whatever his offensive output was dwindled, missing a backup center when Joel was traded and without a backup PF. Our shooters disappointed too often. So making the playoffs missing our top 2 players tells me we have a fair amount of talent as it is. I mean, it's not as if this is hockey and the playoffs can be obtained losing 75% of your games.

We also have to be realistic as to what we can get.

We have to start looking at Miller's replacement due to his age. It's not going to be Mills. Johnson has the tools, but he dramatically failed to put anything together, so I suspect we have to look elsewhere. But we have precious little players to trade and I don't even know who might be available. Depth at center and PF are needs. If Oden can return and give 20-28 mpg, then Camby or even resigning Joel will take care of that. And I think a backup PF is fairly easy to obtain via the draft or free agency. That leaves shooters. Those are hard to come by.

 

[LittleAlex]

I'm not so sure we need all that much. I mean, we made the playoffs as the #6 seed without Oden, without Roy (and when he did play he hurt us more than helped), Camby missed a fair amount of games and whatever his offensive output was dwindled, missing a backup center when Joel was traded and without a backup PF. Our shooters disappointed too often. So making the playoffs missing our top 2 players tells me we have a fair amount of talent as it is. I mean, it's not as if this is hockey and the playoffs can be obtained losing 75% of your games.

We also have to be realistic as to what we can get.

We have to start looking at Miller's replacement due to his age. It's not going to be Mills. Johnson has the tools, but he dramatically failed to put anything together, so I suspect we have to look elsewhere. But we have precious little players to trade and I don't even know who might be available. Depth at center and PF are needs. If Oden can return and give 20-28 mpg, then Camby or even resigning Joel will take care of that. And I think a backup PF is fairly easy to obtain via the draft or free agency. That leaves shooters. Those are hard to come by.

You realize that Oden won't even be cleared to run until November.

Any plan that Portland comes up with that counts on Oden playing one second of basketball is a waste of time.
He should be considered a pleasant surprise and nothing more.

 

[oldguy]

You realize that Oden won't even be cleared to run until November.

Any plan that Portland comes up with that counts on Oden playing one second of basketball is a waste of time.
He should be considered a pleasant surprise and nothing more.

Do you have a link to that report? I must have missed it.

Go Blazers

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Well, I think we do need all that: size (especially as far as bulk, our length is fine), with Roy, Miller, Camby we definitely need some speed, no question about lack of depth at point guard and bigs; and shooting is probably one of biggest problems. Seems like some guys will have to go; we can't bring in all that without shedding some, although I guess if Mills and two Johnsons and Luke Babbit and Rudy all went..... I'd like to keep Chris Johnson. But ideally we would want to find guys with speed and shooting and that is hard to find. Or guys with bulk and shooting, again hard to find.

 

[BrianFromWA]

You realize that Oden won't even be cleared to run until November.

Any plan that Portland comes up with that counts on Oden playing one second of basketball is a waste of time.
He should be considered a pleasant surprise and nothing more.

Unfortunately, game-changing big men are at somewhat of a premium in the league. And to plan to either (a) have enough to entice a free-agent big to come here--with our whopping MLE (if that's even around next year)-- or (b) procure a pick high enough to get a big man in the draft with a modicum of upside with our limited trade assets seem like more of a "waste of time" than just counting on Greg to come back from this injury like his others.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

You realize that Oden won't even be cleared to run until November.

Any plan that Portland comes up with that counts on Oden playing one second of basketball is a waste of time.
He should be considered a pleasant surprise and nothing more.

You make a good point.

Actually, I do consider Oden may not be playing until the all-star break. That gives him 1/2 a season to get with the program- which is very doable.

 

[tlongII]

We need an extended lockout.

 

[BrianFromWA]

BTW, if Orlando does blow it up and trade Howard while he still has some value, maybe there's a way to trade Andre for Redick so that ORL can waive him. Or see what it would cost for oJ Mayo.

 

[illmatic99]

Do you have a link to that report? I must have missed it.

Go Blazers

He said it himself in an in-game interview a few weeks ago. Just think about it. He had MF in December, 2010. Even with a liberal estimation, it takes at least a year to do anything stressful on that knee. I think he's gonna come back in January or so.

 

[illmatic99]

BTW, if Orlando does blow it up and trade Howard while he still has some value, maybe there's a way to trade Andre for Redick so that ORL can waive him. Or see what it would cost for oJ Mayo.

The Grizz had a deal in place at the deadline involving Mayo for Josh McRoberts and a 1st round pick. It came in a few mins after the deadline passed apparently, so it didn't go through.

I don't know if Mayo's performance since then has increased his value much.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Maybe some of it could be internal. For example Chris Johnson could bulk up; Wesley Matthews could learn to shoot consistently (it's only his second year in the league).

 

[Blazinaway]

He said it himself in an in-game interview a few weeks ago. Just think about it. He had MF in December, 2010. Even with a liberal estimation, it takes at least a year to do anything stressful on that knee. I think he's gonna come back in January or so.

and Oden is certainly not "fast healer", far from it

 

[Blazinaway]

what do you guys think of Aaron Brooks, he really fell off this yr - take a shot while he's likely on the cheap side? sign and trade with Phoenix?

 

[BlazerBeav]

You realize that Oden won't even be cleared to run until November.

Any plan that Portland comes up with that counts on Oden playing one second of basketball is a waste of time.
He should be considered a pleasant surprise and nothing more.

You do realize the season isn't going to start in November, right?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

what do you guys think of Aaron Brooks, he really fell off this yr - take a shot while he's likely on the cheap side? sign and trade with Phoenix?

I'm luke warm on him. He has some good skills, but his attitude just sucks. He also strikes me as not a team player. I think a PG has got to be a team player. To me, he just seems to play for himself.

 

[illmatic99]

I'd take Brooks. He's the kind of guy we need to look at: good shooter, with low trade value. I think he can rejuvenate his career in Portland. But I also think it's unlikely that PHX trades any PG other than Nash in the near future.

 

[oldguy]

He said it himself in an in-game interview a few weeks ago. Just think about it. He had MF in December, 2010. Even with a liberal estimation, it takes at least a year to do anything stressful on that knee. I think he's gonna come back in January or so.

My recollection is that he said he wouldn't start running for 5 months. May, June, July, August, Sept. is five months. And that doesn't account for the couple of weeks since he said it.

There are also reports that he is already running on a treadmill.

Go Blazers

 

[craigehlo]

Any plan that Portland comes up with that counts on Oden playing one second of basketball is a waste of time.

Exactly. The team simply can't count on anything from Greg until he has a history of playing healthy for at least one season. It's difficult to see that happening.

This team needs:

- Fast PG that can get into the lane and shoot from distance (Probably impossible to find this summer)
- Legit backup big with NBA experience (Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert are great FA options)
- A shooter that can get to the FT line (Jamal Crawford and Jason Richardson are great FA options)
- Rid the roster of inconsistent "talent" (Rudy, Batum)

 

[illmatic99]

Running is one thing. Being able to put physical stress on the load bearing parts of that knee is another. I hope he comes back by the start of the season (if there is one), but my expectation is at least 1 yr from the day of surgery.

 

[Mediocre Man]

He lost me when he said "our coaches did a tremendous job"


Nate can absolutely hold a team together through tough times, but can't coach a lick when it matters

 

[e_blazer]

My initial thoughts:

1. Bigs: Camby looked old in this series. Some of that may be he's still coming back from the knee surgery, but you can't deny the age factor. The Blazers can't go into next season with just Aldridge, Camby and a recovering Oden as their only rotation big men. Chris Johnson is an end of the bench guy. Joel Freeland? He's worth a look. The draft? Not likely we're going to get more than a bench player at the position the Blazers will be drafting without trading up. Free agency? Not going to get much with an MLE spot. I see this as Cho's most defining off-season move. What to do with Oden? Should the Blazers consider Aldridge as a prime candidate for center of the future and get a legitimate starting PF to pair with him? Camby's going to be on an ending contract next season. How does that factor in? More questions than answers here.

2. Small Forward: The starting position belongs to Gerald Wallace. Batum had a largely forgettable playoffs after a solid regular season, but he still lacks the confidence and drive he needs to have. He's also probably the Blazers best trade chip and the acquisition of Wallace makes him expendable. Babbit? Yeah, work in progress. Maybe and eternity of work in progress.

3. Shooting Guard: Brandon had his moments, one unforgettable, but he's a huge question mark. Will his knees let him do more than play a backup role going forward and, if so, for how long? What will the new CBA offer in the way of an amnesty clause? Could Brandon and his contract be dumped? Matthews had some great games, showed some hustle and solid D, and established himself as a streaky 3-point threat, but he has some holes in his game. It's only his second year, so I think he has room for some major improvement. Elliot Williams should be able to start playing basketball soon. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table. Rudy? I think this year's playoffs and his inability to hit the 3 say all that needs to be said. Time for him to head back to Europe, IMHO.

4. Point Guard: Andre Miller has slowly become a favorite player for me. No doubt the Blazers pick up his option. There's also no doubt that he's 35 years old and slow, particularly on defense. His ending contract could be a valuable trading chip at the deadline next season. Patty and Armon? Perennial Backups. Koponen? Not likely. Cho has to make a move here. There were options rumored to be available at the deadline this season if the Blazers had been willing to part with Batum. My guess is that's the hard decision that will have to be made to secure the Blazers future.

Biggest Unknown: The CBA battle and what it will do for roster moves and a potential lockout.

Last: Rich, please find us a consistent 3-point shooter.

It's going to be a very interesting off-season.

It's

 

[oldmangrouch]

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/4/29/2141692/blazers-gm-rich-chos-year-end-thoughts

Key quote: "We need some more speed, size and some more depth in general. And some shooting."

When I saw that, my first thought was how the heck did we get in a position where we needed so much?

The most cost effective way to add talent is through the draft. Since the LMA/Roy draft, the Blazers have sucked donkey kong in that department. Ironic, since the Blazers have a major asset in an owner who will open his wallet to buy extra picks.

 

[maxiep]

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/4/29/2141692/blazers-gm-rich-chos-year-end-thoughts

Key quote: "We need some more speed, size and some more depth in general. And some shooting."

When I saw that, my first thought was how the heck did we get in a position where we needed so much?

We drafted to cover all our needs and those picks got injured.

 

[maxiep]

You make a good point.

Actually, I do consider Oden may not be playing until the all-star break. That gives him 1/2 a season to get with the program- which is very doable.

No one is playing until the All Star break, if they play at all next year. This is going to be a LOOOOONG lockout.

 

[maxiep]

BTW, if Orlando does blow it up and trade Howard while he still has some value, maybe there's a way to trade Andre for Redick so that ORL can waive him. Or see what it would cost for oJ Mayo.

Watch Howard force a trade to the L*kers for Walton and Blake.

 

[BrianFromWA]

hey, you throw in two future firsts and there's a deal there!

 

[Blazinaway]

No one is playing until the All Star break, if they play at all next year. This is going to be a LOOOOONG lockout.

maybe and maybe not, unless the appellate court changes the recent NFL ruling then I think the NBA players may follow the course of their NFL brethren - no lockout

 

[PapaG]

Watch Howard force a trade to the L*kers for Walton and Blake.

Blake is untouchable. The Lakers are 4-1 with him available in the playoffs, he's shooting 58% from 3-pt, and he has an Ortg of 129 with a Drtg of 107.

EDIT - I forgot to include BLANKY's stellar 1.47 PER/Usage ratio in Round One.

Sure could have used a back-up PG like that against Dallas...

 

[Minstrel]

He said it himself in an in-game interview a few weeks ago.

Yeah, but he obviously didn't mean the word "run" literally, as reporters saw him running on a treadmill like a week after that. He may have meant "run" as participating in live practices, where he'd be running up and down the court playing basketball.