Draft Express: Utah re-signing Milsap nixed an Outlaw trade?

[RR7]

Cunningham's already better? Come on. After 2 SL games? Sweet. Better go get my Anthony Randolph-Anthony Morrow Co-MVP T-shirt made up.

 

[Idog1976]

To summarize ...

>

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A lotto pick would be delicious. Especially protect top 3 only.

 

[hasoos]

Cunningham's already better? Come on. After 2 SL games? Sweet. Better go get my Anthony Randolph-Anthony Morrow Co-MVP T-shirt made up.

No he is better since I went back and watched some of his college games on top of summer league. There is such a thing known as media recording you know. I got interested in him when I saw him in summer league, went back and watched some tape, and now I am pretty sure that Dante Cunningham is stronger in every facet of the game except for 3 point shooting. He has better fundamentals, he knows how to run a pick and roll, he is very efficient out to 18 feet, and he can defend 3 positions, and do it well. He also rebounds.

The more I watch Cunningham, the more he reminds me of Landry from Houston. Not overwhelming. Just a good solid player. I am actually even thinking of upgrading my draft grade for KP to a C because of him.

 

[Masbee]

@DraftExpress Memphis Grizzlies not happy Utah matched Millsap. They had a trade in place for Travis Outlaw for a draft pick contingent on that.

Interesting.

If a true report it means:

The Blazers were hoping for Utah to not match the Millsap offer, and half-expecting they wouldn't.

The notion among some reporters, columnists and posters here that Chris Wallace considers Kevin Pritchard the anti-christ, wont talk to him, and only lives to find ways to screw the Blazers, is not true.

The Grizzlies still like Outlaw. It is amazing what "showcasing" by players does to the brains of NBA coaches, execs, etc. They can look at stats just like us. But, if a player has blah stats, but kills their team, they want that guy so much more than other players with the same stats.

The Blazers do NOT have a plan in place to try to trade Outlaw and Blake for Hinrich or Miller or Sessions or any other PG idea. That most likely means Blake/Bayless is it.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Just in case there hasn't been enough tension created between Roy and management . . . why not trade Roy's best friend and see how he likes them apples.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Well, I think we're getting a clearer picture of what the market for Travis is actually like. (hint: it aint much).

 

[craigehlo]

If Portland was serious about this deal, it really speaks volumes about how little they think of Travis.

I think it speak to the real value of TO in the eyes of NBA GMs.

TO for more cap and draft pick would be a great deal that this point.

 

[Crimson the Cat]

I still say we should go through with it. This was on my wish list.

There's a pretty big difference in having 11.3M in cap space and a potential lotto pick (14M in October) and 7.7M in space and Travis. I'm not the biggest Travis fan ANYWAY, and wouldn't have blinked if they had cut him June 30 for the extra space--but if MEM is willing to give us a draft pick, more cap space, and remove their ability to use their cap space to screw us? That's a trifecta.

It's tempting. I'd need a replacement though behind Nic and Lamarcus. Travis Outlaw is a quality reserve and we can't just remove him without a player taking his place. Dante Cunningham, while nice, won't have the experience or the talent yet to make up for the loss of Travis.

I say the next step should be Marvin Williams or David Lee. Even going after a more traditional 3, such as Prince, Wallace, or, even CDR, I'd be happy about and feel it would improve the team. But, I wouldn't trade Outlaw until we have one of them in place first.

 

[LittleAlex]

I wouldn't. I'd trade Outlaw for a pair of used socks and a bag of walnuts. At least the bag of walnuts could play better defense and wouldn't take shots away from Brandon, Rudy or LaMarcus in the fourth quarter.

This.

QFT.

 

[LittleAlex]

I don't think they necesarily did. But why not have something in place in case it happens? I think that was more of the thinking.


But what I wanted to know is, why would Milsap not signing effect this trade? Are they saying suddenly we have to keep Outlaw?

Don't you know Outlaw is the back up power forward?

I think you know, but are trying to block the memory of it out of your brain.

I know I find watching Outlaw play powerless forward to be somewhat frustrating.

 

[LittleAlex]

Cunningham's already better? Come on. After 2 SL games? Sweet. Better go get my Anthony Randolph-Anthony Morrow Co-MVP T-shirt made up.

Saying Cunningham is better the Travis is not the same as saying the summer league MVP will be the NBA MVP.

It's more like saying "Hey, Cunningham sure looks like he knows how to play and tries hard on both the boards and defense. Having watched Outlaw for 6 years, I know he doesn't really try that hard on the boards and defense. Therefore, I think Cunningham is a better player then a one dimensional tweener black hole who choked in the playoffs."

 

[Ed O]

I've not been a big Outlaw fan in a while, but I simply can't agree with those who want him dumped at any cost.

Depending on the value of the draft pick, it could have been a good move for Portland... but at least Portland would have been getting value for a guy without a place to play. That is NOT the same thing as the team being motivated to get rid of him.

Outlaw is far from a perfect player, but he's improved to the point where he's a useful cog. Until and unless we can improve the rest of the team around him to the point where he's not an improvement, I hope he remains a Blazer.

Ed O.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Some folks need to step back and take a deep breath.

On the list of problems that need attention, replacing a dirt-cheap, back-up SF is not real high! Outlaw has some very clear pluses and minuses. If he had more of one and/or fewer of the other, he wouldn't be a dirt-cheap reserve!

As for Dante frickin' Cunningham....get real. At the NBA level he lacks the size and/or athletic talent to rebound, get his own shot, or defend anybody. He is just another generic "good" college player. Before the draft, how many of you were saying "I am really impressed with Cunningham and hope we draft him!" He passed through college ball without even leaving a ripple behind him...and now people are talking him up as some kind of stud?

 

[LameR]

Those hoping for a top-3 protected pick seem to be overly-optimistic to me.

 

[STOMP]

Well, I think we're getting a clearer picture of what the market for Travis is actually like. (hint: it aint much).

since when is a lotto pick not much?

STOMP

 

[B-Roy]

since when is a lotto pick not much?

STOMP

Well we don't know how much the pick was protected.

 

[PapaG]

Well, I think we're getting a clearer picture of what the market for Travis is actually like. (hint: it aint much).

Really? A likely lottery pick 'ain't much'? I don't agree.

 

[Nikolokolus]

since when is a lotto pick not much?

STOMP

It would almost certainly be lottery protected, otherwise Chris Wallace really is as dumb as some people have predicted.

 

[PapaG]

It would almost certainly be lottery protected, otherwise Chris Wallace really is as dumb as some people have predicted.

I doubt it would be completely lottery protected. Top 3/Top 4 makes more sense. Why would Portland make a deal for a pick they may never obtain?

 

[illmatic99]

To summarize ...

>

Walnuts > Outlaw?

i'm surprised the blazers thought there was a realistic chance the jazz wouldn't match

The deal was contingent upon the Millsap one, so it's encouraging that KP is thinking ahead.

 

[B-Roy]

I doubt it would be completely lottery protected. Top 3/Top 4 makes more sense. Why would Portland make a deal for a pick they may never obtain?

Lotto protected the first year, top 8 the next, then top 3, then unprotected.

 

[PapaG]

Lotto protected the first year, top 8 the next, then top 3, then unprotected.

Oh, that's not a bad deal then. There is no way Memphis is making the playoffs next season, so the pick would actually be worth something down the road. Not a bad deal at all. Certainly worth more than a bag of walnuts, isn't it?

 

[Idog1976]

I'm not sure people realize how much better this team would be without Travis. More minutes for Nic and Rudy is going to give you WAY more production on both ends of the floor than playing Travis.

Oh this "people" is in full realization my friend. Total agreement except I value a bag of walnuts slightly higher in that it might make that 4th quarter hunger pain go away while Outlaw just raises my blood pressure.

 

[Draco]

I'd pull the trigger right now if this trade were available. The extra cap space would allow us to send out better offers to Sessions/Lee/Williams, or if KP doesn't like those players we'd have more flexibility for trades during the season which could be the difference in acquiring a Butler or Gerald Wallace.

 

[BTOWN_HUSTLA]

yes, more cap space!

 

[Denny Crane]

I wouldn't put high expectations on guys who look great in the summer league. Storyteller and I went to see the Blazers team play 3 summers ago and two guys who looked great were DJ Strawberry and Josh McRoberts. Where are they now?

I would put low expectations on guys who look terrible in the SL though. Like Serio did back then.

 

[RR7]

Batum also looked bad, though. Basically, I would not use SL at all to judge.

 

[malarky]

A couple things about this. First, I doubt this was on the table at all. If Hedo was the real target and this was available we would have matched Toronto's offer. Travis for a pick clears 3.6 million off our books meaning we would have more than 11 million in cap room. Second, I bet the pick being discussed is not Memphis's pick but the Lakers pick they are still owed from the Gasol trade. Would you trade Outlaw for the 28-30th pick in next years draft?

 

[BTOWN_HUSTLA]

NOPE. I like TROUT. He is a gunner but seriously, he'll get better as time goes on...his jumper has improved alot...shot selection not so much but he can make it automatic.

 

[SodaPopinski]

Would you trade Outlaw for the 28-30th pick in next years draft?

In a heartbeat.

If Travis was a UFA this summer, and he just signed with another team, I'd be ecstatic. At least if we trade him, even if it is for a late first rounder and some cap relief, we get SOMETHING in return.