Eggers: Post Draft Column

[e_blazer]

As usual, Kerry Eggers has written a really good column on the Blazers' draft night:

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=134095142307812600

A few noteworthy points:

• The Blazers are in full rebuild mold, a departure from the philosophy espoused when interim GM Chad Buchanan was running the show immediately after last season.

I’ll be surprised if they’re not among the youngest teams in the league next season.

• The Blazers will try to hit a home run by signing a high-ticket free agent with its salary-cap room, which could be as much as $18 million. But they won’t settle for what Olshey calls a couple of signings with “the $5 (million) -to-$7 million upgrade.”

Olshey already has said the Blazers won’t be signing aging veterans. There will be no bid to procure Steve Nash or Ray Allen or Jason Terry or Andre Miller.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Good stuff!

 

[Natebishop3]

So it sounds like we're going after an RFA.... Gordon or Hibbert I would say.

 

[santeesioux]

So it sounds like we're going after an RFA.... Gordon or Hibbert I would say.

I wonder if Gordon would be more available now that they took Rivers, or maybe they will play 2 combo guards?

 

[Natebishop3]

I wonder if Gordon would be more available now that they took Rivers, or maybe they will play 2 combo guards?

I think the most we can offer him is 14ish mil per year. Before the league found an owner I would have thought Gordon was a great target because the league wouldn't want to max him out. Now that they have an owner, I'm not so sure. I don't think they want to lose their only real star (outside of Anthony Davis) and the centerpiece of the Chris Paul deal.

We can try, it's only a 3-day wait, but I doubt we'll get him. Hibbert would be a nice try as well, simply because Indy already has Granger at a max deal, but I don't think they'll let their star center walk away.

 

[santeesioux]

OJ Mayo is probably the best we can get lol.

 

[Natebishop3]

OJ Mayo is probably the best we can get lol.

If that's the case, just keep Hickson and Batum. Hold the Mayo.

 

[crowTrobot]

We have really good young players at all positions

if you pay 11 million for batum

 

[Sinobas]

The Blazers tend to keep more players on their roster than others. Why not shed a few, and use that money to over-pay Batum or Hickson if you have to.

Also, sounds like no Steve Nash? Gordon would be a decent signing.....he's an offensive player a notch below Brandon Roy, but it would be like replacing Roy in a way. I'm sure we'd be back in the playoffs next year if we got him.

This roster has a lot of scorers in the starting lineup, with two guards that can break their man down 1 on 1. Two big men that can hit the jump shot.....not bad.

Lillard/Smith
Gordon/Williams
Batum/Matthews
LA/Hickson
Leonard/Freeland

 

[tester551]

I wonder if Gordon would be more available now that they took Rivers, or maybe they will play 2 combo guards?

How about a double sign & trade. NO takes Batum, Portland takes Gordon. Works better for both teams IMO.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

How about a double sign & trade. NO takes Batum, Portland takes Gordon. Works better for both teams IMO.

Who plays SF?

 

[Nikolokolus]

The Blazers tend to keep more players on their roster than others. Why not shed a few, and use that money to over-pay Batum or Hickson if you have to.

Also, sounds like no Steve Nash? Gordon would be a decent signing.....he's an offensive player a notch below Brandon Roy, but it would be like replacing Roy in a way. I'm sure we'd be back in the playoffs next year if we got him.

This roster has a lot of scorers in the starting lineup, with two guards that can break their man down 1 on 1. Two big men that can hit the jump shot.....not bad.

Lillard/Smith
Gordon/Williams
Batum/Matthews
LA/Hickson
Leonard/Freeland

I hadn't really thought about that. Pay Nic 11 instead of 9 million and save yourself the 1.1 million you'd be giving guys like Rhino and Chris Johnson? Not a bad idea maybe?

 

[Eastoff]

The Blazers tend to keep more players on their roster than others. Why not shed a few, and use that money to over-pay Batum or Hickson if you have to.

Also, sounds like no Steve Nash? Gordon would be a decent signing.....he's an offensive player a notch below Brandon Roy, but it would be like replacing Roy in a way. I'm sure we'd be back in the playoffs next year if we got him.

This roster has a lot of scorers in the starting lineup, with two guards that can break their man down 1 on 1. Two big men that can hit the jump shot.....not bad.

Lillard/Smith
Gordon/Williams
Batum/Matthews
LA/Hickson
Leonard/Freeland

gamble on health, but that's always a casino game with the Blazers. (the house always takes a cut)

 

[BlazerCaravan]

gamble on health, but that's always a casino game with the Blazers. (the house always takes a cut)

With every loss bringing us closer to a McAdoo Christmas Present, why not let the house take their cut and lose some games?

 

[jlprk]

• The Blazers will try to hit a home run by signing a high-ticket free agent with its salary-cap room, which could be as much as $18 million. But they won’t settle for what Olshey calls a couple of signings with “the $5 (million) -to-$7 million upgrade.”

“We’re not going to do that,” he said. “That’s not going to get us to being a championship-caliber organization, where you spend money just because you happen to have it. It’s like the kid who spends his allowance by Wednesday and then has nothing to spend the rest of the week.

“We’ll be very aggressive (going) for impact players who move the needle for this organization. And if we get them, we’ve accelerated our curve. If they’re not there, we’re not going to go for moderate upgrades. We have really good young players at all positions. We’ll have no problem deferring the cap room to 2013-14 and having that flexibility once there are fewer teams with room.”

If Olshey doesn't sign a superstar this summer, he will save up for next summer. Only after getting a core, will he fill in the other starters.

“We were targeting Damian from our first meeting in Chicago,” Olshey said. “He was our guy.”

He was lying all along that he would wait till the draft was happening, and then follow the best player available strategy.

Illinois’ Meyers Leonard, the No. 11 selection in the draft, could become the starting center immediately, depending on who the Blazers might acquire through free agency.

Bullshit. Olshey thinks like a Clipper. He may yet destroy this team with his Made in Taiwan cheapness.

 

[Sinobas]

The only free agents I can think of that that would "move the needle" are Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and maybe Brook Lopez or Eric Gordon. And he's already said he's not going after an old vet.

 

[jlprk]

Sometimes he says he's accumulating assets, to combine into trading for a big star. Now he says he won't sign $5-7M FAs, and will spend only on a big star. After several years of gathering a couple of giant stars to surround Aldridge, only then will he fill in the $5-7M starters around the Big 3. Just as Aldridge's decline begins due to age.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Going by the draft (PG/C) I'd guess his target would be Gordon.

The offers are sure to be even more plentiful this summer. Sources close to the situation said Indiana, Phoenix, Portland and Dallas are among the teams with interest in Gordon.

 

[NOVoodoo]

Going by the draft (PG/C) I'd guess his target would be Gordon.

The thing that people are missing with Eric Gordon is that the Hornets have the option to match any contract offers for him, and they seem intent on doing so. New Orleans seems to want to build around a Davis-Gordon-Rivers core. The impetus of the whole Okafor/Ariza for Lewis trade was clearing up cap room to sign Gordon to an extension.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

The thing that people are missing with Eric Gordon is that the Hornets have the option to match any contract offers for him, and they seem intent on doing so. New Orleans seems to want to build around a Davis-Gordon-Rivers core. The impetus of the whole Okafor/Ariza for Lewis trade was clearing up cap room to sign Gordon to an extension.

Yeah I don't understand all the talk about Gordon. The Hornets are going to match any offer.