Holinger on Blazer chances of getting Paul

[Reep]

Joseph (Portland, OR)


Chances of the Blazers landing Chris Paul if he gets traded at all? What would that package look like?
John hollinger
(3:04 PM)


**IF** the Hornets put CP on the market -- which I seriously doubt will happen until midseason at the absolute earliest -- the Blazers are in great position to win a bidding war because of the exirings (Przybilla + Miller) and all the other young assets they can put into a deal.
John hollinger
(3:04 PM)


One thing for Blazer fans to remember, however, is that getting CP fundamentally will change how they play. Brandon Roy in particular would have to radically alter his game, and Nate McMillan would have to change a lot of how he does things.

of ESPN.com chat. I'm not sure he knows that much, but an interesting take.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Fuck Nate and his style of play.

 

[Reep]

Fuck Nate and his style of play.

I had a feeling you would like that last part.

More on Rudy:

Rudy Fernandez (Portland)


Where am I playing next season? Do you think this new GM can send me somewhere I want to play or am I going back to Europe?
John hollinger
(3:09 PM)


He's not going back to Europe, no matter what his people try to feed to Spanish papers, because he still has a contract for at least one (and most likely two) more seasons over here. I think Rudy to New Orleans makes all kinds of sense, but Blazers may not be in a mood to help Hornets improve right now.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

It's a good point. Roy steadfastly refuses to run- even when Nate implores him to. However, I think there is a middle ground they can all find.

 

[Ed O]

It's a good point. Roy steadfastly refuses to run- even when Nate implores him to. However, I think there is a middle ground they can all find.

It's amazing how NONE of Nate's players run even when Nate implores them to... and how none ever have, throughout his entire coaching career.

I wonder why that might be... ?

Ed O.

 

[HailBlazers]

I wonder why that might be... ?

Cus their too busy playing the best defense of their life, once they get the ball they need to regain their composure

 

[Reep]

It's amazing how NONE of Nate's players run even when Nate implores them to... and how none ever have, throughout his entire coaching career.

I wonder why that might be... ?

Ed O.

I can't tell if you have an idea as to why or not, but I wonder the same thing. How many times during timeout speeches do you hear Nate telling them to push the ball, and it just doesn't seem to happen.

Maybe if Nate says to push the pace and they don't (conservative) then nothing happens. But, if they push the pace and create a turnover, they are on the bench (except Brandon, who has no excuse other than it just isn't his thang).

 

[handiman]

Trade Roy, Rudy, and Nate for Chris Paul and Monty Williams... That solves just about every problem, doesn't it? If only it were that easy...

 

[Minstrel]

Maybe if Nate says to push the pace and they don't (conservative) then nothing happens. But, if they push the pace and create a turnover, they are on the bench (except Brandon, who has no excuse other than it just isn't his thang).

That is exactly it, in my opinion. The incentives system McMillan creates undermines his instructions to push the pace. McMillan may honestly "want" to run...but his being highly averse to turn-overs essentially means that players won't do it. Essentially, if you say "Do X so long as you make no mistakes. If you make mistakes, the penalties will be high" the result will be people not doing X.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

It's amazing how NONE of Nate's players run even when Nate implores them to... and how none ever have, throughout his entire coaching career.

I wonder why that might be... ?

Ed O.

C'mon, Ed, stop be cynical on me. I really expect better. In last year's playoffs, when the mic'd the huddle Nate was begging them to push the ball. Repeatedly. On several occassions when Roy got a rebound Nate was waving him to get going but Roy calmly walked the ball up the floor. Watch the tapes. It's very clear. Miller and Bayless will push the ball, but Roy much perfers a set offense. And that's fine as I think we're very good at that when Miller is running the team.

 

[craigehlo]

That is exactly it, in my opinion. The incentives system McMillan creates undermines his instructions to push the pace. McMillan may honestly "want" to run...but his being highly averse to turn-overs essentially means that players won't do it. Essentially, if you say "Do X so long as you make no mistakes. If you make mistakes, the penalties will be high" the result will be people not doing X.

That's the beauty of a CP3 trade. Nate can't bench CP3. He'd get fired first.

 

[Idog1976]

That is exactly it, in my opinion. The incentives system McMillan creates undermines his instructions to push the pace. McMillan may honestly "want" to run...but his being highly averse to turn-overs essentially means that players won't do it. Essentially, if you say "Do X so long as you make no mistakes. If you make mistakes, the penalties will be high" the result will be people not doing X.

If this theory is true then we should run ALOT next year. CP3 will not be benched lest McMillan be run out of town on a rail.

In my world we get CP3 because god owes it to us.

 

[B-Roy]

He's not going back to Europe, no matter what his people try to feed to Spanish papers, because he still has a contract for at least one (and most likely two) more seasons over here. I think Rudy to New Orleans makes all kinds of sense, but Blazers may not be in a mood to help Hornets improve right now.

Uh, if you make it worth our while *WINK WINK* *COUGH CP3 COUGH* *MORE OBVIOUS WINK*....

 

[Ed O]

C'mon, Ed, stop be cynical on me. I really expect better. In last year's playoffs, when the mic'd the huddle Nate was begging them to push the ball. Repeatedly. On several occassions when Roy got a rebound Nate was waving him to get going but Roy calmly walked the ball up the floor. Watch the tapes. It's very clear. Miller and Bayless will push the ball, but Roy much perfers a set offense. And that's fine as I think we're very good at that when Miller is running the team.

Yes, he's been saying the same things, both in the press and in the huddles, for YEARS. And yet the team doesn't run, hasn't run, and might never run.

Blaming Rudy for that is ridiculous. That's not cynicism. It's reality.

Ed O.

 

[crowTrobot]

which I seriously doubt will happen until midseason at the absolute earliest

i don't get this. it would sell more tickets to wait, but it might reduce his trade value a lot. i could see most teams being a lot less inclined to gamble valuable assets that he won't bolt when they're looking at only 1/2 season of CP followed by an uncertain labor situation.

if they want to start a bidding war now is the time.

 

[Luther]

Trade for Paul. Fire Nate. Hire Cp3 as player/coach.

 

[STOMP]

Trade Roy, Rudy, and Nate for Chris Paul and Monty Williams... That solves just about every problem, doesn't it? If only it were that easy...

I'd do a Roy for Paul swap, but I'd hope they'd keep Rudy. The Blazers would have an obvious opening at the two and Rudy would seem an excellent spread the court option beside Chris.

STOMP

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I would just like to point out that despite the "Nate hates turnovers" posts in this thread, it's been widely reported in the past that Dean Demopoulos (sp?) was the primary anti-turnover evangelist. With him gone, perhaps things will loosen up?

 

[hasoos]

Fuck Nate and his style of play.

I am willing to bet that Chris Paul can make Nate McMillan look as good as Alvin Gentry looked when he cut Nash loose last year. Look at it this way. Paul has worked with Nate at the Olympic practices. He knows what he is getting into if he comes here.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

About the Hornets waiting for midseason; if I am Blazers I would let them know that it happens before training camp or not at all. It's true the blazers would need to modify their offense and that takes time and planning. Also we need the full two years to try to make this successful before Paul has a chance to go somewhere else.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Cus their too busy playing the best defense of their life, once they get the ball they need to regain their composure

If that's the best defense of their lives, then they fucking suck at it and should be replaced with players who are better at it.

 

[handiman]

I'd do a Roy for Paul swap, but I'd hope they'd keep Rudy. The Blazers would have an obvious opening at the two and Rudy would seem an excellent spread the court option beside Chris.

True, he might be happy here with Roy and McMillan out of the equation.

 

[Drttimmy]

Yes, he's been saying the same things, both in the press and in the huddles, for YEARS. And yet the team doesn't run, hasn't run, and might never run.
Ed O.

I never watched the Sonics when Nate played for them, aside from when they played the Blazers. Does anyone recall how he played as a point? Did he push tempo? When he was playing with Payton, did he run the lanes hard as wing and finish breaks?

To be a successful fastbreak team, you definitely need a point guard who is capable of pushing. Definitely not Steve Blake's forte, but Miller is terrific at it. He'd make fastbreak plays single-handedly last year, taking it all the way himself sometimes making something out of seemingly nothing. If Oden is healthy and with Camby, we'll have another necessary component in being a superior rebounding team. Aldridge and Batum are terrific in fullcourt. A bad fullcourt player in Rudy is being replaced by an athlete in Matthews. Miller will get fulltime minutes from Game 1. I think all the components are there to finally run this year. This year will be the true litmus test in my opinion.

 

[mgb]

To be a successful fastbreak team you need defense and rebounds to get the ball out quickly. Oden being healthy should help our fastbreaks.