How many players would you keep?

[PtldPlatypus]

Sure but what center is that? I see the offensive option like Monroe and the defensive option like Whiteside. But both have weaknesses in their game. So I would rather keep our "center by committee". Not a fan anymore of maxing out the contracts for centers. You get me Drummond then that is another story.

If only I had the answer for that.

• Sanders has been mentioned by many; if he wants to come back and join our up and coming squad, that'd be pretty optimal.
• I doubt Horford leaves Atlanta, but I hope Neil throws the full court press at him.
• Perhaps the Nets are willing to deal Brook Lopez, but I don't know if their asking price for him would be reasonable.
• I personally don't think Monroe at center would be a bad thing; I don't think he's necessarily any worse defensively than Plumlee, and he's certainly a much greater threat on offense.
• I don't know if Whiteside would be worth a max deal, but if Olshey does I'm going to trust his judgement (Hibbert offer notwithstanding).
• What would be great would be Vonleh and Alexander developing into a pair of legit NBA bigs, but that dream seems to be a couple years away.

Plumlee has performed admirably, but I think it's not unreasonable to suggest that we can certainly upgrade, especially if that upgrade involves retaining 18 mpg of Plumlee as our backup 5.

 

[selloutking]

NEED TO KEEP
Dame
CJ
Ed

FORCED TO KEEP
Aminu

WOULD LIKE TO KEEP
Hendo
Plums
Hark
Crabbe

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Competition for FAs will be the strongest in years, maybe ever. Plus, not one FA has hinted he wants to come to Portland.

Trades are possible, however, beyond Dame & CJ, only a couple of our players have a positive trade value, and they are on most everyone’s keep list. The rest of the roster needs more time to develop and build their trade value.

We probably will lose a couple of our FA players. Henderson, Leonard, Harkless, & Crabbe will get some interest from other teams. Olshey will find FAs to replace the players that sign with other teams.

In the long run, which FA players we keep and sign away from other teams will come down to how much is needed to sign them, and how well their contract fits into the long range cap space.

I do not foresee a major shakeup to our roster this summer.

This, This, This, and This.

I am hoping for Boogie, others are fantasizing about Paul George. Truth is we'll be very lucky to get Batum, and I don't think we will.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

This, This, This, and This.

I am hoping for Boogie, others are fantasizing about Paul George. Truth is we'll be very lucky to get Batum, and I don't think we will.

Lucky?

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Lucky?

Batum would immediately become the 3rd best player on our team, if not second best. However, Batum is beside the point. The big question in my mind is... "Can we get someone who immediately and obviously becomes the 3rd best player on our team (that plays the 3, 4, or 5)?" I hope so, but I'm not sure it will happen.

As I said before...
The good news is that we have a lot of good players,
The bad news is that we only have a lot of good players.

 

[e_blazer]

Sorry, BlazerCaravan, but I think your poll question is bass-ackwards. I think GMs primarily look at what players they can GET before they think about who they are going to keep. If Kevin Durant suddenly decided he just HAD to play in the northwest, then Aminu and/or Harkless are expendable. If a center who's seen as a serious upgrade becomes available, then Plumlee isn't as important to the team's future. All of our guys, with the exception of Kaman, who's clearly gone after this season, are young and still have upside. Dame is clearly the franchise's marquee player and, barring something crazy being offered, isn't going anywhere. CJ is just a notch below that. Everybody else on the roster is fair game to be included in trades or could be replaced if an upgrade becomes available. If not, then they've all got room to grow here. Crabbe, Leonard and Henderson are all guys who other teams are likely going to throw lucrative deals at. Money, and what other players are available will decide whether the Blazers match.

I think it's going to be a really fun summer to watch.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

The Dame/CJ scoring machine is next to untouchable.

We talk about which players we want back, and some lists are very short. But how do you replace any of the players we do not keep?

We do not have a draft pick. We maybe able to buy a second round pick. But so what, just another long term project on the bench.

There are tons of teams with money to overpay in the FA market. Competition for FAs will be the strongest in years, maybe ever. Plus, not one FA has hinted he wants to come to Portland.

Trades are possible, however, beyond Dame & CJ, only a couple of our players have a positive trade value, and they are on most everyone’s keep list. The rest of the roster needs more time to develop and build their trade value. I believe we will have a 2017 first to use this summer in a trade.

We probably will lose a couple of our FA players. Henderson, Leonard, Harkless, & Crabbe will get some interest from other teams. Olshey will find FAs to replace the players that sign with other teams.

In the long run, which FA players we keep and sign away from other teams will come down to how much is needed to sign them, and how well their contract fits into the long range cap space.

The bottom line is, this roster is overachieving. We are winning more games than was predicted by a vast majority of experts. This makes our players more valuable to us than to other teams.

I do not foresee a major shakeup to our roster this summer.

total agreement

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Sorry, BlazerCaravan, but I think your poll question is bass-ackwards. I think GMs primarily look at what players they can GET before they think about who they are going to keep. If Kevin Durant suddenly decided he just HAD to play in the northwest, then Aminu and/or Harkless are expendable. If a center who's seen as a serious upgrade becomes available, then Plumlee isn't as important to the team's future. All of our guys, with the exception of Kaman, who's clearly gone after this season, are young and still have upside. Dame is clearly the franchise's marquee player and, barring something crazy being offered, isn't going anywhere. CJ is just a notch below that. Everybody else on the roster is fair game to be included in trades or could be replaced if an upgrade becomes available. If not, then they've all got room to grow here. Crabbe, Leonard and Henderson are all guys who other teams are likely going to throw lucrative deals at. Money, and what other players are available will decide whether the Blazers match.

I think it's going to be a really fun summer to watch.

I'm not asking you to play GM. I'm asking who you like on the team and hope to see back. As a fan. It's an opportunity to quit playing armchair GM; we're all shitty GMs.

 

[Schilly]

Whenever I see threads like this I remind myself that this team was projected to win 26 games or so. I think they finish at about 43 wins, 2 games above .500. That success is because of the players on the team so I have a hard time being excited about showing players the door, but improvements need to be made to take the next step. I think a lot of the guys on peoples "go" list don't have enough value to justify moving for what we would get in return. I'm pretty content with all the players on the team currently I see them as either established or still developing.

Keep (Currently under contract)
Dame, CJ, Aminu, Plumlee, Vonleh, Davis

Re-Sign For Sure
Harkless (Will still be good value)

Choose between
Crabbe and Henderson (Probably Crabbe will be cheaper and as a RFA we can just let the market decide)

Would like to re-sign
Brian Roberts (I really like how he fits the backup/3rd PG roll for us)

Let the Market decide the price
Meyers Leonard (I want him back with the Blazers but on a reasonable contract, his shoulder injury and down year will probably bring his FA price down to where the Blazers would be silly not to match)

Will cost so little it doesn't matter
Montero, Connaghton, Alexander, Kaman

This offseason especially is more about who we are able to lure in. Example let's say we are able to steal away Harrison Barnes (Just an example) then we really don't need to keep Harkless and Aminu. It should be a priority to improve one Starter position this summer, though some improvement should come pretty simply from Vonleh simply developing.

 

[Draco]

Yup - whether we get a starting SF, PF, or C will determine who we keep and who we don't.
I personally feel that SF is the most important. Ed Davis would be a fine starting PF if we had a SF or C who could score. Imagine either George or Cousins with Davis:

Dame
CJ
George
Davis
Plumlee

or

Dame
CJ
Harkless
Davis
Cousins

Davis provides great defense, screens, hustle and rebounds. Doesn't need any touches, but is more than capable of running the P/R and swinging the ball if the defense collapses. I think I prefer the second option with Cousins more than the first with George.

I wouldn't be a fan of either starting 5; both our worse than our current starters.

Plumlee and Davis don't make any sense as duo together.

A Dame/CJ/Cousins trio would have major issues defensively. Ed might pair well with Cousins. Not enough shooting to help out Dame and CJ.

 

[Draco]

Sure but what center is that? I see the offensive option like Monroe and the defensive option like Whiteside. But both have weaknesses in their game. So I would rather keep our "center by committee". Not a fan anymore of maxing out the contracts for centers. You get me Drummond then that is another story.

Yeah its odd when posters say we need such and such type of starting level player. Its difficult to bring up realistic names.

 

[Schilly]

Just some perspective here... Bobby Marks is doing a run down of Free Agents position by position for this summer. Today he was talking about PF's. He didn't list Portland as needing a Starter or a backup at the position. He also ranked Meyers as the 5th best available FA this summer behind Horford, Gasol, West and Anderson. He also pointed out that his shoulder issues this season should make Meyers leaving very unlikely. The reason being Portland wants to keep him and the injury should keep his market value in the range that Portland will match.

 

[Draco]

Sorry, BlazerCaravan, but I think your poll question is bass-ackwards. I think GMs primarily look at what players they can GET before they think about who they are going to keep. If Kevin Durant suddenly decided he just HAD to play in the northwest, then Aminu and/or Harkless are expendable. If a center who's seen as a serious upgrade becomes available, then Plumlee isn't as important to the team's future. All of our guys, with the exception of Kaman, who's clearly gone after this season, are young and still have upside. Dame is clearly the franchise's marquee player and, barring something crazy being offered, isn't going anywhere. CJ is just a notch below that. Everybody else on the roster is fair game to be included in trades or could be replaced if an upgrade becomes available. If not, then they've all got room to grow here. Crabbe, Leonard and Henderson are all guys who other teams are likely going to throw lucrative deals at. Money, and what other players are available will decide whether the Blazers match.

I think it's going to be a really fun summer to watch.

A better poll would be multiple choice with every player on our roster.

 

[Shaboid]

I would trade everyone for draft picks.

 

[tester551]

Just some perspective here... Bobby Marks is doing a run down of Free Agents position by position for this summer. Today he was talking about PF's. He didn't list Portland as needing a Starter or a backup at the position. He also ranked Meyers as the 5th best available FA this summer behind Horford, Gasol, West and Anderson. He also pointed out that his shoulder issues this season should make Meyers leaving very unlikely. The reason being Portland wants to keep him and the injury should keep his market value in the range that Portland will match.

Do you have a link?

 

[BlazerCaravan]

A better poll would be multiple choice with every player on our roster.

My apologies; it's too late for me to delete this thread and start over.

 

[Strenuus]

My apologies; it's too late for me to delete this thread and start over.

It's too late to apologize.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Keep:

Dame
CJ
Davis
Vonleh

Re-sign:

Crabbe
Harkless
Roberts

Look to trade:

Plumlee
Aminu
Hendo

Everyone else? Meh. PattyC would be someone to keep maybe, his athleticism and ability to get in the lane is nice to have.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Just some perspective here... Bobby Marks is doing a run down of Free Agents position by position for this summer. Today he was talking about PF's. He didn't list Portland as needing a Starter or a backup at the position. He also ranked Meyers as the 5th best available FA this summer behind Horford, Gasol, West and Anderson. He also pointed out that his shoulder issues this season should make Meyers leaving very unlikely. The reason being Portland wants to keep him and the injury should keep his market value in the range that Portland will match.

Based on that list only Horford is a difference maker at this point their careers. Gasol /West =past prime. Anderson is just another stretch 4 (dime a dozen these days)

And because of this...Horford will be in huge demand. I am Ok with Davis, Aminu, and Vonleh at PF. Leonard is still a back up center in my mind.

 

[Schilly]

Do you have a link?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-vertical-guide-to-free-agency--power-forwards-191732529.html

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Just some perspective here... Bobby Marks is doing a run down of Free Agents position by position for this summer. Today he was talking about PF's. He didn't list Portland as needing a Starter or a backup at the position. He also ranked Meyers as the 5th best available FA this summer behind Horford, Gasol, West and Anderson. He also pointed out that his shoulder issues this season should make Meyers leaving very unlikely. The reason being Portland wants to keep him and the injury should keep his market value in the range that Portland will match.

Small Forwards:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-vertical-guide-to-free-agency--small-forwards-161627550.html

Durant
James
Batum
Barnes (Restricted)
Parsons
Turner
Johnson
Deng
Dudley
Harkless (Restricted)

yes, Batum is listed ahead of Barnes.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Keep:

Dame
CJ
Plums
Harkless
Davis
Crabbe
Aminu


Everyone else, can be used to help upgrade, but Id like to see these guys come back. I think this is our core going forward.

If that's our core going forward I guess your happy with just making the playoffs.

 

[Strenuus]

If that's our core going forward I guess your happy with just making the playoffs.

*bites tongue*

 

[PtldPlatypus]

*bites tongue*

Your biting you're tongue?

 

[Orion Bailey]

If that's our core going forward I guess your happy with just making the playoffs.

Thats the core as of now. add to it and yes, I will be happy and we will go further in the playoffs.

This not happy unless we win it all attitude is gonna break ya. One team wins each year. One. Making the playoffs regularly and being a contender every couple of years is a winning team even if they don't win it all and yes, I would be happy.

 

[Elton]

Some people just don't value the journey as the reward. Just want a quick gondola ride to the top of the mountain.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Thats the core as of now. add to it and yes, I will be happy and we will go further in the playoffs.

This not happy unless we win it all attitude is gonna break ya. One team wins each year. One. Making the playoffs regularly and being a contender every couple of years is a winning team even if they don't win it all and yes, I would be happy.

Yeah, I root for UConn women's basketball (but go Beavs!) when I want to back a winner. Blazer fandom is all about the love.

 

[Strenuus]

Your biting you're tongue?

I about spit out my water at work. WELL DONE.

 

[Strenuus]

Some people just don't value the journey as the reward. Just want a quick gondola ride to the top of the mountain.

HEY BRO, that gondola ride is untouchable!

 

[Strenuus]

Thats the core as of now. add to it and yes, I will be happy and we will go further in the playoffs.

This not happy unless we win it all attitude is gonna break ya. One team wins each year. One. Making the playoffs regularly and being a contender every couple of years is a winning team even if they don't win it all and yes, I would be happy.

It's about incremental increase in productivity from one year to next. Add a piece here, add a piece there.

Look at what Morey tried to do in Houston. Big name after big name. Trying to get big names (I.E. Bosh)... and it blew up in his face. To my enjoyment, yes... but if I was a fan of that team I'd be pissed. Yes, you tried, but you negated the fact that the team has to be the sum of the parts.