THE HCP
NorthEastPortland'sFinest
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Portland Trail Blazers
The problem: In terms of efficiency margin (the difference between a team's offensive and defensive rating), only Oklahoma City has played better than the Trail Blazers out West. Unfortunately, their record doesn't match up to the stats. Portland has struggled in close games, often faltering down the stretch. The only offensive creators on the roster are Jamal Crawford and LaMarcus Aldridge, though Nicolas Batum is showing signs, as Marv Albert might say. Ray Felton has played better than Crawford in the clutch, but has been so poor overall that the latter has replaced him in the starting lineup. To get the rotation back to normal, the Blazers would love to find a good points/assists point guard who can create offense and push Crawford back to the sixth man's role.
The fix: Felton's contract is up after this season, which should make him highly tradeable. Gerald Wallace has one more year plus a player option left on his deal. Given the Blazers' needs, finding takers for one or both of the former Bobcats would seem ideal. Unfortunately, starting-quality point guards aren't that easy to find. The best at that position with an expiring deal is Phoenix's Steve Nash, who is reportedly coveted by Portland. Unfortunately, the Suns are looking to extend the Nash era beyond this season and Nash appears content to stay.
That could leave Toronto's Jose Calderon as Portland's best option. He's not a big-time scorer, but knocks down a high percentage of his looks and is one of the best passers in the league. His decision-making would be a key for the Blazers when things get tight. You could send Felton and Wallace to Toronto for Calderon and Linas Kleiza. Portland gets its new point guard, one who would allow Crawford to play off the ball down the stretch and might also boost the game of struggling Wesley Matthews. Batum steps into a 35-minute role as Portland's full-time 3 and inherits Wallace's job as the go-to perimeter stopper. Kleiza is a versatile bench scorer, better suited to that role than either Batum or Wallace, and is one of the league's top-25 per-minute scorers this season in clutch situations.
Toronto would get the 3 it lacks and the defensive ace that Dwane Casey surely covets in Wallace. They also get a replacement for Calderon in Felton. Someone has to run the team for the rest of the season. If it works out, they can re-sign Felton this summer, and he's young enough still to be considered a point guard of the future. If things don't go well, cap space is always nice.
The problem: In terms of efficiency margin (the difference between a team's offensive and defensive rating), only Oklahoma City has played better than the Trail Blazers out West. Unfortunately, their record doesn't match up to the stats. Portland has struggled in close games, often faltering down the stretch. The only offensive creators on the roster are Jamal Crawford and LaMarcus Aldridge, though Nicolas Batum is showing signs, as Marv Albert might say. Ray Felton has played better than Crawford in the clutch, but has been so poor overall that the latter has replaced him in the starting lineup. To get the rotation back to normal, the Blazers would love to find a good points/assists point guard who can create offense and push Crawford back to the sixth man's role.
The fix: Felton's contract is up after this season, which should make him highly tradeable. Gerald Wallace has one more year plus a player option left on his deal. Given the Blazers' needs, finding takers for one or both of the former Bobcats would seem ideal. Unfortunately, starting-quality point guards aren't that easy to find. The best at that position with an expiring deal is Phoenix's Steve Nash, who is reportedly coveted by Portland. Unfortunately, the Suns are looking to extend the Nash era beyond this season and Nash appears content to stay.
That could leave Toronto's Jose Calderon as Portland's best option. He's not a big-time scorer, but knocks down a high percentage of his looks and is one of the best passers in the league. His decision-making would be a key for the Blazers when things get tight. You could send Felton and Wallace to Toronto for Calderon and Linas Kleiza. Portland gets its new point guard, one who would allow Crawford to play off the ball down the stretch and might also boost the game of struggling Wesley Matthews. Batum steps into a 35-minute role as Portland's full-time 3 and inherits Wallace's job as the go-to perimeter stopper. Kleiza is a versatile bench scorer, better suited to that role than either Batum or Wallace, and is one of the league's top-25 per-minute scorers this season in clutch situations.
Toronto would get the 3 it lacks and the defensive ace that Dwane Casey surely covets in Wallace. They also get a replacement for Calderon in Felton. Someone has to run the team for the rest of the season. If it works out, they can re-sign Felton this summer, and he's young enough still to be considered a point guard of the future. If things don't go well, cap space is always nice.
