If Portland signs a big

[Scalma]

If we sign a Whiteside or Howard, or any starting caliber center really, then I can't see both Leonard and Plumlee returning. One of them will go. That being said, one guy I would love to sign in this scenario is Marvin Williams. He's found success as a stretch 4 and he defends the rim very well according to his advanced stats. He also provides the versatility to be able to switch (would be huge vs GS for example.) He's a little but older than the rest of the team but if were trying to contend he fits the culture perfectly. If we could get a starting center + marvin, while losing plumlee/Leonard and Henderson id be happy.

 

[JDC]

If we sign Williams, I don''t see both Aminu and Harkless returning. With that being said, Aminu brings a lot of the same things and what ultimately will be a cheaper price.

 

[RR7]

I don't see what Williams offers that we don't have in Aminu and Harkless, really.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

I love Williams but like said before me, he is just a more veteran version of Aminu/Hark. We need real size, I mean look at the Thunder, Warriors, and Cavs... They're YUUUUUGE in comparison to us, we need beef.

 

[Scalma]

Marvin is damn near 240lbs. He's got size. He can play the 3&4 and he spaces the court while defending the post. He's also a better shooter than both aminu and Harkless. I don't know why you wouldn't want that.

Lillard
Mccollum
Harkless
Aminu
Howard/Whiteside

McCollum
Crabbe
Marvin
Plumlee
Davis


Maybe go after larry sanders too

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I've been advocating for Williams too. He has a better and more consistent offensive game than Aminu, and has good size for the PF position. Chief could backup both the 3/4 spots, and we'd have a very solid forward rotation.

 

[DreamKillah]

If we sign a Whiteside or Howard, or any starting caliber center really, then I can't see both Leonard and Plumlee returning. One of them will go. That being said, one guy I would love to sign in this scenario is Marvin Williams. He's found success as a stretch 4 and he defends the rim very well according to his advanced stats. He also provides the versatility to be able to switch (would be huge vs GS for example.) He's a little but older than the rest of the team but if were trying to contend he fits the culture perfectly. If we could get a starting center + marvin, while losing plumlee/Leonard and Henderson id be happy.

Williams used to have a 35" vert and a 9' standing reach . . .

 

[Scalma]

I've been advocating for Williams too. He has a better and more consistent offensive game than Aminu, and has good size for the PF position. Chief could backup both the 3/4 spots, and we'd have a very solid forward rotation.

Yeah I don't see any downside to marvin, especially if Leonard leaves. You can put him on Draymond.

 

[Scalma]

I've been advocating for Williams too. He has a better and more consistent offensive game than Aminu, and has good size for the PF position. Chief could backup both the 3/4 spots, and we'd have a very solid forward rotation.

Yup. Or have marvin off the bench and he'd give u another relatively consistent scorer next to crabbe. Rather have that than spend 10m+ on meyers

 

[Scalma]

Then again if we get a whiteside or a Howard it'll be tough for plumlee to fit in so maybe they'll trade him and keep meyers who compliments those centers better.

Plumlee's value will probably never be higher tbh

 

[Sinobas]

I say we let Meyers go. Sign Al Horford, and resign Harkless and Crabbe.

Horford is a decent shooter, certainly no Ryan Anderson, but he plays better defense and can really finish inside 75%.

Horford also has a better mid range jumper than LaMarcus 49% vs 42%

 

[Sheldon Shape]

1a. Whiteside
1b. Horford
2. Dwight Howard

 

[PDXFonz]

In order of preference:
Horford - The best currently available player/fit
Mahinmi - Low key legit player. Career year this season. First season of solid minutes.
Howard - Discount and ready to buy in or he's not even on this list
Whiteside - Lot's of talent, lot's of question marks
Biyombo - A solid consolation prize, but if this happens I may consider it an L just based off my expectations for FA.

 

[BonesJones]

I say we let Meyers go. Sign Al Horford, and resign Harkless and Crabbe.

Horford is a decent shooter, certainly no Ryan Anderson, but he plays better defense and can really finish inside 75%.

Horford also has a better mid range jumper than LaMarcus 49% vs 42%

I'd rather trade Plumlee for a 1st and resign Meyers.

 

[Mediocre Man]

If we sign a big, I hope it's someone with the offensive skills down low that forces the defense to make enough adjustments that one of our shooters will be open.

 

[Scalma]

If we sign a big, I hope it's someone with the offensive skills down low that forces the defense to make enough adjustments that one of our shooters will be open.

So Monroe, Howard, or Horford? Does horford have a post up game or us he more of a face up guy? I still feel like Howard is the best combination of post scoring and defense.

 

[Mediocre Man]

So Monroe, Howard, or Horford? Does horford have a post up game or us he more of a face up guy? I still feel like Howard is the best combination of post scoring and defense.

Howard is not the answer. Horford can certainly score down low, but I wouldn't classify him as a low post scorer. It would cause the defense to make some adjustments based on his skill set though.

 

[TBpup]

In order of preference:
Horford - The best currently available player/fit
Mahinmi - Low key legit player. Career year this season. First season of solid minutes.

Mahinmi had some nice defensive stats and Horford would also be a big upgrade....what if we could get them both? Horford is only a short 6'10" and really more of a PF like what he started at in Florida in college. He has been playing a lot of undersized C at times but can do that when teams go small.

 

[Harry's Raincoat]

If we sign a big......

1a. Whiteside
1b. Drummond
2. Howard (gotta roll that dice)
3. Horford (steady face-to-the-basket player)

Simply said, its rolling the dice choices all around this summer. None comes with out faults or baggage. Highest pct. chance of landing DH imo. I prefer taking a chance on Whiteside though.

 

[blue9]

In the long run we need to trade:

Plumlee OR Davis - I'm leaning toward Davis, but Plumlee might net a better return.
Aminu OR Harkless - No brainer here; trade Aminu, keep Harkless.

Obviously my choice is to keep Plumlee/Harkless, ideally as back-ups. Though I do think Harkless has the potential to be a very good starting SF. But as we all know, we definitely need better size and consistency from the PF/C spots. If we could package Aminu/Davis/Alexander for one really good player (and maybe a late pick) that would be awesome.

I really hope we're able to bring Meyers and Crabbe back on reasonable contracts - letting them walk for nothing is a misuse of assets. And I think they both deserve at least another year with the team - they've shown to be positive additions to the roster.

Still intrigued by Larry Sanders, but I'm basically at the point where I'm willing to give a shot to any of the names mentioned as long as the contract doesn't hamstring us if it doesn't work out.

 

[Hobbesarable]

Mahinmi had some nice defensive stats and Horford would also be a big upgrade....what if we could get them both? Horford is only a short 6'10" and really more of a PF like what he started at in Florida in college. He has been playing a lot of undersized C at times but can do that when teams go small.

This lengthy article was written by Grantland during January 2015, but it is a good read.

The Unassuming, Unknown Superstar Status of Al Horford

Some key points:

He is concerned only with winning, even if the path there involves sacrificing shots to focus on passing, setting good picks, and battling 7-footers under the basket.

On offense, he’s dangerous doing anything out of the pick-and-roll — the play that greases Atlanta’s engine. If his big-man partner is a spot-up shooter — Mike Scott, Pero Antic — Horford is explosive enough to slice down the line for dunks. Hand the offense to someone else and Horford is a spot-up sniper who can stand 20 feet from the hoop and drag his guy away from the action.

He’s an expert screener, an underrated (what else?) NBA skill. If he senses he can bait the defense into opening itself up early, he’ll scurry up to set a pick, stop short, and slip into the paint without ever setting a proper screen

“Setting screens is an art,” Korver says. “There are some big guys who just aren’t good at the pick-and-roll because they don’t know how to get their point guard open, or how to get themselves open. Al can do everything. He’s not really a center. He’s a basketball player who happens to play center.”

 

[PtldPlatypus]

In the long run we need to trade:

Plumlee OR Davis - I'm leaning toward Davis, but Plumlee might net a better return.
Aminu OR Harkless - No brainer here; trade Aminu, keep Harkless.

Obviously my choice is to keep Plumlee/Harkless, ideally as back-ups. Though I do think Harkless has the potential to be a very good starting SF. But as we all know, we definitely need better size and consistency from the PF/C spots. If we could package Aminu/Davis/Alexander for one really good player (and maybe a late pick) that would be awesome.

I really hope we're able to bring Meyers and Crabbe back on reasonable contracts - letting them walk for nothing is a misuse of assets. And I think they both deserve at least another year with the team - they've shown to be positive additions to the roster.

Still intrigued by Larry Sanders, but I'm basically at the point where I'm willing to give a shot to any of the names mentioned as long as the contract doesn't hamstring us if it doesn't work out.

Interesting that the players that you recommend be traded due to duplication are our two free agent signings from last summer, and that the ones that are better players worth keeping are players we traded for. Makes one slightly concerned about the value of this summer's cap space.

 

[blue9]

Interesting that the players that you recommend be traded due to duplication are our two free agent signings from last summer, and that the ones that are better players worth keeping are players we traded for. Makes one slightly concerned about the value of this summer's cap space.

Yeah, as much as I like Olshey I've not been impressed with his Free Agent selections. It's his biggest weakness, IMO. Monroe and Kanter have been his best targets! I'm much more hopeful that trades will propel us forward. That's partially why I think it's imperative that we re-sign Meyers and Crabbe - at the very least they will be useful in future trades.

 

[Natebishop3]

In a perfect world, we sign a center and trade for a power forward. Signing a center, whether it's Horford or Whiteside or Howard, should free up Plumlee or Davis (depending on who you want to keep) for a trade.

I would look at potentially dealing Plumlee/Aminu and possibly Vonleh for a power forward.

Example:

Sign Whiteside
Trade Plumlee/Vonleh/Cleveland 1st for Millsap.
Re-sign Crabbe.
Re-sign Harkless
Re-sign Leonard.

Dame/???
CJ/Crabbe
Aminu/Harkless
Millsap/Davis
Whiteside/Leonard

 

[Natebishop3]

Yeah, as much as I like Olshey I've not been impressed with his Free Agent selections. It's his biggest weakness, IMO. Monroe and Kanter have been his best targets! I'm much more hopeful that trades will propel us forward. That's partially why I think it's imperative that we re-sign Meyers and Crabbe - at the very least they will be useful in future trades.

Excuse me? He signed Aminu and Davis for bargain contracts, and both of those players were key components in our season. Aminu had a pretty damn good postseason. I thought his free agents from last year were exemplary, considering what he had to work with.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Ideally we want a center with size and skill, but since those guys are few and far between, I think I would chose the center with more skill over the center with more size.

Horford to me has the most all around skill. There would be very few circumstances where he could not be on the floor at either C or PF. He seems like the safest bet.

But realistically I would say the odds of getting either Whiteside, Howard, or Horford are all less than 50%. (And forget about Drummond) Sure give it a shot, but I am still thinking we should consider a combination of two players for the same amount of money and go after someone like Mozgov (size) and Evan Turner. (wing with ball handling skills)

 

[HailBlazers]

Yeah, as much as I like Olshey I've not been impressed with his Free Agent selections. It's his biggest weakness, IMO. Monroe and Kanter have been his best targets! I'm much more hopeful that trades will propel us forward. That's partially why I think it's imperative that we re-sign Meyers and Crabbe - at the very least they will be useful in future trades.

What do you expect man? Like it's easy to attract big names or something.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yeah, as much as I like Olshey I've not been impressed with his Free Agent selections. It's his biggest weakness, IMO. Monroe and Kanter have been his best targets! I'm much more hopeful that trades will propel us forward. That's partially why I think it's imperative that we re-sign Meyers and Crabbe - at the very least they will be useful in future trades.

Please don't take this as combative, I like discussion and promise I won't bash you for having a different opinion, unlike others, but who, in your opinion, should he have gone after that he didn't?

 

[Orion Bailey]

Yeah, as much as I like Olshey I've not been impressed with his Free Agent selections. It's his biggest weakness, IMO. Monroe and Kanter have been his best targets! I'm much more hopeful that trades will propel us forward. That's partially why I think it's imperative that we re-sign Meyers and Crabbe - at the very least they will be useful in future trades.

Okay, come on now.

IT's been said over and over and over that Portland cant attract Free Agents,, but now all of a sudden that's on NO?

He did great with his bargain signings last year. Would you be more impressed if he totally overpaid to get an allstar in here and spend all our cap sapce ona guy that isnt the right fit?

Cant have it both ways. Either blame the city and our location or blame NO, but not both.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Whiteside has had left knee surgery in 2011 and now a right MCL injury. As Blazer fans do we really want a center on our roster with injury history?