In KP we trust

[Fez Hammersticks]

If he thinks Amare vaults us into contention this year and the better part of the next decade, we should put faith in that decision. Why do I say this? ...as fans, if we were in charge of the roster we'd run it into the ground. KP knows what he's doing:

 

[Miksaid]

KP in his heyday.

 

[DUB]

Sorry Miksaid, but that mantle belongs to this bloke.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

KP hasnt give us a reason to not trust him. I think its safe to say that he's one of the best GM's in the league. KP kicks ass.

 

[Sedatedfork]

My only real concern with Amare is the knee, but LMA hasn't exactly been the most healthy guy either. Hate to lose Bayless and LMA for Amare, but I have no control over the moves and agree that we just have to trust that KP will make the right move (even if that move is to stand pat).

 

[B-Roy]

Don't get too ahead of yourselves....

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

My only real concern with Amare is the knee, but LMA hasn't exactly been the most healthy guy either. Hate to lose Bayless and LMA for Amare, but I have no control over the moves and agree that we just have to trust that KP will make the right move (even if that move is to stand pat).

No way KP would trade Bayless and Aldridge for Amare. Not a chance.

 

[B-Roy]

No way KP would trade Bayless and Aldridge for Amare. Not a chance.

He's got to be looking at options...

 

[maxiep]

Do people really think that the team with none of the leverage will be able to extract a massive expiring deal, one of the top young PFs in the game and a guy who was projected to go in the top four from last year's draft? I don't.

 

[maxiep]

He's got to be looking at options...

No he doesn't. How does Amare fit this team? I could see us being involved in a three way that sends Stoudemire to another team, but he's a square peg for this squad of round holes.

 

[BrianFromWA]

was that "team of round holes" remark a veiled dig at our pu$$y-ish defense?

 

[Sedatedfork]

No way KP would trade Bayless and Aldridge for Amare. Not a chance.

Will you give up beer if he does? I posted this in the Phoenix rumor page too, but Phoenix would have to give more to get LMA, Bayless and RLEC. That other piece would probably be Barbosa based upon salary and prior stories involving Barbosa.

 

[Tortimer]

Will you give up beer if he does? I posted this in the Phoenix rumor page too, but Phoenix would have to give more to get LMA, Bayless and RLEC. That other piece would probably be Barbosa based upon salary and prior stories involving Barbosa.

I think Barbosa makes to much and even if we included Bayless and Freeland plus Rlec Barbosa would be to much unless we included someone else. I wouldn't really want Barbosa but he is ok. I would want to keep Bayless and not take Barbosa.

 

[maxiep]

was that "team of round holes" remark a veiled dig at our pu$$y-ish defense?

It wasn't meant to be, but now that you mention it...

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

I agree with what Wheels just said on The Game a few minutes ago. Amare coming to Portland would be very suprising and isnt likely. Wheels did say that KP has always been high on Rudy Gay and there are rumors that Memphis is shopping him.

 

[crandc]

KP in his heyday.

No, my avatar is KP in his heyday.

 

[Kaydow]

It's not hard for me to imagine trading for Amare. It's not hard for me to imagine LA in that deal. It IS hard for me to imagine it involves adding Bayless. Take out Bayless, put in Freeland (as some have mentioned) and picks, or Outlaw, or Sergio. Hey, Sergio under the tootlage of Steve Nash might not be a bad thing for Phoenix.

I'm drooling over a Bayless/Roy backcourt going forward. I know Bayless doesn't look like a Pure PG, but I think the plan should be to find a quality b/u pure PG who plays good defense (like Greg Anthony used to) or a guy like Howard Eisley, who I always thought was a perfect b/u PG. Dude could handle the ball, play D, get the team into it's offense, shoot the 3, make FT's . . . and he didn't mind playing behind John Stockton when Utah was making their title runs.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I agree with what Wheels just said on The Game a few minutes ago. Amare coming to Portland would be very suprising and isnt likely. Wheels did say that KP has always been high on Rudy Gay and there are rumors that Memphis is shopping him.

That would be utterly amazing (and gut busting) considering all of the shenanigans between the Grizz and Blazers over the Miles affair ... but hey, it's business I guess.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

We've seen how "well" Amare works with Shaq - why would a pairing with Oden be any more likely to succeed? Stoudemire is a smug full-of-himself, no-defense, only occasional rebounding volume scorer. He makes no sense for this team.

Incidentally, I have similar disdain for Rudy Gay, who is also a volume scorer no-defense player. Funny how he gets injured and suddenly the Grizzlies start to play well. Why would a pathetic team like Memphis trade a cheap young "star" unless he was a cancer?

 

[Sedatedfork]

I think Barbosa makes to much and even if we included Bayless and Freeland plus Rlec Barbosa would be to much unless we included someone else. I wouldn't really want Barbosa but he is ok. I would want to keep Bayless and not take Barbosa.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/featur...~2983~3417~454&teams=22~22~21~21~21&te=&cash=

It also works if you include Joel Freeland on top of the other 3. I also would rather have Bayless than Barbosa, but Barbosa makes losing Bayless a little more tolerable. Not saying I am in favor of the deal, just that it is not a slam dunk veto.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

It seems to me adding Barbosa would only make the deal worse, then we would be downgrading defensively at two positions. Also I feel like a sports forum and a society both operate best when there are individuals who think critically and make decisions for themselves, not trusting some "expert" or "leader".

 

[crowTrobot]

jeez i hope if these rumors are false somebody tells aldridge. it's front page on every site right now.

 

[MARIS61]

LaMarcus > Amare, at least in KP's thinking, making this rumor one of the weakest of the season.

 

[Masbee]

I agree with what Wheels just said on The Game a few minutes ago. Amare coming to Portland would be very suprising and isnt likely. Wheels did say that KP has always been high on Rudy Gay and there are rumors that Memphis is shopping him.

Really?

He could have just simply drafted Gay with his #7 pick. Instead, he went to a LOT of trouble to figure out what exactly was going on with Minnesota and Houston and other teams, in order to jump in front of Houston's plan of obtaining Roy.

KP may have been high on Gay, but far less so than he was sold on Roy, as proven by his actions.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Everyone thinks the rumors re: Amare are coming from the Phoenix side to increase his value. Maybe they are coming from KP to increase the offers for Raef? Or at least create more of an urgency.

 

[Karl Malone's Elbows]

Everyone thinks the rumors re: Amare are coming from the Phoenix side to increase his value. Maybe they are coming from KP to increase the offers for Raef? Or at least create more of an urgency.

To me it makes Raef's value look less. LMA and Bayless should be enough for Amare straight across.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Chris Broussard on First Take just said CLE offered Wally World and JJ Hickson.

It seems that there's no way that anything besides RLEC and LMA is going out for Amare (or whatever we get in a 3-way)

 

[Pinwheel1]

To me it makes Raef's value look less. LMA and Bayless should be enough for Amare straight across.

Well yeah if that actually worked under the salary cap. But you would be 9 million off. But it is the urgency more than the value. If another team thinks a trade is going down with Raef's contract, and they really want to save money by acquiring him, then i would think they may want to stop trying to get more out of KP and make the deal KP wants.

 

[MikeDC]

In Pax We Trust was once practically a motto on the Bulls boards I frequented. It's not anymore.

So I'd warn against the creepy cult of personality sort of stuff. I do wonder whether KP will make the same sort of mistakes Paxson made, but I don't know for sure if Amare is that sort of mistake or not. Dude is 26 and very very good. But no, not the ideal in personality and I wonder how he'd mesh with Roy and Oden.

Big decision indeed

 

[Masbee]

Well yeah if that actually worked under the salary cap. But you would be 9 million off. But it is the urgency more than the value. If another team thinks a trade is going down with Raef's contract, and they really want to save money by acquiring him, then i would think they may want to stop trying to get more out of KP and make the deal KP wants.

LMA + Bayless + Frye + Diogu, for example.