Jazz Fans' Comments On The Matthews Signing....

[ABM]

Dated, but here's a little light Sunday morning reading material......

http://www.deseretnews.com/user/com...ook-Decision-on-Wesley-Matthews-business.html

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Interesting. He is a developing player and only time will tell if this kind of money is well spent on a relatively unknown reserve player. He's way to small to play SF with much effectiveness and certainly isn't going to play PG, so the vast bulk of his minutes will come behind Roy. If he proves to be a good player, then I wonder how he'll like a backup role? He seems to have a very pro active agent. Probably one of the more interesting free agent signings we've had.

 

[RipCityInsider]

Interesting. He is a developing player and only time will tell if this kind of money is well spent on a relatively unknown reserve player. He's way to small to play SF with much effectiveness and certainly isn't going to play PG, so the vast bulk of his minutes will come behind Roy. If he proves to be a good player, then I wonder how he'll like a backup role? He seems to have a very pro active agent. Probably one of the more interesting free agent signings we've had.

He guarded Melo and Bryant in the playoffs. Both players said he was the toughest defender they faced the entire playoffs. I don't think his size is a huge concern at the SF spot as some might think. Also, there has been talk we could see different lineups with Roy at the PG, Matthews at SG, and Batum at SF.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

He guarded Melo and Bryant in the playoffs. Both players said he was the toughest defender they faced the entire playoffs. I don't think his size is a huge concern at the SF spot as some might think. Also, there has been talk we could see different lineups with Roy at the PG, Matthews at SG, and Batum at SF.

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG. We'll see how good a player he turns out to be. But one thing is for certain. He's a SG. And if you think he's going to be a 'mello' stopper, then take more pills.

 

[RipCityInsider]

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG. We'll see how good a player he turns out to be. But one thing is for certain. He's a SG. And if you think he's going to be a 'mello' stopper, then take more pills.

Never said he is a Melo stopper. I was just pointing out that two of the more prolific scorers in the league both stated Matthews was THE best defender they faced in the entire playoffs. My original post was not based off my opinion, but merely from the Blazers staff and players from around the league. So I guess you should be laughing at the All-NBA players and the Blazers coaching staff from these outlandish opinions.

 

[STOMP]

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG. We'll see how good a player he turns out to be. But one thing is for certain. He's a SG. And if you think he's going to be a 'mello' stopper, then take more pills.

I don't get why you're being incredulous to the point you're insulting someone. While Wes is small for a SF, he's slightly bigger then Roy who has been moonlighting effectively there throughout his career for a good chunk of his minutes. As opposed to fellow 2nd year Blazer Dante Cunningham, Wes actually played there effectively as a rookie guarding a variety of 3's. Should someone who claims that Dante is a SF be accused of being whacked out on drugs?

STOMP

 

[STOMP]

Dated, but here's a little light Sunday morning reading material......

http://www.deseretnews.com/user/com...ook-Decision-on-Wesley-Matthews-business.html

I'll sum it up

Jailblazers... Wes is stupid and greedy... his agent is evil and self serving... Raja Bell is the goat

STOMP

 

[Nikolokolus]

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG. We'll see how good a player he turns out to be. But one thing is for certain. He's a SG. And if you think he's going to be a 'mello' stopper, then take more pills.

Roy doesn't play point guard? That's news to me judging by the amount of offense he seems to initiate at the end of quarters and at the end of games. I'd say it's almost a certainty that we'll see some end of game lineups with Roy, Batum and Matthews in at the same time (depending on the opponent). Nic has shown that he can cover 1-3 and 1-4 in some instances, I think Roy can cover most 2s and 3s and Matthews was certainly given the task of covering 2s and 3s last year. Offensively Matthews and Batum (and Aldridge) should theoretically be able to spread the floor

 

[blazerboy30]

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG.

Yeah, whatever that means.

Roy has been the primary ballhandler for most of his NBA career. Just because he wasn't the smallest guy on the court doesn't mean he wasn't playing PG.

 

[espn_hall_of_famer]

One thing I think that gets overlooked is how often do we see 5th year guys that re-sign for some big $$ contract based on being better than average, only to see the final years of those contracts be seen as horrible contracts that teams are stuck with.

Raef LaFrentz case in point. Four decent years in Denver and Dallas, and the Mavs sign him to a 7-year / $70M contract. By the time be came to Portland, it was considered a "contract" and not really the value of the player.

Miles was a similar signing for us. He bounced around the Clips and Cavs and then came to Portland, had a decent 11/4/2.5 role player role here and we re-sign him to some long term contract (can't remember how long or how much, but seems to me it was about four years later we were trying to shed like $18M for two years worth of that contract).

My point being that we see guys signed to 5-7 year contracts that get upwards to $7M year to $10M year near the end when those guys are broken down and maybe not even starting any longer. Matthews is on year two. It's highly likely by the time this guy is being overpaid on the final couple years of this big contract, he'll be a solid NBA player in his prime.

 

[STOMP]

One thing I think that gets overlooked is how often do we see 5th year guys that re-sign for some big $$ contract based on being better than average, only to see the final years of those contracts be seen as horrible contracts that teams are stuck with.

Raef LaFrentz case in point. Four decent years in Denver and Dallas, and the Mavs sign him to a 7-year / $70M contract. By the time be came to Portland, it was considered a "contract" and not really the value of the player.

Miles was a similar signing for us. He bounced around the Clips and Cavs and then came to Portland, had a decent 11/4/2.5 role player role here and we re-sign him to some long term contract (can't remember how long or how much, but seems to me it was about four years later we were trying to shed like $18M for two years worth of that contract).

My point being that we see guys signed to 5-7 year contracts that get upwards to $7M year to $10M year near the end when those guys are broken down and maybe not even starting any longer. Matthews is on year two. It's highly likely by the time this guy is being overpaid on the final couple years of this big contract, he'll be a solid NBA player in his prime.

both Raef and Darius endured a series of knee injuries/surgeries in the midst of their contracts. Without those injuries, I've got to imagine their careers would have gone differently. Hopefully Matthews is able to avoid the injury bug and be the best he can be, but thats a risk for every player

STOMP

 

[espn_hall_of_famer]

both Raef and Darius endured a series of knee injuries/surgeries in the midst of their contracts. Without those injuries, I've got to imagine their careers would have gone differently. Hopefully Matthews is able to avoid the injury bug and be the best he can be, but thats a risk for every player

STOMP

True. But it does almost seem to be the rule and not the exception. Like they give these guys big payoff contracts to make up for their small rookie contracts, then none of them can make it through them without some type of injury. How many times have we heard of the term of trading for an "expiring contract" instead of for that actual player's skill of joining the team and re-signing?

Seems like I can think of many times I've seen contracts trade, Steve Francis also comes to mind for us.

Heck, in recent news didn't I just see that Yao Ming re-signed his contract? Then didn't he just announce that his foot injury is bugging him so much that he's going to retire now at the end of this season? Doesn't that tell us that once again we've got a guy that we're going to be talking about trading the "contract" in a couple years unstead of trading for the actual player? Yao will have more money in contract $$ on a team's cap in a couple years while he won't even be playing than Matthews will for most of his contract in Portland.

 

[STOMP]

True. But it does almost seem to be the rule and not the exception.

injuries are a significant part of the game... most every player suffers major ones over the course of their career. But surely you don't need me to list some of the many examples that run counter to your impression of what is a rule.. right?

STOMP

 

[mook]

It's a valid concern, but you have to factor in age. Nearly all middling guys signed to a long contract like Matthews just got aren't 23*. Due to the rookie scale, they are typically 25-26. They are right near their prime, and that kind of contract carries them over into over-the-hill territory, where you can't make up for your lack of superstar talent with hustle anymore because there are younger guys who can hustle just as much as you can.

Matthews is maybe three or four years from his prime. By the time this contract is over, he'll probably still be in it (barring injury).

*One big exception are the high schoolers/guys who played a year in college. Those guys have been in the NBA for several years and are through their rookie deals. Some of those guys do get albatross contracts too. But I think it's less common. IMO those are the kind of deals you can see being boneheaded pretty early when they happen. If a guy has been an NBA player since 19, and is now 23, it's a different kind of upside. They've had four years against NBA competition. You should have a pretty good idea what they'll produce. (See Webster and Outlaw for examples of pretty reasonable deals.)

 

[J_Ray]

He guarded Melo and Bryant in the playoffs. Both players said he was the toughest defender they faced the entire playoffs. I don't think his size is a huge concern at the SF spot as some might think. Also, there has been talk we could see different lineups with Roy at the PG, Matthews at SG, and Batum at SF.

C.J. Miles actually covered Melo a majority of the time, and Matthews only went on him when Miles got in foul trouble. Matthews drew a few charges on Melo, but that's about all he did because Melo could just turn around and shoot over him in the post. If Blazers are going to play Matthews at SF, he loses all his effectiveness defensively because the guy used his upper body strength to really be the harassing defender he was.

 

[ABM]

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG. We'll see how good a player he turns out to be. But one thing is for certain. He's a SG. And if you think he's going to be a 'mello' stopper, then take more pills.

My little wacky conspiracy theory: At the time, the Blazers desperately wanted Paul, and were even prepared to trade Roy for him. Thus, in preparedness, they actually signed Matthews to be our starting Shooting Guard.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I don't get why you're being incredulous to the point you're insulting someone. While Wes is small for a SF, he's slightly bigger then Roy who has been moonlighting effectively there throughout his career for a good chunk of his minutes. As opposed to fellow 2nd year Blazer Dante Cunningham, Wes actually played there effectively as a rookie guarding a variety of 3's. Should someone who claims that Dante is a SF be accused of being whacked out on drugs?

STOMP

I thought he was joking. That's how far in left field he was. I wasn't trying to make fun of him. I guess he was serious. But I don't see how. So if any offense was taken, I humbly apologize. Sometimes I forget which board I'm posting on.

 

[RipCityInsider]

I thought he was joking. That's how far in left field he was. I wasn't trying to make fun of him. I guess he was serious. But I don't see how. So if any offense was taken, I humbly apologize. Sometimes I forget which board I'm posting on.

How am I in left field? What am I saying that is a complete joke to you? I'm just curious.

 

[MickZagger]

OK, funny post.

But Roy isn't playing PG. We'll see how good a player he turns out to be. But one thing is for certain. He's a SG. And if you think he's going to be a 'mello' stopper, then take more pills.

I could easily see Roy with spot minutes at the point. I've seen it in the past.

 

[MickZagger]

C.J. Miles actually covered Melo a majority of the time, and Matthews only went on him when Miles got in foul trouble. Matthews drew a few charges on Melo, but that's about all he did because Melo could just turn around and shoot over him in the post. If Blazers are going to play Matthews at SF, he loses all his effectiveness defensively because the guy used his upper body strength to really be the harassing defender he was.

Funny how when Matthews was a member of the Jazz he was the greatest things since sliced bread. Now, everything I read or hear from Jazz fans seems like sour grapes that he is gone.

 

[MickZagger]

If Roy misses his average of about 13-15 games a season I can't see a better guy to have fill in for him than Matthews. Matthews is a hard worker, a great defender and a team guy. McMillan will find plenty of minutes for him.

As for the guy who thinks Roy can't play spot minutes at the PG (which he has his entire career). Thats like saying Pippen wasn't a point during his time in Portland. Absolutely absurd.

 

[ABM]

Here's what stanfunky has to say:

For all those saying the Jazz should have offered Wesley Matthews a multi-year deal out of training camp last season, think about it this way:

When applying for a job, if you are a lesser-qualified candidate but have a hard-working demeanor and good attitude, you may get the job over better-qualified candidates. Say you get offered a starting salary of $36,000 per year, since you have a bachelor's degree from a smaller school, for Company J. It tops all other offers you have received. You accept. After the first year at this job, you have done well, impressing the bosses.

Since you have done so well, you want a raise in pay. The bosses at Company J want you to get more experience (3 years with them) before large salary increases will occur. They will give you an increase to $43,000 for Year 2 and 3. However, Company P will pay you $65,000 per year since they like to overpay for your job, but they have a history of bad management and employee turnover, while Company J is very stable and consistent over time.

What would you do?

 

[espn_hall_of_famer]

For all those saying the Jazz should have offered Wesley Matthews a multi-year deal out of training camp last season, think about it this way:

When applying for a job, if you are a lesser-qualified candidate but have a hard-working demeanor and good attitude, you may get the job over better-qualified candidates. Say you get offered a starting salary of $36,000 per year, since you have a bachelor's degree from a smaller school, for Company J. It tops all other offers you have received. You accept. After the first year at this job, you have done well, impressing the bosses.

Since you have done so well, you want a raise in pay. The bosses at Company J want you to get more experience (3 years with them) before large salary increases will occur. They will give you an increase to $43,000 for Year 2 and 3. However, Company P will pay you $65,000 per year since they like to overpay for your job, but they have a history of bad management and employee turnover, while Company J is very stable and consistent over time.

What would you do?

Wow. That's a no-brainer scenario. So I'm an Accountant who can go work for Ma & Pa Bookkeeping firm for $36K but will slowly rise to $43K and I get get loyalty and consistency and kisses for Christmas with the great management. Or I can go to Intel or Microsoft and get overpaid $65K annually to work for bad managers who really won't give me kisses on Christmas and aren't very stable in you never know if you're going to be there in 5 years since they have high turnover for deadbeat employees that don't give 100% and aren't worth being overpaid as originally thought. Hmm, tough choice - at least for everyone except the lazy slug who wants to just stick it out 30 years with some consistent company collecting checks while not doing any work.

 

[XXPrimusXX]

Funny how when Matthews was a member of the Jazz he was the greatest things since sliced bread. Now, everything I read or hear from Jazz fans seems like sour grapes that he is gone.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

What am I saying that is a complete joke to you?

When you start talking about Roy as PG and Matthews as our defensive stopper on all-star SF's, well, yeah. I mean, Matthews is a reserve player. He played some pesky defense and players were being nice in their comments about him, but he's, literally, years away from being a top tier defensive player. And since he's a reserve player for us, even that is in question.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I could easily see Roy with spot minutes at the point. I've seen it in the past.

And that's why Nate stopped experimenting with that idea. We got killed when he tried it.

 

[MickZagger]

And that's why Nate stopped experimenting with that idea. We got killed when he tried it.

No we didn't. He controls the ball in late stages of the 4th quarter of most games.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

No we didn't. He controls the ball in late stages of the 4th quarter of most games.

He doesn't play PG- period.

 

[MickZagger]

He doesn't play PG- period.

Are you in denial?

Roy has the ball in his hands initiating offense at the end of games. Its a fact.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Are you in denial?

Roy has the ball in his hands initiating offense at the end of games. Its a fact.

He's still not a PG. And frankly, he's been putzing up as well late in games. He cost us two playoff games against Houston. No offense, but do you know much about basketball?