Loser: Portland Trail Blazers

[SlyPokerDog]

So much for celebrating the Blazers’ strong start to the season and LaMarcus Aldridge’s first All-Star selection. Portland instead used the trade deadline to overhaul the franchise. Longtime coach Nate McMillan was fired, Greg Oden was waived and center Marcus Camby was sent to the Rockets for a pair of draft busts (Jonny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet) and a second-round pick in what essentially was a salary dump. Wallace also was sent to the Nets for center Mehmet Okur, journeyman forward Shawne Williams and a first-round pick.

The Blazers’ implosion was both sudden and surprising. The team had tuned out McMillan and regularly has been getting blown out on the road.
Even worse: The Blazers couldn’t move guard Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford.
The drat pick Portland received in the Wallace trade might be the only thing appealing to Blazers fans.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-spears_nba_trade_deadline_winners_losers_031512

 

[Natebishop3]

Salary dump? It's obvious this idiot didn't see that Camby and Oden were free agents after this season. He might want to do a little research before writing.

 

[alex42083]

Marc Spears is better than this... but he's a big Andre Miller guy, and hated how we treated him. I do wonder if we could've gotten another first-round pick for Crawford but oh well.

 

[Rhal]

Marc Spears hates the Blazers in general. Never has anything nice to say about them and jumps on anything that goes wrong, kind of like how Adrian Woj was when KP was here.

 

[Natebishop3]

Marc Spears hates the Blazers in general. Never has anything nice to say about them and jumps on anything that goes wrong, kind of like how Adrian Woj was when KP was here.

I still wonder if KP fucked Woj's girlfriend or something...

 

[jlprk]

He didn't like him because Pritchard got all conceited and smiley whenever the Oregonian praised him, instead of mentioning names lf those deserving credit. He never shared credit.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Dont waste your time reading this crap. Loser = Spears.

 

[magnifier661]

All these writers will bite their tongue.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Marc Spears hates the Blazers in general. Never has anything nice to say about them and jumps on anything that goes wrong, kind of like how Adrian Woj was when KP was here.

This is an incredibly misinformed point of view. Spears is one of the most even-handed writers that cover the league.

 

[B-Roy]

Spears said LA was the best PF in the game btw.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Well, they really were losers; they only did half the job because they still have Felton and Crawford. I think an experienced GM could have read the situation better and got Crawford traded. And an experienced GM would have the guts to say to Miller and whoever else; we need to buy out Felton today; let's not do this halfway. I understand we are all relieved that they didn't stand pat, but it's really inexcusable and just dumb that they haven't finished the job.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Well, they really were losers; they only did half the job because they still have Felton and Crawford. I think an experienced GM could have read the situation better and got Crawford traded. And an experienced GM would have the guts to say to Miller and whoever else; we need to buy out Felton today; let's not do this halfway. I understand we are all relieved that they didn't stand pat, but it's really inexcusable and just dumb that they haven't finished the job.

It doesn't matter. Neither guy is going to be here beyond this season and in the near term playing them probably helps ensure a higher draft pick. What's the big downside here?

 

[Pinwheel1]

Well, they really were losers; they only did half the job because they still have Felton and Crawford. I think an experienced GM could have read the situation better and got Crawford traded. And an experienced GM would have the guts to say to Miller and whoever else; we need to buy out Felton today; let's not do this halfway. I understand we are all relieved that they didn't stand pat, but it's really inexcusable and just dumb that they haven't finished the job.

They were losers because they still have Felton and Crawford for 23 whole games? This is a very minor detail in the grand scheme. The bottom line is they had a plan and they executed it. No NON-expiring contracts came back. No Blake, No Rid.

Asking for a 1st round pick for those two guys while not taking on a contract was a lot to ask for. They were not losers. Their experience was a non-factor.

 

[B-Roy]

They were losers because they still have Felton and Crawford for 23 whole games? This is a very minor detail in the grand scheme. The bottom line is they had a plan and they executed it. No NON-expiring contracts came back. No Blake, No Rid.

Asking for a 1st round pick for those two guys while not taking on a contract was a lot to ask for. They were not losers. Their experience was a non-factor.

Shawne Williams is not expiring, but I hear they're working on a buyout.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

It doesn't matter. Neither guy is going to be here beyond this season and in the near term playing them probably helps ensure a higher draft pick. What's the big downside here?

Felton is just a big enough jerk that he will go on a hot streak and get us out of the lottery! And i don't know how Elliot Williams is doing but i would like to see him playing 30 minutes a night, both at SG and also tried at PG. A player doesn't really get better unless they are playing a lot of minutes at the highest level. I want to see enough of Nolan Smith and Johnny Flynn so we can definitely know what we have in them and make the appropriate decisions on their futures. And I don't even want a guy like Felton in the locker room

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

They were losers because they still have Felton and Crawford for 23 whole games? This is a very minor detail in the grand scheme. The bottom line is they had a plan and they executed it. No NON-expiring contracts came back. No Blake, No Rid.

Asking for a 1st round pick for those two guys while not taking on a contract was a lot to ask for. They were not losers. Their experience was a non-factor.

Disagree. I believe their plan was to get rid of both of them and they didn't do it.

 

[magnifier661]

It doesn't matter. Neither guy is going to be here beyond this season and in the near term playing them probably helps ensure a higher draft pick. What's the big downside here?

That's what I'm thinking as well. From the reports, non of the offers didn't include us taking a long term contract back. If that was the case, then I think management did a great job not being desperate like NJ was and make a deal they may later regret. Crawford and Felton are 100% guaranteed gone by this summer. If anything, them still in our line-up only helps our lotto chances. It's a win win, IMO.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Felton is just a big enough jerk that he will go on a hot streak and get us out of the lottery! And i don't know how Elliot Williams is doing but i would like to see him playing 30 minutes a night, both at SG and also tried at PG. A player doesn't really get better unless they are playing a lot of minutes at the highest level. I want to see enough of Nolan Smith and Johnny Flynn so we can definitely know what we have in them and make the appropriate decisions on their futures. And I don't even want a guy like Felton in the locker room

Fat chance ... emphasis on fat.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I still wonder if KP fucked Woj's girlfriend or something...

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Right after laBron's mother.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Disagree. I believe their plan was to get rid of both of them and they didn't do it.

And Felton is gone after the season for sure. Perhaps Crawful will not exercise his option and go as well.

 

[magnifier661]

LOL if anyone thinks Felton is capable of going on a tear, you are more optimistic than I am. That says a lot. I have a strong feeling that Felton will sulk the rest of this season. I have a feeling that many fans will turn on him and I mean BAD. Any mistake he makes is amplified like 100%. He is too much of a mental midget to prove anything. Crawford, on the other hand, actually could go on a tear. I think the trade was a huge distraction for him. He's the player to watch, IMO.

 

[e_blazer]

The Blazers could only be viewed as losers if you were to look at these moves from the very limited view point of the remaining games on this year's schedule. Having two lottery picks in a deep draft plus enough cap space to re-sign Batum and have enough left to make a max offer on a FA this summer puts this team in the position to become competitive again in a very short time. Camby and Wallace weren't going to be here next year and neither was McMillan. The fact that Felton and Crawford are here for the rest of this season is totally irrelevant. Spears is a pretty good writer in general, but he really muffed on this piece.

 

[Nate4Prez]

ESPN's Hollinger Trade Grades:
Portland: A
The Blazers are flailing, but this was absolutely the right move for them -- a means to a quickie rebuilding project that can have them back in the West's upper crust while LaMarcus Aldridge is still in his prime. Or so they hope.

The top-3 protected draft choice from the Nets is the key. It's likely to fall in the 6-to-10 range, giving the Blazers a shot at a high lottery pick.

There are two other angles here. First, they are assured that Wallace won't opt in for $9.5 million next year and screw up their cap situation; instead they're locked into $3.1 million for Williams and roughly $2.5 million for the first-round pick. If they also deal Jamal Crawford (or if he opts out, which seems likely), they'll be $25 million under the cap next summer, which means they have the wherewithal to re-sign Nicolas Batum and plunge into the free-agent market.

Second, while Williams was useless in New Jersey as a 3, he's had some success as a 4 off the bench. That could be his role in Portland, since Wallace had effectively taken over as the backup power forward. Alternatively, the trade could open playing time for Luke Babbitt -- who has played well in recent garbage-time stints -- or the scandalously underutilized Craig Smith.

Finally, this clears up a perimeter jumble for Portland. Batum gets to start at the 3, his natural position, and if Crawford goes, it appears Wes Matthews and Elliot Williams can share the shooting guard spot.

link

ESPN's Zach Harper:
What was the trade deadline play of the day?
I thought the Trail Blazers blowing it up and getting a very favorable draft pick from the Nets was huge. With the dismantling of their own roster and the firing of their coach, they're in prime position to tank, clear cap room for next season and end up with two lottery picks. Too many teams tread water before they realize it's time to blow it up. Have to sink or swim.

link

 

[MARIS61]

Disagree. I believe their plan was to get rid of both of them and they didn't do it.

This. They greatly helped 2-29 competitors while not really helping themselves at all.

Bob Whitsitt would have gotten rid of both slackers, and received amazing value in return.

 

[oldmangrouch]

This. They greatly helped 2-29 competitors while not really helping themselves at all.

Bob Whitsitt would have gotten rid of both slackers, and received amazing value in return.

Not even Trader Bob could have gotten value for Felton. I am disappointed that they couldn't get something of value for Crawford, but you can't have everything.

 

[Draco]

So would you be happy if Crawford and Felton were both gone but we had to take back Steve Blake's contract? Screw that I'm happy we didn't. Theres only a couple days beyond a month left in the season, having to put up with Crawford/Felton for a few weeks isn't a big deal. This isn't some Darius Miles, Zach Randolph, Theo Ratliff screw up where we are stuck with a terrible contract for half a decade and prevented from using cap space.

I think the team was hoping to get a pick for Crawford and was holding firm. If they didn't get a pick back there wasn't much incentive to deal him away. If you are willing to play hard ball you can sometimes get home run deals like the Wallace trade, but you have to be willing to walk away from a deal. Teams like NJ were in a panick and did a trade at all costs. I'm glad we didn't make a panick move just to close the deal on a trade that doesn't help the teams position this summer.

 

[PapaG]

Question.

Who is going to be deciding on which players are drafted in the mid-lottery? Because until that is resolved, nothing matters.