Make it better: Trade or FA ideas for the off-season.

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Nikolokolus

There's always next year
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The exercise: Identify team needs and make a proposal to bolster the lineup or otherwise fill holes

Assets:
Pryzbilla on an expiring contract which will probably be insured for 80% of its value, Miller playing on a potentially expiring contract, a boatload of draft rights to Euros, late first and middle second round draft picks, cheap rookie scale players like Rudy, Nic and Jerryd. The full mid-level exception, the bi-annual exception

Complications and/or considerations:
LMA and Roy with Base Year Compensation status, Mills, Diener and Juwan's contracts have all expired, leaving the team with 3 open roster spots.

My proposal:
Trade -- Rudy, Bayless and Joel for Ben Gordon to give you a legit sixth man scorer with the ability to play a little bit of off guard as needed
Free agency -- Use the mid-level exception and try to sign Luke Ridnour to be your backup point guard, retain Juwan for the veteran's minimum using part or all of the bi-annual exception, retain Patty Mills for emergency depth at point guard.

Roster:
PG: Miller/Ridnour/Mills
SG: Roy/Gordon
SF: Batum/Webster
PF: LMA/Cunningham/Juwan
C: Oden/Camby/Pendergraph.

This gives you a team with good floor spacing, competent point guard play, a sure-fire sixth man with some versatility in mixing and matching lineups based on the ability of certain players able to play multiple positions. This also leaves two open roster spots for draft picks (assuming they aren't involved in some kind of trade).
 
I may take a swing at this later. For now, I'll just criticize yours. ;)

My proposal:
Trade -- Rudy, Bayless and Joel for Ben Gordon to give you a legit sixth man scorer with the ability to play a little bit of off guard as needed

Is Gordon really a worthwhile upgrade on Bayless? Bayless actually had a better PER this season, an identical TS% and a superior Assist Rate.

Gordon is 26, while Bayless is 21. Gordon has had better seasons, but I don't think it's worth giving up Bayless' upside, the potential value of JPEC and selling Rudy at the bottom of his value for the possibility that Gordon might slightly better at a much higher salary. Gordon may perform better next season, but Bayless has a solid chance of improving himself.
 
I may take a swing at this later. For now, I'll just criticize yours. ;)



Is Gordon really a worthwhile upgrade on Bayless? Bayless actually had a better PER this season, an identical TS% and a superior Assist Rate.

Gordon is 26, while Bayless is 21. Gordon has had better seasons, but I don't think it's worth giving up Bayless' upside, the potential value of JPEC and selling Rudy at the bottom of his value for the possibility that Gordon might slightly better at a much higher salary. Gordon may perform better next season, but Bayless has a solid chance of improving himself.

Cumulative head-to-head comparison of each player:
http://www.basketball-reference.com...m=1&p1=bayleje01&y1=2010&p2=gordobe01&y2=2010

I would say the difference between Gordon and Bayless is primarily how they rack up the identical TS% (of which Gordon's was a career low mostly because he was so far off his normal 40% from 3 point range ... like 9% off which seems like a major outlier). If you assume that Roy and Miller are mostly at their best driving to the hoop or in the midrange then I think Bayless is somewhat redundant as a 30% three point shooter and also at his best on the drive.

As for Bayless' upside, he might still have a bit, but as I've stated before it seems his skillset is a bit of mismatch with the current lineup, which wouldn't be a death sentence except that he seems to have such tunnel vision on those drives of his. I'd take Gordon if only because he won't be clogging the lane with Roy, Miller and (presumably) Oden needing so much space to operate inside.
 
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Gordon was hurt, came back too soon, got hurt again, and never played like he was healthy. When healthy, he "jumps out of the gym" (a quote of several players who've played with and against him). He couldn't jump as high this year (ankle, and then groin injuries).

ben_gordon_ray_allen.jpg
 
Patty mills contract isn't expired because he played in the last game of the season it got picked up for next year.
 
Patty mills contract isn't expired because he played in the last game of the season it got picked up for next year.

I thought Pendergraph was the only second rounder with a guarantee written into his contract if he played a certain number of games?

EDIT: Correction, Pendergraph's is now fully guaranteed for 2 more years and Dante is guaranteed through next year, but as far as I can tell Mills is still a free agent at the end of this season.
http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/blazers.jsp
 
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I'm still in favor of taking a chance on Michael Beasley.

D. Collison and Monta Ellis are also player I'd like KP to look at.
 
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I thought Pendergraph was the only second rounder with a guarantee written into his contract if he played a certain number of games?

EDIT: Correction, Pendergraph's is now fully guaranteed for 2 more years and Dante is guaranteed through next year, but as far as I can tell Mills is still a free agent at the end of this season.
http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/blazers.jsp
Heres all I could dig up real quick. Mike and Mike said it once patty mills stepped onto the court vs golden state.

http://www.asternwarning.com/201004...itterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=NBA+NBL

During Portland's final regular season game (against the Golden State Warriors), Mills also saw playing time, scoring an NBA career-high 11 points in 13 minutes. He also managed two assists, one rebound and two turnovers during that fast-paced game. More importantly though, playing that tenth game of the regular season guaranteed Mills' contract for next season -- given the behaviour of McMillan during the season it was unexpected by most Blazers observers that Patty would see time in his tenth game.
 

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