Part II: Neil Olshey promises an 'aggressive' offseason

[BBert]

I too like Splitter and Gortat. I like Varejao too but he is a little older and is coming off his best year ever, which makes me worried he's going to regress to the mean.

To me, the obvious best case scenario is Noah. He's only 28 - a defensive and rebounding force, and would seem to compliment Aldridge perfectly. He also seems to be the least likely to be traded, but I'm just speculating. Anyways, I put Noah on the top of my wish list!

Noah is a greyhound, high motor guy. Bangers are nice, but Noah would seem to fit in well with our lineup and with Stotts.

 

[BBert]

Interesting comparison, the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

Dame = Billups (ok)
Aldridge = Sheed (I guess so)
Batum = Prince (kinda)
Wes = Rip Hamilton (no)

Sorry, but Rip Hamilton was 10x the offensive player that Wes is. I would love to have a young Rip Hamilton.

Yeah, I had to LOL at the Rip Hamilton comparison. If only.

 

[magnifier661]

Noah is a greyhound, high motor guy. Bangers are nice, but Noah would seem to fit in well with our lineup and with Stotts.

I just don't see Chicago giving him up unless we gave them Aldridge.

 

[BBert]

I just don't see Chicago giving him up unless we gave them Aldridge.

Which would solve nothing, of course.

 

[Natebishop3]

I just don't see Chicago giving him up unless we gave them Aldridge.

The theory would be that they're trying to clear space to go after LBJ again next summer. Same reason why LAC would dump Jordan. I'm not sure they would go for it, but it's worth a try.

 

[Mediocre Man]

It's really cool to get players first hand view of Portland, the city. You always hear about it, but never really first hand about the drawback. I like the approach of selling the team, rather than the city. I'm not sure anyone has done that in the past?

 

[Natebishop3]

It's really cool to get players first hand view of Portland, the city. You always hear about it, but never really first hand about the drawback. I like the approach of selling the team, rather than the city. I'm not sure anyone has done that in the past?

Something I don't understand, why do some players love Portland and stay even when they are traded or retire, but others don't feel comfortable and hate it? Just a personal preference thing?

And this isn't just a black/white thing. Rudy hated it here. He did not like the weather at all.

 

[e_blazer]

I just don't see Chicago giving him up unless we gave them Aldridge.

The assumption in the article is that there will be teams trying to position themselves cap-wise to make a run at James and other big-time FAs in the summer of 2014. Chicago would need to dump both Boozer and Noah if they wanted to be players. Getting a chance at a cheap rookie with the #10 pick would help them out. I don't know how likely that is, but it seems to me that looking for one of these salary dump situations is a better approach than sitting back and playing FA roulette in the summer.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Something I don't understand, why do some players love Portland and stay even when they are traded or retire, but others don't feel comfortable and hate it? Just a personal preference thing?

And this isn't just a black/white thing. Rudy hated it here. He did not like the weather at all.

I think Portland is one of those places that grows on you...You get a young black athlete that has been in the lime light for his career, and ask him if he wants to go to a city that has a 6% black population with little night life and it's a hard sell. But after they are there and they see how everyone in the city bleeds Blazers and is always nice to them, it's much easier to see them staying. Especially if they stay durin the off season where it is one of the most beutiful places on the planet.

Think how easy it would be to attract MLB players to Portland

 

[magnifier661]

The assumption in the article is that there will be teams trying to position themselves cap-wise to make a run at James and other big-time FAs in the summer of 2014. Chicago would need to dump both Boozer and Noah if they wanted to be players. Getting a chance at a cheap rookie with the #10 pick would help them out. I don't know how likely that is, but it seems to me that looking for one of these salary dump situations is a better approach than sitting back and playing FA roulette in the summer.

Well if we got Noah, I'd consider the offseason a home run

 

[Mediocre Man]

Well if we got Noah, I'd consider the offseason a home run

I think the only way this off season is unsuccessful is if they miss out on significant FA's and draft another project. Anything else will really be an upgrade.

 

[e_blazer]

Well if we got Noah, I'd consider the offseason a home run

OK City's salary dump this season certainly turned out to be a home run for the Rockets.

 

[illmatic99]

Noah is the absolute perfect fit. He's a younger Varejao without the long injury history. If we can get him in a salary dump, that would be an unbelievable off season.

 

[magnifier661]

I think the only way this off season is unsuccessful is if they miss out on significant FA's and draft another project. Anything else will really be an upgrade.

Yes, but I'm not talking upgrade. Getting Noah would be the best player obtained for our need.

 

[magnifier661]

Noah is the absolute perfect fit. He's a younger Varejao without the long injury history. If we can get him in a salary dump, that would be an unbelievable off season.

This

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yes, but I'm not talking upgrade. Getting Noah would be the best player obtained for our need.

Would it? I know Noah and his coach have not seen eye to eye due to Noah's defense.

His defense is really solid by the numbers, but is that more Thibodeau than Noah?

Don't get me wrong, Noah would be light years better than Hickson or Leonard last year, but I'm not sure he is THE perfect guy. Might be one of those cases where numbers are a bit misleading

 

[Mediocre Man]

Here is a bit more of what I am referring to

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8595253/nba-kobe-bryant-joakim-noah-overrated-defenders

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...icago-bulls-joakim-noah-an-overrated-defender

 

[magnifier661]

Here is a bit more of what I am referring to

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8595253/nba-kobe-bryant-joakim-noah-overrated-defenders

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...icago-bulls-joakim-noah-an-overrated-defender

I get that, but the 82.games has a sizable small sample size. Noah is usually the player facing the best offensive player.

 

[illmatic99]

I think all this discussion is probably futile. There is no way CHI is dumping Noah when they can amnesty Boozer and probably jettison Deng's albatross contract to get some financial flexibility. Noah is a huge part of their core.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

I think we should be really aggressive this year if there are amnesties. Boozer, Gooden and Perkins probably all have a better than 50/50 shot of being let go.

I not high on Perkins like some (he has been a disaster the last two years. Look it up - His body is shot) but if he came for a 1.5 MIL bid then ok take a swing.

 

[santeesioux]

I'm very wary of Varejo, he's old and seems to be injured all the time. Noah would be amazing, if only we had gotten the second or third pick in 2007.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I'm very wary of Varejo, he's old and seems to be injured all the time. Noah would be amazing, if only we had gotten the second or third pick in 2007.

He seems to be injured a lot for sure. In fact looking back he has played

54
48
81
48
81
76
31
25
25

Only played a full season 3 times out of 9/ No thank you

 

[Pinwheel1]

I think Portland is one of those places that grows on you...You get a young black athlete that has been in the lime light for his career, and ask him if he wants to go to a city that has a 6% black population with little night life and it's a hard sell. But after they are there and they see how everyone in the city bleeds Blazers and is always nice to them, it's much easier to see them staying. Especially if they stay durin the off season where it is one of the most beutiful places on the planet.

Think how easy it would be to attract MLB players to Portland

I also think age is a factor and marital status. If you are a wealthy young single black male, who can pretty much sleep with super models every night of the week.........Portland is OK, but it ain't Miami, Chicago, New York, LA, or Houston.

But if you are interested in actually staying married.....Portland is a great city to raise your kids and just play ball.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I also think age is a factor and marital status. If you are a wealthy young single black male, who can pretty much sleep with super models every night of the week.........Portland is OK, but it ain't Miami, Chicago, New York, LA, or Houston.

But if you are interested in actually staying married.....Portland is a great city to raise your kids and just play ball.

Great point


Also consider where they were born and went to college

Small town
West coast
Weather there

 

[Nikolokolus]

Would it? I know Noah and his coach have not seen eye to eye due to Noah's defense.

His defense is really solid by the numbers, but is that more Thibodeau than Noah?

Don't get me wrong, Noah would be light years better than Hickson or Leonard last year, but I'm not sure he is THE perfect guy. Might be one of those cases where numbers are a bit misleading

On the flipside, there doesn't appear to be a perfect guy in the league that would be available. Noah at least ticks most of the boxes the Blazers would be looking for.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Not that I think Noah is a realistic target

 

[KeepOnRollin]

I don't think we can get Noah (would love to be wrong on this) but why haggle over him not being perfect? WHO could we get that is perfect?

 

[e_blazer]

I don't think we can get Noah (would love to be wrong on this) but why haggle over him not being perfect? WHO could we get that is perfect?

Run down the list of centers in the NBA and you'll find that perfection, or anything approximating it, is woefully absent. We're talking upgrade here, folks.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Greg Oden with two bionic legs?

 

[KingSpeed]

I think Larry sanders is exactly the Ben Wallace type player.

Undersized height, excellent rebounder, excellent help defender, excellent lateral movement, terrible free throw shooter, non existent offensive game.

Undersized? Larry Sanders is 7 feet tall.