Here's the hard truth about actually achieving success, eventually you have to take risks -- hopefully calculated, but risks nonetheless.
Is it not fair to say that adding Butler is, in itself, a risk, given the points I detailed below (or above).
You can only fill so many needs through the draft, especially when KP (supposedly) is a "best player available" kind of guy. Furthermore, if history is any teacher, youth is not usually served in the NBA. A team like the Blazers that is already overloaded with youth and too many players for too few rotation spots, simply adding more draftees to the team without thinning things out is just going to lead to even more of the chemistry issues we saw crop up in the first month of the season before the Grim Reaper cut them down at the knees.
Youth isn't usually served in the NBA, but then this team is built differently than any other team I've seen in the Association. Pritchard doesn't draft on hype, but based on set criteria (versatility, skill sets, coachable, experience). I actually maintain that if Portland continued to add International prospects, who were left in Europe's best leagues to develop, if Portland continued to draft very polished, mature players, and if they continually sought out players through the draft that matched a needed skill set, we'd be in a better position than if we traded for Vince Carter, Steve Nash, Gerald Wallace, or Caron Butler. Not that these players wouldn't be a significant upgrade for the team, but that our overall success over the long haul would be diminished without reaching our short term goal.
Think about what we've done primarily through the draft. Sergio Rodriguez was a small but integral part of our success last season. Joel Freeland will likely be a part of this team next year or the year after. We had to give up nothing but cash to get these additions.
Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Koponen were primarily cash deals I believe (I know Rudy was part of the deal with NY and PHX). Rudy's a fucking stud. It would cost a pretty penny to try and attain a player of Rudy's stature from another team. I'm liking what I've seen from Koponen thus far, and would expect another two years of seasoning abroad he may be very valuable to our team or during a future draft to grab an equally solid player that we have more of a need for.
Jerryd Bayless is just in his second year and he's already putting up what I consider starting-caliber numbers. Nic Batum in his first year was stepping in front of our established forwards to claim a starting role.
Now, Vic Claver probably won't be a player to be relied on for around four seasons, but when/if he shows what he can do, we'll have him at a bargain price. Look what Pendergraph and Cunningham have helped do without giving up anything of great value. And again, if history is any trend, Patty Mills will likely be a cheap contributor.
Using the draft the way Pritchard does maximizes our results without losing our assets. The time will come when a good asset will have to be moved to make room for better ones, but that time isn't yet. These rookie contracts are just too valuable to not take advantage of. We will improve the team, we'll just do it in an unconventional way, bringing over Freeland, drafting hidden gems that are ready to both contribute today, stashing away projects for the future, and sifting through the free agent rejects to bring in an overlooked player.
I'm ranting, but I feel if we use our assets in trade via the draft, we'll profit more than using a greater amount of assets to bring back another team's player that doesn't quite fit as well.
