So do you still want to re-sign Matthews?

[Natebishop3]

Re-sign him, Wes has made a career proving people wrong.

I thought he made a career playing basketball.....


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[LTG22O]

Okur and Brand aren't Wes.

Wilkins seemed to do fine after the injury.

You just compared Wilkins to Wes...one of the most freakish Athletes and one of the best NBA scorers in NBA history...to Wes.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

You just compared Wilkins to Wes...one of the most freakish Athletes in sports...to Wes.

You're making my point for me. Wilkins used athleticism in his game. Then ruptured his Achilles over twenty years ago when the procedure probably wasn't as good, came back and played well.

Wes does not use crazy athleticism in his game. Dude is a warrior too. I think he will be fine when he comes back

 

[Draco]

Wes' rehab is going to stretch way on into next season. So I think you either sign him to a one year deal if he would rather keep his bird rights and prove he is worth a ton next summer. Or you give him a long 4/5 year deal with the understanding next year is a rehab season the team is significantly overpaying for but he will be a bit underpaid in years 2, 3, and 4. I'd rather just sign him to the long term deal as the cap will be going up and he deserves a contract more than any player. If he losses athleticism I think he'll still be a productive backup. I think either he could come off the bench at the 2/3, CJ could come of the bench at the 1/2 or by the time Wes is fully healed Batum will be a free agent and we have no idea how that will turn out. So maybe eventually Wes will start with CJ and Damian. This series we had 5 players play well and everyone else was horrific so we are a long ways away from having too many healthy productive bodies in the rotation.

I'd be ok with giving him something like a 5 years $50 million deal. That sounds like a ton now but remember the cap is going up to over $100 million so in those later years that will be equivalent to the 5 year $35 million deal he signed with us after his rookie year. He was probably going to earn $12-$15 million per year before the injury so its still a huge discount for the team.

 

[LTG22O]

You're making my point for me. Wilkins used athleticism in his game. Then ruptured his Achilles over twenty years ago when the procedure probably wasn't as good, came back and played well.

Wes does not use crazy athleticism in his game. Dude is a warrior too. I think he will be fine when he comes back

But the reason he made it back was because he was a crazy freak athlete(see Adrian Peterson) also he was one of the best scorers in history meaning he could do more than a set 3. He could score in every way. Wes is a bit limited. It is not comparable in the least. If it were not for Roy and his knees, Wes would be a back up or gone plain and simple. If we can get him back on the cheap great, if not well it has been a blast.

 

[stampedehero]

Of Course. For all he did and all we missed. BTW: Without CJ we would have looked worse.

Of course..he'll be cheaper too now

+> Marketing guys would phrase him "affordable".

 

[stampedehero]

We'll need points if you know who is rumoured to leave and end up in Texas. Strickly speculation

 

[stampedehero]

IT has to be a deal thats beneficial for both sides. People were talking about Wes getting 14 million/year 4 year deals before his injury. Now the risk is he isn't as good as he once was. I think a 2 year 16 million deal would probably get it done. That way Wes can still sign one big deal at age 30 after it's over if he has recovered and is still good.

+ Great prospective. You must negotiate with the human race for your day job.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Let's compare our records before and after Wes went down. Do that and get back to me.

If CJ becomes a starter, then both he and Lillard better have worked A LOT on their defense. I don't think it's possible for them to improve enough, frankly. As Ive said before, I think CJ is best suited for the Danny Ainge third guard role. Of course, Danny Ainge left pretty quickly. And so did James Harden for OKC. But what can you do? Starting him and Lillard together is a poor fit. They do not complement each other well. (When CJ was going off last night, Lillard basically vanished.)

 

[3RA1N1AC]

I said this originally, but a two year deal around 18MM total with the second year a team option seems like it would be fair to both sides.

That said, I could see going 4/36 or so also.

 

[magnifier661]

I just think I would turn my focus on developing the younger guys like Crabbe and CJ since the team is clearly not in a window wo LA. And not tie up the money

If Aldridge doesn't re-sign with us, then we rebuild around dame. Pure and simple. You build around your star. No sense massaging a system predicated around Aldridge when we don't have Aldridge. The team assembled now is clearly built around Aldridge.

So if Aldridge is gone, then Lopez, Matthews, and Batum are all gone too.

 

[blazerboy30]

I definitely want him back, but would be hesitant to pony-up a large amount over several years. He means more to this team than just his play on the court. I have a feeling a lot of the lackadaisical play we saw this series would not have been there with Wes playing.

 

[dviss1]

Those of you who are concerned about whether or not Wes will be the same after his injury should look squarely at the youngster we just picked up.

Fraizer is quicker than Damian Lillard.

He had a ruptured Achilles.

Youth is a muthafucka and Wes has plenty of it.

 

[dviss1]

Yes, but a guard you still need quickness in basketball, otherwise why does anyone retire? It'll also affect his defense. Players like Okur and Brand suffered after the injury.

What? Elton Brand is one of the Achilles success stories.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Absofrickin'lutely. No hesitation.

 

[BlazerWookee]

I'm ready to give CJ the starting SG spot. Next year's Knicks:

Rondo
Matthews
Carmelo
Aldridge
Okafor

CJ doesn't have the defensive chops to replace Matthews (or Afflalo, for that matter) in the starting lineup, IMHO.

And if Wes goes to the Knicks, my head will explode.

 

[B-Roy]

To the people worried about coming back from an achilles injury....

This is Wesley Fuckin' Matthews we're talking about. Are you guys even serious?

 

[BigGameDamian]

Re-sign him, Wes has made a career proving people wrong.

We'll see if he can do it again!!

 

[Blazinaway]

To the people worried about coming back from an achilles injury....

This is Wesley Fuckin' Matthews we're talking about. Are you guys even serious?

yes we are, we understand the difficulty of coming back from this injury, especially to where you weare beforehand - the ODDS are poor. I love Wes and wish him success in his rehab ,but from a TEAM standpoint and using some common sense vs emotions, it IMO would be a very bad decision to overpay and potentially put the team is a weaker position, I don't think the Blazers should or will do that

 

[Blazinaway]

CJ doesn't have the defensive chops to replace Matthews (or Afflalo, for that matter) in the starting lineup, IMHO.

And if Wes goes to the Knicks, my head will explode.

and his Achilles may explode again as well if he goes there

 

[stampedehero]

As soon as the injury occured Wes' dollar value dropped out of the stratosphere. There were a number of forum posters stating that effect. If he can't play for what is offered then another player is out there eager to get a shot at the NBA.

 

[MARIS61]

If Aldridge doesn't re-sign with us, then we rebuild around dame. Pure and simple. You build around your star. No sense massaging a system predicated around Aldridge when we don't have Aldridge. The team assembled now is clearly built around Aldridge.

So if Aldridge is gone, then Lopez, Matthews, and Batum are all gone too.

I agree Aldridge will probably leave. And Matthews may never return to his former self, or may want to leave.

But Lopez, Matthews, and Batum are all quite talented players who fit like a glove on court with Lillard. Aldridge may be the one who's in the way.

 

[magnifier661]

I agree Aldridge will probably leave. And Matthews may never return to his former self, or may want to leave.

But Lopez, Matthews, and Batum are all quite talented players who fit like a glove on court with Lillard. Aldridge may be the one who's in the way.

The record without Aldridge proves otherwise. Do you remember the games when he was out? Teams played defend Dame and make others beat you. It worked like a charm

 

[rig]

The record without Aldridge proves otherwise. Do you remember the games when he was out? Teams played defend Dame and make others beat you. It worked like a charm

Agreed. Our shooters all basically feed off of LMA. If we don't have him, with no inside option and with no one (cj excluded) that can consistently create their own shot or get to the rim I think we are in trouble.

 

[stampedehero]

The center point of the offense was created through Aldridge. When he leaves, its' management's job to find a player with the same role. But who?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

The center point of the offense was created through Aldridge. When he leaves, its' management's job to find a player with the same role. But who?

Or, if Aldridge is gone, perhaps Stotts changes the plan from a Dirk-style LA-centered offense, to...something else?

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Kevin love would probably fit the role of stotts pf quite well. The problem is his defense is atrocious and he would make us worse.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Agreed. Our shooters all basically feed off of LMA. If we don't have him, with no inside option and with no one (cj excluded) that can consistently create their own shot or get to the rim I think we are in trouble.

Agreed. However you have to include Dame as well. I don't care how much he struggled at times at the end of year, he still improved dramatically last year in getting to the rim and finishing. He just needs to continue to work on the floater. CJ does that very well.

Regardless I have always said we need one more player who can attack the basket. And it really needs to come from the SF position.
Ideally it would be Nic, but I think he shy's away from it because he keeps getting hurt. He is not exactly built for contact at 6'8" and only 200 lbs. By comparison CJ, who we say is "too small" weighs 201. As much as I like Nic for other reasons, I would love having a Stanley Johnson type at 6'6" 240 as a bookend for Leonard. (If LMA left)

 

[BlazerWookee]

The center point of the offense was created through Aldridge. When he leaves, its' management's job to find a player with the same role. But who?

HE'S.

NOT.

FUCKING LEAVING.

 

[stampedehero]

HE'S.

NOT.

FUCKING LEAVING.

That aroma of Texas cash and low taxes will mystify him I'm sensing departure