Tough Guys - Players of the Wes Matthews ilk

[Sheldon Shape]

It's been my contention for quite sometime that the Blazers need to get TOUGHER. We have one Wes Matthews, and a bunch of softer guys. Look at what Memphis is doing to Golden State. They are doing it with physicality. Draymond Green is the type of guy I would LOVE to add to the Blazers and have him start at SF. We need more of these types of players. The undervalued hustle guys. Another guy is DeMarre Carroll. What is his situation?

I had a lot of love for KJ McDaniels before he was traded to Houston for nothing. I would love to look into him again. A very good win defender. Thabo Sefalosha is supposed to be a free agent this off season as well too, right?

What are other players that could add a dimension we are severely lacking that could be available?

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Also, Curry and Thompson are getting their shots but Memphis has done an amazing job of taking players out of their rhythm, exactly what they did to LaMarcus. We need some hard nosed players like Memphis. Tony Allen has been awesome.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

We need a Tony Allen so bad. It's hard to find those elite perimeter defenders though.

Green is a goon though.

 

[damianlillard]

i likes to get draymond green or jimmy butler. i prefer green more, but if we can get butler then get him. we need a defense minded and athletic center, i am think deandre jordan. if we can get green and jordan, then we got a great team

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

i likes to get draymond green or jimmy butler. i prefer green more, but if we can get butler then get him. we need a defense minded and athletic center, i am think deandre jordan. if we can get green and jordan, then we got a great team

Lol um... Butler isn't going anywhere, Green isn't worth the max he will get and Jordan is a pipe dream. We're looking at guys like Crowder and Chandler as defensive minded players that are attainable.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

I think KJ McDaniels is Wes Matthews 2.0. I look at him strongly. DeMarre Carroll and Draymond Green as well. You're going to have to overpay if you have any chance of pulling them away from their teams as they are restricted, in the case of DeMarre and Draymond.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Tyson Chandler would provide us with toughness

 

[magnifier661]

Tyson Chandler would provide us with toughness

Or Hibbert

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Or Hibbert

Tyson Chandler won't provide us with Hibbert...

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Draymond Green
Hassan Whiteside
Victor Oldadipo
Steven Adams
Khris Middleton

 

[tester551]

Cory Brewer

 

[Strenuus]

Draymond Green
Hassan Whiteside
Victor Oldadipo
Steven Adams
Khris Middleton

Oladipo would be great, but I think they are trying to build around him and Vucevic.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

My pick would be Adams.

Perfect contrast to Meyers.

He leads the League in fights started. Tough as nails.

 

[jlprk]

It's been my contention for quite sometime that the Blazers need to get TOUGHER.

I agree. I often post that our starting forwards are soft, but I should have worded it in terms of toughness. I'm kicking myself right now. Violently.

 

[WillG]

I agree. I often post that our starting forwards are soft, but I should have worded it in terms of toughness. I'm kicking myself right now. Violently.

You'll never make the team of toughies that way jlprk - you'll be over tenderized and end up softer than the front court you have lambasted for all of these years!

 

[jlprk]

Protect the paint !

 

[PDXFonz]

Protect the paint !

Who wears short shorts?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

To be fair, these should be called Raja Bell players, as he's the prototype.

These players really should come cheap, as they tend not to be stars at major colleges, and they tend to be "tweeners". Ideally they should be acquired by the draft and developed, so that they're "ours", but I guess Raja Bell, Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace and even Wes started out on other teams and bounced around.
One guy who looked like he was this kind of player was Patrick Beverley, who was acquired from Europe (but now it looks like the Rockets are better without him). However, Bryant Dunston just won back-to-back Euroleague defender of the year (he's sort of Chuck Hayes 2.0):


But if we're focusing on Guards/Wings, I notice that Elijah Millsap has a pretty good defensive rating. He's also been locked up by the Jazz for a few years, though, perhaps because of how Wesley got stolen from them.

Continuing the "get 'em cheap" model (but breaking the no Big College rule), how about D-League Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Craft:

 

[MickZagger]

PJ Tucker.

 

[MickZagger]

 

[MickZagger]

Tucker would be a perfect fit and he can guard 4 positions legitimately.

 

[riverman]

I agree. I often post that our starting forwards are soft, but I should have worded it in terms of toughness. I'm kicking myself right now. Violently.

I think folks mistake soft for good looking and tough for ugly. Kendrick Perkins is soft but ugly so folks think he's tough. Meyers and Freeland are good looking so seem soft but are actually tough

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I think folks mistake soft for good looking and tough for ugly. Kendrick Perkins is soft but ugly so folks think he's tough. Meyers and Freeland are good looking so seem soft but are actually tough

I dispute that Freeland is good looking and that Meyers is tough.
However, I agree there's a difference between loudmouths and toughs. Some people yap a lot and get a lot of double technicals but aren't necessarily tough. (KG, for instance.) Other people are tough but silent. (Ben Wallace.) However, it is possible to be both (Ron Artest).
In general, enforcers/defensive aces are like drummers. There's the crazies (Dennis Rodman, Keith Moon) and the solid, quiet types (Bruce Bowen, Charlie Watts).

 

[riverman]

I dispute that Freeland is good looking and that Meyers is tough.
However, I agree there's a difference between loudmouths and toughs. Some people yap a lot and get a lot of double technicals but aren't necessarily tough. (KG, for instance.) Other people are tough but silent. (Ben Wallace.) However, it is possible to be both (Ron Artest).
In general, enforcers/defensive aces are like drummers. There's the crazies (Dennis Rodman, Keith Moon) and the solid, quiet types (Bruce Bowen, Charlie Watts).

agree, I was joking though I hope you know

 

[0-Our!]

Man oh man... by the looks of Sam Cassell... he could b the toughest of all time!

 

[jlprk]

I think folks mistake soft for good looking and tough for ugly. Kendrick Perkins is soft but ugly so folks think he's tough. Meyers and Freeland are good looking so seem soft but are actually tough

agree, I was joking though I hope you know

I thought the vision of me had appeared in front of you.

I dispute that Freeland is good looking and that Meyers is tough. However, I agree there's a difference between loudmouths and toughs. Some people yap a lot and get a lot of double technicals but aren't necessarily tough. (KG, for instance.) Other people are tough but silent. (Ben Wallace.) However, it is possible to be both (Ron Artest). In general, enforcers/defensive aces are like drummers. There's the crazies (Dennis Rodman, Keith Moon) and the solid, quiet types (Bruce Bowen, Charlie Watts).

You should write a book on this.

 

[illmatic99]

Totally agree with this sentiment. But I think we need someone physically tough more than mentally tough.

For a few years now, I feel like we've lacked in the freak athlete department, ever since Crash left. Someone with long arms, a decent vertical, and can guard multiple positions, while being able to dunk on opponents ferociously. A SF/PF kinda like Thad Young or a wing like Gerald Green. Maybe go younger and get someone like MKG even.

I had hope that Nic would fill this void, but he's clearly not as much of an athletic freak as I though he would be when he first started.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Here's a list of low usage, high DBPM players, sorted by total BPM. Anyone here strike your fancy?

A few that I see that would interest me: Brandan Wright, John Henson, James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Zaza Pachulia, and Lavoy Allen.