Upgrading the SG position

[jlprk]

John Salmons just turned 33 a month ago and will be in the league a few more years. He could be had cheaply and share time with Matthews. He's at least as good as Matthews, and I think better.

 

[RR7]

I don't see Matthews as an ideal sixth man. I mentioned before, but feel his inability to create for himself or others kills that. Mayo, Jack, monta would make for good sixth men here I think.

 

[Run BJM]

I really don't think Jarret Jack is a good fit for the Blazers. Lillard is playing 39 mpg. That leaves 9 minutes of actual backup PG play for JJ. In theory they'll play together, but why would you want the ball out of Lillard's hands even with Jack in the game? Can Lillard really do well as an off-ball SG? Jack is a combo guard, but hes a ball dominant one, and taking the ball from him and having him play as a SG seems like a waste when there are so many real pure SGs out there who can do it better than him at a lower price. JJ works as a 30 mpg player off the bench in GS because Curry makes a seamless transition to being a pure SG and he can be highly effective off the ball.

Just seems like a waste throwing 6 million a year at Jarret Jack when you could get a significantly cheaper replacement to fill those 10 mpg and throw your money at an impact 6th man, a C, and just general quality depth.

 

[Reep]

Wessy is the perfect fit next to Dame. The guy can move off the ball, shoot lights out, and play tough D. Annnd, he's become the heart and soul of this team. This repeated notion that a lot of people on this forum have of how we need to upgrade our SG makes no sense to me at all. My God, the guy is putting up 15+ppg and shooting near 40% from 3 for his career. Victor Oladipo is NOT an upgrade.

+1. How many 2-guards out there shoot the three as good as Wes and defend as well? I like him as a starter.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Evan Turner

Non-rhetorical question alert: Why Evan Turner?

 

[Hobbesarable]

But the question isn't whether we should upgrade the 2 spot, it's where does upgrading the 2 spot rank among all the other moves we need to make?

We need a backup point guard.

We need a starting center.

We need a scorer off the bench.

Matthews isn't perfect, not by a long shot, but he works in the interim. Obviously there are some options this summer at shooting guard that we could make a run at. JJ Redick, Kevin Martin, OJ Mayo, JR Smith...

Martin is probably the best fit of those four, but he has yet to complete a season without missing significant time.

Mayo would be a great fit in terms of age and talent, but he has questionable character. Still, I'm intrigued by him. I'm wondering what kind of deal he will command this summer.

Redick would be a nice addition because of his shooting, but I'm not sure if he's really an upgrade over Matthews. Possibly just a lateral move, but one that would allow Matthews to come off the bench.

I like adding Smith. He's nuts, no doubt about that, but he's an awesome bench scorer. This team could use a little crazy.

I've been saying this for a while now. I think Jarrett Jack would be a great option as a back-up 1/2. He can play both positions and he's starter quality as he's shown at Golden State. He would be the perfect spark plug off the bench.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Non-rhetorical question alert: Why Evan Turner?

I've always wanted the Blazers to get him. He has struggled in Philly, but he shoots better from 3, is a better defender and he is 2 years younger than Matthews. Turner's PER has gone up each year in the league, where Matthews' has gone down from him first year with us. At SG Turner, while slight has a better PER to PER vs ration that Matthews. Turner is also much more of an athlete

 

[Boise Blazer]

Ive seen his name mentioned before but the more I see of him and the more he burns us the more I like OJ Mayo. Im not sure what he would cost but his offense would change our team quite a bit. Whether that means he starts for Wes or he comes off the bench I really dont care. Although thinking about it I would love to have Matthew's defense for our starting unit and Mayo's offense for our bench. If we could pair Mayo with a back up PG that works well with Mayo's skill set it would make our team offensively legit for 48 minutes. Especially if we found a way to get Hickson as part of that bench. I would also send Claver to the gym this off season and tell him to stand at the 3 pt line and shoot until his arms fall off.

 

[Hobbesarable]

I've always wanted the Blazers to get him. He has struggled in Philly, but he shoots better from 3, is a better defender and he is 2 years younger than Matthews. Turner's PER has gone up each year in the league, where Matthews' has gone down from him first year with us. At SG Turner, while slight has a better PER to PER vs ration that Matthews. Turner is also much more of an athlete

So, who would you trade for him?

 

[RR7]

I'm with you on wanting Turner, mm. I think we both talked last offseason about trying to buy low on him.

 

[Mediocre Man]

So, who would you trade for him?

I would try to.

 

[Hobbesarable]

I would try to.

Ok. So, which player(s) on our awesome roster will you try to trade for him?

 

[illmatic99]

I'm with you on wanting Turner, mm. I think we both talked last offseason about trying to buy low on him.

He hasn't improved all that much. He can get anywhere he wants to on the floor with his handles, but he can't shoot or finish. And outside of maybe Crash, very few players have made drastic improvements to their games past the age of 24. So, there's no real potential to get him to produce more than his current value.

 

[magnifier661]

All of the beatwriters for this team have said that if Neil makes a trade it will be for a young backcourt mate for Lillard.

Does he not see Wes as a long-term answer next to Lillard or does he view Wes as instant offense/shooting off the bench in a 6th man role?

Looking at his numbers it's hard to find any young(er?) SG out there that would be an "upgrade."

Defensively, he's exactly what we need at guard. Offensively, he's a bit too streaky to count on throughout the entire game. I see him as a terry or ginobili off the bench. Most likely playing crunch time minutes.

I think our sites should be more of an offensive guard like just reddick starting. Reddick may not play in crunch time. Or you find a sf that has more of a defensive specialist role and move Batum at sg. Then during crunch time, you play Wes at 2 and move Batum to 3.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Ok. So, which player(s) on our awesome roster will you try to trade for him?

Tough one. Probably have to do some sort of 3 way?Matthews and Hickson could be sent out in a deal

 

[magnifier661]

I've always wanted the Blazers to get him. He has struggled in Philly, but he shoots better from 3, is a better defender and he is 2 years younger than Matthews. Turner's PER has gone up each year in the league, where Matthews' has gone down from him first year with us. At SG Turner, while slight has a better PER to PER vs ration that Matthews. Turner is also much more of an athlete

Matthews have been battling injuries last year, then still recovering this year. I agree that I would much rather have his per go up, but I don't want to make any assessment until I see him healthy. Also, if we had a better bench, I suspect Matthews per to go up. We are asking sooooo much from our starters. More minutes doesn't equate to better production, IMO. In fact I think more minutes actually effects efficiency for a player. I'm talking 35+ a game.

 

[illmatic99]

Turner's PER the last 3 years: 10.8, 12.6, 13.1
Matthews' PER the last 4 years: 12.3, 15.5, 14.1, 14.5

 

[Hobbesarable]

Turner's PER the last 3 years: 10.8, 12.6, 13.1
Matthews' PER the last 4 years: 12.3, 15.5, 14.1, 14.5

Don't forget leadership qualities. Matthews kicks ass in that category.

 

[magnifier661]

Turner's PER the last 3 years: 10.8, 12.6, 13.1
Matthews' PER the last 4 years: 12.3, 15.5, 14.1, 14.5

So mm's statement isn't accurate. Matthews per last season was injury riddled, while its gained 0.4 so far this injury riddled year. He's only down 1 per from his best year.

 

[illmatic99]

Don't forget leadership qualities. Matthews kicks ass in that category.

I've been referencing repeatedly how his impact goes past just the #s. I don't think Matthews is all that great, tbh, but we all seem to underrate what he brings. We need more depth yes, but a starter to replace Wes--- not so much.

 

[Hobbesarable]

I've been referencing repeatedly how his impact goes past just the #s. I don't think Matthews is all that great, tbh, but we all seem to underrate what he brings. We need more depth yes, but a starter to replace Wes--- not so much.

I noticed your references. And I agree with you. A lot of people focus on the stats and forget the other qualities making a player who he is.

 

[magnifier661]

I've been referencing repeatedly how his impact goes past just the #s. I don't think Matthews is all that great, tbh, but we all seem to underrate what he brings. We need more depth yes, but a starter to replace Wes--- not so much.

I think that ability would be more valuable off the bench. He would lead the bench unit fresh.

 

[Hobbesarable]

I think that ability would be more valuable off the bench. He would lead the bench unit fresh.

I like Matthews, but he is not a drive to the hoop kind of player. Do we have one of those on the bench?

Matthews is a great safety net at the 3-pt arc for our drive to the hoop players in Lillard and Batum.

 

[illmatic99]

Historically, Wes has been really bad off the bench.

 

[RR7]

He hasn't improved all that much. He can get anywhere he wants to on the floor with his handles, but he can't shoot or finish. And outside of maybe Crash, very few players have made drastic improvements to their games past the age of 24. So, there's no real potential to get him to produce more than his current value.

Sometimes it's more about small improvements combined with different opportunity. Past the age of 24, look no further than our own roster, with Aldridge, who has had his best years, and his highest PERs after he turned 25. He's made plenty of improvements to his post game. Nic turned 24 this season. He looks like he's made some improvements to me. I dunno. Part small improvements, part opportunity.

 

[e_blazer]

I like Matthews, but he is not a drive to the hoop kind of player. Do we have one of those on the bench?

Barton certainly shows signs of being able to be that kind of player. He's out of control sometimes, but I think that he has the makings of a good backup SG.

 

[Hobbesarable]

Barton certainly shows signs of being able to be that kind of player. He's out of control sometimes, but I think that he has the makings of a good backup SG.

Showing signs is good, but he's out of control more often than not.

 

[illmatic99]

I think our biggest need is a steady backup PG. Someone like Eric Maynor would be perfect. I foresee a trickle down effect with that. He'd improve our bench players signficantly allowing them to play longer. That would give the starters much more rest and make them more efficient.

 

[e_blazer]

Showing signs is good, but he's out of control more often than not.

He's a rookie so you have to make some allowances for that. Given that the prevailing wisdom around here is that the Blazers should aim not to make the playoffs, it seems to me that giving Barton a lot of burn the rest of the season makes sense. See if he improves before deciding on the game plan for the draft.

 

[magnifier661]

He's a rookie so you have to make some allowances for that. Given that the prevailing wisdom around here is that the Blazers should aim not to make the playoffs, it seems to me that giving Barton a lot of burn the rest of the season makes sense. See if he improves before deciding on the game plan for the draft.

Rookies usually need two years in the league before u see significant improvement. I think most of us are used to Roy and Lillard being good right out the gate. Most the time that isn't the case