We all know our bench needs improvement. The question is, who goes? (1 Viewer)

[RR7]

I don't think people understand how hard it is to not play ball for essentially a year, and then come back and be expected to produce right away as a rookie on a playoff team. He didn't get a training camp, he didn't get to play in the first half of the season, and now he's supposed to be a seasoned vet who doesn't make mistakes? It's completely unrealistic.

Was just going to say this. Sure we drafted him with the thought that he was "NBA ready" but he hadn't played in basically a full season, ending his college career in early January, and making his official debut with us in early January. He showed flashes, and showed terrible play also. He was a rookie who hadn't played in a year. He also was not given consistent minutes because we were a 54 win team, and those teams often don't give consistent minutes to inconsistent rookies.

 

[Natebishop3]

Was just going to say this. Sure we drafted him with the thought that he was "NBA ready" but he hadn't played in basically a full season, ending his college career in early January, and making his official debut with us in early January. He showed flashes, and showed terrible play also. He was a rookie who hadn't played in a year. He also was not given consistent minutes because we were a 54 win team, and those teams often don't give consistent minutes to inconsistent rookies.

Yup, plus he had a short leash. Stotts would pull him almost immediately if he missed a few shots.

 

[Haakzilla]

I am intrigued by your opinion, and I value your opinion because I respect your knowledge of the game, and it's players. Do you have an explanation as to why you think those 4 should go? We agree on 2/4, but I am curious why you chose Claver and Crabbe over Leonard and Williams.

Specifically Williams vs Crabbe and Claver vs Leonard. I think stretch wings are easier to come by than a center with Meyers' size. Williams and Crabbe are both volume shooting guard, but Williams has much more experience.

Would love to hear your breakdown on your decision!

...Claver should stay because he has a high bball IQ and is a solid 9th/10th man, he just needs to "PRACTICE LIKE HELL" on his shooting (specifically, the ability to start draining threes).

...Leonard should "GO!" because he is a joke. I question his intelligence. I question his mental toughness. I question his overall skill. Maybe it is too early to label him a complete "bust", but I have zero faith that he will be able to develop into anything more than a 15th man bench warmer that is only on a NBA roster because of his height/size.

...Crabbe should stay because he can be a lights out shooter off the bench. I'd love to see him play a lot in summer league and work his way into the rotation to start the year. He is a baller and I expect him to improve significantly from his lowly rookie campaign because I know this off-season he will "PRACTICE LIKE HELL".

...Mo should "GO!" because of many different reasons. He wants more money and it would not be a wise decision to pay him more. He is too inconsistent and makes far too many unforced errors and/or plays too much one-on-one hero ball. He lacks defensive ability to stay with his man. He is only getting older/slower. His role on the team prevented some of our younger players from being developed. Unless he wants to take the vet minimum, I see no reason whatsoever to keep him around.

 

[BBert]

It doesn't matter 'who goes'. It only matters who Olshey can get that's better. And those are privileged conversations between Olshey and other GMs, and player agents. We're just shooting off in the dark.

 

[Draco]

CJ showed some impressive flashes during his rookie season. In particular there were two games on a road trip where Mo was out and CJ had effective double digit scoring games off the bench. CJ shot the 3 ball well all year at 37.5% so I'm not sure why posters are saying its something he needs to improve on, he was better than vets Mo or Wright in that regard, and even Batum.

The vast majority of the year Mo was the primary ballhandler and scorer off the bench which limits CJ opportunity of impacting the game. In a sense you could think of it as CJ was our 3rd string scoring combo guard this season behind both Dam and Mo. I'd rather see one of them on the floor the majority of the game and have a taller defender at the SG position. While overall it was a disappointing year for CJ I see reasons to be hopeful and optimistic.

 

[Schilly]

What's more important... Replacing our 6th man PG or adding additional better pieces to the weakest bench in the league?

 

[OneLifeToLive]

these are the players I think are most likely to go.


1. Earl Watson - Was brought on to be a veteran and help pass his knowledge to the young guys. Not much productivity on court, can easily upgrade with some one who has been around the block, but can still give you solid minutes. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Beno Udrih

2. Victor Claver - Was rumored to be unhappy at one point during the regular season. Would probably be happier playing in Spain. Claver plays a position that could easily be upgraded. When I think of Claver's usage I think of a tall, lengthy body who can stretch the floor. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Spencer Hawes.

3. Dorell Wright - I love D.Wright, he will go down in history as one of my biggest fantasy sleeper pick ups ever after his crazy 3 pt shooting year in GS. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to produce at the same level at any time during his career. There is a plethora of skilled wing players who would be astounding bench producers. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Luol Deng

4. Allen Crabbe - The unseen. No slight against Crabbe as a player, however this is not the situation for him to develop, or break out in. He could thrive on a young, rebuilding team where he would have the time to strengthen his game, and learn the flow of the NBA. This is our spot to improve our front court. Optimal (realistic) upgrade - Chris Kaman **This team WILL go after Greg Monroe, and it will depend on what he Pistons are willing to do. For the sake of the topic I only considered unrestricted free agents**


So if you're not moving one of your starters and your idea is to improve via trade, to get something you have to move something. Do you have something in that four?

 

[Blazer4ever]

Must keep:
Damian
Nicolas
Lamarcus
Robin

Should keep:
Wessley
Thomas
Will
Joel

Not bad if we keep:
Mo
Victor

Agreed.

Would also keep CJ, Leonard for at least another summer league.

 

[Hobbesarable]

Bench:
Mo Williams = GO!
Earl Watson = GO! (good luck coaching)
CJ McCollum = PRACTICE LIKE HELL!
Allen Crabbe = PRACTICE LIKE HELL!
Will Barton = PRACTICE LIKE HELL!
Dorell Wright = GO!
Victor Claver = PRACTICE LIKE HELL!
Thomas Robinson = PRACTICE LIKE HELL!
Joel Freeland = PRACTICE LIKE HELL!
Meyers Leonard = GO!

This.

 

[Pinwheel1]

What's more important... Replacing our 6th man PG or adding additional better pieces to the weakest bench in the league?

The answer is the same. Upgrading our back up pg does improve our bench especially since our other bench players will get better with experience.

Yes we need one more back up enter. But we desperately need another pg more.

 

[PapaG]

The answer is the same. Upgrading our back up pg does improve our bench especially since our other bench players will get better with experience.

Yes we need one more back up enter. But we desperately need another pg more.

Mo led the NBA in assists off of the bench. Who is available to play his 24 minutes that is a massive upgrade?

 

[Natebishop3]

Mo led the NBA in assists off of the bench. Who is available to play his 24 minutes that is a massive upgrade?

Great, he led the league in assists, I'm sure he probably also led the league in time spent dribbling, poor defense, and bad shots.

 

[PapaG]

Great, he led the league in assists, I'm sure he probably also led the league in time spent dribbling, poor defense, and bad shots.

You posted the exact same stuff about Crawford. I don't think Mo's coming back, since he's looking for job security, so I wonder who next year's scapegoat will be.

 

[Mediocre Man]

You posted the exact same stuff about Crawford. I don't think Mo's coming back, since he's looking for job security, so I wonder who next year's scapegoat will be.

Mo shouldn't be anyone's scapegoat. He is what he is. He improved our bench, we, as a team, just aren't good enough yet to compete with the elite teams in the playoffs

 

[Natebishop3]

You posted the exact same stuff about Crawford. I don't think Mo's coming back, since he's looking for job security, so I wonder who next year's scapegoat will be.

Did I? I would like to see links because quite frankly that team was so frustrating that I stopped caring. Crawford is a shooting guard that McMillan had playing the point. Mo is supposedly an All-Star point guard. It's not a good comparison by you.

 

[PapaG]

Did I? I would like to see links because quite frankly that team was so frustrating that I stopped caring. Crawford is a shooting guard that McMillan had playing the point. Mo is supposedly an All-Star point guard. It's not a good comparison by you.

Both were 6th Men who created offense off the bench. Both, IMO, were undervalued as Blazers. I can't imagine how bad the bench would have been this season w/out Mo. Imagine that he didn't sign with Olshey, and the options were Earl Watson and CJ McCollum. Lillard would have had to play 44 minutes a game.

 

[Natebishop3]

Both were 6th Men who created offense off the bench. Both, IMO, were undervalued as Blazers. I can't imagine how bad the bench would have been this season w/out Mo. Imagine that he didn't sign with Olshey, and the options were Earl Watson and CJ McCollum. Lillard would have had to play 44 minutes a game.

And they were both shitty in Blazer uniforms.

http://www.basketball-reference.com...m=0&p1=crawfja01&y1=2012&p2=willima01&y2=2014

At least Jamal posted a PER of 15.7 compared to Mo's paltry 11.8 PER.

They both shot pretty horribly from the field, but Crawford was a 6'6 shooting guard that Nate was trying to play at the point. What was Mo's excuse?

 

[riverman]

I like the whole team considering how young the bench is. Mo can be signed for a reasonable deal in my book. He'll replace Earl Watson and we can find another 20pt scoring 6 man vet with the MLE. Mo picks up the pace of the whole team off the bench. He's not slow by any stretch and even though he forces some jumpers, he has an uncanny knack for hitting important shots that spark runs or turn the momentum on. I couldn't believe how many shooting droughts he came off the bench and stopped this season. I love Claver. I don't care if him or Freeland score 2pts apiece, they are defensively savvy players. Dorell Wright is an underrated rebounder and defender. Shot streaky this season. Scored much better as a starter when LA was down with injury. CJ is a rookie that was not going to be Damian Lillard. Next year will be his true rookie season if he stays healthy but hey, he's better than Nolan Smith eh? I like Deng and I like Mills or Sergio. Neil hinted that we have 2 roster spots open to fill, one will be Earl, the other may be via trade. In a perfect world we'd end up with both Lopez twins on the team. I'm thinking Wright will be traded

 

[BigGameDamian]

The only guys on the bench that are worth a damn are Barton, Robinson, and Freeland.

I would keep CJ because he deserves a full summer and training camp. I don't have much faith in Crabbe, Claver, or Leonard. Wright, Mo, and Watson all need to go.

Do you honestly believe CJ will be a lights out all star player? If not, he should not be labeled as a keeper/untouchable. Anyone that is realistically replaceable at this point in time should not have the label as a keeper. So I do disagree.

 

[Scalma]

Do you honestly believe CJ will be a lights out all star player? If not, he should not be labeled as a keeper/untouchable. Anyone that is realistically replaceable at this point in time should not have the label as a keeper. So I do disagree.

I agree. McCollum is not untouchable. We are in win now mode. McCollum COULD develop into that 6th man we so desperately need. the problem is the operative word; could. If you can package him in a deal for a proven player...you have to do it.

 

[Draco]

I'd be ok with bringing back Mo using nonBird rights. Its not that I think he'd be bad, just that he's not worth a full MLE multi-year deal for $16-20million like he wants. With the full MLE we should target other options first. As Neil referenced the team having two open roster spots to work with (Earl & Mo) in exit interviews I tend to believe he thinks similarly.

 

[MARIS61]

At this point Earl Watson and Allen Crabbe are the obvious misfits. Replace them with someone of different talents/skills, because we never needed what they bring.

I'd hold pretty tightly to everyone else, unless you can get a serious upgrade, because these guys are jellin".

 

[Schilly]

All pgs dribble dribble dribble... That's kinda part of their job. The fact that he lead the league in assists off the bench should be some indication that he's not exactly being a ball hog. If he dribble less and shoot more people would complain that he shot to much. Sure many of the names people are throwing out might be an individual upgrade over Mo, most would cost us our MLE if that is even enough. To me though Mo + MLE Player + BAE Player >>>> MLE Player + BAE Player alone.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Mo helped the Blazers this year. And if he comes back......fine. But if he doesn't I think it is possible to get a player who will fit better with Damian and thus upgrade the team IMO. I doubt they will find a better scorer than Mo at that position, but get a pg who can guard a sg and he and Dame can be more effective than Dame and Mo.

That type of player would also fit well with CJ. Mo and CJ is not a good pairing. That is not Mo's fault but none the less true.

 

[PDXFonz]

Do you honestly believe CJ will be a lights out all star player? If not, he should not be labeled as a keeper/untouchable. Anyone that is realistically replaceable at this point in time should not have the label as a keeper. So I do disagree.

And how many lights out all stars come off the bench?

Completely meaningless bringing thst up, we need bench production...

 

[Schilly]

And how many lights out all stars come off the bench?

Completely meaningless bringing thst up, we need bench production...

And this is exactly why we are better to keep our current most productive bench player and adding additional productive players to the bench.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

And how many lights out all stars come off the bench?

Against us? All of them.

 

[e_blazer]

I don't see giving Mo the 3 year deal he's looking for given that there are young guys on the bench who need to be developed. I think that Dorrell Wright needs to be moved. He's too one dimensional. I'd like to get a backup SF who can do a little slashing as well as hit the outside shot. I'd be okay with getting a guy like Steve Blake as insurance and letting CJ and Barton see what they can do together. CJ isn't a pure PG, but he's a scorer and he handles the ball okay. A new more balanced scoring SF, CJ and Barton should be a group who can put up way more points than we got from the bench this year. Defensively, they'd be challenged, but Stotts has proved adept at balancing his rotations to keep a starter or two in when necessary. Mo, Watson, and Wright should be playing elsewhere next season, IMO.

 

[BigGameDamian]

And how many lights out all stars come off the bench?

Completely meaningless bringing thst up, we need bench production...

So lets say we just resign CJ now then.

 

[Blazinaway]

from another board and I totally agree"

"Our problem, right now, is not that our starting 5 eat up too much capspace. It is that our bench players are being overpaid. Let me break this down. Our terrible bench is paid this much next year:
Robinson - 3.7
Wright - 3
Freeland - 3
McCollum - 2.4
Leonard - 2.3
Claver - 1.3
Crabbe - 0.9
Barton - 0.9
Total = 17.5 million

What we need are those cheap veterans who are not paid very much but know how to produce in the role they are given. You can look at contending teams and find 3-4 vets who are more productive and cheaper than the top 5 names.

Some asking the Blazers to dump a starter, so that we can afford a bench BECAUSE we are carrying too much dead weight on the bench. The first step should be to cut the deadweight off the bench before cutting into the core of this group. Secondly, we should use our exceptions and ancillary assets before cutting into the core. Cutting into the core is a drastic, last ditch option."