We have our team. No trades, just keep this guys together!!

[Further]

Considering how young these guys are and how solid they already are, and how fucking deep they are, I think we should just stand pat. Let Raef's contract expire and have the money needed to pay to keep all our players. Aside from Raef and Ike, I like all our players. Let them go at the end of the season and fill those spots with two of Koponen, Freeland or our pick.

Let Outlaw, Webster and Batum battle it out for the SF spot and let Blake, Sergio and Bayless battle it out for the PG spot. We are deeper then Jack Handy. I love this team.

 

[KingSpeed]

I second that. I like Ike though.

 

[Further]

I'm not saying I don't like Ike, I just am not totally attached to him and I think he has the least potential/current quality of any player save Raef.

 

[Da_O]

I would rather us stand pat than go seek out trades. But like I said in another thread if the right deal comes along, do it. If X players says he's unhappy with his situation, and if X player would make us a contender for many years, I would be willing to trade some of our pieces(outside of Roy, Aldridge, Oden, and Rudy) to get him.

 

[shamelessblazer]

nah, lets get some vets with our non-essential parts. We can't have our guys going at each other hard in practice and in the games long-term, it doesn't hold up. Guys rookie deals only last so long, agents get involved, etc. We're better off consolidating (w/o giving up what we want to keep long term) with some vets who've already got their money and want to help win rings.

Steve Nash is at the top of my list!

I like the thought of Desmond Mason too...and a few others.

I'd do Outlaw for Mason/Ibaka (though it looks terrible now), Ibaka's supposed to be a real solid prospect (whom pritch wanted), Outlaw will come back down to earth, and Mason's defensive toughness and intense work ethic and character could be good for the team.

I'd trade some combination of Blake/Bayless and either Outlaw or Frye in order to get Nash (whether it be three way or anything else).

 

[Further]

nah, lets get some vets with our non-essential parts. We can't have our guys going at each other hard in practice and in the games long-term, it doesn't hold up. Guys rookie deals only last so long, agents get involved, etc. We're better off consolidating (w/o giving up what we want to keep long term) with some vets who've already got their money and want to help win rings.

Steve Nash is at the top of my list!

I like the thought of Desmond Mason too...and a few others.

I'd do Outlaw for Mason/Ibaka (though it looks terrible now), Ibaka's supposed to be a real solid prospect (whom pritch wanted), Outlaw will come back down to earth, and Mason's defensive toughness and intense work ethic and character could be good for the team.

I'd trade some combination of Blake/Bayless and either Outlaw or Frye in order to get Nash (whether it be three way or anything else).

First off, I just don't care for Mason. Nash, I like, but I don't see his immediate value being enough to offset all the young talent we would have to give up to get him. He might help us a little this year, but he's a little long in the tooth. And if there is a worse defensive PG in the League, I can't think of him.


Right now, the Blazers are well set, not only with star power, but also with a ton of quality depth. And I love that our players are solid in the paint (and will only get better) and also a great shooting team. Add a little more experience to some of our defenders like Batum, Oden, LMA, Bayless and perhaps Outlaw, and we will have all the needed pieces to win a championship.

 

[Darkwebs]

I wouldn't mind it at all if we kept the team that we have. They are all nice and likable guys and they also got skills on the court. It's a pleasure watching these players grow, individually and as a team, before our eyes.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

If we can get a Tony Parker or Devin Harris, you do it and don't look back.

 

[KingSpeed]

nah, lets get some vets with our non-essential parts. We can't have our guys going at each other hard in practice and in the games long-term, it doesn't hold up. Guys rookie deals only last so long, agents get involved, etc. We're better off consolidating (w/o giving up what we want to keep long term) with some vets who've already got their money and want to help win rings.

Steve Nash is at the top of my list!

I like the thought of Desmond Mason too...and a few others.

I'd do Outlaw for Mason/Ibaka (though it looks terrible now), Ibaka's supposed to be a real solid prospect (whom pritch wanted), Outlaw will come back down to earth, and Mason's defensive toughness and intense work ethic and character could be good for the team.

I'd trade some combination of Blake/Bayless and either Outlaw or Frye in order to get Nash (whether it be three way or anything else).

Don't look now but we already HAVE vets. Travis is a vet. Joel is a vet. Rudy has played pro ball for many years. Roy went to 4 years of college. And as the seasons go on, everyone will become vets. We don't need some magical "vet" on this team. We already have them.

 

[KingSpeed]

I wouldn't mind it at all if we kept the team that we have. They are all nice and likable guys and they also got skills on the court. It's a pleasure watching these players grow, individually and as a team, before our eyes.

Amen.

 

[Ed O]

STOMP made a nice post in another thread, but I don't think that keeping this team together will be possible, and I don't think that it would work even if it were.

Sergio and Bayless don't want to be career backups. Outlaw probably wants to make an all-star team someday. Joel will want to sign another big contract.

Guys want to win, but they want to succeed individually, as well. Playing 25 minutes a game isn't enough for the quality of players many of our guys might end up being.

Further, if you have a chance to turn two or three second-tier guys (and I'm not slighting them by calling them that) for a first-tier to add to Roy and Aldridge and Oden (and maybe Rudy)... you do it.

I like our team a lot and I'm glad each and every one (save Randolph) is there. But I want to see the team be as good as possible now and into the future, and no team in modern sports has been successful by just letting a cake bake for a few years without making moves to get better.

Ed O.

 

[KingSpeed]

What if we win it all this season?

Well then, everyone on our team becomes even more valuable because they have championship experience. So it will probably still be hard to keep them all.

 

[Minstrel]

The point STOMP made, which is crucial, is that playoff games are won by your front line talent, not by your depth. It's another application of the 80/20 rule; 80% of your success is determined by the top 20% of your players. For a 15 man roster, that would be your best three players. The importance of the players drops off quicky after that...your fourth, fifth and sixth players matter. The rest you just count on to not be awful in the few minutes that they're in to give starters a few minutes of rest.

As much as I love being able to bring scorer after scorer off the bench, it's really more of a novelty than a huge team strength. In the regular season, depth helps overcome little injuries here and there. Come the playoffs, you need the best six players yuu can muster and a few non-terrible players. That's very preferable to no superstars but 10 good to very good players.

So I am all in favour of consolidation wherever possible. If Outlaw, Webster and Bayless could be turned into Devin Harris (they can't, but just as an example), that should be done yesterday. The 40 high-caliber minutes a game Harris will play in the playoffs matter far, far more than the combined 70 lower quality minutes those players will give you in the playoffs.

Pritchard should always be looking to upgrade, and history has shown that quality for quantity trades almost always benefit the team getting the quality. Therefore, consolidation. Turn a large sheet of iron into a finely-forged sword. Less surface area but more focused killing power. So to speak.

 

[C_note]

I am definitely in favor of keeping all of our guys except Frye, Diogu, and MAYBE Bayless/Sergio. I bet they would make a pretty nice package along with some draft picks. But we already so stacked at every position, the only deal I would consider would be a high-calibre PG like Tony Parker. Those 4 guys, some draft picks for Tony Parker? I think that makes sense for both teams after this season ends and SA ends up a 1st-round loser.

 

[KingSpeed]

I disagree that depth doesn't matter in the playoffs. Boston's depth did wonders for them in the playoffs. PJ hit the game breaking shot vs Cleveland. Posey hit a bunch of huge shots. Powe had a huge game of 20 off the bench in the FINALS. Big Baby had some good PT. Eddie House hit lots of big shots. Sam Cassell played well. I may forgetting someone. They went very deep and did it well. I disagree that we suddenly play a different style in the playoffs. Our depth is our strength and I wouldn't expect us to playing differently in the playoffs.

 

[C_note]

I disagree that depth doesn't matter in the playoffs. Boston's depth did wonders for them in the playoffs. PJ hit the game breaking shot vs Cleveland. Posey hit a bunch of huge shots. Powe had a huge game of 20 off the bench in the FINALS. Big Baby had some good PT. Eddie House hit lots of big shots. Sam Cassell played well. I may forgetting someone. They went very deep and did it well. I disagree that we suddenly play a different style in the playoffs. Our depth is our strength and I wouldn't expect us to playing differently in the playoffs.

Think about it though...in the playoffs, Roy, Aldridge, Oden, all playing 40+ min per game. Rudy around 30. Webster around 30. Outlaw 25. There's just not enough minutes to stretch the rotation past 8 guys or so.

 

[Minstrel]

I disagree that depth doesn't matter in the playoffs. Boston's depth did wonders for them in the playoffs. PJ hit the game breaking shot vs Cleveland. Posey hit a bunch of huge shots. Powe had a huge game of 20 off the bench in the FINALS. Big Baby had some good PT. Eddie House hit lots of big shots. Sam Cassell played well. I may forgetting someone. They went very deep and did it well. I disagree that we suddenly play a different style in the playoffs. Our depth is our strength and I wouldn't expect us to playing differently in the playoffs.

I wouldn't call Posey "depth." He was one of their six best players. PJ Brown, Glen Davis, Sam Cassell, Eddie House all had their moments, but were hardly great depth. They were those players I mentioned who you just ask not to be terrible. And they weren't. Powe was unexpectedly good, which was a nice lift for them.

 

[Natebishop3]

I am squarely in the consolidation column. I have been in the locker room. I have heard young guys before. Sure, it's easy to talk about "winning" and "teamwork" but these guys want to play. I can't blame them. They only have so much time to prove themselves. They only have so much time to prove they belong in the NBA, and many of them would like to show that they are something special. Travis is an extremely effective 6th man, but I can guarantee he would like to be a starter playing 35-40 minutes a night.

The only guy on our team that I can honestly say probably would accept a backup spot just to stay with this team is Frye. He's young, but he loves this team and this city. I could see him being perfectly content as a role player with the Blazers. Other than that, I think guys like Sergio, Travis, Bayless, Martell, and even Rudy would like to crack the starting lineup.

What do we do when Rudy is too good to keep out of the starting five? Will he accept a 6th man spot? I think Rudy could eventually be a 25+ ppg scorer. He's that talented. Do you keep him on the bench? Is he okay with being on the second unit?

Joel will probably be okay with coming off the bench. I spent quite a bit of time around Joel when I covered the team and I think he is too entrenched in Portland to leave. He loves the city. He loves the team. As long as he's getting PT and we're competing, I could see him accepting a backup role to Oden. He's too smart to pass up a chance at winning a title with this team.

Sergio and Travis will both eventually want to be starters. Are they good enough? Maybe. I've said in the past that I feel Travis is the odd man out, and I still feel that way. I really like Batum and I think Martell will be a better all-around player than Travis when it's all said and done. I would like to see Outlaw go somewhere (preferably in the east) and show what he can do. I just don't think this is the team for him.

I still think Bayless could be our point guard of the future. With Brandon, all he needs to work on is his entry passes to Oden and his mid-to-long range game. As long as he can move without the ball and penetrate, I would be more than happy to see Bayless as our starting floor general. I think he has the talent. He just needs some burn so he can shake off the rookie jitters.

In summation, I would like to see us put together some kind of package that includes LaFrentz, Outlaw, and maybe Sergio to get either a star point guard or a star small forward. One trade that I think would solve a lot of problems for multiple teams is:

Dallas trades:
Josh Howard
Jason Terry
Jerry Stackhouse

Dallas receives:
Martell Webster
Sergio Rodriguez
Travis Outlaw
Raef LaFrentz
Matt Carroll
Ike Diogu

Portland trades:
Martell Webster
Sergio Rodriguez
Travis Outlaw
Raef LaFrentz
Ike Diogu

Portland receives:
Jason Terry
Gerald Wallace

Charlotte trades:
Gerald Wallace
Matt Carroll

Charlotte receives:
Josh Howard
Jerry Stackhouse

Why they do it? Dallas does the trade because A) they suck this year and B) they need to clear out some head cases. They add a young point guard in Sergio to replace Jason Kidd, they add a couple of young scorers in Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster, and they remove Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse from their roster. They're not getting top value for Howard, but they get some really decent young prospects which makes up for the Jason Kidd/Devin Harris debacle.

Portland makes the trade because they A) consolidate some of their young talent, and B) they add some really talented players at key positions. This would be a huge shakeup for the team, but now is the time to do that. Realistically the Blazers aren't going to win a championship this season, so now is the time to make significant changes to the roster. If you remove Sergio, Travis, and Martell now, you'll give the new guys enough time to aclimate to the new team.

We add Jason Terry, who some have said would be the ideal backcourt partner for Brandon Roy, and you add Gerald Wallace who is exactly the kind of small forward this team needs. He is athletic, he plays good defense, and he fills up stat sheets. This moves Blake to the backup spot, which is perfect for him, and slides Batum over to the backup small forward spot, which is great because he will still get plenty of PT.

Charlotte does the trade because he clear some serious cap space by removing Wallace and Carroll. Both Howard and Stackhouse come off the books before the summer of 2010, which gives them a lot of space to throw at LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. They also get a nice player to replace Wallace with Howard. Larry Brown could keep Howard in line.

In the end, everyone is happy. Blazers consolidate, Dallas retools, and Charlotte clears cap space for 2010.

Blazers roster looks like this:

Terry, Blake, Bayless
Roy, Rudy
Wallace, Batum
Aldridge, Frye, Randolph
Oden, Przybilla

 

[NOBODY]

Here is the problem I see with standing pat.

At some point, players playing well like Joel, Travis, Sergio, Blake, and even Nicolas are going to be upset about their playing time. Webster will be back in a couple of weeks, and he will get minutes.

Comsolidation of 2 or 3 of our players that are playing really good for 1 player that would play better would be a good thing for the locker room. I mean that in the future tense. The key is to find the right person, which is the problem. Who out there is worth more than Joel and Travis right now? Joel has decided to play like the second coming of Wilt all of a sudden, and Travis has commited to defense for the first time in his NBA life.

Going forward I see the team this way

Keepers/starters

Roy
Rudy
Oden
Aldridge


Nice to haves

Sergio
Outlaw
Batum
Joel


Good, but do we really need them?

Webster
Blake
Bayless

Guys that really are expendable

Frye
Raef
Ike
Shavlik

Who out there will bring this team more long term value? Right now I would say no one. Keep in mind also that I have never been the biggest Joel and Travis supporters, but they are both playing magnificent right now

 

[STOMP]

I disagree that depth doesn't matter in the playoffs. Boston's depth did wonders for them in the playoffs. PJ hit the game breaking shot vs Cleveland. Posey hit a bunch of huge shots. Powe had a huge game of 20 off the bench in the FINALS. Big Baby had some good PT. Eddie House hit lots of big shots. Sam Cassell played well. I may forgetting someone. They went very deep and did it well. I disagree that we suddenly play a different style in the playoffs. Our depth is our strength and I wouldn't expect us to playing differently in the playoffs.

Portland's quality depth 1-12 is a strength, but having even better players 1-9 would be more of a strength come the playoffs when thats as deep as the rotation goes. Having quality guys on the end of the bench is nice when dealing with injuries, but Portland's depth absolutely will turn into a problem if quality young players are languishing. Management can see this obvious problem brewing which is why they've adopted the 15=16 mantra for the year. But I very much doubt a cute slogan is going to provide enough consolation when guys are racking up 6 MPG or DNP-CD's. If they're good enough to be in someone else's regular rotation (or possibly even starting) and especially if they've Free Agency looming, guys want PT. Regardless of whether it's Blake Frye Sergio Outlaw Webster or Joel, that guy will not take well to riding the pine over time. If Portland has everyone healthy with Batum and/or Bayless getting any minutes, several of those guys are not going to be happy. Guys who aren't playing and are predictably bitter about it are probably not helping their team or enhancing their trade value.

I don't blame the player when they become frustrated (see Sergio earlier this year) as it's normal/expected behavior. It just makes the most sense for management to be proactive. Get the roster depth down the level where players can have a role they can embrace and thrive in. Barring injuries, I see a trade deadline move being about as predictable as the bundling of their 2nd round selections in the last draft.

These guys are not going to all retire Blazers. Change is coming, it's a constant in sports. Better to embrace this fact then try to hold on to a moment that can not last

STOMP

 

[shamelessblazer]

First off, I just don't care for Mason. Nash, I like, but I don't see his immediate value being enough to offset all the young talent we would have to give up to get him. He might help us a little this year, but he's a little long in the tooth. And if there is a worse defensive PG in the League, I can't think of him.

I agree we have the needed pieces to win a championship, however we have too many pieces and things could get hairy before they just sort themselves out. We're gonna need to pick who we keep and the other guys that we let go and I hope we don't do that when they start fighting about it. If we can only deals guys we're going to let go already Nash would help in that the guys we keep would get more playing/development time, more playoff experience, it would help Oden and Aldridge develop immensely (having a real PG), it would make Brandon more versatile (learn to play off the ball more, him and Oden was beautiful last night), and it would get our guys so many easy buckets.

As Nash was on his way out, we'd potentially end up with a three guard rotation of Roy (who could move off the ball better), Rudy (who was even more adjusted), and Sergio (with two years to work on a better jumper and a team used to playing with a guy like him). Only spot minutes are left (after 35 for both Rudy and Roy and 20 for Sergio). Koponen could likely (or some 2nd round pick, or Batum at SG) fill the rest of the spot minutes.

If we could get him for Bayless/Blake/Outlaw you know it would be worth it (long-term).

Leaving:
Roy/Sergio/Koponen
Rudy/(2nd rounder, or first this year)
Webster/Batum/(2nd rounder)
Aldridge/Frye/(2nd rounder)
Oden/Pryzbilla/Freeland

After Nash retires, still looks like plenty of depth to me, especially when you consider all the cap space we'll have and draft picks even.

 

[MARIS61]

If we can get a Tony Parker or Devin Harris, you do it and don't look back.

No I don't.

Neither would be an improvement to this team.

 

[Crimson the Cat]

Steve Nash is at the top of my list!

Brandon wouldn't play very well with Nash, would he? Seems like a bad fit to me, unless Nash is willing to change his role.

I like the thought of Desmond Mason too...and a few others.

Although I'm intrigued with Ibaka, I'm not convinced that Mason would fit very well. Isn't his shot below average. Blazers that find themselves on the perimeter must be able to drain the shot. Outlaw's defense has vastly improved to the point where he's no longer a liability in my eyes and his shot is not just a faze. He's just that good of an outside shooter. There's a large sample size if you consider last years stats.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I am in the camp of making a trade to slim down the roster (both because young players won't be satisfied and I've always been in favor of a mainly 8-9 man rotation).

But I do think at this point, the only position to be trading for is PG position. I don't like the idea of bringing in a star SF with Batum, Webster, Outlaw, Rudy and Roy all able to play SF . . . Nate has to figure a way for Rudy and Roy to play together at the same time and I don't think bringing in a star SF is the answer.

A package of some combination of Raef, Sergio or Bayless or Blake or Webster or Outlaw or Frye should be attactive offer to a rebuilding team.

My thought for the day: Westbrook. Thunder are trying to build a new team around Durant. They lack big men and for whatever reason are trying to move Wilcox (unsatisfied).

Frye, Outlaw, Bayless and Raef for Wilcox and Westbrook.

I guess in the end whoever KP goes after is who I want. Last year he went after 2 underrated PG in Harris and Calderon and look how they are doing this year. I wonder who KP is eyeing now?

 

[HOWIE]

No I don't.

Neither would be an improvement to this team.

I'd think that Tony Parker would be a huge upgrade for Portland at the point, same with the defense of Harris. I like the team the way it is, but you do have Raef's contract out there and Webster coming back in a short time, something is going to have to give soon.

My guess is that Batum goes to the bench and Frye, Outlaw & Rudy get less minutes witht eh return of Webster. I can totally see a trade coming with Raef's contract and one of the outer core players (Webster, Outlaw, Frye, Sergio, Blake..) going for an upgrade at the point or small forward.

 

[STOMP]

mulling this 12 deep roster minutes crunch some more...

There are 240 MPG for the guys to split up. If Rudy Roy Oden and LA are averaging low starter minutes of 32.5 each, that leaves 110 MPG for the other 8 guys or under 14 minutes each. If Blake Outlaw and Webster average 25 MPG, then the other 5 guys are looking at splitting up the remaining 35 minutes. If Joel gets 15 of those then Frye Sergio Batum and Bayless are scrapping over 20 minutes of PT.

Here's guessing that the first four guys I mentioned will average more then 32.5 MPG collectively this season. Something has got to give.

STOMP

 

[The_Lillard_King]

mulling this 12 deep roster minutes crunch some more...

There are 240 MPG for the guys to split up. If Rudy Roy Oden and LA are averaging low starter minutes of 32.5 each, that leaves 110 MPG for the other 8 guys or under 14 minutes each. If Blake Outlaw and Webster average 25 MPG, then the other 5 guys are looking at splitting up the remaining 35 minutes. If Joel gets 15 of those then Frye Sergio Batum and Bayless are scrapping over 20 minutes of PT.

Here's guessing that the first four guys I mentioned will average more then 32.5 MPG collectively this season. Something has got to give.

STOMP

Oden's knee?

That's right, I said it *in a Chris Rock vocie*

What were you expecting, another praising review about your post

 

[Crimson the Cat]

Sergio and Bayless don't want to be career backups.

Maybe Sergio just wants to play more than 4 or 5 minutes at a time. That's what happened to him last year and it's what was beginning to happen this year. That's changing. He's found a way to succeed at the same time as the team succeeding. Now he's getting more minutes. His stock is going up. If this all keeps up, he's put himself in as good of a position as possible IMO. What's great about having Blake as our starter, or as a veteran point guard, is he's probably not going to complain if his minutes get cut to say 24, 22, 20, or 18. The potential is there for Sergio to have an even increased role with us. Who knows maybe even further into the year he and Brandon can learn to play off of one another.

Bayless is a rookie. He's in the same position Sergio started out in. I think Bayless's professionalism keeps his attitude right, at least until the middle of next season.

Outlaw probably wants to make an all-star team someday.

Well he won't be an All Star here. Those off-season comments were made before now. Now he's getting 30 minutes a game, devolping into a better player, has what appears a strong appreciation of and camaraderie with Brandon, Rudy, and Lamarcus; and, all this with the team playing their best ball since he's been here. I don't see him making waves this season.

Joel will want to sign another big contract.

Considering how incredible our center tandem has been so far, I'd be, and I'd hope Paul Allen would be too, wanting to lock up Joel for another 4 years at above average annual amounts once this current contract is up.

Further, if you have a chance to turn two or three second-tier guys (and I'm not slighting them by calling them that) for a first-tier to add to Roy and Aldridge and Oden (and maybe Rudy)... you do it.

I agree but with one caveat. The move can't disturb team chemistry or shorten our window of success. Steve Nash may sound like a huge get, but how does he fit in. How many quality years does he have left? What do we have to give up to rent said first-tier player.

I don't envy Pritchard. I honestly don't know what the right move is to make for this team. In this case, no move may end up being the right move. It just depends on how well our young guys develop.

 

[Nikolokolus]

The mere fact that Pritchard is mentioned constantly in trade chatter ought to tell you that he sees the 1-12 situation as more of a problem than a strength, especially when you consider that we still have unsettled positions at the 1 and 3; that we debate endlessly about who should start at either position should tell you all you need to know -- that no-one is clearly head and shoulders above their nearest competitor or consistent enough to put all doubt aside.

I like almost all of our young guys, but it would be selfish and ultimately counter productive to try and retain each and every one of them, and the simple fact of the matter is that having so many players of similar ages means young guys don't even have the luxury of biding their time waiting for older players to decline, move on or retire.

In KP we trust.

 

[Crimson the Cat]

Pritchard should always be looking to upgrade, and history has shown that quality for quantity trades almost always benefit the team getting the quality. Therefore, consolidation. Turn a large sheet of iron into a finely-forged sword. Less surface area but more focused killing power. So to speak.

If a significant upgrade, or even a marginal upgrade, can be made without impeding the impact Brandon, Rudy, Lamarcus, Greg, and Joel are having this year, I'm all for it.

The addition of Devin Harris would improve us so significantly on defense, and wouldn't hinder our other stars' play on offense, that his outside shooting wouldn't be an issue.

Jose Calderon, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Tony Parker are other PGs that would have the same no-brainer impact without sacrificing age.

Realistically, there's no way their respective teams would move any of them though.

I have a soft spot for Kirk Hinrich. I think his defense, his respectable outside shot, and toughness is exactly what would propel Portland to be not just one of the top seeds in the West, but a team that could knock off the Lakers in the WCFs. But I several issues with trading for him.

- the perception is that he's not the nearly the same player he was. I don't see Pritchard wanting to deal with this mid-season, especially if Portland continues to play winning basketball.

- Sergio's advancements are so good right now that it's a mistake to not see how much better he can be. Most people think his shot and defense are what's keeping him from being our future PG, but I disagree. In a year, I predict his shooting woes and defensive lapses are forgotten about. The issue is whether he can play off of Brandon. Because if he can do that AND hit shots when he's open AND continue to be disruptive in the passing lanes, his speed, handles, and floor vision are too exceptional to give up on. Moving Sergio for Kirk is not going to happen now IMO (if it ever was). And, moving Blake for Kirk isn't a great idea either, since it would encroach on Sergio's role (I don't see Kirk taking a back seat for Sergio's development).

Now we could obviously upgrade at the SF position. The thing is that I'm beginning to realize is that unlike the PG position, where a killer outside shot isn't necessary, I think it is at the SF. Kirilenko, Gerald Wallace, and even Butler aren't consistently deadly enough from the perimeter. Players like Granger, Prince, or Thaddeus Young would be excellent. Just excellent. But it's not likely going to happen.

Adding Gerald Wallace seems like the likeliest of options, but in a Playoff series, he would be the weak link. Teams would double up on Roy, Rudy, Greg, and Lamarcus, daring Gerald to shoot from outside. Sure Wallace could do his thing and drive to the hole, but is that what we want to rely on. No.

The way I see it it is this team is best off, as of now, not making any moves. We need to see how good Sergio and Martell really are first.