What to do with Plumlee?

[KingSpeed]

He's been the hardest working player on our team this year (obviously playing for a contract). He is an extremely important part of our offense, esp when our guards get trapped. And yet, center seems to be the position we are trying to trade for. Cousins would be great, I'd take Lopez or Vucevic too but where does that leave Plumlee? Does he go out in the trade? Do we look for another trade to send him out for a shooter once we DO acquire a new center using our shooters? Does he move to PF? Does he come off the bench? How would he feel about that? Or does the new center, say, Chandler come from the bench if Plumlee is still with team after said trade?

 

[TBpup]

Someone, somewhere on this team needs to play defense. Plums is very good at helping facilitate offense but he is just not the rim protector needed with our guards being so defensively porous.

He will get paid a lot this summer and for that money, we need a better defender. Trade him before we lose another contributor for nothing.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Trade him. Keeping him puts this team in serious financial straits. And teams that are going to be lucky to break .500 shouldn't be willfully entering the luxury tax.

 

[jlprk]

He's been the hardest working player on our team this year (obviously playing for a contract).

He worked just as hard last year. After each game, when I looked at the box score per minute, he averaged 2nd-best after Lillard. This year, McCollum has emerged, so Plumlee is 2nd or 3rd in efficiency, which of course doesn't incorporate defense. Plumlee would shine as a PF next to a big center like Ezeli.

 

[jlprk]

We haven't recovered from giving away Lopez. I agree with trading Plumlee if we can get a player of equal value.

 

[KingSpeed]

We haven't recovered from giving away Lopez. I agree with trading Plumlee if we can get a player of equal value.

Plumlee is so unique though. There is no one short of Marc Gasol that do what he does on offense.

 

[Minstrel]

We haven't recovered from giving away Lopez.

And Batum.

I agree with trading Plumlee if we can get a player of equal value.

I concur. So it's been seconded and thirded. According to parliamentary procedure, doesn't that make it law?

 

[Sarni]

He could probably do power forward pretty well. If he somehow added a half reliable jumper he would be very good at 4 but will also require a $15M per season minimum investment in the Summer and I'm not sure we will be able to hand it to him. Should have really extended him instead of Meyers last Summer.

To be honest if we were to offload players and Plumlee was not going to fetch us something good in the market, we could as well get rid of Ezeli and Leonard and give him their salary.

 

[Strenuus]

Trade him.

That was easy.

 

[EGame]

Trade him.

That was easy.

Man you wanna trade away all our white centers.

 

[GDiama]

Thank him for his contribution and kiss him goodbye.

 

[KingSpeed]

Trade him.

That was easy.

For whom and why?

 

[Orion Bailey]

plums and CJ for whiteside. straight up Is that fair?

 

[Nikolokolus]

plums and CJ for whiteside. straight up Is that fair?

I'd like Miami to toss in a pick, but it's probably close-ish.

 

[TBpup]

It's not that I don't like Plums thought he is severely lacking on defense like most of the rest of the team. It's just that he is going to command $15M+ this off season and Portland might be able to pay that with the raise in the Lux Tax and by letting go of Ezeli but then we are right back to being up against the Tax with the same problems.

Since Dame/CJ aren't going to play any defense, your center is going to have to.

 

[Denny Crane]

I don't have the same view of centers that most here do.

I didn't like RoLo as a starter much - I felt he was an average backup C. I feel the same about Plums. They both play for lack of anyone better.

Doesn't mean I don't like the guys or think they aren't valuable contributors.

To me, Plums' best skills are his ability to set picks and he's a terrific ball handler and passer for a C. He takes up room in the paint on D.

Unfortunately, he's the best we have, currently. If we can acquire a better C (like Nurkic), I would use Plums as part of the trade or simply let him walk in the offseason.

If we're hell bent on keeping him, for lack of anyone else, we obviously will lose a player or two to make room for him under the LT.

 

[Chris Craig]

Him at PF with Chandler/BLo/whoever at center would clog the hell out of the lane...

As much as I like him, as hard of a player as he is, we need to trade him

 

[Orion Bailey]

Plums as a PF in todays game is not realistic. PFs in this game need a consistent midrange or outside shot.

 

[HolyBackboard]

You keep Plumlee if you're having a Rockets-type season, where a trip to the WCF is a legitimate possibility. However, we're so mediocre that keeping Mase long-term does nothing to change our future status. I really like this skill set and think he's probably been the 3rd or 4th best Blazer all year, but I really don't think shelling out 15+ mill a year will help this franchise out for the next 3-4 years. Neil rolled the dice on this team's core last year and re-signed everyone. We are now all seeing how well that worked out. Thankfully his play has been great this year so if we can get a good 1st for Mase, I'd look that route.

 

[Denny Crane]

Plums as a PF in todays game is not realistic. PFs in this game need a consistent midrange or outside shot.

This. I think he's be awful as a PF. He can't stretch the floor or even really take/make 15' shots. He's not even a good enough FT shooter.

I don't believe he'd be good at covering PFs who do go to the perimeter, nor Fs and Gs who use picks to get him switched onto them.

 

[craigehlo]

I's be shocked if Plums were around after the deadline. He's likely going to be in any deal to land us a big, so his new team can kick the tires before offering his a deal in the summer. He seems like a dude that work well on the Heat if I can wishful think about a Whiteside trade.

 

[rotary111]

I disagree with pretty much everyone here I guess. Plums is improving as much or more than almost everyone on our team. I am confident that he will improve his shooting along with his defense. He is a intelligent hard working player who seems to fit in with either an up tempo or a half court style offense. Very few players his size have the combination of passing,dribbling, pick and roll skills and basketball IQ that he has. We all want to get good young players who we can develop....He's already here. We can keep him, we just need to offload some crap on our team and get some help from either the center or PF position to help him out. I also don't buy that he is just playing for a contract. Some players actually love the game. I would be willing to bet that Dame and CJ LOVE playing with him. What center is a better playmaker? If that list is short we shouldn't be looking to trade him. If he was on another team we would be talking about who we could package together to get him.

 

[andalusian]

Ironically - Plum would be great as a PF next to a great shooting C - if Legend ever pans out - they would be great together.

Unfortunately, we have not seen that jump to consistency from Legend.

 

[TBpup]

Plums is very good for what he is, but as mentioned before, on a team that doesn't play any defense, his position is the one that needs to...and that's just not his game. Everything is offense with this team which is why we are getting the results we are.

 

[BlazerWookee]

He's Joel Przybilla with Wally Gator arms and dribbling skills. I hope we keep him, but I'll understand if we need to trade him.

 

[Minstrel]

He's Andrew Bogut without the great defense and brilliant screen-setting.

Passing's nice, but you gotta do some other things in addition.

 

[Orion Bailey]

He's Andrew Bogut without the great defense and brilliant screen-setting.

Passing's nice, but you gotta do some other things in addition.

Especially when we have a Center that passes better already.

 

[e_blazer]

Plums is very good for what he is, but as mentioned before, on a team that doesn't play any defense, his position is the one that needs to...and that's just not his game. Everything is offense with this team which is why we are getting the results we are.

I'd be curious to know what percentage of our guards' defensive lapses could be covered for by the "rim protector" that we discuss around here so often. It seems to me that there are way more instances where a switch ends up creating a jumper for a bigger player over Dame or CJ, or where the guard blows by one of those guys and puts up a midrange jumper or floater than there are cases where they get a layup that could be blocked by a good defensive center?

 

[andalusian]

He's Joel Przybilla with Wally Gator arms and dribbling skills. I hope we keep him, but I'll understand if we need to trade him.

He's Macaulay Culkin without the acting chops and silly hair-do.

Wat?

 

[Minstrel]

Plumlee is all things to all people, plus or minus the things that differentiate him.