Why is this forum full of foolish fantasies?

[Deebag]

Seriously. Why do I keep seeing threads about attaining Chris Paul, Deron, Carmelo, and other absolutely unattainable players? These guys are only untouchable if the trade doesn't involve LeBron, Wade, or Dwight. Yeah, teams are trying to save money, but does anyone really think a poor Hornets team is going to give away the best PG of this generation to save an extra buck just because of the economy? That would take at LEAST one of our big three, if not two.

We already have 3 potential superstars, and 3 more potential all-stars/excellent role players (Rudy, Bayless, Batum). Do we really need a bonafide player at every position twice? I already have trouble believing Oden and Aldridge will be fine staying here in Portlandas as second/third options when they could very well be first options on other teams.

We really don't have any missing pieces. We were the 2nd youngest team in the NBA and somehow tied for 2nd best record in the West. Our window is gonna be open for another 10 years, and obviously were going to get better simply from years of development and experience. Sure there are spots we could upgrade, but they're far from priorities. As long as we keep our main core in tact, we're going to be consistent contenders every year from this point on. Shaq said it best: we don't need anything. An Andre Miller, Sessions, or Hinrich would just be gravy.

If Oden develops into half the player he was hyped to be, that should alone be all we need. And honestly, his disappointing rookie season hasn't changed my mind about his potential at all. His ceiling is still as high as ever in my opinion.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Our missing piece is a PG that plays like a PG: getting the big players the ball for dunks and the small players the ball for open 3's; and hopefully stopping his counterpart from doing the same.

I don't have the numbers on hand to back it up, but imho the upgrade from Blake to Paul is much better for us than the downgrade from, say, LMA to David Lee. Or LMA to Nick Collison, for that matter.

There's a couple of reasons you don't see a lot of "LBJ Pipedreams", but you do see a lot of Chris Paul pipedreams. One is that Paul has talked in the past about how he'd like to play with Roy and may be angling for a trade here (pure speculation on my part). Two is that the last time George Shinn had a 24y/o multiple-time All-Star PG averaging close to 20/10 and financial difficulties, he traded him for an injured Dale Davis and an ineffective Speedy Claxton. That's why.

 

[LameR]

I think a lot of them are jokes. I wouldn't say this forum is "full" of posts like that, but there has been a bit more of them lately. And yes, some are serious.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT 911 NVR4GET

 

[crandc]

Well, you know, some say, and there is a good argument, that the Blazers need another piece, not necessarily a superstar, but a pass first point guard or an enforcer type.

But the ones you talk of, who are so sure that every superstar in the NBA will end up in Portland, well, all I can say is, some people fantasize about sex, others fantasize about NBA players. And some about both!

 

[SteelBlaze1]

I think these types of "Pipe dreams" are all over many message boards and probably always will be. It's what fans do in their spare time. I would love to see a team of LBJ/Paul/Roy...is it going to happen?...NO! But it is fun to talk about.

I would rather talk/dream about things that can possibly happen to our team to make us better and I agree with your points about our team being good and only getting better as we get more experience and time together. I have to believe that Oden will be better this year.

With that said, I do believe we need to add a veteran to this team that has been through the war so to speak. And if we do, it should probably be at PG. Is that Nash or Kidd, I am not sure but I hope KP can bring in someone that will help.

 

[Natebishop3]

Okay, so what if we traded Outlaw, Blake, and Joel for Paul? Still no???

 

[alex42083]

How about spending Paul Allen's money on research to somehow give Michael Jordan the fountain of youth, and turn him into 25-year-old MJ. He'd be a great backcourt mate for Brandon.

 

[hasoos]

Seriously. Why do I keep seeing threads about attaining Chris Paul, Deron, Carmelo, and other absolutely unattainable players? These guys are only untouchable if the trade doesn't involve LeBron, Wade, or Dwight. Yeah, teams are trying to save money, but does anyone really think a poor Hornets team is going to give away the best PG of this generation to save an extra buck just because of the economy? That would take at LEAST one of our big three, if not two.

We already have 3 potential superstars, and 3 more potential all-stars/excellent role players (Rudy, Bayless, Batum). Do we really need a bonafide player at every position twice? I already have trouble believing Oden and Aldridge will be fine staying here in Portlandas as second/third options when they could very well be first options on other teams.

We really don't have any missing pieces. We were the 2nd youngest team in the NBA and somehow tied for 2nd best record in the West. Our window is gonna be open for another 10 years, and obviously were going to get better simply from years of development and experience. Sure there are spots we could upgrade, but they're far from priorities. As long as we keep our main core in tact, we're going to be consistent contenders every year from this point on. Shaq said it best: we don't need anything. An Andre Miller, Sessions, or Hinrich would just be gravy.

If Oden develops into half the player he was hyped to be, that should alone be all we need. And honestly, his disappointing rookie season hasn't changed my mind about his potential at all. His ceiling is still as high as ever in my opinion.

1. I haven't seen any post about Carmello, where did that come from?
2. Paul, yep there have been tons of those thread. If is pretty obvious most folks are still lamenting over the pick of Martell Webseter over him. Can you blame them?
3. Williams, maybe a few, but it has been a long time since I have seen him mentioned here. He was passed on too. Lamentation is a bitch.

 

[bigbailes]

this is the same forum that has a poll on "would you trade rudy for johny flynn?" are you f'ing kidding me. welcome to the internets, where everyone can have as many pipedreams as they want.

 

[LittleAlex]

1. I haven't seen any post about Carmello, where did that come from?
2. Paul, yep there have been tons of those thread. If is pretty obvious most folks are still lamenting over the pick of Martell Webseter over him. Can you blame them?
3. Williams, maybe a few, but it has been a long time since I have seen him mentioned here. He was passed on too. Lamentation is a bitch.

I saw someone mention that the Mello would be perfect for Portland.

Obviously the trade mentioned was so one sided it was sad.

To the original posters comments about the team being fine they way it is:
Portland needs an average defensive starting Point Guard who can push the ball a bit and a banger backup power forward. They don't need CP3, D-Will or the like.

Rudy, Batum and Bayless are potential all-stars in the way every NBA player is. If they can address the multitude of holes in their respective games, they would be all-stars. The chances of that happening are the same for every other player in the NBA. Very, very low.

 

[Tyler_Hansbrough]

Seriously. Why do I keep seeing threads about attaining Chris Paul, Deron, Carmelo, and other absolutely unattainable players? These guys are only untouchable if the trade doesn't involve LeBron, Wade, or Dwight. Yeah, teams are trying to save money, but does anyone really think a poor Hornets team is going to give away the best PG of this generation to save an extra buck just because of the economy? That would take at LEAST one of our big three, if not two.

We already have 3 potential superstars, and 3 more potential all-stars/excellent role players (Rudy, Bayless, Batum). Do we really need a bonafide player at every position twice? I already have trouble believing Oden and Aldridge will be fine staying here in Portlandas as second/third options when they could very well be first options on other teams.

We really don't have any missing pieces. We were the 2nd youngest team in the NBA and somehow tied for 2nd best record in the West. Our window is gonna be open for another 10 years, and obviously were going to get better simply from years of development and experience. Sure there are spots we could upgrade, but they're far from priorities. As long as we keep our main core in tact, we're going to be consistent contenders every year from this point on. Shaq said it best: we don't need anything. An Andre Miller, Sessions, or Hinrich would just be gravy.

If Oden develops into half the player he was hyped to be, that should alone be all we need. And honestly, his disappointing rookie season hasn't changed my mind about his potential at all. His ceiling is still as high as ever in my opinion.

Great post.

 

[Nate4Prez]

1. I haven't seen any post about Carmello, where did that come from?

http://www.sportstwo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143181

 

[Денг Гордон]

Posts about pipe dreams of Bayless and Batum becoming allstars are just as bad. Could they become allstars? Sure. Is it likely? No, it's very unlikely. No different than the pipe dreams about trading for Paul, Melo, etc.

 

[Nate4Prez]

Posts about pipe dreams of Bayless and Batum becoming allstars are just as bad. Could they become allstars? Sure. Is it likely? No, it's very unlikely. No different than the pipe dreams about trading for Paul, Melo, etc.

No different than any player on the Bulls roster ever becoming an All-Star. Cause besides Rose, none of them will ever be All-Stars. If you dont like Blazers posts you have your own board to go back to.

 

[oldmangrouch]

So, according to the OP, we have 3 potential "superstars" and 3 other potential "all-stars".

Wow. No offense, but that is a bigger fantasy than trading Outlaw for LeBron!

 

[Денг Гордон]

No different than any player on the Bulls roster ever becoming an All-Star. Cause besides Rose, none of them will ever be All-Stars. If you dont like Blazers posts you have your own board to go back to.

There's a difference between saying someone like Ben Gordon, who was considered a borderline allstar twice in his career already, and Nicolas Batum (5.4 PPG) and Jerryd Bayless (4.3 PPG).

I don't think anyone mentions any Bulls outside of Rose and Gordon having a tangible chance of being an allstar. Maybe James Johnson if he shows something....Luol Deng used to get that talk...2 years ago...when he was a borderline allstar.

No one is talking up our guys averaging 5.4 PPG and 4.3 PPG as potential allstars. That description would have fit Tim Thomas (5.8 PPG) and Thabo Sefolosha (4.5 PPG) last year....neither of which is on the team right now.

 

[Mediocre Man]

The simple answer is because the forum is so full of fools.

 

[Денг Гордон]

So, according to the OP, we have 3 potential "superstars" and 3 other potential "all-stars".

Wow. No offense, but that is a bigger fantasy than trading Outlaw for LeBron!

Agreed.

You have have Brandon Roy, who is already a superstar. LaMarcus Aldridge, who has the potential to be an allstar. Greg Oden has potential to be a superstar, but who could end up not even being an allstar....and him reaching superstar status seems unlikely, but allstar status still seems tangible. Rudy Fernandez has allstar potential.

That's the only guys with any realistic shot of being allstars on the current roster.

 

[huevonkiller]

I guess you have to give the edge to Kevin Garnett....because he is just so much more INTENSE!!!!

Seriously. Ben Gordon, 20.7 PPG on 57.3 TS%. Kevin Garnett, 15.8 PPG on 56.3 TS%. Sad that Garnett's TS% is a full point lower than Gordon's, despite scoring nearly 5 points a game less. Ben Gordon's a better passer, while Kevin Garnett' a better defender and rebounder (although the rebounding is pretty much by default given the size difference).

If you swapped Ben Gordon and Kevin Garnett this season, Celtics probably are actually, legitimately competing for a championship, while the Bulls are like the T'Wolves for Garnetts last few seasons in Minnesota. Maybe they make it to .500, because KG is so INTENSE!!!!! But Boston's offense would have improved, and they'd still have the wide bodies on offense.

And as I said, they would legitimately be competing for a championship, because Ben Gordon takes care of his body much better than Garnett, leading to a lot less injuries, and even when Gordon tears his hamstring, he plays through the pain. So swap Garnett and Gordon, Bulls are probably sitting here with a Garnett out of the playoffs, who will come back next year looking like Joe Smith, as they get swept by the Celtics, while the Celtics can go on to legitimately compete, because their big four actually stayed healthy.

Anyway, I think if the Blazers can get a point guard, or even if they just let this thing bake they'll be fine. Is your SF situation ok? If you could get Hedo for 8 million a year that seems pretty solid, would it be terrible though that you overpaid a bit?

 

[Natebishop3]

Agreed.

You have have Brandon Roy, who is already a superstar. LaMarcus Aldridge, who has the potential to be an allstar. Greg Oden has potential to be a superstar, but who could end up not even being an allstar....and him reaching superstar status seems unlikely, but allstar status still seems tangible. Rudy Fernandez has allstar potential.

That's the only guys with any realistic shot of being allstars on the current roster.

I think Bayless could be an All-Star if he were on another team.

 

[Pontius]

Agreed.

You have have Brandon Roy, who is already a superstar. LaMarcus Aldridge, who has the potential to be an allstar. Greg Oden has potential to be a superstar, but who could end up not even being an allstar....and him reaching superstar status seems unlikely, but allstar status still seems tangible. Rudy Fernandez has allstar potential.

That's the only guys with any realistic shot of being allstars on the current roster.

I believe Batum has a greater potential to be an all-star than does Rudy. You cite his PPG as a harbinger but then seem to forget that he did this as a 19-year-old. For those of us who watched Batum each and every night, it seems like a plausible future outcome that Batum develops into an all-star level player.

Roy, Oden, and Aldridge WILL all play in the all-star game together at some point. You can take that to the bank barring injuries.

 

[Денг Гордон]

I think Bayless could be an All-Star if he were on another team.

The problem with a guy like Bayless, while he looked like an allstar talent coming out of college, players who play that poorly in their first season, rarely become allstars.

As for Batum, he seems like he could become a Kirk Hinrich caliber role player. But he will never make an allstar team, at least with the Blazers, because Roy, Aldridge, and Oden will be making the team before him, and it isn't likely for a team to have 3, let alone 4 allstars at the same time.

 

[Denny Crane]

FWIW, Melo at 19 averaged 21.8/6.2 with 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals. Rookie season.

 

[Minstrel]

The problem with a guy like Bayless, while he looked like an allstar talent coming out of college, players who play that poorly in their first season, rarely become allstars.

Of course, it's not a good sign when a player doesn't have a good rookie season, but Bayless' season was rather non-indicative, as he rarely got consistent minutes. When he got some consistent minutes during Blake's missed time to injury, he played noticeably better.

If Bayless had played significant minutes and had a poor season, that would be a bad sign for his ultimate upside, but this was close to a lost season as an understudy.

 

[Further]

This is actually a very interesting question to me, regarding Bayless and Batum. Both of them from the stats alone, one would think have no chance of every becoming All Star material. But, when you look at how they play, it makes you think.

Batum is already a very good defender, perhaps the best on our team for positions 1-4. That alone is pretty damn impressive. He has a good outside shot and loves to throw down. The big problem right now for him is his ball handling ability and driving ability. These are often big problems for young players. He is so damn long it is quite amazing, and yet very fast with great lateral movement. He has all the tools to develop into an all star caliber player, but my guess is that he will end up more like Stacy Augman, who in his prime was a darn nice player to have on your team.

Bayless I think has even less of a chance than Batum of making the AS games, but he is quick as hell, strong as the devil, and meaner than the Devil too. The one biggest thing he has going for him over many other players is that he just won't fucking quit. A gym rat to the nth degree, and never happy unless he has played a great game. I think he will become a good NBA player, but I just don't see AS in his future. But if anyone can will it to happen, it's Bayless.

 

[Deebag]

Just because I said they have all-star potential, doesn't mean I think they'll necessarily make it on this Blazer team.

Bayless definitely has all-star potential. You see it in his track record and work ethic. He's used to dominating people. Those things doesn't make it a for-sure thing, but we've seen games where he was able to dominate the NBA as well, when given the playing time and confidence from the coach. Potential

Batum probably falls under the "excellent role player" that I mentioned when I said "potential all-stars/excellent role players". Without Tayshaun Prince, the Pistons don't win that championship. We've seen Batum do many of the same things as Prince. Shoot the 3, defend well, chase down layups/blocks, and throw down dunks. Potential.

Rudy owns one of the best rookie seasons for an international player. Int' guys usually blow up in their 2nd and 3rd seasons. And he's done it as mostly a spot-up shooter. Judging from his play in the Olympics, he's definitely more versatile and could be a lot more useful on a different team. Therefore, another all-star potential.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

Greg Oden = Blazer Dynasty


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