Zach Lowe Synopsis of Blazers' Situation

Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
e_blazer

e_blazer

Rip City Fan
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Messages
24,281
Likes
30,493
Points
113
I think he does a pretty good job of laying out the situation that Olshey and his staff face going into the summer. Pretty good read on the other teams he covers as well:

He mentions one thing relative to the Aldridge situation that I'd been thinking about:

But that fifth season, once such a tasty carrot, might not hold as much sway with the cap about to balloon. Aldridge might be able to have the best of both worlds by signing a four- or five-year deal with a player option in the last season — on time for him to opt out at the end of his prime and lock in one more long-term deal under the higher cap.
Click to expand...

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/f...playoff-casualties-will-spend-for-the-future/
 
He makes a serious point: even assuming LA's first choice is here - do we maybe want to blow it up now given
(a) the strength of the West and the comparative difficulty of going anywhere in the playoffs, and
(b) the upcoming massive changes in the salary cap that will reward people with cap room

Personally, I would find it depressing, but I can see the reasoning. Even at our best we don't look like a serious championship contender. But then again, what are the chances we could do what Miami did with FAs? Portland is many things, but it's not Miami (or LA or New York).
 
I read this earlier today and thought it was an interesting take. Good article.
 
e_blazer said:
He mentions one thing relative to the Aldridge situation that I'd been thinking about:

But that fifth season, once such a tasty carrot, might not hold as much sway with the cap about to balloon. Aldridge might be able to have the best of both worlds by signing a four- or five-year deal with a player option in the last season — on time for him to opt out at the end of his prime and lock in one more long-term deal under the higher cap.

/
Click to expand...

So actually the 5th year does hold as much sway since it does give him best of both worlds. He signs a 5 year contract with opt outs. If he gets hurt he is covered for all 5, and if he is playing well he can opt out for another contract......... or leave. My gut says he signs a 5 year contract with opt out clauses, for various reasons.
 
I don't quite see how the bigger cap in the future means it's time to blow it up now. Seems to me that knowing the cap will increase, you sign everyone you can now with the anticipation that you can sign someone else later. Unless you believe that all of LeBron, CP3, Anthony Davis, Harden, Durant, etc. want to sign here as free agents. Which they surely don't.

barfo
 
barfo said:
I don't quite see how the bigger cap in the future means it's time to blow it up now. Seems to me that knowing the cap will increase, you sign everyone you can now with the anticipation that you can sign someone else later. Unless you believe that all of LeBron, CP3, Anthony Davis, Harden, Durant, etc. want to sign here as free agents. Which they surely don't.

barfo
Click to expand...

Wow, when you're being serious you're a real bummer.
Also: you are right.

We'll always have "squirrels", though.
 
Best thing the Blazers can do is retain assets by not letting players walk. If they re-sign them to appropriate rates, we can always trade them. If we let them walk we get nothing.
 
Lamarcus pretty much hinted in his exit interview that he'd sit down with his agent Olshey and Allen and figure it out. To me that means agree to a deal that helps both parties. I don't see LA walking and leaving the Blazers high and dry. Seems like his agent would want the most money as well since it increases his cut too. Lamarcus will need to know who he's playing with in order to really seal the deal. He may demand that they keep Wes as well. Hard to say. He'll probably have a list of teams he's willing to be signed and traded to if he decides to leave.
 
Hard for me to give Zach Lowe too much credit for his 'four or five year deal with opt out' idea, when posters here have been saying the same thing for probably weeks now.
 
3RA1N1AC said:
People that think a championship is impossible are just downers, the blazers are a top 5 team healthy as presently constructed.
Click to expand...
we may have BEEN but since only 2 returning starters are under contract and one of those had a very bad injury this is a huge offfseason and we could field a very different team next year
 
Blazinaway said:
like it or not it is obvious a real possibility so we have to plan/deal with it
Click to expand...
Definitely have to have a plan for the worst case scenario. That's what Olshey gets paid for.
 
BBert said:
Hard for me to give Zach Lowe too much credit for his 'four or five year deal with opt out' idea, when posters here have been saying the same thing for probably weeks now.
Click to expand...
They all scalp ideas from here Bert
 
Yeah, I really don't see much wisdom in blowing things up. It seems to me like you want to keep a really good nucleus together and then have more cap space next year to hopefully bring in another quality FA who wants to join the core. Also, you would think that we'd learn around here that the roster is only 50% of the equation as to which teams are legitimate contenders. Health is the other 50%. Golden State is good, but they've also been healthy all year. A healthy OKC would be on the same level with the Warriors, but bit the dust due to major health issues. The Blazers were healthy last year and managed to win 54 games and a playoff series while being considerably worse on paper than this year's snake-bit roster. So, to me, the idea that you take a powder because the other teams in the West look too tough on paper is monumentally stupid.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
You mean the team that only missed the playoffs by one game, despite being better than us in the second half of the season even thought they were without last season's MVP? Oh, I'm not worried about them. I'm talking about the GOOD teams in the West.
Click to expand...
Yes that shitty team.
 
3RA1N1AC said:
People that think a championship is impossible are just downers, the blazers are a top 5 team healthy as presently constructed.
Click to expand...
If The Blazers where healthy and had Wes I still think the Blazers would have lost the series to Memphis.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
You mean the team that only missed the playoffs by one game, despite being better than us in the second half of the season even thought they were without last season's MVP? Oh, I'm not worried about them. I'm talking about the GOOD teams in the West.
Click to expand...

I didn't say they aren't good. In fact, I said the exact opposite. I'm saying that tearing down a very good team, like the Blazers, because there are other very good teams that may even be "better" at the start of the season is dumb because it's about 50-50 as to whether that team will be healthy come playoff time. If the Blazers can bring back the same core next season, they'd still have cap space in 2016 to sign another good FA. Seems to me like that's a better course of action than blowing things up and playing lottery roulette. Of course, LA and other players may make choices that force another direction, but I'd rather shoot for continuing to build from a very good team than from a lottery one.
 
The BLAZERS ARE PREPARED to pivot another direction if Aldridge leaves — which is 100 percent in play, according to sources across the league.
Click to expand...


I like the part in caps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Minstrel
Zach Lowe on the Blazers now
2
Replies
56
Views
7K
mook
mook
illmatic99
Grantland: Lowe on Blazers' D
Replies
10
Views
527
BrianFromWA
BrianFromWA
chris_in_pdx
Grantland's Zach Lowe puts a dagger in the back of the Blazers in his Anthony Bennett column
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
riverman
riverman
OSUBlazerfan
City of Black Roses: The Bright Spot in Portland’s Dark Season
Replies
10
Views
790
KingSpeed
KingSpeed
SodaPopinski
David Aldridge article on Millsap situation
2
Replies
56
Views
3K
Blaze01
Blaze01

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top